Need to be able to plan meals 10days out

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3/4/12 8:49 A

Thank you for putting that so succinctly, MRSJOCCO. That's what I was trying to say, too, only less eloquently. LOL

Speaking for myself, as an introvert, I need the control of planning in advance so I can think things through before acting. The last-minute aspect of meal planning doesn't work well for me.

I do want to reiterate how much I love SparkPeople. By following the Heart Health diet for a week (and exercising), I'm already down 2.5 pounds. I really enjoy the site, the menus, and the community. I appreciate the fact admin is willing to listen to our suggestions and take them under advisement.

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3/4/12 2:18 A

I would love to have that option, too.

I don't really know how members can spend much time focusing on short-term goals if they have to make so many trips to the grocery store and try to match sales with menus at the last minute. Also, we need to make sure we plan to eat all of the food we're buying in later meals to eliminate waste.

I love SparkPeople, I love having the free menu plan option, I love being able to customize the suggested meal plan or make a completely different one--but it would be nice to be able to plan farther ahead.

Posts: 27,018
3/3/12 8:31 P

We've found that members have a greater chance of success when they focus on shorter-term goals. I will pass along your feedback though.

Thanks!

Coach Denise

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3/3/12 12:19 P

This is just a suggestion. Or a question, maybe. I started using the Heart Healthy meal plan in earnest a few days ago, and I like it.

BUT (you knew it was coming....) I really need to be able to modify my meal plan up to 10 days in advance. I'm one of those people whose "grocery week" runs from Wednesday (when the sale starts, and the day I do my grocery shopping) to Tuesday. The way the program is currently restricted (to 7 days advance planning), I have to spend about an hour on Wednesday morning modifying the SparkPeople meal plan to accommodate my preferences and a food allergy before I can actually do the grocery shopping. It sure would be nice if, instead, I could spend some downtime on Saturday or Sunday modifying the meal plan.

It also would be nice to be able to buy two weeks' worth of groceries at a time, but the only way I can see to do that is to recycle prior meal plans, since I can't alter menu plans more than 7 days out.

Can anyone explain why there's a 7-day restriction on meal planning? It doesn't make a lot of sense to me, especially when using one of the pre-planned, SparkPeople plans like Heart Health.

Thanks so much for providing this free resource! Like I said, overall I'm very satisfied with the program so far.

Elizabeth