I haven't posted on any other replacement meal web sites recently. I used to do NutriSystem and they have a community that is quite active the last time I was there. A lot of the women in the past couldn't afford to do NS so they did what they called "NutriSystem On Your Own"...not exactly like the Simple Diet but similar.

I went there a couple days ago and even though I knew my ID and password, I couldn't get in to post, much less look at the other posts. I think now NS requires you to buy something from them before you can post.

Speaking of NutriSystem, I always loved their chicken and dumplings, and I found the shelf-stable Hormel today at Walmart that is probably the same stuff made for Nutrisystem, and it fits the specs for an entree.

Anyway, I wish the Simple Diet had more support. Yes, you can find the Doctor posting on Facebook, but I notice they recycle the same posts from time to time. That is where I found out about the Greek yogurt though.

I always like the camaraderie of being on a diet where there is a forum to exchange legal recipes, sob stories and successes that helps keep me going.

I probably won't post here much myself.

I've been making a lot of soup this week and I thought I'd share my "formula" since it works so well.

1 pkg bean thread soup, any flavor (these look like and are sold near the ramen packages, but only contain 130 to 150 calories, compared to 350-400 for ramen)

Any low fat protein or combination of proteins with 10-25g of protein, less than 5g of fat, and less than 150 calories (I aim for 90-100) , such as 2-3 ounces of lean chicken, turkey or beef, 3-5 ounces of shrimp, tofu, egg white.... cut into bite sized pieces.

And any frozen vegetables you want to add.


Measure 3-4 c water in a pan (whatever the soup calls for plus an extra 1/2 to 1 cup water. The extra water is optional, but if you find ramen type soups too salty the extra water helps).

Add the seasonings pack(s) from the soup, but not the noodles (yet).

If the protein is raw (especially poultry) add it the water and simmer over medium-low heat until cooked through. Frozen and even ground meat is fine, but you have to use a fork or potato masher to break up the ground meat or you have to brown the ground meat before adding water.

Add any veggies you like (I like frozen stir fry blends, but you have to check for non-plan ingredients like fat, noodles, or sauce).

When veggies are tender and raw meat is done, add noodles and cooked protein (or raw beaten egg poured in slowly). Turn off heat and let sit for 2-3 minutes.

The soup is HUGE, but contains only about 200-230 calories (not counting the veggies you add).


If you can't find bean thread soups, similar rice noodle soups and some ramen will still fit the entree requirement but will add about 50-70 calories.

Asian markets and groceries often have dozens of varieties of these soups. Tom Yum and Yentafo flavors are my favorite (but are spicy).

If you can only find ramen with more than 200 calories per package, break the brick in two and only use half (use the full packet of seasoning though).

That sounds good! I like spicy....the spicier, the better :) There's an Asian market about a mile from my house, I've never shopped there since I figure no one can speak English and I'm afraid I may see things there I don't want to see....like duck feet or similar strange things. :)

I found out the weekends are rough for me on this diet. During the week, I'm at work so that keep my mind off food. At home on the weekend, that's all I think about.

I've been on this diet one week today. I weighed and I'm down 4 lbs. from when I started. I really thought it would be more.

Lol! Part of what I love about Asian markets is seeing (and trying) the strange things, even duck feet. I never bought duck feet, but I did eat them, twice. Once at a huge pan-Asian mega-buffet and once when a friend (a Hmong lady I met through her Thai restaurant) had made them. Both times they were stir-fried in a sticky, sweet, soy-based barbecue sauce.

As Kia pointed out, they're really only a vehicle for the sauce. Eating them is a bit like chewing on teeny, tiny barbecued spare rib bones. Mostly skin, with a tiny bit of meat. The real star is an amazing sweet, salty, spicy barbecue sauce.

They're also used to make soup stock.


Last week, I even ate grilled turkey butts (the tail) from our closest Asian market deli. OMG tastey. They were marinated and then coated in a rub and then grilled until the skin was crispy on the outside. If you didn't see what you were eating, you would have sworn it was grilled pork - awesome grilled pork.

Yeah, I'll pretty much try anything.

It can be intimidating though when there's a language barrier, especially at first. Usually, even when the staff don't speak English well or at all, they understand much better. I studied German for seven years in high school and college, and can attest that it's a lot easier to understand a language than to speak it, and understanding a native speaker is much harder than understanding teachers and classmates.

Our area has a lot of asian markets and most speak good-to-fair English, but we still occasionally end up communicating in a mixture of English and gesturing.

I'm not sure if it's true everywhere, but it's certainly been true in the places we've lived in Illinois and Wisconsin, but it's pretty common here in the Asian Farmer's markets and grocery stores for the owners to throw in free stuff once in a while, especially if you've proven yourself a friendly, loyal customer. It may be something they know you like, or something they want you to try.

There's one Hmong farmers market vendor who likes hubby and I so much, that she gifts us about 1/3 of what we take away from her stand. She also sets aside stuff for us, such as the tiny pea and grape sized potatoes that my hubby (and apparently her hubby) loves so well.

It's so cute to see our hubbies "talk" because her elderly husband speaks no English (that I've ever heard. For that matter, I've never heard him speak at all). But my hubby will do all the talking (usually about the food or us "bossy women" and the Hmong man will smile and nod and laugh quietly - in all the right places, so I'm sure he understands) and he'll make faces or gestures to communicate a thought occasionally. It's so sweet.


As to your first week results, don't forget that 4 lbs, is really is awesome. I can't seem to pull "big" weekly numbers like I could when I was younger. My first week numbers on this plan were actually a gain of several pounds.

Luckily I was expecting it, because this diet is higher in carbs and sodium than the diet I was following before I started (lowish-carb Paleo).

The body needs and uses more water to process sodium and carbs, so when you transition from and to plans with different water needs, you'll see a loss or gain that has nothing to do with fat or "real" loss.

If you were eating lower carb, lower sodium before The Simple Diet, your second week losses may be bigger than your first.

Even if not, 4 lbs in a week is pretty amazing, especially if you happen to be over 40.

Product Review: Nature Valley Protein Crunchy Granola

Oats ' n Dark Cocolate
50g (1/2 cup)

210 calories
5g fat
32 g carbs
2g fiber
10g protein



Oats 'n Honey

50g (1/2 cup)
210 calories
4.5g fat
32g carbs
3g fiber
10g protein



Both can count as an entree (you can add up to a cup of skim milk and still stay in guidelines).

Both flavors are quite good. I especially like the Dark Chocolate as a coating for a frozen banana.

Freeze banana. Allow to thaw a couple minutes (so the granola will stick). Pour granola on a plate and roll banana or banana slices in granola. Eat.

You could roll the banana in granola before freezing, but I don't know if the granola would stay crunchy.

The Oats 'n Honey reminds me of graham crackers

Simple Homemade Yogurt that fits "shake" guidelines for The Simple Diet

(The process is much easier than it sounds, especially if you have a digital thermometer with an alarm - if you're a visual learner, you might find it helpful to search youtube videos for yogurt making with a crockpot or slowcooker).
Makes about 14 sevings (1 cup each)

145 calories
3g fat
12g carb
16g protein

Using skim milk instead of 1% will bring the fat down to 0% and the calorie count down to somewhere between 115 and 125 calories per serving. The protein and carb counts will remain about the same)

14 cups skim or 1% milk (I used 1% because I think the bit of fat improves texture. 14 cups because that's what fit into my crock to within 1/2 inch of the rim. Any fuller and I risk spilling when moving the crock).

1/4 cup any plain yogurt (I used Fage fat free, this time).

120g of unflavored, undenatured (cold filtered) whey protein isolate or any low fat, protein powder that dissolves well.

Pour cold or warmed milk into crock of crock pot (heating the milk a bit in the microwave first is a time-saving shortcut, but it also dirties an extra bowl and is messy if you overheat the milk).

Heat the milk in the crockpot on medium or high until temperature reaches 180 (milk will steam, but not bubble).

Turn off heat (if crock liner is removeable, remove crock from heating element will hasten cooling process)

When milk has cooled to about 110 degrees (anything between 90 and 120 will be fine, but anything over 120 can kill the yogurt culture), pull out about a cup of the warm milk into a clean bowl and stir in yogurt and protein powder until well dissolved. To prevent lumps, pour through a fine mesh sieve, back into the crock of warm milk, stir well. Cover crock with lid.wrap crock in a couple layers of thick towel or blanket and allow to sit for 5-24 hours.

Optional: place heating pad (the type used for sore muscles) under towel-wrapped crock and put on lowest setting.

You don't need a digital probe thermometer with an alarm, but you may want one. Setting the alarm for the desired temperatures means you don't have to monitor the temperature yourself.

Hello,
Is anyone still doing the simple diet? I have just started back and love it. Seems like this is the only thing I can stick with right now. I need to lose around 20 or 25 and hope I can do it with this. Have really tried every "diet" out there - some with success and some not so good.
I make a lot of my own entrees and shakes but keep the already made ones on hand for when I am gone or come home and don't want to cook. After all, this plan is for convenience.
I have walked an hour today and have done some yoga and other exercises, so hope that will help. Since I am old, there are some of the more strenuous exercises that I just can't do anymore. Hate to admit that, but it is true :)
Love to hear other's ideas and how they are getting along with this plan.

I'm still here. This thread has been a bit slow, but the 90% Ideal Protein thread - Home of the 90% (Occasional Slip-up Zone) - has been very welcoming.

I've also been reading and posting on The Simple Diet Team page on the Spark People website's.

I'd love for this thread to become more active.

Hi.
Will check out those sites.
Yes, it would be nice if this thread were more active

The Spark Team was dead-slow when I joined, but has recently started to reanimate. Hopefully we can get this thread restarted two. It only takes a handful of people to keep a thread active. It's just hard to get the ball rolling it would seem.

I frequently read here, but seldom post.

I think our thread is a bit more challenging to keep active, because TSD is so simple that there's not a lot to discuss. I think it also suffers from the stigma against processed and premade foods especially shakes (yet making your own meals and shakes to fit is seen by many as being too much work).

Even people who will consider meal replacement plans tend to believe that programs such as Ideal Protein, Nutrisystem, HMR, Medifast.... are nutritionally superior to a self-selected plan like TSD. Or even believe that you have to spend big money for anything that works.

I've looked at the nutrition and ingredient labels, and am convinced that TSD is no more or less nutritionally balanced than any of the other meal replacement plans. And if you maximize variety as the authors suggest, especially in regard to "eating the rainbow" of fruits and vegetables, I think the plan can even rival whole food diets such as South Beach and Paleo.

I'm just a little surprised the book and plan haven't become more popular, even with the stigma. I mean seriously, the cabbage soup diet is still popular. Who thinks that's healthy?

I agree. ;)

Good morning. I am still on plan and think you are right, Kaplods. People just think anything this simple could not work. They are far from being right. Really offers a lot of freedom in eating and I feel that I am eating food that is good for me.
Have a great day.

I went on a research rampage and decided the simple diet sounds right for me. Thanks for keeping this thread alive. I bought and read the book and am beginning after a supply run.

I have a couple questions for the veterans: I couldn't really tell if milk is off diet. Does it matter if your shake is made with milk if it meets the requirements for cal protein and fat (assuming some shakes with milk can even meet the requirement).

Is there a shake on the market that tastes like coffee and provides some caffeine?

Thanks