Bistro MD buddies?
 

Hey is anyone else on here doing Bistro MD and interested in being diet buddies?

I was just curious and was wondering how you like the food? I've done Jenny Craig before and the food was so so to me mostly the lunches and dinners.

The food is ok, some of the breakfast have disappointed me. It's way better than nutrisystem, and is actually the lunches and dinners are very good better than i might cook for myself. The snacks are pretty artificial but they are filling. If you don't want/can't/short on time its an easy way be on a diet. however I am hoping find someone who is also on to help keep each other on track.

start Bistro MD this week
 

I have ordered two weeks of the Bistro MD food and hopefully it will arrive tomorrow. For those of you who have tried it, is it worth the money? How much did you loose the first week?
I tried Nutri Systems last year but was not satisfied with the quality of the food for the price. Hopefully the Bistro plan will be better.
Any thought about the plan will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Mila

any update on your thoughts with them?

Hi. I'm new here (this is my first post), and new to BistroMD. I know this original post is fairly old, but I'm hoping there are some people on this plan who would still want to chat.

I just got my first shipment yesterday, and I have to say that so far, I'm impressed. I had some problems with the service as far as ordering went (no confirmation email, no response to emailed inquiries, answers not easily found on their site), but after calling and speaking with customer service, all is well. I just ate my third meal, and I'm liking the food.

Carol

Hi Carol,

I'm on Week 18 of BistroMD and you can see a buttload of my posts here if you click on my profile and then choose "view all posts." Obviously, I've had my share of issues with BistroMD getting my orders right (although, I do have my own "issues" I bring to the table, being sensitive to wheat gluten, which is not something they specialize in dealing with) but I've also been very pleased with the "pound a week" loss--even with having meals off-plan and continuing to drink alcohol more than I should and absolutely not upping my exercise as much as I should, etc.

So, I'm a big fan, obviously. ;) I love the taste of the food. I love the variety I have (even though I only get 30% of the BistroMD food options, due to my wheat issues). And I'm pleased with how easy it is and I know I'll be in a MUCH better place a year from now... and that's a huge deal for me. :D

I'm bummed you've had a hard time getting your emails answered. Maybe it depends on who your assigned CSR is. Mine, if she doesn't hear from me with a "problem" every two weeks or so, shoots me an email just to ask me how it's going. I love her!!!!!!!

Good luck on your journey and I'm happy to join you here in a regular "check in, chat" thread, if you'd like. Heck, maybe I'll get off my *** and exercise more and drink less if I know I have someone doing the plan with me, and feel accountable because of it. ;) Worth a shot!

:D

Hi! Nice to meet you. I have read quite a few of your posts previously. I also have issues - I can't process Nutrasweet or Splenda! So they are making substitutions for me too (but I did find a few things with those ingrediants in my first shipment!). It seems to affect mostly the snacks. I read the menu and was all psyched, and then I got a box full of puffs and protein chips! LOL! But even those are pretty good.

Assigned CSR? I haven't heard anything about that yet. This is my first week, so maybe it's something that comes later? I don't know. I've had to call them several times, but they haven't said anything about it.

Anyway, I do like the food a LOT more than I expected, and I'm a pretty picky eater. The only thing I just couldn't bring myself to eat after I heated it was some fish (blackened tilapia). I ate the veggies and tossed the fish. Everything else has been pretty good. It's easy for me, especially for dinners and weekend meals, since I don't cook anyway.

Are you eating the meals pretty-much three times a day?

Yeah, I find a few gluten-containing items in my shipments from time to time (more in the beginning than now; we seem to have it "down" now, but every now and then, something will slip by them and into my shipment by mistake). But I found that if I stayed on top of my label-reading, I could keep myself from getting sick. I just gave away the food that contained gluten and asked BistroMD to credit me for the item(s) they sent that I could not eat. They have ALWAYS been prompt and courteous about getting my credit issued. I do love that customer service!!

Maybe it's not so much that they assigned someone to me--I just assumed that's what happened, since she stays in touch and checks in on me from time to time.

I sent an email to BistroMD asking about food allergies and substitutions and the CSR (customer service rep) who replied has been with me since BEFORE I even was a customer. She's really awesome. Maybe it was just the luck of the draw on who answered my email when it came in, but I figured she was "assigned" me as a customer to check on, since we started out together before I even signed up.

Maybe shoot an email to the company through the website and say you're looking for email-based support as well as the ability to call in and get help. Maybe you'll end up with a great one too! :D I really like being able to shoot her an email with my concerns or questions and it's super nice that she seems to care about my progress along the way. Maybe I just lucked out and it's not really a "part" of the program. :?: Not sure!!

Ditto that! :D I was very pleased with how yummy everything (almost everything, that is) was/is and the fact that I still enjoy it 17.5 weeks into the program is really saying something! (Especially considering I get the exact same menu every week. Not a lot of variety, gluten-free.)

I actually bought some tartar sauce and, for 90 calories per serving of 2T., I coat that sucker DOWN with that yummy stuff and it's *totally* edible! :D I really look forward to it when I'm craving salty tangy stuff (the tartar sauce) and when I realized it only boosted me by 90 calories, I decided that I could tolerate the otherwise plain fish.

Me too. I don't cook at all, so I was all about the drive-thru and the take-out and the convenience of pre-packaged stuff at the market. This is much closer to "home cooked meals" than anything I would ever do on my own, and I find that to be a big help.

I recently switched from the seven days with snacks plan to the five days with no snacks plan (mainly because I had missed so many meals here and there due to going out to eat or choosing to snack at the movies and therefore not eat my assigned snacks for that day, etc.), so I'm having to trust myself a bit more than before, but YES. YES is the answer to your question, pretty much. ;)

I like to save breakfast for dinner (I know, I'm weird), so I start my day with one of the meals (usually a pork dish, as they're the more substantial) and then I have a poultry or fish dish for lunch. I'll have two snacks together, mid-day, and then at night I'll have my cocoa and oatmeal with berries (or a muffin). That seems to work pretty well for me, when I stick to it.

When I *don't* stick to it, it works well because I can "flip" a meal--like if I know I'll be going out to dinner that night with a client, I won't eat the lunch meal. I'll eat the breakfast (lower calorie but still high-protein) meal and then "bank" the calories the snacks would've been, plus that meal, and make sure I don't go over that caloric level for dinner out.

Obviously, that sort of thing is part of why I'm only losing a pound per week, on average, but it works for me (because I never feel deprived and I don't have these wild, rebellious binges to make up for having been so strict every day, which has happened to me on other diets). So, I figure if I learn what's "appropriate" to eat (both in terms of calories and portion size), I can make pretty good choices that keep me on track over the course of each week.

I have to tell you, Carrie, I think you're good for me. :D

Because I knew I would come check in tonight at this thread (with my new BistroMD "buddy"), I had a 100% day. I didn't have one bite off-plan!! And it's been awhile since I've been able to say that. So, thank you for being a good influence, just by having posted to this thread the other day.

I'll take whatever incentive I can get, some days!! :carrot:

Here's hoping tomorrow is another 100% day. :D :p Wish me luck!

Well, I do wish you luck for another good day tomorrow! I actually had my first lunch out with a friend since I started dieting, and I did pretty well - had only a salad.

Have to say, I'm a liitle bit annoyed with BMD right now though. I came home and found my second receipt email of the week, and found that I had been charged for the second time this week too. So I've now been charged for three weeks of food, and I've only received one week of meals. In addition I received a FedEx tracking number on Monday saying I'd be getting a delivery today. No delivery, and that tracking number has never been updated beyond "information transmitted to FedEx." And twice now, I've been promised that I would receive an email with detailed menu and ingredient info from their (I think) dietician, and I haven't received anything. And of course, they only have anyone who can help you between 9-5, so I can't even call to straighten it out until tomorrow.

I will call tomorrow, and hopefully work it all out. I'd really like to keep going with them. But as much as you love their customer service, I'm just having a really bad experience with them. Normally I would not continue doing business with a company if I had this many issues with them at the start. But I'm really liking the food and the convenience, and I'm afraid I won't find anything else that I can stick to!

Sorry to vent! I'm just feeling very frustrated tonight, because I really want this to work!

Thanks for listening. Hopefully I will be a better cheerleader tomorrow!

hey ladies, I am thinking about BistroMD, is it really has good as y'all are saying. I was on DTG, but I wasn't losing any weight, so I need a new plan

Thanks! And good for you!! That's awesome! Dinner out is a big hurdle when you're doing home-delivery dieting. It's nice to be able to face the challenge and not let it throw you off-kilter. Woo! Go, you! :D

Actually, I think that's how the timing works. I was billed for my first shipment on 2/4/08, my second shipment on 2/11/08, and my third shipment on 2/18/08. And as of 2/18/08, I had only received ONE shipment--and that was on 2/15/08. But that's the timing of the ordering system. You have to pay for the order that will ship out on a Monday for delivery on a Friday... and since I made my first order after the deadline for *that* Friday, it had me cycled out to be billed way before most of my food arrived.

Now that I've been on the program for months, I can see how it all works out, and whenever I decide to cancel my service, I'll still have another week or two of pre-paid food coming.

But I think if you do the math and check the calendar, you'll see (likely--don't want to assume your situation is exactly the same as mine) that you are right on target for having paid for the orders that are scheduled to come in accordance with their drop-dead date for billing/changes and shipments.

I've had to keep an eye on the FedEx tracker too, but only two times has it been "wrong." And if I noticed it wasn't budging beyond that initial scan, I shot an email to my CSR and she made sure a new shipment was expressed out *that day* for me to receive on schedule or just one day off. And, once you've had more than a week or two of the food delivered, a day "off" from the schedule doesn't mess you up, because there's still food in your fridge and cupboard (or at least that's how it stacked up here).

Anyway, it's only been twice in 18 weeks of delivery that I've had to check in with BistroMD about a non-moving FedEx tracker. And both times, they've worked it all out with no problems.

Of course, I know that might not make you feel better--and believe me, if you see my blog posts from February and early March, you'll see that I was having my share of issues with BistroMD when we started up together as well--but they do eventually get things straightened out and it just FEELS like it's all messed up in the beginning.

And from what I've read, there is NO home delivery service out there that is 100% problem-free, in this area. ALL of them have delivery mistakes, billing mistakes, shipment contents mistakes, you name it! So, for me, the fact that BistroMD has made *every mistake RIGHT* and *very promptly* is enough to keep me happy. Because it looks to me like NONE of them are mistake-free companies.

Have you requested this via email? I've found that the email CSRs and phone-based CSRs are not in the same "class," if that makes sense. (Heck, they may not even be in the same building or in the same state, for that matter.) But I've always found that if I ask for something via email, I'll get it. And if I ask for something via phone, I always have to follow up via email to be SURE I get it. I think their phone volume is just very high and perhaps the more detail-oriented CSRs have the cushy email-based support jobs. ;)

Just a theory!

I received that detailed ingredient list in several different formats even before my first shipment arrived, but I requested it via email and that's how it arrived. I never asked anyone via phone, which is why I'm suggesting maybe you try the email request thing too. Worth a shot!

Another point in favor of the email, if you ask me. ;) But... I've called them on weekends and after hours (and I'm on the west coast, so I've called at like 4pm here which would be 7pm in their offices) and reached people, so maybe I've just been really lucky.

I'm sorry. It probably sounds like I'm trying to talk you into loving them when you clearly don't love them. I guess I'm just hoping you'll stick it out because I know that ALL of these diet plans are hard and losing weight is so tough as it is and because BistroMD has been both yummy and *great* with customer service for me (not to mention, effective for losing weight so far), that I'm just glad that *I* stuck it out all of the times when I really, really, really wanted to tell them to just jump in the lake and then take my business elsewhere.

Hey, I totally understand! And that's what "diet buddies" are for, right? We're here when times are good and when times are bad. If we were only fair-weathered friends, we'd be the worst support group ever. ;) And I know I will need to lean on you sometimes too, so it's absolutely not a problem for me to offer a shoulder if you need one from me!

I just wish you were having a better experience. :^:

Hopefully it will improve for you, and VERY soon. :hug:

Well, I sure as heck love BistroMD (clearly) or else I wouldn't have stayed on it for 18 weeks so far... and spent thousands of dollars *gulp* doing so. ;) So, obviously, I love it and feel that it's working for me, albeit slowly (through no fault of the plan--simply because I am not following it to the letter nor am I exercising like I should).

I'm one of those, "If I can't stick to it for life, I'll never succeed at this" types. So, for me, I knew when I signed up for it that I'd be doing it for most of the year. And, yup, I'm right on schedule to be doing this all year and reaching my goal by then for sure, at this rate. Fair enough. I can do that and, hopefully, over that time also really re-work some habits.

I already know much better what size my portions should be, how much proteins to carbs to fats I should eat, what an average day's caloric intake should feel like, etc. And I really do enjoy the food, which is primary for me. If I'm not enjoying what I'm eating, I'm not going to stick to anything. So, the fact that I'm sticking to this for 18 weeks and counting is a huge comment on how "it's working" for me.

Slowly... but in the right direction every day. I'll take it!

Hope this helps! Good luck in your decision. I've learned (mostly through reading) that none of these home-delivery programs is perfect and everyone has a favorite, based on his or her needs. This is the one that seems to work best for me, so I'm glad I chose it. But who knows! Maybe one of the other plans would've worked for me too! (I just couldn't get any of the other companies to answer my pre-starting questions about gluten content. So, BistroMD won my business by default. They were the only ones who worked to GET ME to be a customer, before I even was one. That said a lot to me about how their service would be.)

Good luck!

Thanks for explaining. This is pretty-much what they told me yesterday too. Apparently the charges go through on Wednesdays for the following week's delivery. Unfortunately I've just confused myself again with the cancellation/change policy, which I thought I got yesterday...but I THINK I'm OK with it all again.

They couldn't quite explain the FedEx thing. I'm guessing it was simply sent too early.

I got the feeling from my ordering experience that they just weren't good with the email. My original emails were never answered, and their website isn't really set up to let you handle everything online. You can make your first order, but...the FAQs are not up to date (much of the info has their old name - not sure how long ago they changed it!),and there's no easy way to really manage your info online that I can see. You can't even cancel or change your plan online - you have to call.

I guess many (maybe most!) people would be more comfortable with that - speaking with a live person, etc. Some people still don't feel comfortable shopping online. But I feel like, Hello! It's 2008! They need to realize that many people are going to find them online, and then find it very frustrating when most of their transactions and business can't be handled that way.

I didn't actually ask them for this info - they offered it! And when I called with questions after my order arrived, they said "Didn't you get an email from our dietician with your menu & ingredients?" I got the impression that it had actually been requested on their end (and they could see that info in my record)..but I never got it. And the second person said she would request it again, and again, I never got it.

I'm not trying to knock them here, though it feels like that's what I'm sounding like. I do feel like the phone reps I've spoken to have gotten me some answers, and have genuinely tried to help. Maybe they are growing too quickly, or the person who was supposed to send me the info was having a bad week. Whatever. I am still wanting to stick with them. I just feel like there's a lot that could be improved there if I've had this many issues when, as of today, I've been on the plan for one week!

There are people to take orders. But if you have a detailed question or problem, they say you have to speak to Customer Service, who are only in from 9-5 EST. They offer to leave a message, which I have not done.

Thanks very much! I appreciate that a LOT! And likewise, if you need to vent, fire away!!!

Hi Oseybaby.

As you can see from my previous two posts, I've had some Customer Service-type issues. But as far as the food goes, after one week, I am impressed with it. The portions are bigger than I was expecting, and they taste pretty good. It comes frozen...you get your first box, and there are about 15 large plastic bags inside (on the 5-day plan). Each bag has a full meal, usually an entree and two differrent sides for lunches and dinners. Those three "pieces" are in individual pouches (I guess you would call them "vacuum-sealed" maybe?) as opposed to a single "tray" like a typical Lean Cuisine-type of meal you'd buy in a supermarket. And those get microwaved (or boiled).

The breakfasts have been OK..I wouldn't rave about them, and some of those seem kind-of small. But the lunches and dinners have been really good. They taste much more like "real food" than something out of a pouch in the freezer. And there's a lot of flavor so you don't feel like you're missing out. The sides are mostly veggies so far. There were none in my first week with anything like potatoes or pasta or rice. So that's a big adjustment for me, but...I'm definitely losing weight.

For the snacks, I can't have artificial sweeteners, so I didn't get all the shakes and pastries...I got mostly soy chips and various-flavored puffs (barbeque, sour cream & onion, nacho...). They actually taste good, and are surprisingly filling. I've been sharing them with a co-worker who's not on a diet, and she's liked them too.

I hope that's helpful. If you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to try to answer them.

Figured I should make a note since I got my second shipment today, and some of the sides this week include wild rice, brown rice and even potatoes (some part of my insides is doing a very happy dance!). So maybe they try to "train" your body a bit the first week.

Okay, that's just sooooooo opposite from the experience that I have had with BistroMD. I'm baffled. :?:

In 18+ weeks with BistroMD, I've probably called twice. Via email, I've been able to:

* receive my nutrition and ingredients attachments
* modify my weekly menu several times
* change from the 7-days w/ snacks to the 5-days w/o snacks program
* change the credit card they bill
* request and receive credits for mistakes they've made

...and on and on. I'm just SHOCKED at what an exact OPPOSITE experience you and I are having!! Wow!

Clearly, my experience shows that they absolutely DO allow for transactions and business to be dealt with entirely online... so, I HEAR you. I know you're not having the same experience. No question about it--and if I were going through what YOU were going through, I'd be ticked off too because I really love the convenience of online.

But I've just had nowhere close to the experience you're describing. You must be SO frustrated!! :hug: That's a bummer.

Of course! :) Yay! :carrot: Happily, I have nothing to vent about. I had a very good week with both a weight loss on the scale and an inch loss on the waist measurement, so I'm very very very pleased. :D

Actually, that's not possible, since the diet is set to ship "blue" or "yellow" or "green" or "red" or whatever color based on when you sign up. You join in on "purple" week and that's the first shipment you'll get. They don't create the same first week for everyone. The first week is whatever it is that's in the cycle for everyone that week.

(Except for me, since I only get the exact same menu every week due to my food sensitivities.)

Still, I'm excited about your rice and potatoes. ;) One of my favorite dishes is the Turkey Cranberry dish which comes with rosemary potatoes. Eesh, that's some yummy stuff!! :D I also love the Mahi Mahi Caribbean, which comes with rice. Like you, I really dig that stuff and enjoy that I can still have it on this diet. ;)

Just had my Pork with Apples meal and am feeling good about today and this week ahead! I'm really looking forward to hitting 205 and below... man, when I hit the 100s I'm going to be in heaven!! :carrot: So, I'm trying to be extra-good and extra-disciplined here lately, just because I can almost TASTE that 199 reading on the scale and I really, really want it!!!! :flow1:

Hope you're having a good weekend!!!! Enjoy Week 2. :D

Congratulations! You should be very pleased - you're doing great!

Interesting! And here I thought the veggie thing was very clever of them. :)
Well, I guess I joined at a good time, since I think the idea of having lots more vegetables and less other stuff helped mentally in trying to change the way I eat.

That one's in my freezer waiting for me. Last night I had the chicken Cordon Blue...I have to say, I thought that was delicious!

Today I only had the breakfast. I had to be out all afternoon, and was planning to have dinner home, but my plans got all turned around. I had to grab a very quick lunch, which would have been something frightening a few weeks ago as I only had about 15 minutes. Instead of the fast food thing, I grabbed a fruit salad and a luna bar at a deli.

Then I was getting nervous, because I was still out at 7 PM, and I'm trying hard not to eat after 8 PM, and I was nowhere near home. So I opted for a "create your own salad" bar, and just had a spinach salad with all healthy ingredients, and a piece of multi-grain bread. So it was a really good day, despite not being completely on plan.

Whoo hoo! You're getting close! That will be a big celebration day!

You too! Keep up the good work!

Aw, thanks. One day at a time, y'know? Had some cocktails and popcorn last night, so my fingers are all puffy this morning and I know better than to go anywhere near the scale today. ;) But I'm back on track for today and didn't go too far over my calories yesterday, so the "damage" was minimal and I didn't feel deprived last night, which tends to be one of the best ways for me to stay on track. ;)

Hey, it would be!! :D Send you stuff that makes it easier to start on good habits while you're super-enthusiastic about a new diet. Great idea!

They sent that one--I think--by mistake once. It's chicken stuffed with mushrooms and bacon and cheese, right? If that's the same one, I really enjoyed what I could eat of that one (had to scoop out most of the stuffing due to bread crumbs).

Honestly, of what I tried, there are only a couple of the dishes that I full-on DON'T like. Thai Chicken is too dry, Blackened Chicken is too dry, Santa Barbara Chicken is just too weird. ;) For me, anyway.

Isn't it awesome when that feels less scary? :D :carrot: I'm so glad that you were able to make a good choice and feel good about it! That's awesome!!

Sounds REALLY good to me. And that's kind of why I changed from the 7-day plan to the 5-day plan, eventually. I realized that it's very important that I learn how to modify my eating FOREVER and the only way to succeed doing that is to have meals "off plan" while still losing weight, so I don't see those off-plan meals as an excuse to binge or have all of the foods I usually "can't" have or whatever.

So, even when I don't eat a BistroMD meal, I'm (hopefully, most of the time) making really good choices that don't throw me so far off track that I start beating myself up or spiral off into some binge cycle or whatever.

Sounds like you did a really good job of making great choices. I'm inspired!!!! :D

Well, I lose veeerrrrrrrrrrry slowly, so I really am looking at this as: 2008, the year I did BistroMD. And hopefully, I'll be able to call it: 2008, the year I lost 50 pounds too. ;)

So far, TECHNICALLY, I'm down 30-something pounds since late 2007 (I didn't own a scale then, but at my last doctor visit in late 2007, I was 240 on their scale). But when I started BistroMD and bought a scale for home use, I was around 225 and so that's from what point I'm hoping to lose 50 pounds or so.

If I continue to lose one pound per week from here, I'll be at 179 by the first of 2009, and that's a huge change from the 240 I was a year before that. :carrot: Slooooooooooow, but that's progress that I know I can keep making. And hopefully, I'll have a few weeks here and there during which I do even better than a pound a week.

(I know, I have to get my butt to the gym and really get more committed to cutting out alcohol if I'm really gonna make that work. I can't just wish it. *sigh*)

Thank you, thank you! I'm feeling really good today, despite the HEAT here in Southern California this weekend. :p I think they're predicting a break in the weather tomorrow, so that'll be nice.

Hope you continue to have an amazing weekend and I look forward to hearing how things are going with you into Week 2. So far, my Week 19 is pretty dang good. :D Yay, us! :hug:

Just wanted to report that after two days of wine and a meal "off plan" each day, I'm finally back on track with a 100% day today. :D

Yay! Phew!

Hopefully I'll have another one tomorrow. :D And the next day. :D And the next. :D

Okay, okay... one meal at a time, Grace. ;)

That's good! I did pretty well over the weekend, though yesterday I was just hungry ALL the time, no matter what I ate! Today was much better though.

I'm having trouble with doing three meals a day. I think I'm going to just do the three meals on days I'm not working. It's just not convenient to me to bring two meals a day with me, to poke holes in pouches, etc. at work. I'm so used to picking up something on my way in, and something for lunch. I've been really good about what I've been eating, so I'm going to see how that goes. Maybe at some point soon I'll ask them to send a package every two weeks if that's possible. The dinners are a perfect fit for me.

You go Grace! It does seem really simple to get back on this plan if you fall off.

Yep. Same here. Good days and bad days. ;) Yesterday was a little "off plan" but still within the right calorie range. Today looks to be another 100% day. Yay!

Just really want to/need to UP the exercise now. So, I'm drinking lots of water today and plan to have a really great walk tonight after sunset.

Wish me luck!! :carrot:

I think that's a part of why I switched to the five-day/no snacks plan after awhile. Once I learned how my "average day" was supposed to feel and how the portions were supposed to look, how many veggies I was supposed to have, etc., I got a little better with figuring out how to work things "on my own."

And really, that's the bottom line as far as "succeeding at this diet" goes, for me. It's gotta be something I can understand how to do on my own. It's gotta be a lifestyle that makes sense in my life. It's gotta feel good in my life, every day. Otherwise, there's no chance of it working, even in the short-term.

That's for sure! I've definitely experienced that!! No matter how wildly "off plan" I go, I can always get right back on the BistroMD plan the next day and have a really good, 100% (or even 95%) day. And that's awesome, to me.

I've been on diets before where it's soooooo hard to recover from a binge or an off-day or an off-week due to vacation or whatever! It really does seem that BistroMD fits into my lifestyle very well, for the most part. Certainly better than any other diet I've tried (and I've tried 'em all, it seems). :D :p

Hope you're having a wonderful day today!! Looking forward to hearing from you, as always! :hug:

How's it going Grace? Things here are OK. Been a good few days for sticking with it.

I had to laugh, because yet again, I got an email on Tuesday about a FedEx package coming from BistroMD. I figured I would just wait, and see if eventually the actual package info got in there. So last night I checked to see if my delivery was coming today, and it had never been updated.

I did send them an email last night when I saw that...they answered me first thing this morning, at least. They said there were two different tracking numbers for some reason, and the one I had was wrong (OK....?), but they gave me the right one and told me they'd checked and it was on the truck for delivery, and I did get it this afternoon, so all is well. And I was happy that they answered this time, and answered a second email about next week's shipment, since it's the 4th of July. So things are looking up in the customer service area.

Pretty good, Carrie. :D Glad things are going well for you too.

I had a not-good weigh-in yesterday morning (booooooo!) and I blogged about that (plus, at my blog--linked in the left margin and in my signature file--I linked to the cross-post in the CHICKS IN CONTROL forum) and decided that alcohol indulgence had a lot to do with it. So, I'm on track with the help of some wonderful suggestions from members of this board (so awesome, here) and hoping to STAY on track for the weekend. :D

One day at a time, of course. ;) Sometimes... one BITE at a time.

Ooh, that's why I always check about 24 hours after that email arrives, just to be sure it's en route. Only once have they had to express-send another package. Two other times it's been that they sent two tracking numbers or didn't send the right one after having sent the wrong one... whatever.

Yeah, that can be frustrating. So glad you chose to laugh!!!!! :D

WONDERFUL! So glad they answered your emails in a timely fashion and with good answers too. Yay! I love improvements in customer service! Always makes me feel good about sticking with it, when things start to look up. ;)

So, yay!

Just finished my Turkey in Apple Cider Sauce meal and am trying to really keep the water intake up today. A little warm, so it's important to stay hydrated. Hope to go for another nice walk tonight. The one I took Wednesday night was very nice. No *major* exercise yesterday, but I did make a few active choices (like parking far away from my destination, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, etc.), so I'm pleased about that.

And now that I've started a plan (see this post for the nitty-gritty, if you're interested) to "earn" cocktails by banking exercise, I think I might be really back on track to have a nice weigh-in next week, which will be wonderful.

:D

Hope you have a lovely weekend and know that I'm thinking of you, hoping things are going just GREAT! :cool:

Have you tried just making drinking part of your night where anything is allowed, and really trying to stick to that?

I read the post in your link, and the ones that followed. I would never say (without knowing a lot more details!) that you were sabotaging your life with drinking. But you could be sabotaging (or just not doing any favors for) your weight loss. If you made it a "treat" as opposed to a regular thing, maybe it would help. Of course, if it's enough to motivate you to exercise in "exchange" for a drink, then that's great.

Let me know how it's working.

Outside of this one week in particular, I have been very good about keeping my drinking to one or two nights per week, and that seems to have been okay (and yes, I always work it into my calories, so I'll not have snacks on the day I'm going to have drinks instead, etc.).

So, in general, YES. In that one particular week, NO. ;) Obviously. ;)

Cool. :carrot: So far, so good... as they say.

The tips shared in that thread have been very helpful for me thus far and that's awesome. :D

I agree about it being more of a treat, and now that I've become aware that I can have a week like the one I've just experienced and really cause a shift in the wrong direction with my weight, I'm very hopeful that I'll be back on track for it being exactly that--more of a treat!

We'll see!

Definitely, I'll keep you posted!

How are things going for you, this weekend? GREAT I hope!!!!!!!! :cool:

So far, so good this weekend. I really accomplished some things around the apartment...some big clean-up projects that really needed doing. I worked out a bit this morning, I've stayed on plan despite really feeling like binge-ing here and there, AND the scale finally moved a bit!!

Not sure what I'm going to do today. I still have some cleaning to do, but I hope to work in something fun too.

How you doin', Carrie?

Just checkin' in.

Having a great week so far! :carrot:

Flipped my drink days and only had two. Same as my "off plan" days, and all calories were accounted for, plus added in exercise to make up for the lack of nutrients in those calories (vs. "real food" choices).

Weigh-in is tomorrow, but I'm premenstrual, so I'm expecting a "same as last week" number. That's standard, for me, then followed by the week after being a much bigger dip. :D

Good to know the pattern/timing of it all and brace myself accordingly. ;)

How you doin'?

Hi Carrie!

How you doin'? Great I hope. :D

My last weigh-in was awesome and I'm pumped!!! Yay!

Hope you're having a great run!

I'm doing a different home delivery plan (Pure Foods Fresh Start -- 28.5 pounds so far! Hooray!), but I just wanted to weigh in here and say -- WOW, GRACE, you're so close to ONEDERLAND!!!! I'm so excited for you! Way go go! :carrot:

Lauren, I am GIDDY thinking about hitting Onederland!!! :carrot:

When I did my weigh-in today, I nearly cried. I'm down over 20 pounds now (actually, over 35, if you count the 15 pounds I lost before going on BistroMD) and so close to Onederland I can taste it! :D

I am very excited to be there!! SOON!!!!!!!!! :D

Thanks for saying hello and congrats on your awesome weight loss! PurFoods looked great to me so I'm so glad to know it's working so well for you! Nearly 30 pounds!! Awesome! :)

Yay you! Yay me! Yay all of us! ;)

New here!
 

Hello there!
I've been reading your posts about bistro MD without joining the forum, as I decided whether to start ordering...and I did! I had my first week of 7 meals & snacks and it went well; then my second week never came so I'm just starting my 2nd week now. I switched to 5 meals with snacks so I could have more free weekends. I'm hoping to lose about 25 pounds but I'm finding I'm starving at night!! I keep eating little 100 calorie snacks so I'm usually adding 300 calories minimum to my days. Any suggestions?
I also wanted to discuss the foods that aren't working for me--this morning I tried oatmeal with brown sugar and maple and it tasted uncooked the whole time. UG I feel sick. Any tips on making it cook?
Thanks ladies, I'm hoping I can jump in and be your buddy too...

Oh, bummer that they missed sending you the 2nd week on time! :( I've never had a missed delivery (although I have *caught* that the delivery wasn't making progress on the FedEx tracker and then alerted BistroMD, who then fixed the problem and expressed a delivery so that I would have it on time), so I can imagine how frustrated you must be. :hug:

At first, I was adding about 200 to 300 calories each day, too. I would have an additional snack pack that THEY sent *or* I would have a handful of cashews or a banana or even just a glass of milk!

It may be part of what slowed down my loss to less than a pound per week, but if it's not a program I can STICK WITH, there's no hope, really. ;)

So, I calculated that I was still keeping to around 1500 calories a day, as some of the BistroMD days were coming in below 1200! And for me to have started at over 225 pounds, I certainly couldn't handle the immediate shock to the system of having fewer than 1200 calories, right out of the gate.

Now, I seem to do okay at below 1500 calories, plus I've added a daily workout.

But yes, at first, I absolutely was adding snacks too. I think, as long as you make "good calorie" choices, you'll be okay. And eventually, you won't need to add.

Absolutely! Welcome aboard!! :)

I boil my water in a whistling kettle and add it to the oatmeal... and I've never had the problem you've mentioned. BUT... I wanted to mention that for the first, like 12 weeks, they sent me TWO packs of oatmeal per day: one of the high-protein flavored oatmeals AND one pack of good ol' plain Quaker Oats. They said to mix the two packets both to get the right number of calories AND to "cut the density" of the high-protein flavored one.

Now, what I've noticed in the last 12 weeks of the program, is that they're ONLY sending the flavored oatmeal! I've had to go to the market to BUY the plain oatmeal to mix in. No biggie, because it's easy enough to buy at the store, but I've asked the reps at BistroMD and they've told me they've just been "out" of the plain.

Pff. OUT for 12 weeks? Whatever. :p

So, I've been supplementing the plain oatmeal to add to the flavored.

But I'm wondering, if they're not sending you any plain oatmeal (nor the instructions that you should go buy some and add it to your flavored oatmeal), it might be REALLY dense and taste "uncooked." I don't know, because I haven't tried it ALONE, but I would imagine that COULD be a culprit!!

So, try to add some plain oatmeal (same amount--so you're having TWO packets of oatmeal at once, and about 2/3 cup water) and see if that makes a difference.

That's the only suggestion I can come up with.

Hope it helps!

And welcome!! :) Good luck in reaching your goals! :D

it's nice to be included ;)
 

Thank you so much for the suggestion/information about the other oatmeal packet! That makes a lot of sense...I saw something in my box about mixing it with plain oatmeal but then I didn't see one so I figured it was for someone else/put in the wrong box. But I think you're right---if I added a regular oatmeal it would have been much tastier and I'll do it next time.

I'm also so glad to know that you were able to reduce your extra calories after a while. I'm trying. I'm NOT adding sensible snacks, so I could definitely do better there. I'm eating, like, 100 calorie popcorn, or cookies, or chocolate. I can see why this might be a problem, keeping my cravings going.

I just moved into a condo complex and they have a gym here, so I'm starting to work out regularly. I feel like this has to have an impact-decreasing my calories and exercising more. The ridiculous thing is I don't have a scale so I haven't weighed myself yet. We had a house fire (everyone is okay) so all our stuff was packed out by professionals and we're living on rented everything. They didn't bring us a scale :dizzy:

I was just reading a really interesting article about low-glycemic diets and I think that may be the smartest way for me to eat; I cut out most gluten and dairy for several months and dropped weight without counting calories at all. It was just so much WORK and after the fire and some other things in my life, I really needed someone to just do the work for me--send me the food, tell me what to eat, hold my hand!:hug:

Well that's it for tonight. Keep up the good work everyone. I'm so happy to be included.
Goodnight from California

Mmm raspberry danishes warmed in the oven for 7 minutes at 350...delicious!

Hello! I have just ordered my first week of BistroMD and I am ready to go! I have tried almost everything out there-and some that were WAY out there-and I am so ready. I have had some success but I always gain the weight back. I love good food-usually too much good food. Ah, well, I had a lot of fun eating my way to my currently "majestic" figure and I so want enjoy returning to a previous incarnation, before I totally forget what it was like to be in shape!

I am happy to find all of you and look forward to sharing sucesses!

Awesome! Lemmeknow. I know it's been very frustrating to have them NOT sending the plain oatmeal for so long, but it looks like that's not gonna change, so at least it's the "cheapest possible thing" they send/leave out that I'm having to go get on my own. ;) So, it could be worse. LOL

Well, at first I was adding popcorn and chips and other non-diet-y 150-calorie snacks. And sometimes I STILL use rice crackers with a nice bit of low-fat cheese. ;) Cravings!!

But I just looked at it this way: "Yeah, I could be making 100% good choices, but since 85% good choices is still better than where I was BEFORE I started this journey AND I'm still making progress--just not as fast as I might like--I'm going to go easy on myself with the 'not as great' choices until I've created better habits overall, which will allow me to consistently make choices more at the 90% or even 95% level." ;)

Some would say I was too easy on myself and should be strict, but I have a history of eating disorders, so I find that I'm much better OVERALL if I give a little freedom to the journey and enjoy each day. And, at least I am having good progress week to week, so I figure that's better than the dozens of diets I've done SUPER strict and then fallen off the wagon after just a few weeks. The fact that I've been sticking with this for MONTHS is a huge deal, for me (with my diet history). ;)

Absolutely! I keep reading that the food intake has far more to do with week-to-week weightloss than exercise, but I totally agree with you that there has to be some curtailing of the calories we bring in, when we're feeling good and exercising and moving our bodies in good, healthy ways.

First, I'm so glad everyone is okay! :hug: Wow! That's scary! Second, I too started my journey without a scale. I know I weighed 240 at the doctor's office around Christmas and I assumed--based on my own cutting out fast food and the way my clothes fit by Valentine's Day--that I was starting BistroMD at around 225. Sure enough, when I bought a scale a couple weeks into the diet, I weighed about 220, and decided that "felt" right.

But I've dieted many times without a scale and just used measuring tape or the fit of my clothes or the way my KNEES felt to let me know I was headed in the right direction. ;) And then I'd hop on a scale at a friend's house whenever that was easy to do.

Totally understand and get that! I needed a "no brainer" diet and BistroMD definitely provided that. I eat gluten free and I know I'm healthier for it. In fact, I gained 60 pounds in one year due to the gluten intolerance--it's how I found out I was eating something that poisoned me (well, the weight gain plus migraines and joint pain and increased OCD symptoms and rashes)--and while cutting out gluten hasn't caused the weight to melt off (darn it), I sure am healthier--and was even at 240 pounds--than when I ate wheat.

I agree about the glycemic index issue being a factor. I'm fascinated by how much my cravings have decreased when I'm really good about it. That has to be related!

So glad you're here! :D Yay! Keep it up!

Ooooooooooh. Now that's some gluten I wish I could have. ;) LOL Heeeeee!

Yay! Welcome, Rosie! And congrats on getting started!!!! Yay! :carrot:

Isn't it great to feel READY? I love it!

Glad to have you here. Looking forward to reading about your first delivery. ;)

My Week 25 just arrived! Yay! Time to stuff the freezer... right after my workout. ;) Yay!

:carrot:

Everyone have a great weekend!

Full of Grace,
You are an amazing poster, you know how to quote us and respond and add pretty pictures and emoticons in just the right places. Your weight loss and inches lost are inspiring and I absolutely whole-heartedly stand behind your decision to ease into changes rather than risk triggering eating disorders or other OCD type patterns. I find it must easier to go "all or nothing" and so to ease into something is more challenging; it's also more realistic in the long run since I'll never "never eat ___" and I'd rather find a way to balance it all.

What I read about the glycemic index diet was people who tend to store their weight in their mid-sections (hello, me!) seem to respond better to the low glycemic diets, and people with more pear shaped bodies are better with the low-fat diets. But yeah, right now I'm ignoring the gluten-free idea and loves me some bread and raspberry danish!

Tonight I did something really unusual; I went to a "dining in the dark" restaurant where the wait staff are blind and the room is PITCH black I mean PITCH black. I ate up a storm including dessert and two glasses of wine, but I did it on purpose and with the knowlege that it was a special deal. So cool! You really get into the textures and flavors of the food. And you can close your eyes, eat with your hands, or anything because seriously nobody can see you.
RosieCat, welcome to our little Bistro MD club! Let us know how you enjoy the food or what you think. Lately I've discovered de-frosting my meals a day in advance so it cooks in the microwave more quickly and I can bring it to work without boiling water in a big pot. That was pretty inconvenient for me. Plus I'd rather have my food in tupperware and avoid any questions about where my food is coming from...nobody's business.

My favorite snax so far are definitely the bars. Yum! I am surprised at how much protein is in each snack and how I'm actually filled up by them. The breakfasts still don't thrill me and the hot chocolate is kind of weird; I mix it with really strong special coffee and it tastes better.

Okay I am up WAY too late and have to go to sleep. Goodnight. Thanks for listening.

I'm interested in being a buddy. I ordered my BistroMD food and I think it arrives tomorrow or Wednesday.

I've been struggling with these last 10 pounds Forever! I did Manhattan delivery...and that worked...but, the food killed me. Then, I did Diet to go and I gained weight.

So, here I am.

I've been enjoying reading the posts!

Ahh, so sweet. :D I'm a long-time message board poster. ;) (And a big ol' geek.)

Thank you! :D Basically, I've reached an age where I know myself pretty well. I've done it the "other way" too many times to try it like that again and again. (It's that whole, "What's the definition of insanity?" thing. Answer: "Doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results.")

Oh, and if you liked my "inches lost" before the weekend... I'm down another .5" in my waist just since Thursday! I am sooooooo happy! :carrot:

Right on!

Well, I'll live vicariously through you on that one. ;) All of the food looks SO GOOD on BistroMD. I know--just by how much I love the foods I *do* get--that I would really love all of it. Or at least most of it. ;)

And I feel that the low glycemic index thing is helping with my cravings, for sure. (Doesn't mean I don't give into them sometimes--like during my premenstrual days, for sure--but I can tell the craving is less powerful, the more "low glycemic" I stick.)

This is SO fascinating!!!!! I want to know more about this! Do you have a link to a site or something? I would LOVE to see (no pun intended) if there is something like this in my area. How VERY cool! And it's a concept I've never heard about. I'd love to check it out! Wow!!!!!!!!

That's a great point. I remember my days of eating in an office and having to bring my Jenny Craig entrees... being so worried someone would "call me out" about my diet before I was ready to talk about it. What a pain!

Awesome to use the containers to just diffuse any of that before it even happens. Brilliant!

The bars really are good, aren't they? I also like the savory snacks (crisps and Crunch-O's). I have a few still squirreled away from before I made the transition to the five-day/no snacks plan. I'm still learning how to choose the best "on my own" snacks to match (or come close to matching) the calories, protein, fat, sodium, etc., of the BistroMD snacks.

Congratulations!! And welcome!! :D

I hope you'll love your food and that your weightloss will be steady and FUN! :carrot:

Yay! Glad they've been enjoyable for you to read. :D

Are you doing the seven-day or five-day plan with or without snacks?

Good luck to you! And all of us!! :D

I'm starting out with the 7 day plan with snacks....because well, I work out a lot...and that makes me think I should eat a lot, which I shouldn't be eating as much as I am. For instance, today I biked 13 miles and then did an hour and a half of weight training...so, I'm starving. AND I eat everything in my kitchen. Not good.

That is the reason I'm getting back boobs.

I hope I get my food tomorrow....so I can get this party started.