Diet to Go buddies 2009

arunskh · 02-12-2009, 12:38 AM

If you are small boned, your healthy weight will probably be toward the lower end of the range. If you have a large frame, it might be toward the higher end. Note: A healthy weight for those who are very muscular (such as competitive athletes or body-builders) may be above the indicated range.Visit for more diet-for-lowering-cholesterol.blogspot.com

PrincessDietMuch · 02-12-2009, 02:51 AM

Quick update...I am probably going to call them tomorrow if I get some time at work. I like the fact that the calories are so low and I would do the one without snacks (can't have all that soy anyway) so I would be looking at $20.00 more a week than what I pay now with the Low Carb plan. I'm going to see if I can't get a rep there to just note my account or something to make sure I get my full meals without a "my night" so we will see how it goes. I think it's worth at least a try because without snacks it's at least more in the range I am accustomed to and some of the food does look good. We'll see how it goes. I do like that it's much stricter in calories because I think I could lose faster. I wish there were more omelets and stuff because I do prefer food like that over artificially filled donuts, but we'll see how it goes.

If it does not work out for me, I will simply stick to my original plan of doing the low fat here.

crenita · 02-12-2009, 08:51 AM

Princess.......
The Best decision you make is still the one that makes you happy and satisfied, whichever plan you use.....and just using a meal delivery plan is a Great decision and being HAPPY with it.
. I know I am NOT an objective user of Bistro.. so that being said.. in my opinion the pure volume of food on the Bistro plan is significantly larger than DTG the volume of protein is WAY higher even thought they don't call it a high protein diet. The calories are a lot lower because they don't use all the full fats, and oils that a true Atkins type plan recommends. Their food is more along the lines of the South Beach Diet plan...high protein, low fat , low carb. They have a few pasta meals but its made with a high protein, low carb pasta.
Now if you decide to try Bistro.. you may want to get the Biggest Loser Meal Delivery plan( that is what you type in to see that plan on line))))).. That one has 7 dinners on it and is about $10 a week cheaper.. the food is exactly the same food just not the complete variety that the Bistro plan has but is just the same quality and volume.. Also Ask the rep about current DISCOUNTS.. i.e free shipping .......There are coupon's online but if you want to talk with them tell them you saw the coupons but want to order directly..
The real difference that I can tell you is the quality of the products is significantly better , in my opinion, than anything I have received from any meal delivery company.
The other night I had a pork loin dinner.. the size of the meal was at least 1/4 of a pork loin. Tender and with the most amazing sauce. Large portion of grilled corn and 2nd portion of green beans. The blackened Tilapia I had yesterday was so large it extended over both sides of my plate !
They don't use much cheese but when they do it is low fat cheese not cheese food i.e. velvetta type.
I have been getting their meals through the HOTTEST summer months here in Florida and I have never had , not one, meal that arrived not solidly FROZEN...and I do mean solid. Because they are really vacuum sealed they last in the freezer without any damage at all. DTG doesn't vacuum seal( sucked out all air from the package)) rather vacuum close their items.
I am with you on the sweet breakfasts, so I just use the sweet breakfast items as snacks for that day and replace it with something I like; eggbeateres or oatmeal..something like that.
Again I am saying I am NOT an objective user.. but one that has gone through 4 different meal delivery companies.. and I am still a happy camper w Bistro after 6 months and Many lost pounds later.

Good luck with whatever you decide..

klc · 02-12-2009, 08:16 PM

Princess,
What Renita said.

. From what you said, I'm assuming that they'll ship to you from their Indiana warehouse. I'm in north Alabama, and even during the dog days of August, the dry ice was never gone, and everything frozen rock solid. Again, I'm not trying to talk anyone into going to the other dark side

. But if you have more than 20lbs to lose (so you'll be on it awhile), you may want to do a week from time to time here and there, just to check out the different plans, and then come back to your favorite. For some folks, frozen just doesn't get it, so they prefer the fresh plans such as eDiets, PFFS and Seattle Sutton. I'd definitely try a week of Seattle Sutton if I were in a local area, but alas, shipping to Alabama makes it pricey.

PrincessDietMuch · 02-13-2009, 03:32 AM

You guys are wonderful! Thank you a million times over for the information. That was very nice of you to take the time to get back to me on the Bistro.

Renita, I could hug you for mentioning the Biggest Loser plan because I had totally forgotten about that one being Bistro's baby. You're right. That plan would be perfect for me because the food is the same, I don't get a "my night" which was a major turn off for me and it's cheaper! The only thing I wish is that they gave you that extra weeks worth of different food that you would get on Bistro but that's cool. Not a major deal breaker or anything. I love that the food is low fat and yet it's also low carb too. I'm not a fan of tons of chicken, but if the sauces are truly delectable, that will help to make it good for me. I actually like chicken a lot, but there was a week at Diet To Go that was so much chicken (week 3), that it did a number on me and suddenly I didn't want to even look at the stuff anymore!

I made all these substitutions, but then it hit me yesterday that what I chose is tastier because it was more sausage and beef however it would also be more fattening so I was not doing myself any favors. I began to look at the calorie levels at Diet To Go and even though I adore the food, that bothers me a little. It's a lot of calories and fat. I'm so torn here. I was ready to go into the Low fat Diet To Go because all those sandwiches and stuff look so yummy (would love the kugle), but it really does look like a great deal of bread. I definitely want to at least try Bistro's Biggest Loser Plan because it looks like you can really lose big on this one and it's more affordable than the straight Bistro.

At first glance with Bistro, I was turned off by the price (over $200.00 a week), the "my night" and the sugary breakfasts however if I do the 7 day plan without snacks on Bistro's Biggest Loser (I buy my own snacks now as is and prefer it that way), I would only be paying $8.00 more a week than I am paying now for the more expensive Low Carb plan from Diet To Go which is $166.90 a week including shipping (The Biggest Loser 7 days without snacks is $174.90). That's more realistic and doable at that price and I like that I would be eating gourmet food that is not so fatty and caloric. I like your idea of making some egg beaters and a turkey sausage or something for breakfast and having the doughnut or pastry for a snack since I won't be getting the snacks. I figure if I am not getting the snacks at Bistro, that would leave me with a few hundred calories to play with and still be in good range each day. This allows me to safely have my Lactaid fat Free chocolate milk each morning (like I said before some of us never grow up) and even a ChocoPerfection bar if I want that day. I actually have a major sweet tooth (food was never my problem...chocolate was and is), but the doughnuts every day for breakfast were not a highlight for me since I prefer hearty eggs and bacon kind of stuff in the morning and leave the sweet stuff for snacks.

We were swamped today at work so I never even got a moment to call Bistro. I have until noon tomorrow to call Diet To Go and cancel my upcoming order (darn and this was the week with steak and eggs), but that's only if Bistro can ship to me on Monday (the web site is a little confusing because in one spot it makes it look like you must let them know by Wednesday if you are ordering for the first time or stopping an order to get a shipment sent that following Monday and yet on the Biggest Loser site, it says as long as you order by Sunday online, you can get your shipment sent out that Monday. If it's too late for me to get a Bistro shipment sent out Monday, no problem, I will keep the week I have coming from Diet To Go and then order Bistro for the following week. You're right I owe it to myself to try the plan. I am actually someone seeking to find a plan I can stay on for a while because it's not just about weight loss. It's also a major convenience factor for me. I hate having to figure it all out and go to the store and stare at the aisles going now what! Once I lose what I need to lose I may just go back and forth between the plans so that I get fresh and new food each time and avoid the whole shopping nightmare altogether. As long as I can afford it, I'm game!

I was a little scared off by the last 30 pages or so of the Bistro thread because I saw a lot of problems in there with people getting unappealing food or food that was shipped in bad packaging, so hopefully changes were made and translated to the Biggest Loser side too.

I'll let you know what happens. Thank you both so much!!

PrincessDietMuch · 02-13-2009, 04:16 AM

PS: By the way thank you for telling me about their Indiana warehouse Kathy. I live in PA so that is probably where they will ship out of. It's not that wonderful one day shipping lane I was hoping for, but it indicates that it's a two day shipping lane. I used to do Jenny Craig and of course they only ship overnight delivery using dry ice and Fed Ex. Well there were weeks there that I got my food and literally all the dry ice was gone so that freaked me out and that was overnight delivery! What has always made me nuts is that UPS and Fed Ex should have air conditioned trucks for so many reasons that it's almost asinine that they don't. That stuff can sit all day long in a truck that is literally 120 degrees or more inside (not to mention the poor driver who is melting). If it can get to you guys totally frozen on really hot days, two days in transit, than hopefully I will be fine.

cheeseheader · 02-13-2009, 08:58 AM

Hi all,

I just wanted to say that next week will be my last week on Diet to Go. I only allocated so much for food delivery and now it's time to start cooking on my own. I really love the food and hope that in a few months I might be able to order a few more weeks. It really helped me to jump start my weight loss and give me motivation.

I'll still post and good luck to everyone!

edit: stepped on the scale and 2 more lbs gone!

PrincessDietMuch · 02-13-2009, 11:55 AM

Aww I'm going to miss you girl, but glad that you will be at least checking in. I canceled my Diet To Go for next week and just signed up Bistro's Biggest Loser. I was actually close to signing up with regular Bistro because of the variety until the girl told me that if I did not want a "my night" they would have to charge me an additional $13.00 per week for that meal ($12.95 to be exact). I was horrified! I think even she was horrified having to tell me that. I told her that nowhere on Bistro's site do they mention that there will be a missing meal until you have a look at the menu which is deceptive (and I told her so). Sounded to me like she's heard this same compliant before, but she had to tell me that they would need to charge me an additional $52.00 a month! That was what turned me off to regular Bistro to begin with because if I am spending over $800.00 a month, I don't expect to pay more to buy extra food each week! That just burns me up. It really does because I honestly find that outrageous. I had a feeling that the "my night" was more of a money based ploy than anything and I was right. Hey I call em like I see em you know. If it was truly being done in the spirit of giving me a chance to have a night off to pick my own foods, they would have said hey no problem. If you don't want a "my night" and that's what is stopping you from joining us, I will note your account and you will get what we advertise in our cart that you are supposed to get (3 full meals per day 7 days per week is what is shown in the cart and everywhere else on the site). I think that's greedy and misleading as **** but I'm glad they have the other program or I would have told them forget it (thanks for telling me about that Renita). Sorry for the rant but seriously, that burns me.

But....

I have signed up so hopefully this will be a positive thing for me. I do believe that I have been eating too many calories and too much fat on this plan so I know I will be eating healthier. I was going to do the snacks because they really did look good until the rep told me that not only are the chips and stuff all soy, but so are the shakes. I was disappointed because the cheesecakes and stuff looked so yummy! I figured it might be OK to have a few soy products here and there, but not that much soy if it's the shakes too and it is. My thyroid would go crazy.

I start next week so I am excited to see what all the fuss is about! I agree. I think its good to try a variety of plans to see which one is the right fit for you. This one has intrigued me for a while and I like that the calorie level is so low. I'm excited!

cheeseheader · 02-13-2009, 12:10 PM

I did try Bistro for a week. I actually did the regular week. I liked some of the meals but the snacks I though were more filler, chips and shakes and I usually don't eat that stuff and preferred better snacks.

It was nice to have a ready made meal but Taking the time to boil water and boil the meal, I could have made something. I think you can microwave, but the way they package makes it a little hard to do. But some of the meals were pretty good. I liked pork one and the steak with peppercorns was good. And the one I liked best was the chicken marsala.

PrincessDietMuch · 02-13-2009, 12:14 PM

Hey you just brought up a good point. I could never get into that whole boiling thing at all. I agree that would drive me nuts. I want to nuke these so I am assuming that you put the pouch on a microwave plate and pierce it, but how long do you usually nuke them for? I think Kathy said she nukes hers if I am not mistaken. I want to be able to microwave them. I guess you just have to be careful when you cut the end of the pouch open with all the steam, but yeah boiling would be a pain.

crenita · 02-13-2009, 04:04 PM

Princess
I nuke EVERYTHING.. but I do take the food out of the foodsaver bags before heating..... When you get the food ask for some directions from us ' oldies' and we will be glad to help.

I tried the boil in the bag but it took too long and I couldn't get the temperature right... so Microwave works great. And no problem at all.

Enjoy your week. It is always fun to try some new things whether you stay with it or not it is good to get a feel of what is out there so you can make good choices. And do some switch up weeks along the way.

Renita

hacamila · 02-13-2009, 06:37 PM

Today was my first day onthe vegetarian lunch and dinner plan. My lunch was not very filling. I had Ciabatta Bake, Quinoa Salad, and an apple. Hopefully dinner will be more satisfying. My question is, are any "free foods" allowed on the plan or should I eat ONLY what is in my meal plan?

Thanks,
Mila

klc · 02-13-2009, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheeseheader

Hi all,
I really love the food and hope that in a few months I might be able to order a few more weeks.

What's so great about these frozen plans (vs fresh), is that you can get a week and keep it in the freezer as 'fill in' food to use when you haven't had a chance to shop or prep something. Not as cheap as lean cuisine, but so much tastier.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheeseheader

edit: stepped on the scale and 2 more lbs gone!

You're doing great! I'll look forward to dropping by and hearing great success stories from you!

Princess, like Renita, I take everything out of the bags and plate it before I nuke it (just like you do DTG food).

Mila, ask the dietician...I'm sure she/he can help you out. That's the nice part about being on a plan that has one!!! Enjoy your new food. If you haven't done meal delivery before, be advised...it will spoil you

PrincessDietMuch · 02-14-2009, 06:59 AM

Well I will say this. I have lost 10 pounds now total and I've been on Diet To Go's Low Carb Plan for 3 1/2 weeks (my fourth week will be ending on Tuesday as that was my start day and when I was due to go into my fifth week). Not bad. The food has been delicious. I am a picky eater and there were only a few things that did not appeal to me. My favorites were the Prime Rib. Short Ribs, Salmon Fillet's, Catfish Fillets, Omelets, Andouile Sausage and Hamburgers which were all absolutely wonderful (their hamburger is about the best I've had....very good with seared edges and everything). The veggies for the most part were wonderful except I was never thrilled with the cauliflower. All in all very impressive.

The low fat plan looks even yummier and I have heard from quite a few people now that the food on that plan is truly delicious. But they all had the same thing to say...they lost slowly because of all the bread (if I had a year to lose the weight, I would do this without blinking because the food looks like the kind you could just live on forever diet or no diet). That is what sent me looking again if only for a short while, to make sure I have tried them all and make a better assessment of what will be best for me. So far this is my favorite, but I want to step it up now and I think Bistro's Biggest Loser might do that for me.

Since I am such a chocoholic, I will allow myself chocolate everyday because I need to come up with 300 calories as is since I won't be doing their snacks so that will be nice to have my cake and eat it to so to speak. I love chocolate and I found that Ross Chocolates actually makes a better milk chocolate bar that is sugar free and tastes amazing (better than that super expensive ChocoPerfection! The malitol they use for some reason does not affect me like some of the other malitol's I've encountered. Yummy and won't spike your sugar much.

Very excited waiting for my first Bistro order! I think I will lose more on this one.

When you guys say that you take it out of the bag to cook, isn't that tough to do when the sauce is all stuck to the bag? Do these come in trays and then sealed with a bag or do you literally somehow push out the frozen mass from the bag and do it that way? Is there a reason that it should not be cooked in the bag? Also on average what would you recommend for nuking these meals? I would greatly appreciate your input and of course I will eventually make my way over to the Bistro side here shortly when I get my stuff. You guys have been a tremendous help out here. Thank you!!

crenita · 02-14-2009, 07:56 AM

Cheesehead....... good luck.. You have done great and with some of the meal plan idea's you have tried, it will help a lot.. Are you planning on doing a low carb plan ? if so let me know there is a great website that has amazing recipes to make.. They even have pictures of the wonderful meals as they prepare them.

Princess.. I am going to post the answer to this question re food on the bistro board so as not to take space on this board.