 esolaro 9 years ago | Hi, normaevans. I’m glad you’re back on-line. Please always feel free to click the Contact Us link at the bottom of the page to email Tech Support. I needed to take 2 months (I had meant it to be just one) from weight loss, concentrating on maintenance instead. Major health issues in my family and I decided, OK, sometimes not eating is more stress than I need. I also cut out my morning lifting and evening walks because of the heat: no energy. On the flip side, I seem to have joined a triathalon club (I cycle, I don’t swim and I really can’t run) and muscle! I’m much stronger on the bike than I was 2 months ago–I’ve done stuff that was either physically or psychologically impossible. So, you know, life happens. No need for confession. Come join us in the 60-Day Challenge Group. I’m working on getting down to 130 or so–I’m not sure that’s realistic, given the muscle I carry. It really is just a matter of doing it: I know when I don’t eat crap, I lose weight. |
 normaevans 9 years ago | Hello again! I am still feeling a newbe in the middle of week 5 (of the 8 week plan )so a quick progress report here… During the weeks 1,2,and 3 menus I managed to loose a few pounds, with some substitutes within the menu`s– like for like as best I could; got going on the eating 6 times but sometimes it has to be 5 as I cannot eat late evenings with acid reflux around .Though the first three weeks were not too bad and overall I enjoyed the programme, and it felt like I was getting into it well enough and quite ready to progress when I hit the problem of 1st:- just logging in- -the computer told me either my name was wrong or my password!! I had been using same one over first three weeks.. and when I finally got in after loads of new password tries I couldn`t get the program page up at all–just kept getting the home page or lots of stuff I had never seen before!!Eventually, after firing off a few very frantic e mails & contacts, somehow I have managed- without knowing exactly how, to get the correct prog. page back up on screen, and it feels great to be back with it again after such a troublesome spell. But I have gone off the rails a bit- I have eaten mostly any time and anything really (did stick to portion sizes) and didn’t have time or inclination for activity – never mind the proper exercise!! So confession over, I am now ready to get back on track; try to get my already shaky confidence at the computer back (only a beginner at nearing 70) and I have been so very nearly at giving up stage!! Has anyone else been through similar to this and gone on to succeed ? a boost would be really welcome just now! |
| esolaro 9 years ago | Spices are good and as long as you’re not hungry, I think it’s OK to skip a snack. |
 JeffnGena 9 years ago | Day three and I have so many questions like what if you can’t eat all the food. I have not alot of time at work and I find I don’t want the night snack. Also want to know if you add spices to the plain noodles to make them more interesting is it wrong. |
 Ossie-Sharon 9 years ago | Hi, DavisHornsby. If you have been on restrictive diets in the past, it may take your body a little while to get used to normal amounts of food again. You can jump-start your metabolism by making some modifications to your physical activity, too – adding some weight training (not a major strain, just something to wake up your muscles), and add some bursts of high-intensity (i.e. 30 seconds of jogging or walking uphill every 5 minutes during a regular walk).
With regard to the site being too complicated, please do take advantage of our customer support team – you can reach them through the “Contact Us” link below. Note that it will not seem complicated forever, and will definitely not take you a lot of time. Just think of this as a one-time investment of effort and energy, and eventually it will become second nature.
If you do cut out the snacks, just be sure to get at least 5 total servings of fruits+vegetables and 3 total servings of calcium-rich foods each day. |
 DavisHornsby 9 years ago | Agree it is all too complicated. Even trying to find where to input your weight is so difficult with the website not being very user friendly.
Disheartened after a week of eating stuff from the diet planner (which is almost as much food in terms of quantity as I eat in a month usually). Have gained 2lbs. Just what I did not want to do.
Don’t have time to sit at a computer for 3 hours a day just to be encouraged to go to a supermarket (need to allow 3 hrs for the travel time included) and buy stuff every week! One shop a month is enough. I hate shopping.
Still love eating nuts, fruit and vegetables (what ever I grow myself)and chicken, but if I continue to gain weight on this programme I will cut back to 3 meals a day and no snacking, which at least kept my weight stable. |
| normaevans 9 years ago | Hi TDC! New starter here. Joined 6 days ago. Not good with comp. yet but had to improve fast for this! Wanted to chuck it in on first day. Info huge, content huge,all just too much. Crosseyed reading comp.so much! Have got passed that now and printed things out (hubby did it for me!) it really helps.(like first week of 123 and food shopping0 Still on week one of the intro. 8 weeks, but started on 123 week simple/super menu 4 says ago. some adjustment I confess but all within the menu as best I can .Used to fresh and healthy and portions too but never have I eaten 6 times a day,However, giving it my all! Been stuck with an extra stone and a bit for the last few years, and 11 stone at 5 foot tall is too much for me personally. Suprisingly I feel really lifted in spirit and eager to get int this 123 initial menu and have feelings of change for the better in myself already. Just done the Food Shopping the proper way this morning(printed it out) and already can see that the tips in there(not only about food but on coping, taking things slow and steady, calming down and trying out things slowly) boy was I pleased to see that! Good luck to everyone. I am going to stay with it and win things over slow and steady ! ( I hope) here goes!!!! |
| esolaro 9 years ago | Hi, Johnsoncs, you can choose simpler things from the Menu Planner lists like sandwich fixings, nuts and seeds, etc. As for snacks, you can ignore what’s on your menu and take some of our shake or soup recipes in thermoses to work – you can prepare them while you make dinner the evening before. If snacks are still too challenging, you can move the foods to other meals. Hope this helps,
Erin |
 Johnsoncs 9 years ago | Hello. I joined yesterday. And just want to cry. I just can’t go with the menu planner even though I have a fruit snack mid morn and pm, It is all too complicated I work 9 to 5 always take my own lunch but need to keep it simple I agree navigation is not easy. Will keep trying SJ |
 Philro2000 9 years ago | I’m new and confused ex: the third snack of the day usually list 3 choices. Do I eat all three choices or just pic on. The same with breakfast. It call for cereal and an egg. Do I eat both. I hope some can help. thanks |
| Ossie-Sharon 9 years ago | Hi, Miffim. Don’t be intimidated by the fancy foods and recipes. We have purposely included simple foods with generic terms to allow flexibility, and recipes for classic foods (in the Recipes section, put in the search box any of the following: “Classic,” “Basic,” “Simple,” or “Homemade”).
As for the snacks, the Program Guide discusses why meals and snacks can be helpful in balancing hormones to support weight loss. The Menu Planner lays out the compositions of the snacks (click on the third icon from the left in the toolbar above your finished menu to view the exchanges), which are quite similar to what you mentioned – it is especially important to accompany carbohydrates with proteins. You can keep it simple by just getting an idea of the meal structure from the menu, and eat however you wish. If you don’t like the snacks, just be sure to place the calcium sources and fruits and vegetables somewhere else in the day, to be sure you get a total of 3 major calcium sources (dairy, fortified nut milks, almonds, deep green leafy vegetables), and at least 5 fruits + vegetables per day.
If you want, you are welcome to read the articles about some of the foods with which you may be unfamiliar, as there are some notable advantages to them (in the Articles section, type “superfood” in the search box to make it quick).
By the way, physical activity is very important to take control of hormones that are causing weight gain. If you would like some guidance for this, please do repost here, or post in the Fitness forum. |
| esolaro 9 years ago | Hi, Diet123: a pound of weight gain isn’t really a good measure, for 2 reasons. I do something I shouldn’t, and weigh myself every day. I have a downward trend with gains, rather than a straight downward trend. That may (or may not) be normal for me (this is my first-ever diet) but I’ve heard it’s pretty standard. If you’ve been on really restrictive (starvation) diets in the past, it can take a while for your body to realize you’re eating regularly–and it doesn’t have to protect you by hanging onto every calorie you give it. |
 Miffim 9 years ago | I’m trying to understand how to do all this. I went to menu planner and find that I have to buy all sorts of fancy things that are neither to my taste nor in my budget. I decided to try to go for snacks first, since I have never eaten between meals and don’t really know how. I wish that you could simplify, perhaps by explaining the reasoning behind your choices. What should a ‘snack’ contain? For instance, one orotein, one carb, one fat? This is way too complicated for someone who has always eaten wisely but has put on ten pounds in the last year other for no obvious reason other than perhaps hormones. I am 85 years old. I would like to lose this weight but wonder if
I can find my way through your forest of fancy foods and recipes. |
 diet123 9 years ago | I am obviously not doing this right managed to gain 1lb this week !!!!!! |
