Newbies

I am new and cannot find an answer to this very simple question. Do you weigh your meat before or after cooking? Please help

Hi, Sicula. It’s not ideal, but if it’s once a day and you love it, go for it :).

Hi, rumming, and welcome!
With regard to your sauce question, as long as all of the vegetable bits (tomato, onions, mushrooms) add up to the serving size (generally about 240 ml), that’s fine.
With regard to the chili, again, it’s the overall portion size of something that is already more or less a bean food, so adding kidney beans is absolutely fine.

Hi all – yes, I’m new too. Started today in fact!
I’m loving everything about the site and didn’t expect so much out of my weekly menu plans, so a big thumbs up!
My question is about my dinners. For example, today my plan says 100grms of beef mince (grass fed), 1 cup of wholemeal pasta and 1 cup of mixed green salad. This is fine as I know I can add some free foods (from the veg list) to make it into a meal but does that mean I can’t add the veg from the limited by serving section. Example, I want to make a spag Bol and I would always add onions but that’s limited? I’m adding celery and mushrooms but spag Bol won’t be the same without opinions! Also, with the leftovers, I plan on converting it into a chilli con carne to save time cooking tomo. Does this mean I can’t add red kidney beans because it’s not on my menu, even as a substitute? Many thanks.

Hi, Carolyn, and welcome. The video discussed artificial or overprocessed versions of popular foods that should be healthy, but have been manipulated into being particularly harmful to your goals. Rather than giving up on them altogether, we encourage better versions in their original, natural forms. Note that the foods discussed in the video are only examples, and many other popular foods have been similarly affected—so it’s good to read labels, be aware of how a food is made, and choose whole foods as much as possible. Regarding soy, organic is fine, and minimally processed items such as tofu, yogurt, and milk, as well as fermented items such as tempeh and natto are fine. However, most pre-packaged mock meats tend to be a problem.
As for gluten-free oats, the most reliable would be Bob’s Red Mill (available here: https://thrivemarket.com/partner/trimdown?ccode=trimdown&utm_source=affiliate&utm_content=08_2015_gift_V6&utm_campaign=ThriveMembership&aff_id=6077&t_id=102735ee15c0ff58911aea6cc7c2e8&o_id=6&utm_medium=Trim+Down+Club). We prefer the steel-cut, followed by rolled, as they are closer to whole grains.

Hi, greemandi. Yes to all your questions. I noticed you are using the “instant” menus. If you use the personal version of the Menu Planner (the right-most option in the application area (https://www.trimdownclub.com/menu-planner), you can select the specific foods to go into your menus. When you get your menus, you can click on any food to exchange it for another in the same food group.

Thanks for that. I must admit I find the 6 rice cakes far too much to cope with and have been halving that. This way of eating seems to suit me and I feel less tired all the time. I have been eating ‘clean’ since the beginning of the year but hadn’t got the proportions right.
I see I am supposed to weigh in on a Friday morning so I will start doing that this week instead of on a Tuesday (which is the day I joined the site), so I’m not expecting to lose by this Friday. But next Friday will be different – watch this space!!!

Hi, payments233. If you can’t finish, don’t fight it – it’s great that you’re in tune with your satiety signals. If you had a big meal out, of course there’s no point in stuffing yourself with a snack (just be sure to get at least 5 fruit/vegetable servings in a day). In a normal day (without outside dinine), I suggest to cut back a little on starchy carbs, perhaps 50%, and keep the proteins and produce. If that won’t work for you, please let me know.