Packaged Meals and Clinics - Nutrisystem, Medifast, Jenny Craig, EtcFor support and questions about diet meal delivery programs, or weight loss clinics that offer prepackaged meals and products.
Welcome to our little group jenjram
I hope you enjoy the food and the group as much as we all do.
Terri, I usually add a salad of some kind whenever I have a pasta meal. It just seems to go well with that ans helps stop the desire for Bread !
I had the tortellini meal the other night YUM.. and added a mixed lettuce salad and used just balsamic vinegar ( I am getting use to not added oil or very little oil to my lettuce salads) But whenever I feel like having a salad I just add it. There is enough flexibility in the calories to easily accommodate the fresh salad. Where I get stuck sometimes, is wanting fresh fruit. Then I just factor it into my snacks for that day. That was Grace's suggestion and it works well.
Some of my favorites foods are way too many to list but a few of them I LOVE the salmon meals. Now I am not a fish lover but their salmon is wonderful for me. I loved the BBQ pork and the Coconut Chicken. Frankly I even like their soups. There are only a very few meals that I would rather not have but I know from past experience, variety is needed, so I make my own variation to satisfy me.
I like, Kathy, have been w 3 meal delivery programs prior to Bistro ( THANK YOU KATHY )) and this is by far the best and I am also getting the best results..
Funny the better the food the more I am losing.!!!
Several meals I have started preparing differently then packaged. I have a sm microwave grill( late night QVC purchase)) and have started putting some of my Turkey breasts and chicken breast that aren't stuffed into that grill. It just browns it a little more and I tend to like my chicken on the dry side vs too juicy.((I Know I'm weird )) On the blackened chicken I even added a little sugar free BBQ sauce and made it a BBQ.
My only suggestion to all of new users of Bistro is EAT...... don't let yourself get hungry. There is food for you to consume every 3-4 hrs and at the beginning at least you must eat frequently. You will find your appetite will get right in line and you will be amazed.
Enjoy the new food adventure and relax.. it really is getting to be a fun experience and not a chore as it use to be
Remember we are here if you have questions.. enjoy
Renita
There are only a very few meals that I would rather not have but I know from past experience, variety is needed, so I make my own variation to satisfy me.
I agree completely Renita. Like Grace, I am bad/good about keeping a spreadsheet on just about everything (a symptom of being an engineer). I've logged all of the lunch and dinners that I've tried, with cal, carb info and rated them. As a datapoint, I've gotten 60 different meals (can you believe the variety!!!). It's cool that they've gotten on a shrimp kick recently...didn't have that during the first 6 weeks, so I'm still adding to the list. I've had 19 favorites, 27 excellents, and only 5 really don't care for. The remainder were good, but didn't rock my world. To put this in perspective, the 'good' category items are better than my favorites on any other plan I've been on.
Quote:
Originally Posted by crenita
I like, Kathy, have been w 3 meal delivery programs prior to Bistro ( THANK YOU KATHY )) and this is by far the best and I am also getting the best results..
The thanks should go back to Grace, aka Alice (I'm still excited about Onederland). It was because of her blog that I got over the 'frozen' willies and jumped on board.
Quote:
Originally Posted by crenita
Enjoy the new food adventure and relax.. it really is getting to be a fun experience and not a chore as it use to be
Remember we are here if you have questions.. enjoy
What Renita said. For me (single and a notoriously bad cook) instead of it being a chore, it has simplified my life tremendously. I have tasty food on hand 24/7. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, it just happens to be good for me as well.
-Kathy
Sorry for the back to back post, but forgot to mention that after the long weekend off, I lost .5 lb (whew!). Also, tried the bran muffin for the first time, and loved it. Small, but a tasty treat. Again, personal preference.
-Kathy
Kathy, I like how you rate the different meals, I think I'll try to do the same. What can you do if you don't really care for a meal...will Bistro take it out of the rotation specifically for you and sub with something else? That would be great if they are that accommodating. I start tomorrow.
Terri
Kathy ........
Great ... you LOST 1/2 lb.. that is sooo cool that you can go off plan and STILL LOSE, can you believe it ??? Hurray.
I wish I were as organized as you and logged my info . I think it is helpful to look at those spreadsheets and reflect on the info. It really is helpful and I LOVE that you can share your opinion on the food and I agree there are way more foods I LIKE then that I don't. I was a little leery of the ahi tuna.. it looked Undercooked and I am not a sushi fan....heheheh
So I just grilled it some more and then added the sauce.. it was perfect for me and very filling. I would NEVER have ordered that if it were left up to me and see I LIKED it.. and I am still not bored with the food.
I had a wonderful surprise as well.. I jumped on the scale over the weekend ( I have to stop that and just do weekly weight ins ) but surprise....... I lost 2 more pounds.... I was shocked.
For some reason my body must be in a fat burning mode, hurray.
I think the food really does stimulate fat burning even if the calories are the same as other foods...it has to be the protein I LOVE IT, LOVE IT , LOVE IT.
I am keeping my fingers crossed if I can do 2 more this next week, I will hit 60lbs......
I can't believe it........
It is like a dream for me... I have been overweight for so many years and to see the lbs melt away is like watching a fairy tale come true.
Thank you KATHY for leading me here....... and THANK YOU BISTRO MD
That is funny what you said about the edamame because I was explaining to my daughter when I was eating them what they were-- "little soy beans." I was impressed, too. You're right, too, about the convenience because going out to eat sometimes happens by surprise and then you feel like you've wasted money with all those fresh meals around. I can't believe someone thought they were too fancy. That's kind of funny. If I don't have variety like that, I will be consistently thinking about how it stinks being on a diet. This is actually kind of fun.
Renita, that's great girl I had a pleasant surprise this morning as well...I'm down another pound.
Jen, it really is fun for me...glad you think so too! I have really fallen in love with all the things with the apple sauce on them. Just had the turkey tonite. A funny thing is that although I like raw bell pepper, I've never liked cooked pepper (same way with carrots). I've developed a taste for the corn with the peppers in it. And I LOVE those tiny little cooked carrots that they serve with some of the meals. Go figure.
BTW, for those of you doing your own snacks, dietdirect has the crunch-o's on sale this week.
-Kathy
I got some info that may be helpful for others.. I asked Bistro re breakfasts... as I thought the calorie count of most of the breakfast items are now way tooo low .. here is the response.. it may be helpful for some of the newer users re how to make the breakfast more satisfying
'
we stopped sending the hot chocolate with every breakfast. We only now send them with the muffins which are the lowest calorie breakfasts. The doughnuts are the only other breakfast that are not that high in calories and we are working on possibly sending the hot chocolate with that as well. The hot chocolate will provide an additional 80 calories. In the meantime if you would like to add something additional to the breakfasts that are less than 110 calories you can do that. You could add something like 6 oz of low fat yogurt, or 2 oz of cheese, or 1 cup of skim or low fat milk.
The morning snacks are between 80 and 160 calories (the bars are 160 calories). I try to pair low calorie breakfast/snacks with higher calorie lunches and dinners. That way the days are within the range of the 1000-1300 calories per day'
I am going to add some something to my breakfasts as the muffins alone will not last long enough for me personally..
What are others doing ???
So far so good on the meal plan. The food is really good, and portions are surprisingly bigger than I thought. I like how there are separate packets with sauces and sides. My first meal was the stuffed chicken with apples...yum! That was before I read that Kathy had mentioned it was her most favorite meal. Too funny!!
I had the steak Marsala (sp?) tonight, and thought it was really rare. Maybe that's how it is to be prepared, so I George Forman-ed it to my taste. Not real crazy about the breakfasts, but thanks to the post on the breakfasts, I might try adding a little more protein to them. I really miss my own hot cereal with blueberries, so have been using my breakfasts as snacks. (I order 5 days w/o snacks.) I love the convenience of this meal plan, and look forward to more meals to compare.
I find that the lunches are so filling, that by the time dinner comes along I split the meal with my DH (who has a Lap-band, and eats like a bird) He has been enjoying them too. More bang for my buck!!
I often sub out the breakfasts for something I prefer....I like the hot cereal with blueberries as well. and egg beaters w whole wheat toast.
The sweet stuff just doesn't do it for me. Now that I know what chg's they are making to the menu I am going to get some more Kashi Go Lean and low fat milk w fruit and oatmeal , weight mgt style, w blueberries. and use the breakfast's for snacks.. on a regular basis.
I agree the lunch's are very filling and I like that . It allows me to delay my dinner to later in the day and helps prevent my night time snacking.( at least most of the time))
I am steadily losing 1-2 lbs per week and with minimal pain. Makes it so much easier to stay on the diet when your not hungry all the time.
I tried something new..... Almond Breeze.... I saw this on the Hungry Girl website and decided to give it a try.. wow it is good.. and only 40 calories for 8 ou. I made breakfast with kashi go lean and a cup of Almond Breeze.. I was really pleased.
Just thought I would pass that along in case you, like me, had never tried an alternative to good old cows milk.
Hi, everyone! I started reading this marathon thread last week and now I'm posting in it because I placed my first order.
It's actually sort of weird to stop lurking and step in to interact with you guys...must be how each new season of Biggest Loser folks feel when they meet Bob and Jillian after watching them for so long!
Anyway, I haven't had any CS issues so far, got all my confirmation emails, was charged correctly. Now it's just a matter of trying stuff and hoping I like it. My first package arrives Friday, and I'd love to join this group if I may. You've all been an invaluable source of information so far (I don't feel like I'll be in the dark when my food arrives without cooking instructions - yay!), and I love reading about everyone's stellar progress. I'm really glad to be here.
Hi Tracy Glad you could join us. If you're only open question is whether you'll like the food, you're in good shape!!! If you've ever done any meal delivery plans before, I can almost guarantee there will be a 'WOW!' factor when you open the box Friday, and another when you taste it. We'll look forward to your report.
It's been pretty quiet in here over the last week or so. Appears that everyone else has been as bogged up as I have. I took my 2 4-legged kids to the great dane nationals this last week. Met up with friends from all over the country that I haven't seen in a year. Got alot of OMG's about how much weight I'd lost...just wait til next year when I have the other 60lb gone
-Kathy
I am coming on board also! Placing my order on Friday. I think this is the perfect diet solution for me! I am so burned out on Lean Cuisines, Kashi, etc. I am really good at picking out the healthy, lo cal/lo fat items at the store and even pairing food together for my meals, but I cannot do portion control or count calories. And I'm so bored with grocery shopping and buying the same food with no results. I'd say I have 30-40 to lose. Gotta go buy a scale too. Ugh.
)) and this is by far the best and I am also getting the best results.. 
You will find your appetite will get right in line and you will be amazed.
it really is getting to be a fun experience and not a chore as it use to be
). It was because of her blog that I got over the 'frozen' willies and jumped on board. 
that is sooo cool that you can go off plan and STILL LOSE, can you believe it ??? Hurray.
( I have to stop that and just do weekly weight ins ) but surprise....... I lost 2 more pounds.... I was shocked. 
I had a pleasant surprise this morning as well...I'm down another pound
. 
Glad you could join us. If you're only open question is whether you'll like the food, you're in good shape!!! If you've ever done any meal delivery plans before, I can almost guarantee there will be a 'WOW!' factor when you open the box Friday, and another when you taste it. We'll look forward to your report.
