Newbies

Hi, CHIA. Yes – the 14-day plan can serve as a great pattern, and you can swap in items from the same food groups according to these lists https://www.trimdownclub.com/exchanges-lists/.

OSSIE: I see there are different veggies and fruits every day. Is it possible to switch fruits,veggies, meats, grains, so I don’t have to buy so many different kinds in a week?

Hi, mickeyfan1. Green are preferable over black.

Hi, janiceln, and welcome. First, I would suggest starting off by building your menus based on foods you already have in your cupboard, and upgrade them (i.e. moving from refined to whole grain) as they run out. Try to make do with the items that you can find at your regular food shop – Tesco does carry a fair number of what we recommend.
As for the snacks, many people with a hectic work schedules find it easier to take along easy, dense items such as trail mix with nuts and dried fruit, or to drink their snacks by taking along a thermos of a rich shake (i.e. one of these, with added protein, dairy or seeds https://www.trimdownclub.com/?s=shake&post_type=recipe) or hearty soup (recipes here https://www.trimdownclub.com/recipe_type/soups/).

Hi, Pookie. Ideally the “health bar” that you would select for your menu would contain protein and have all-natural ingredients. The Special K bar has no protein, and it could be troublesome for your metabolic balance, and has very few calories, and so is not really adequate to truly keep you balanced throughout the day. Can you have it with some cheese, nuts, or yogurt, etc.?
Beyond that, the product contains ingredients that we don’t recommend, due to impact on health. These include several types of sugar (including fructose-based, which may be artificial), partially hydrogenated fats (which means detrimental trans-fats, even though they are stated as being “less than 0.5 g), as well as preservatives, and likely genetically modified soy. It is not the worst product out there, but I suggest you compare its ingredients with those of a recommended bar, such as “Organic Square Bar” (which is a meal-type snack in one shot, with the same amount of carbs, but also 12 grams of protein).

Organic Square Bar: Organic Coconut Nectar, Organic Whole Grain Sprouted Brown Rice Protein, Organic Dark Chocolate (Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Cocoa Liquor, Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Vanilla, Sunflower Lecithin), Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Gluten Free Oats, Organic Almonds, Organic Cocoa Liquor, Sunflower Lecithin, Organic Cinnamon, Sea Salt, Organic Stevia Extract.

You don’t have to choose this product specifically, just get a sense of the type of ingredient list we suggest.

Joined this week and have just printed off a menu and downloaded all the paperwork, so need to have a good read through, before I can start properly. As most of the terms are US, I will have to convert to UK, but don’t anticipate too many problems. I need to lose lots of weight, but love a curry, I make my own, but is there a chicken and vegetable curry recipe on here, I like it hot! Been on so many diets, I really need support, this seems to fit the bill.

Hi, KatieKat. Click on “View Menu Exchanges” to the right of your menu to see the pattern. I can also send you your pattern here if you post your height, weight, and weight goal (loss or maintenance).