SparkPoints: (21,406)
Fitness Minutes: (56,548)
Posts: 366
9/18/12 11:40 P

I don't use the meal planner. I eat a "almost vegan" diet. Usually the only non-vegan item I eat is fish, my naturopath wanted me to keep fish in my diet. It is kinda tough at first breaking all those "not so good" food choices, but I feel so much better without dairy.

SparkPoints: (87,619)
Fitness Minutes: (52,437)
Posts: 3,730
8/26/12 10:31 A

Thanks for the input Mystikluna I guess after a lifetime of 'bad' food habits I'm still trying to break free from some of them.
I'm all over drinking water that, I've got down-pat!
C~

current weight: 246.2

255 241.25 227.5 213.75

200

Posts: 135
8/24/12 1:30 A

I've never used the Spark menu. I eat VERY LITTLE dairy and I dont need to worry too much about my fat intake. Therefore, I would write in my own foods. Since I love to cook and can cook most ethnic foods, I have a plethora of ideas to choose from. I love to eat and thoroughly enjoy tasting and tweeking recipes. While on weightloss mode, my proteins would be mostly egg whites, chicken or turkey, fish and tofu. I avoided most starchy foods and ate very little grains except for quinoa or brown rice. I cut all sugars and starches (except for the above mentioned) and ate an average of 300 calories each meal 4x a day and made sure I had lots of calorie burning activites every day, then the weight came off rather easily, about 1-2 pounds per week. I know enough about nutrition and eat a vast variety of foods so my choices were plentiful and it made meal planning easy. I also was able to note trends in some foods - those that seemed to stall weight loss for instance. One of the most important things is to DRINK WATER! I love water and would easily drink a gallon or more daily.

current weight: 123.0

140 132.5 125 117.5

110

SparkPoints: (87,619)
Fitness Minutes: (52,437)
Posts: 3,730
8/3/12 11:11 A

Robin, thanks for your reply. It's good to know I'm not totally off my rocker to consider whittling things down even further than the Spark suggested menu. Bill's always willing to cook whatever I want for dinner, which is made far easier when I plan my menu ahead of time. I've been slacking on that lately. I suppose I should add that to my brief, non-specific list of goals for August LOL Now if he can just learn to be happy with a limited menu as well. Hmmm..

Heather, thanks for the great reminder that I'm missing out by not planning, and for sharing your strategy with me!


StuffNearTabor, thanks for your reply as well. I just need to get back into the suggested menu and set some preferences and get more creative I guess.

C~

current weight: 246.2

255 241.25 227.5 213.75

200

Posts: 2,232
8/3/12 1:10 A

I can't use the Spark menu planner - what they suggest is far too heavy in meat and dairy. I have to watch my lipid levels, and what they suggest is just far too unhealthy according to my doctor. I really wish there was a way for us to customize their suggestions.

Good Luck.

Pounds lost: 3.6

0 3.5 7 10.5

14

Posts: 704
8/2/12 11:41 P

I sit down and plan my dinners for the week each weekend. And i usually pick a breakfast meal to eat all week (like oatmeal or yogurt parfaits.) Then plan leftovers or buy some lean cuisines for lunches (depending on the dinner meal plan.) That way i just sit down each night and enter my snacks and lunches for the next day. By planning my meals for the week, it saves me a lot in groceries because I can plan meals that use similar ingrediants (then no wasting veggies!) Plus it allows to swap out meals depending on my mood that day or if my schedule changes. And just planning for the week allows me to switch up things each week, so I'm not bored.

SparkPoints: (128,823)
Fitness Minutes: (76,559)
Posts: 13,925
8/2/12 5:04 P

I haven't tracked in a long time, but I remember when I was in steady weight loss mode, I had 2 go to breakfasts, ate Lean Cuisine for lunch, and had 5 basic go to dinners that I would rotate through 5-6 nights a week.

Breakfast was either Yogurt and fruit, or Oatmeal.

Dinner options were
Curry Chicken and veggies over brown rice
Chicken breast on a large mixed salad
Whole grain spaghetti with marinara sauce and what ever veggies were in the fridge with chicken breast or chicken Italian sausage.
Tuna salad over a large mixed salad
Turkey Burger with tomato, onion, lettuce on whole grain bread.

Not so easy to stick to if you are cooking for more than just yourself though.

current weight: 136.8

220 196.25 172.5 148.75

125

SparkPoints: (87,619)
Fitness Minutes: (52,437)
Posts: 3,730
8/2/12 3:47 P

So I'm being nosy

How many of you use the SparkPeople generated menu plan for your meals?

If so, do you sit down and go through the week, pre-planning your meals, making a menu?

Do you eat a lot of the same thing, over and over?

If not, do you wait to fill in your nutritional information as you go through the day? or do you pre-plan and create a menu?

I'm contemplating minimizing my weekly menu to just two or three options per meal. This week, I've had greek yogurt with granola, and sometimes fruit, each day for breakfast. I'm ok with that. It's filling, it's tasty, and thus far, I'm not bored with it.

I'm wondering if it would make life easier to just have a set rotation of meals instead of coming up with something new every day.

Care to share your thoughts?

C~

current weight: 246.2

255 241.25 227.5 213.75

200