Ok, so I started today and am doing the preparation phase. Almost done with day 1 What do you all eat for preparation phase? I am basically doing 2 eggs in the morning, salad with chicken for lunch and steak and salad for dinner, along with the orange and the boost drinks. Does this sound right?

I was told by my counselor that I can buy SF puddings add a scoop of whey powder and 2 c. milk and make 4 servings for the week. One serving is a suppliment. Good cost saving tip.

Sorry I've been MIA for so long It's been hectic. I'm glad to see everyone doing so well. I kinda fell off the wagon for a couple week, but am back at it and have lost 2 lbs so far.

I've been trying to come up with some cook ahead and freeze ideas for side dishes, does anyone do this? We just bought a food saver so we marinated and cooked a bunch of chicken, fish and shrimp and froze them into dinner servings so we can have an easy option for dinner, but the sides are a big question mark. Hubby is getting sick of so many veggies (why do men have to be so difficult?!)

We have eaten the frozen green giant steamable veggie packs and those are now on my husband's "approved" list. They come in a sauce and as far as I can tell are low-cal, low-fat and low sodium so they seem to be a good option. I also found a recipe for a high protein, low-ish carb mac and cheese that went over well. If anyone's interested in that I can post the recipe. I've tried to quickly check out some of the low carb message boards for ideas, but alot of their stuff is full of cheese and sour cream (and VERY yummy sounding, but not QWLC-approved unfortunately). I'm going to dedicate some more time to it and really dig around.

I hope you all continue to have success! Talk to you soon!

Hi, Im new! I joined QWLC last week. Im done with my prep phase, and Im starting Day 2 of the actual diet today. So far I like the diet. I feel like the protein supps are my cheats!
The only thing im dissappointed in, are some of the attitudes at the center. I always walk in feeling great and optimistic, but I leave pissed off because they are trying to push their products on me, and I just can't afford a $17 box of supplements. On the back of the yellow paper we received, it says they have a price guarantee if you can find the exact product online. I told them I found the products on a site, and they said they dont honor prices from that site which are $10. The site they did approve, I can't find the exact bars. They also told me they wouldnt honor the price guarantee throughout my entire program. WTH???? Anyway, at this point I dont care about the program guarantee. Im just going to buy my products elsewhere since they are being jerks about it. When I go in for my checkin today, Im going to tell them since they arent abiding by their own price guarantee, that im going to buy it on the site of my choice, and that they need to stop harrassing me cause they stress me out. Anyway, thats enough venting. So far im down 6.8lbs, and im super excited! I look forward to reading about all of your successes!

Hi! I'm new too! I am on day 3 of the program and I wanted to know if anyone has had BM issues. I was off yesterday and ended up spending the entire day drinking hot water and lemon as directed by my center. I have smooth move tea but they suggested I don't drink it. At this point, that tea sounds like a wonderful remedy.

Any thoughts are welcomed!

I say do what makes you comfortable. If hot water and lemon isnt working, then do what works for you. I used to always have issued but now that m 3 weeks into the program, I feel im more regular. Good luck.

@2Chi: I had the exact same feeling when I went to LA Weight Loss a few years ago. The diet itself was sound, and it worked. But it quickly became apparent that their agenda for the office visits / weigh-ins was to sell their product first and foremost. That was obviously their business model. They were very pushy in their sales efforts to try to get me to buy more and more supplements. I didn't feel like the person I was meeting with was skilled at diet coaching, and was just there to give me a pep talk to keep with the program and push the product. Like you, the pushy sales tactics really turned me off. Because of that, I stopped going in. So, not only did I not reach my weight loss goal, I put the weight back on -- and then some.

I wasn't sure if QWL was like that too, but my past experience with LA Weight Loss was what kept me from trying QWL. That -- and the fact that I should be able to do it on my own if I put my mind to it. Of course, not having to spend the money to join is a plus.

A few weeks ago my wife and I started the QWL plan. My wife asked me if I wanted to do the program with her because a few of our friends are on it and have lost a lot of weight. One has lost 70 pounds in about a year. However, because I am now very wary of the motives and sales tactics of weight loss businesses, we did not actually join QWL. Instead, we are just following the weight loss plan (which in reality is not that much different than the plan that I was on with LA Weight Loss).

Of course, we do not have access to the supplements that our friends buy from QWL. But I wasn't concerned about that. I went to the QWL website to research the QWL supplements. I noticed that the QWL supplement bars are $17 for 7 (although I noticed some people post that they can be found cheaper online. That is good to know). I then compared the nutritional info on the QWL bars with "Pure Protein" brand bars which I have used before -- and really liked, and the Pure Protein bars actually compared very well. (They had the same amount of fat, less saturated fat, more protein, more dietary fiber, less carbs and less sugar than the QWL bars). I also use the Pure Protein brand shakes. I get the Pure Protein bars at Walmart for $6.27 for 6 bars -- which comes out to just over $1.00 per bar. The pre-made shakes are a little pricey ($7 for 4 bottles), but the powder (which comes in a tub) is cheaper per serving.

So far in three weeks I have lost about 25 pounds. (I lost about 10 in the first few days during the first stage of the diet). I have not used any carb blockers, hoodia, or EFA supplements (but I do eat a lot of fish, shellfish and other foods that provide EFAs). I did some research online on the carb blockes and hoodia and wasn't swayed that it was necessary. Because the diet has totally changed how I eat -- for the better, I am not really hungry throughout the day. I used to skip breakfast and have a big lunch, and then a big dinner, and then snack late at night. Now, I am eating a breakfast, eating fruit and supplements as snacks between meals and after dinner, and I am never hungry. The biggest obstacle I have to come over with respect to late night snacking is the habit of eating just for the sake of eating while watching TV at night. Typically, I would pick up a bag of chips or eat a leftover slice of pizza while I watch TV at night --- when I wasn't even hungry. Now, after having my after-dinner protein bar or shake, I really haven't had the urge to snack.

My wife has been doing well too. She has lost 8 pounds so far (but doesn't have nearly as much to lose as I do.) I am not going to list her starting / current weight because I like living in the same house as her.

Anyway, I am glad to have found this forum. I have found that it is much easier to follow the program because I have support of my wife who is doing it with me. I figure that the more support we have, the better we will do. I enjoyed reading about other people's experiences and look forward to seeing how everybody does on the plan.

Good luck to all!

Joe

@ Shebrat: I hope your issue has already been resolved, but I seem to recall that one of my friends who goes to QWL was told that you need to eat enough fats during the first phase of the diet so that you don't have problems with BMs -- since all you are eating is protein and raw green veggies.

Once you get into the second portion of the program, you should be eating enough fiber so that BMs are not a problem anymore. I am on plan 3, so I have a bowl of fiber-loaded cereal every morning.

Wow joe congrats on your success so far! Today was my 4th week weigh in and Im down 11.2lbs. When I go back Friday for my weigh in, I hope that number increases a bit. I feel like my progress is moving slowly though even though Im about .8oz away from target. Lately, the staff hasnt been harrassing us to buy products so Im happy. I want to start working out to excellerate the weight loss.
Hope you and your wife have continued success!

Thanks 2Chi,

Thanks! As I expected, my weight loss has slowed down as well. I lost a crazy amount of weight during the first week or so. I think in the first 3 days I lost 10 pounds -- which I realized was largely water weight.

From everything I've read, losing 1.5 to 2 pounds a week is a good result. I will be happy with that. I've read an earlier post on this thread where one person mentioned that their QWL counselor has given them a hard time for ONLY losing 3.5 pounds per week, and that they had to buy something else to take to help increase the pace of the weight loss. That is CRAZY! I would be thrilled to lose 3.5 pounds in a week!

Like you, I also need to start an exercise regimen. So far, my weight loss has come from diet alone. To start, I am not going to doing anything hard core. I am going to begin walking briskly for 30 to 45 minutes at least a few days per week.

I started QWLC recently and am looking for support too. Here are a few of my recipes:
Half a grapefruit, a whole egg on top of a slice of 40 Calorie Bread

White fish or salmon with a cup of broccoli and a cup of cauliflower

7 oz precooked shrimp from the grocery store, a small salad of lettuce and a sliced tomato with lemon and Apple Cider Vinegar

Turkey topped with mushrooms and a side of a cup of asparagus

For my supplements I always make my chocolate or strawberry shakes with an 8 oz of skim milk, ice, and a half cup of raspberries or 6 large strawberries in a blender
Hope this helped!

What does everyone eat when they are out? Eating at home is easy because you control everything. Eating out is obviously harder because even if you order items you can have, you have to worry about them being prepared with butter, oil, salt, etc.

Ruby Tuesday seems to have a diet-friendly menu. Flanagans is one of my regular lunch places. I get the 8oz grilled mahi with steamed broccoli. There is a Greek restaurant near my office that has grilled chicken that I eat with a salad (just lettuce and cucumber). I also get salads with grilled chicken, but I always ask them to bring me the oil and vinegar on the side so I can control the amount.

The hardest thing is fast food. I was so used to going through a drive-thru when I was in a hurry. But fast food it almost always unhealthy. Even salad is going to be a problem... unless you bring along your own dressing. Whenever I need a quick meal when I'm out of the house, I go to Pollo Tropical and order a boneless grilled chicken breast. You can get one for $3. (The meal comes with two and a side). I haven't tried it, but you can get brown rice there as well. Although, I suspect the rice is made with butter and/or oil. Also, unfortunately, they don't really have any veggie sides that are on the diet - except for salad. But the chicken breast is really good -- much better than the grilled chicken you get from McDonalds or Burger King IMO.

What I do is that I always order a side of veggies or I have a salad at home before leaving the house. It's nearly impossible to follow the diet when going out to eat unless they have veggies there. Your restaurant meal choices are fine.

Remember that the Pollo Tropical chicken has a lot of seasoning inside of it and could disrupt your weight loss goals. You could always take a tomato and celery stick with you as well. If you must go to Burger King or Mc Donald's (mind you I'm against fast food eating) try to stick to a plain burger--no cheese-- and remove the bread. Ask for lettuce and tomato just in case and remember to ask them not to put condiments.

Since I am a full time student I regularly pack my own lunches and take them with me. I broil my chicken or turkey then take a salad or veggies in a Ziploc container and take it in a lunch box with my EFA's, Akmak crackers, and a lemon in pouches.That's the safest way to keep your weight loss goals. I also save myself the hassle of having to choose. I make sure if I do, however, go out to eat that it's a sit down restaurant or a place where I already know what they serve.
Hope this helps!

HPQ - you are much more organized that me! (Plus, I'm lazy. Not a good combination). I usually don't even think about lunch until just shortly before it. That is why I always find myself in those situations where I am trying to figure out what to do.

Since I began the diet I don't eat fast food --with the exception of the grilled chicken from Pollo Tropical. I don't care for the McD or BK "grilled" chicken. And you're right about the seasonings. Fortunately, I haven't had an issue with it interfering with the weight loss. I haven't had a hamburger since I started dieting. After all, if I can't have the bun, cheese, onion, and ketchup... then I really don't want it anyway!