4 Easy Hacks That'll Help You Stick to Your WW Plan, According to a Celebrity Chef

Updated on 11/14/2018 at 11:25 AM

Unsplash | Heather Schwartz

I always tell people just how easy it is to stick with WW (formerly Weight Watchers), because it's not really a diet; it's simply a lifestyle. I firmly believe this, but that doesn't mean it's easy 100 percent of the time. There are absolutely days when I come home from work and all I want to do is either eat popcorn and M&M's (my favorite snack) or just order food, but neither of those options is a healthy choice (unless you order a salad, and that is never going to be what I order).

I sat down with Chef Cat Cora, a WW ambassador and all-around amazing chef, to figure out exactly how to make healthy eating a breeze. As someone who is also on the plan, she knows all there is to know about preparing healthy foods and sticking to healthy habits, even when you're feeling lazy and uninspired. For her four best hacks to make sure you're never off-track, keep reading.

Prep Your Meals For the Week on Sundays

One of my biggest issues with consistently eating healthy is the fact that I don't really love cooking, especially after I get home from a long day of work. Chef Cora reinforced the tip I already knew to be true: you have to meal prep on weekends to be successful during the week.

"Make Sunday your cooking day and get it all out of the way," she said. "Then, when you don't want to cook on a Tuesday night, you already have a healthy option ready to go."

Always Have Your Favorite Zero-Point Food Handy

To make sure you're making the best choices in the kitchen when you don't want to exert a lot of time and effort, it's of the utmost importance to make sure your kitchen is fully stocked with healthy foods.

"There are so many foods with zero SmartPoints now, which makes this easier than ever," Chef Cora said. "Always have beans on hand. Always!" She also recommends keeping chicken breasts or tofu for protein since both have no points.

Buy Precut Produce

This tip from Chef Cora is probably my favorite of all, as it validates what I already do: buy precut and premade foods.

"There are so many high-quality options on the market now, with stores like Whole Foods and other high-end fresh grocers that have prechopped produce or precooked meals. Sure, they might cost a little extra, but if you can afford to splurge, this is a great option for it."

She highly recommends buying your vegetables precut so you don't have to prep before you cook and buying your fruit ready to go so you can snack on it when you get hungry. She included cooked meats and even whole meals as great options because many quality grocery stores prepare the food as you would at home without any hidden ingredients that would throw off your SmartPoints tracking.

Have a Plan For Holiday Meals

I'm not kidding when I say there's always a big holiday meal around the corner, no matter what time of year. Chef Cora knows this too, which is why she recommends going into holiday meals extremely prepared.

"I start planning for holiday meals way in advance — at least a week or two — so that I can not only cut back on SmartPoints in advance to leave me a little more room on the holiday, but also to think about what exactly I'll cook and eat for the meal."

Your plan of action will vary based on whether or not you're preparing the meal or going to someone else's house to eat, but if someone else is in charge, you could either check with them beforehand to see what exactly is on the menu or bring a dish that you know without a doubt that you can eat.

Also, don't be afraid to skip the meal completely if it won't cause drama with your family. I opted out of family Easter one year while watching what I was eating because I knew staying home and making my own healthy meal was just going to be easier on me mentally than dealing with the questions at the dinner table.