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A few newbie questions:
1) Do I need to be eating ALL the food on the menu for the day?
2) Are the daily menus a culmination of everything I need for that day (so I would need to eat that whole day’s menu) or can I swap out meals (like put Tuesdays 1st snack in place of Monday’s morning snack)? (I see there is something similar in another thread and will have to read that thread, but need to post this before I lose it).
3) Is there a list of the basic principles, such as how much protein you need with so much of a certain type of carb per meal? Something with a basic guideline? We’re out in the sticks and have a very limited selection, but abundant in things that might not be available elsewhere (like we raise our own natural, grass-fed beef….a luxury that I surely couldn’t afford if I had to buy it in the store!). But things, such as almonds, are VERY expensive, as is any fish or seafood. Those latter items are so expensive that they are cost-prohibitive.
Randi
Hi, Randi, and welcome! Below are answers to your questions:
1) Yes, the intention is for you to eat everything on the menu. The idea is to get your metabolism up and prevent hunger.
2) Yes, the menus are designed to meet your daily nutritional needs and are similarly balanced each day, so you can swap things around throughout the week.
3) You can get a sense of things by clicking on “Exchange View” above your finished menu (the third icon from the left in the toolbar). Just do your best – you don’t have to be perfect, as little changes can add up and need to be sustainable and not stressful. By the way, there are some online sources if you don’t mind ordering, and large chains like WalMart, CostCo, and Target (often found in the sticks) tend to have impressive selections of healthy foods these days. The following is a list of health-oriented shops – http://www.trimdownclub.com/shopping-links-for-healthy-foods – and if you want extra help, please post the name of your town.Thanks Sharon. It will be a struggle for me to eat everything. I just don’t have an appetite. I made a special effort this morning and ate an egg and 1/2 cup of Grape Nuts with a 1/2 cup of unsweetened Almond Milk. Then managed to get about a cup of cantaloupe down at around 12:15. Around 3:00 I snagged the last of a head of lettuce out of the fridge and dipped it in fat free Italian dressing. About an hour later I had 2 celery sticks and about a teaspoon of fat free Italian. The family (husband and 4 young children–oldest is 6–that have to have high-calorie diets of they shrivel up to nothing, very, very active bunch) had pork roast I cooked in the crock pot. I had two small bites. And I’m not hungry.
Is it okay if I eat the same thing for each snack all day? And maybe do the same for meals? I guess I could pick a breakfast from a day, a lunch from a day, and a dinner. Find a couple snacks that I can make a bunch at one time and have them ready to go so I can grab them. Can I do that?
Hi, Randi. Yes, of course you can eat the same snacks every day. Technically, variety is really only crucial when it comes to fruits and vegetables, but the seasons usually take care of that. Whatever you do, be sure it’s comfortable and at least a little better than what you were doing before.
My addiction is coffee with liquid, flavored, non-dairy creamer. Is there something I can switch out to make up for the creamer I use? Not replace the creamer yet (although I am researching…trying…some options). What part of snack or a meal (pro, carb, etc.) would I need to switch out?
Hi, Randi. Try nut or cereal milks (hazelnut is divine). If you use just a little bit of the latter, don’t worry about switching anything.
I am two weeks into the program and I am enjoying eating a variety of foods. I am eating the meals as close to the menu as possible, but I find myself constantly hungry. I see that other people on the blog cannot eat all of the food listed, yet my body seems to burn through the food very fast. Is there something I can do to help with this? I try to stretch out my meal times every 3 hours, but if I go too long I will get a headache. I really want this to work for me. I have fibromyalgia and am on Lyrica which has caused me to gain some weight. I am also limited in what I can do for exercise because of the pain I am in. Do you have any recommendations for me?
Ryleekins
I am at a loss trying to have my question answered through the tech department. I cannot substitute items in my Menu plan for items in your recipe list. Is this not a feature. The substitution list is very small and I would like to substitute, say your Egg and Sausage Quiche for a single meat portion but can’t access any of the recipes to substitute. Am I doing something wrong or is this not an option.
Hi, lbabbitt. True, this is not yet a feature, especially for recipes submitted by other Clubmembers rather than our team – which is the case for the recipe you mentioned (Mushroom and Sausage Quiche) but we are indeed working on this. However, you can just swap in whatever you wish, paying attention to portion sizes.
Taking the above recipe as an example, a single portion equals 1 protein exchange + 1 fat exchange, which is equal to 1 oz of meat + 1 tsp of oil. This list may help: http://www.trimdownclub.com/exchanges-lists.Hi, Susan. Free foods are primarily vegetables, and you can find these by clicking on the “Vegetables” button in the Menu Planner application (link here http://www.trimdownclub.com/menu-planner/?v=1411371373v12 – see the second and third columns); other free foods are primarily seasonings, and you can see these by clicking on the “Free Foods” button (link here http://www.trimdownclub.com/menu-planner/?v=1411371373v12). The three beverages you mentioned are also free, and are all great options. If you don’t like or get tired of plain water, you can flavor it or carbonated/soda water with squeezes of citrus or with fruit infusions (soaking cut-up fruit or whole berries in water for a few hours), as well as natural sweeteners (see our guide on this here http://www.trimdownclub.com/the-best-way-to-sweeten-your-tea-2/).
Hello, I have just started on week one and whilst I understand that the program will determine the next weeks menu based upon my personal details, I would like to know if I can view week 2 menus so that I can shop for the necessary foods?
Hi, Aliivor. There isn’t a function like that, but I suggest to either stay one week behind on your menus (i.e., repeat week one, then on to week two) so you can always plan ahead for shopping, or start using the Menu Planner application, which has an automatic shopping list function. The application is in “Apps” above, and comes with a video tutorial (available on the first page).
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