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 Erin and Jen! And Jen...I love that you spell Lynne the right way
Erin - I don't think you ordered enough to last a full month. As long as you're following their plan to a T, you should be having 3 Meal Replacements, 3 Protein Supplements, 1 Snack Bar and 1 Lean & Green meal each day. According to the Diet Direct website this is what comes in their 4-week kit:
Wow Irish, you have done so much research and it makes tons of sense to me, I may copy your method if you don't mind I am starting the "plan" today but I am using protein shakes I already had on hand that I need to use up because they were expensive! But I do have my Starter Pack on its way so I am excited about that. The cals/protein/carbs/fat numbers to get them equal exactly to WS have me consuming 5 shakes and a meal. Or I can do 4 shakes, a 1-cup portion of Special K Protein cereal with 4 oz. unsweetened Almond Milk, and a meal.
I just pray I don't get that ravenous hunger. Does the hunger subside? Does it take a few days? I attempted a liquid diet once before and I was weak and hungry and I gave up. Irish, I could totally relate to your Progresso soup incident LOL. Can any of the seasoned veterans tell me about the effects I can expect the first few days? My rehearsal dinner is 6 weeks from Friday, and I have a bridal shower this weekend. I figure I will just work the shakes around the meals that are "special" and eat them in lieu of the Lean and Green's. I am from the South, ya'll, and I cannot pass up some spinach dip (hey that's green) at the bridal shower. My start weight is 170. Lowest I have ever gotten in my adult life is 158 and believe it or not, I could wear a size 6. But I am 5'7 and 1/2 and this is probably vanity sizing. I dream of 135 but I have had more doctors and others tell me it is impossible for my frame. So who knows what my goal weight is!
BrunetteAtty: I think the way folks respond to starting a meal plan like this is really unique to the individual, but I can tell you it wasn't too bad of an adjustment for me. I started the plan last year on my wedding anniversary, and just two days before my husband and I were due to spend a long weekend in NYC! Trust me, if you want this badly enough, you'll be able to endure nearly any circumstance. (And, if you're wondering, yes, I made it through that whole weekend without cheating once.) I really firmly believe you have to want this and be in the right frame of mind to make it work. That means no cheats...period.
The first couple of days are always the easiest for me. It's usually the third and maybe fourth days when I find the hunger kicks in a bit. The way I get around it is just to eat one or two extra supplements. At least that way you're staying on plan. By the fifth day, I find it really isn't an issue any longer and usually by then the weight is dropping, which is super motivating, pushing me to just keep on keepin' on.
I can also tell you, having done nothing but WS supplements for the last two days, that I find them to be way more satiating than any of the other supplements I've tried. And I've been doing a "full fast" for 8 days now. (My goal is to finish up the second week in full fast mode, and then look at switching over to doing the supplements plus the 1 meal a day. Per my doctor's instructions, I always find a full two-week jump start to be useful in clearing out your system and eliminating the cravings, etc.)
Good luck to you!
Last edited by jenniferlynne76; 10-18-2010 at 08:48 AM.
Hey Ladies, sorry I missed out last week - URG, will I ever get it together? YES I WILL! Today is a new day and I am ready to go. I am drinking my shake as I type. I am in class and haven't had time to go back read, but I will later today. I will get through today!!! Have a great Monday everyone
Happy Monday yall! (sounds like an oxy-moron huh??!) Hope you all had a great weekend..mine was gone in a snap - but it was good! We had a wonderful meal at my Mom and Dads yesterday (Roast, mashed potatoes, etc) so that was my L&G meal - BUT I ate from a saucer so I feel good about it! My Dad said, "hhhmmm now that's a good way to eat less!"...After lunch we went to the big lookoff bluff and had some family pics made - hopefully they'll be good and the fall colors will pop! Went to a ladies day thing at my dear friends church on Sat - they had Fried chicken, potato salad, baked beans, rolls and about 15 different cakes and pies to choose from...and there I sat - being SUPER good - and ate my WS bar and had a glass of water! OMG it smelled soooo good...but I knew I was fixing pizza for dinner - my fav BBQ ckn pizza; so I wanted that more!! Oh...and I put some of my britches on Ebay if any of you are looking for size 24, 26 or 28...I'm Krisykins on there!
Irish - I totally know about a buzzkill...My sweet wonderful Mom wants to encourage SO badly but ends up saying "no she can't have that" entirely too much!At that Ladies thing Sat I commented on a chunk of choc cake on my friends dessert plate/platter, she said, "you want me to wrap some up for you to take home?" Mom immediately jumped in and said, "NOOOOO she's doing so good, she doesn't need that"...ummm really...I'm almost 38!!! Where was this woman when I was growing up and she continually brought in Little Debbies and snickers bars and Dr. Peppers??? Just hang tough girl...I know they mean well - perhaps they just don't know how to encourage properly...
Meg - Thanks for the pudding idea - I did top the caramel w/ FF cool whip, it was OK...it was REALLY thick though - like cookie batter thick...I mixed it up and stuck it in the fridge while we ate dinner...do I need to add more water to it or mix and eat quickly??
Jen - Welcome! What an awesome loss!! I too started with a doctor supervised meal replacement plan back in April and lost about 28 pounds in the 12 weeks - but knew it was way too expensive to continue and then found WS as a cheaper alterantive (and I love it way better!)! I did let my doc look over the nutrition stats and she said, GO FOR IT! As for your size 10...OMG that's awesome - I dream of the day I can fit into a size 10....it's coming, I just know it!
Erin - Welcome to you too! I agree w/ Yoyo - I don't think you got enough stuff to sustain you for a whole month...but you'll get a good idea of how much more you need in just a few days! Good luck to you!
Atty - Jen is right - it's totally a mind set! My mind is strong right now, but sometimes it wavers...stay strong!!
Kristi - way to go!!! I love that you made the choice to eat well at the event knowing that you were having a great healthy pizza for dinner - WOO HOO! What plan were you on before WS?
Jen, what is your 'full fast' are you just doing liquid supplements, or water only? My sister did a water only fast earlier this year - I dont think I could handle that!
Wow Irish, you have done so much research and it makes tons of sense to me, I may copy your method if you don't mind I am starting the "plan" today but I am using protein shakes I already had on hand that I need to use up because they were expensive! But I do have my Starter Pack on its way so I am excited about that. The cals/protein/carbs/fat numbers to get them equal exactly to WS have me consuming 5 shakes and a meal. Or I can do 4 shakes, a 1-cup portion of Special K Protein cereal with 4 oz. unsweetened Almond Milk, and a meal.
I just pray I don't get that ravenous hunger. Does the hunger subside? Does it take a few days? I attempted a liquid diet once before and I was weak and hungry and I gave up. Irish, I could totally relate to your Progresso soup incident LOL. Can any of the seasoned veterans tell me about the effects I can expect the first few days? My rehearsal dinner is 6 weeks from Friday, and I have a bridal shower this weekend. I figure I will just work the shakes around the meals that are "special" and eat them in lieu of the Lean and Green's. I am from the South, ya'll, and I cannot pass up some spinach dip (hey that's green) at the bridal shower. My start weight is 170. Lowest I have ever gotten in my adult life is 158 and believe it or not, I could wear a size 6. But I am 5'7 and 1/2 and this is probably vanity sizing. I dream of 135 but I have had more doctors and others tell me it is impossible for my frame. So who knows what my goal weight is!
I had to do the research! I did not want to just throw money down the toliet so I had to find the best deal for me. I also needed to find a plan that would work for me. I don't have time to go back to Weight Watchers and sit around in meetings or spend countless hours with the online program and sitting around counting points. I have been doing calorie counting for a while but with being a full time student, working full time and taking care of everything else, I really do not have time for meal preparation right now. School is almost done, and I figure I should finish about the time I make goal. I wanted a plan that pretty much was all figured out for me. I had done NutriSystem when I was 15 (that was 20yrs ago) so I knew they had food plans and they were cheaper than Jenny Craig. But, they were still costly, and I wanted to be able to eat with my family.
I happened to run across WS and NL when I was researching more about Medifast. I felt it was perfect for me. Price was right, I could still eat the one meal with my family, the plan was portable if I was going to be away from home and was not going to force me to spend a lot of time cooking or thinking about food.
I only did one day from the sample pack. I placed my order and now I am just waiting for it all to arrive so I can "officially" start.
From what I have read from others the first 1-7 days is the hardest. Some people have no problems at all. I think because we eat every couple of hours the hunger should be minimal. On my first day I notice I was a little hungry about 2pm, but thats when I noticed the NL plan has less calories and food options than WS plan, so that is what I will be following.
Just listen to your body, every one is going to be different.
When your sample pack arrives, take the time to read the book they send for free with it. The guy has a lot of awesome things to say.
I am from the south as well. Born in Michigan, moved to Oklahoma when I was 6, lived there until I was 32, then I moved back here to Michigan. I am now 35.
Irish - I totally know about a buzzkill...My sweet wonderful Mom wants to encourage SO badly but ends up saying "no she can't have that" entirely too much!At that Ladies thing Sat I commented on a chunk of choc cake on my friends dessert plate/platter, she said, "you want me to wrap some up for you to take home?" Mom immediately jumped in and said, "NOOOOO she's doing so good, she doesn't need that"...ummm really...I'm almost 38!!! Where was this woman when I was growing up and she continually brought in Little Debbies and snickers bars and Dr. Peppers??? Just hang tough girl...I know they mean well - perhaps they just don't know how to encourage properly...
I have to just laugh about it sometimes. My mom is the smallest person in our family. She is about 5'3" and weighs about 100-110lbs. She grew up in a large family, on a farm. So her cooking was always based on full fat, large meals. When I was little she would cook these portions that could feed and army and it was just me, mom and dad. By high school her cooking habits and my emotional eating to hide sexual abuse that was going on my life, made me over 200lbs by the time I entered high school. My mom put me on NutriSystem.
Now, as a 35 year old adult, sometimes I think she just automatically says things without thinking, but does not mean to.
We were canning apples and pears the other day and she was talking about how good they would be warm, over ice cream.
I was like....well , maybe later when I feel its "safe" and she just looked at me and was like, oh yah, your right.
She has watched me struggle with my weight all my life. I think she just wants me to accept it like my aunt and grandma, and just be happy and move on with life and stop obsessing about my weight.
Really, its not about my weight. Its about my health.
Thanks ladies! I think you may be right. So I figured I would do the omlette in the am with whole grain toast and fruit, shake for snack, entree lunch and then for snack another shake or smoothie and then my lean and green and then a bar maybe for dessert. I don't think my body could take in another meal or supplement in there.
But you may be right.
I did order something like 10 boxes of shakes/puddings and smoothies (combined). And then enough bars for 28 days...I am thinking I may have about 28 days worth of most things. Same with the eggs etc.
I am hoping they send some sort of literature with the package so I can figure out what I am doing! LOL
Jen, what is your 'full fast' are you just doing liquid supplements, or water only? My sister did a water only fast earlier this year - I dont think I could handle that!
Janell: for me a full fast means just using all WS supplements. No additional food. And no, I'm not limiting myself to shakes. I didn't while on the combo of Optifast or Robard supplements, either, and it's never negatively impacted my weight loss. I have a general set of nutritional parameters that I work to meet every day, and I just make sure that the foods I am eating fit within those guidelines. That way I am sure to get all of the nutrients that I need. So, for example, here's what my meal plan today looks like:
Upon Waking: 16 oz. water Breakfast: Crisp 'n Crunch Berry Bar (along with mutli-vitamin and fiber supplements) with 16 oz. Decaf coffee Morning Snack: Berry cream smoothie and 27 oz. water (sipped through the morning) Lunch: Vegetarian Joe and Mint Chocolate Bar and 27 oz. water (sipped through early afternoon) Afternoon Snacks: Sour Cream and Onion crunchy "Os," cappuccino hot chocolate and 27 oz. water (sipped until dinner) Dinner: Philly Steak Mac, Strawberry pudding shake (as pudding) and 16 oz. water Evening Snack: Apple custard crunch
So, at the end of it all, I will have taken in:
113 oz. of water
16 oz. decaf coffee
1,035 calories
22g fat
111g carbs
115g protein
21g fiber
(for a macronutrient ratio of 18:40:42)
I should be clear that, per the plan my doctor has me on, I aim for between 1,000 and 1,200 calories a day and an approximate macro breakdown of 20:40:40. I also watch my potassium, and take a supplement as needed to ensure adequate intake of at least 40% of the RDA.
I also walk daily for at least an hour (which I normally split up between my lunch hour and right after work when I get home). Today, however, it's raining, so whatever I do, it'll just be after work.
Honestly, I love the WS food so much I feel like I'm cheating! *laugh* Seriously...I have no problems eating this way until I hit my goal if all continues to go well. I love the convenience of the pre-portioned meals that I know have enough nutrients in them (combined with my supplements) to ensure I'm getting what I need. They're portable, and they require very little thinking on my part to plan and prepare. In short, it makes it VERY easy to stick to my "diet." Note: When I eat solely "real" food (in other words, no supplements), I also eat to these ratios, but find I can't hit them without coming closer to the 1200 calories a day, and volume-wise eating less. Go figure. Plus, it takes A LOT more planning. This is just SOOO much easier! (And more enjoyable...and let's face it, what's easy and enjoyable, we're going to stick with. What's hard and frustrating, we're going to abandon.)
Any other questions, feel free to ask. Again, remember that everyBODY (literally) is different and YMMV. But this is what has worked, and continues to work, for me. And as someone who has battled their weight and a binge eating disorder for over 25 years, that's REALLY saying something!
-Jen
Last edited by jenniferlynne76; 10-18-2010 at 01:06 PM.
Jen, t hanks so much, that was really helpful. I am really glad that your broke everything down. Do you log your foods anywhere? A diet site? I would love to keep track of everything just to make sure I am not going over on calories/carbs. I used to do MF and their guidelines were 800-1000 calories and 80-100 carbs, but they recommend you stick to the lower end of the carbs. I know with WS it is more carbs than MF, which has always made me a little apprehensive about eating all the WS products - but I know I need to give it an honest try. I lost really well on MF, but I can no longer have that much soy, which is why I switched.
Do you mind sharing your average weekly losses? THanks again! Janell
So great to see all the newcomers I love that this thread is so active!
Okay...today was weigh in day for me....drum roll please....188.8!!! Do the happy dance!! I was getting SO frustrated with NOT being able to get out of the 190's....so being in the 180's is a HUGE deal to me right now. I felt like they were being SO elusive...darn scale!
So, this weekend I went to a bbq at the in-laws. Bratwursts....and here's the sides they had....potato salad, potato chips, macaroni salad and baked beans....none of which I can have!! Ugh!! lol So...I loaded up on Brats, with LOTS of grilled onions and sauerkraut w/ mustard on top. Then they brought out apple crisp dessert. I chose water....luckily I'm not a huge fan of baked apples, so it wasn't too bad. It was really hard to pass up the macaroni salad though, it looked SO good!! So, there's my kudos for the weekend
Janell - I did "The Center for Medical Weight Loss" at my Doctors office. It was 2 shakes (150 cals each) and 1 bar (150 cals) and my own 550 calorie meal...that's a lot of calories to get in - in one meal, plus I was needing something else throughout the day...with WS I'm not having that issue at all!! I'm eating every couple hours so there's no time to be "hungry"; plus I'm staying w/in the alotted calories for the day!
For all I know, you might not be following the plan exactly as they have it written.
