Help from an International Friend

I've mentioned before how the food selection here in Germany has been posing some problems for me. I was always hungry and would just be eating all day long, never feeling full or even satisfied. A friend from Switzerland came to visit and I shared these concerns with her, thinking she might have some insight as she has lived in Europe for the last five years, and has spent a lot of time over here before setting up a permanent residence here. I was not disappointed with the suggestions she had.

I confided in her that I was concerned that Nutella was becoming my new peanut butter, because I was eating sometimes three slices of bread a day with Nutella spread on them. She said that she eats Nutella every day, but instead of on bread, she eats it on plain rice cakes. The rice cakes are low in carbs and bulky, so they fill you up. I am able to eat two rice cakes with 1 tsp of Nutella on each for 3 Points Plus, or three rice cakes with 1 tsp of Nutella each for 4 Points Plus. It is definitely filling, I get that great chocolate, hazelnut taste, and I forget about food for a while.

I was already eating yogurt, which isn't something I would normally eat at home. It was nonfat, but eating it for a snack or breakfast didn't feel like enough. My friend suggested putting some muesli into my yogurt to bulk it up a bit. She mentioned that getting the non-sugar plan muesli was best for this. The first time I tried this as a breakfast, I was STUFFED! I couldn't believe such simple adjustments could change everything. Basically, she was teaching me to use the situation of carbs being everywhere to my advantage.

I've been stocking up on fruits and veggies and have been using hot tea to help fill me up when I don't want to eat anything with points. Instead of eating out once a week, we have started picking out a pastry at the end of our large shopping trips. Normally pastries are high in points, but nothing compared to a full meal at a restaurant. I still haven't made it to weight watchers here in Germany yet, but the plan is to make it there this week or I'll be cutting it close when it comes to the requirement that I weigh-in once a month. This weekend will mark 6 weeks from my last weigh-in.