 Ossie-Sharon 11 years ago | It really is preferred to steer clear of artificial sweeteners, but they are still preferrable to fully sugar-sweetened beverages, of course. Crystal Light has other ingredients that aren’t the best, so perhaps you can just mix fresh or preserved lemon juice with water and a non-caloric sweetener – the taste is similar, and you will get more nutritional benefits (of lemon) without the rest of the unwanted additives.
As for the rest, we recognize that not all areas have stores that carry the extra-healthy ingredients (such as Whole Foods Market, Trader Joes), so you can indeed make do. You can cut back a little on the starchy carbs, and that may help.
Having said that, you can order some of the special foods online. If you are interested in doing that, just post in what state you live, and we would be happy to point you in the right direction. |
 pixiesrock247 11 years ago | Hormonal collide, is an understatement. Freakin’ train wreck, is more the description, LOL. I have finally gotten my emotional hormones in-line again and now am working hard on my physical hormones. I am a little concerned that alot of the recipes call for “organic” and “raw” or “SWG”. Living in a rural area I don’t have access to alot of these ingredients so I have to adjust the meals to what is available, hence the concern for the amount of food I’m eating. I don’t want to sabbotage myself. Sometimes there is no feasible exchange for something on the meal so I have to impervise with something I have on hand. I do try to follow the meal plan as closely as possible. Is drinking “Crystal Light” ok? Since artficial sweetner is prohibited, I wasn’t sure. Thanks 🙂 |
| Ossie-Sharon 11 years ago | Of course you can switch around foods, as long as you get a good amount of protein in the morning and don’t eat too heavily when you are least active. For many overweight people, the amount of food on the plan is less than what they ate to gain the weight, but in your case, it sounds like you hit a “perfect storm” where hormonal changes collided with you being in good shape, and so your muscles don’t recognize exercise. I would suggest to try working a different set of muscles, i.e. adding a new type of exercise, at least for a while until you get your metabolism back up. Also good for women at your stage is a focus on a higher protein diet, especially relative to carbs. Vegetable juices are OK (1/2 cup = 1 vegetable exchange), but try to go low-sodium, as your body is looking for any excuse to bloat up. We wish you the best of luck, and if you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to ask here. |
| pixiesrock247 11 years ago | I’m new to the plan and love the meal planner. I love that I can have my low fat ice cream but sometimes the meal planner puts the ice cream as my morning or afternoon snack when it’s not convienent for me at work. Is it ok to move my evening snack of almonds to the afternoon and move the ice cream to the evening snack? I am also very concerned about the amount of food I am eating. Never have I eaten this much food. I turned 48 this year and have gained 15 pounds for no apparent reason. I teach pilates and have always been able to control my weight, until this year. Always counted calories, so this is a different mindset for me. When I put the food I eat in my calorie counter, OMG!!, it is more than I normally consume. But with 100% guarantee, I’m giving it a shot. And what about vegetable juices? Yes or no? I can’t find any reference to them. Thanks for any help or in sights 🙂 |
