What a Weight Watchers Coach Buys at Sam’s Club

There's nothing like the feeling Weight Watchers Coach Branneisha Cooper gets walking into the popular big-box store Sam's Club. It's both the calm of being surrounded by so many healthy and affordable foods — and the thrill of discovering something new to try. 

“Sam's Club has become my one-stop-shop for my wellness journey. I can pick up my GLP-1 prescription at the pharmacy and stock up on my high-protein staples,” says Branneisha. “Plus, shopping almost feels like a treasure hunt because they’re always bringing in new products.” And new perks. Sam’s Club members now get access to special Weight Watchers membership pricing. 

Whether you’re already a Sam’s Club devotee like Branneisha or have never stepped foot in the store before, read on to get some inspo plus a few tips for making the most of your trip.

Because Branneisha takes a GLP-1, she is always on the lookout for high-protein foods, as she knows it can help her hold on to more muscle as she loses weight, or foods higher in fiber. While her cart always looks a little different with every trip, here are the favorites she always reaches for:

• Just Bare Chicken Tenders (2 Points per piece): “I get these almost every time. They’re relatively lower in points in the Points® program, you get a lot of protein (up to 17 grams in two pieces), and they are lightly breaded,” she says. “I air fry them when I get home and put them in salads or wraps or even eat them by themselves.”

• Live Ocean Sweet Thai Chili Butter Coho Salmon (10 Points): Salmon is a good source of healthy fat, and each of these fillets has 31 grams of protein. “This is so good in the air fryer, too,” says Branneisha. She usually has it for dinner alongside some vegetables and a carb like rice or a non-starchy vegetable like potatoes. “It feels a little elevated without requiring much effort.” It also comes frozen, which helps it stay good for longer.

• Rotisserie Chicken (0 Points): You’ll get 19 grams of protein in a three-ounce portion, making this a great food to build a meal around. “It’s affordable and you can do so much with it,” says Branneisha. “Cut it up and make chicken salad, add it to wraps, or eat it by itself with a vegetable on the side.” 

• Fruit: Branneisha finds that fruit at Sam’s Club tends to cost less per pound than fruit at a normal grocery store, which can make it easy to go overboard and buy too much. “I pick two fruits each week to buy there so I’m not buying more than I can eat,” says Branneisha. “I love their kiwi, watermelon, and cotton candy grapes.” No matter what she buys, though, she cleans and preps it as soon as she gets home — making choosing something nutritious to eat easy. 

• Daisy low-fat cottage cheese (3 Points): “I add this to a lot of my meals as a way to up the protein,” Branneisha says. “So if I’m making a tuna salad, I use cottage cheese instead of mayo. I put it in my scrambled eggs instead of milk, and I add it to my taco bowls instead of sour cream. It’s so versatile!”

• Cookies and Cream Yasso bars (5 Points): With about five grams of protein, these Greek-yogurt frozen pops are a healthier way to end a meal on a sweet note. “I don’t want to feel like I’m missing out on dessert, and these satisfy my sweet tooth while still fitting into my lifestyle!” Branneisha says.

• Built Puff bars (4-6 Points): Some protein bars can be super dense and tough to eat, but not these. “They are a marshmallow-y texture, which is really nice,” says Branneisha. “And you get up to 20 grams of protein in each one, depending on the flavor.”

Huge stores like Sam’s Club can be overwhelming, but Branneisha has some tricks to make shopping there more seamless. 

1. She goes in with a plan. “Open up the Sam’s Club app and see what’s new and what’s on sale, so you can figure out what you’re going to buy before you go.” 

2. She feels comfortable experimenting with new foods. While she often buys items she's had before, she makes an exception sometimes — like getting a case of Starbucks Coffee & Protein drinks a few weeks ago. To do this without stressing out, she usually either tries a free sample or reads online reviews first. “That gives me a good idea if I’ll like something or not.” And if she ends up not liking a new food, she can always return it since Sam's Club has a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

3. She uses their Scan & Go offering. “I hate waiting in lines, so you can use the app to scan each food as you put it in your cart, then just check out using the app at the end. No lines!” And that’s not the only time she’s got her phone out: She also uses the barcode scanner in the WW app to see how many points each item has before she buys it.

Sam’s Club is a great place to buy healthy foods in bulk — often for less than what you’d spend at a typical grocery store. They have a lot of high-protein options too, including rotisserie chicken, frozen salmon, protein bars, and Greek yogurt frozen desserts. To help the store feel less overwhelming, go in with a plan, avoid impulse buys on foods you’ve never tried before, and try their “Scan & Go” feature which lets you check out through the app instead of waiting in lines.