Personal Trainer Food - Changed: Ongoing support and conversation thread

[Joanne]

I used my Personal Trainer Food voucher. The first order resulted in a "database error" which appeared to not "go through", so I ordered again and got confirmation.

 

It turns out that order #1 did process. So, I now have 56 days worth of lunches and dinners. Personal Trainer Food customer service and I decided that I'd keep the additional order (since two payments were processed) and that I should consider the additonal use of a voucher a bonus. :)

 

I just had my first meal - mixed veggies and fajita beef. I used the butter/garlic sauce on the veggies. It was yummy. The veggies tasted fresh and were "crisp". The meat was spicy, and not a funky consistency (which sometimes happens with prepared foods)

 

The additional "diet" info came. It's a a low-carb, paleo ish approach.

IMO, it is based on contemporary research - that over 90% of weight loss is diet and not exercise.

 

Their recommendations are meat, cheese (lowfat and limiited), nuts (almonds, pistachios, macadamia and limited), eggs, and veggies. Mayo, butter, ranch dressing are allowed. Cream and yogurt are not. Grains are not.

 

Here's what I know already - the diet is a match for my body.

 

I'm thinking of keeping you posted.

 

[Shelly in IL]

My order came Thursday. I started eating Friday. This is seriously like having a personal chef. If I could afford to do it longer than a couple months, I'd totally do it. It's awesome. I haven't craved or felt badly at all.

[Moxie]

Why no cream?? Everything else makes sense to me.

[Joanne]

Day Two:

 

I did not order breakfasts. This morning, I made baked eggs in a cup of broccolli and spinach.

 

I just ate the Personal Trainer Food brussels sprouts and the Monterey Jack Chicken Sticks. They were yummy. I think the portions are going to be small until I get used to it. But, the program allows/suggests eating veggies, meat, or (if you have some left for the say) cheese or nuts.

 

 

[Joanne]

Day 3

 

I've been filling up when hungry with veggies and full fat ranch. I'm "cheating" a little and making wedge salads with Blue Cheese dressing, too. I'm sure I'll get off that kick sooner or later, but for now, I'm totally enjoying a wedge of iceberg, blue cheese, chopped tomatoes, a sprinkle of real bacon bits and dressing.

 

The .99 store had an AWESOME bag of tri colored mini sweet peppers. I'm having those with ranch, also.

I measured out nuts in 3 oz snack bags - almonds, pistachios, macademias. I have a lite string cheese a day and a bite or two of turkey pepperoni (which I got on sale for $1.39 down from $3.99).

As far as the Personal Trainer Food, I've tried the mediterranean veggies (not my favorite, but not bad. Too mushy) I've had the italian flavored chicken sticks - good but not as good as the buffalo. I've had the brisket - the only problem was that I wanted more ;) and the cheeseburger stick (yum!).

 

For breakfasts, I am making some form of eggs and veggies. Today was deviled eggs (you can have mayo and mustard) with brocolli, celery, and cherry tomatoes dipped in ranch.

 

I feel GREAT. I feel great physically, and I feel great that I am taking charge and doing something about my health.

 

Oh! I had a "non scale victory" today. At job #2, we are hosting training for our facilitators. Dinner is catered. In the past, it was "easy" to use excuses to go off plan (whatever plan I happened to be on). Tonight, I took salad and a sandwich. I took the inside of the sandwich (turned out to be grilled chicken) and put it on the salad. I declined the cookies. And the M&Ms offtered to me earlier. (That job is great, except for the food temptations!

 

I am pretty high on the hunger scale, but I know from experience that is from the sugar/carb detox.

 

 

[Twigs]

…

 

Oh! I had a "non scale victory" today. At job #2, we are hosting training for our facilitators. Dinner is catered. In the past, it was "easy" to use excuses to go off plan (whatever plan I happened to be on). Tonight, I took salad and a sandwich. I took the inside of the sandwich (turned out to be grilled chicken) and put it on the salad. I declined the cookies. And the M&Ms offtered to me earlier. (That job is great, except for the food temptations!

 

I am pretty high on the hunger scale, but I know from experience that is from the sugar/carb detox.

:hurray:  :hurray:  :hurray:

[phathui5]

How did you get a voucher?

[Chris in VA]

phathui5--Sign up for Yipit. They check out all the sites like Groupon, Moola, etc.

 

Or just google Personal Trainer Food coupon, and one will invariably come up.

 

You may just see a 27% off coupon--don't bite til you see a 50% one, unless you just can't wait. 

[Joanne]

How did you get a voucher?

 

 

Amazon local.

[mamajag]

I just received my box. My goodness that's a lot of food. I went for the complete plan. I know I can say I'll cook my own eggs and sausage, but the reality is I love cereal and if I don't have something as easy as cereal I'm going to go off plan. I did nutrisystem and lost some weight but didn't like the food (and their meat choices were yucky and I was sick of pasta).

 

I'm really hoping the food is good and the weight comes off. I have about 130 lbs to lose...

[Joanne]

I just received my box. My goodness that's a lot of food. I went for the complete plan. I know I can say I'll cook my own eggs and sausage, but the reality is I love cereal and if I don't have something as easy as cereal I'm going to go off plan. I did nutrisystem and lost some weight but didn't like the food (and their meat choices were yucky and I was sick of pasta).

 

I'm really hoping the food is good and the weight comes off. I have about 130 lbs to lose...

 

 

Good for you! I've liked everything so far. I went "off" for one meal (had a medical procedure yesterday). I've liked all the food so far.

 

I have about 100 to lose. Let's encourage each other.

[mamajag]

Good for you! I've liked everything so far. I went "off" for one meal (had a medical procedure yesterday). I've liked all the food so far.

 

I have about 100 to lose. Let's encourage each other.

Sounds like a plan to me! I am starting on Saturday because they say there's a couple days of mental fogginess from sugar detox and I don't want to be fighting that on a school day. My kids would sense my weakness and get a vacation day out of me.

[Anne]

Hurray for all of you!!! 

 

 

:hurray:  :hurray:  :hurray: 

 

I wish you all the best in your health journeys!!

 

Anne

[Chris in VA]

I see PTF is offering their $99 special again--well worth it!

Here's a link: http://www.groupon.com/deals/personal-trainer-food-7  It's a little confusing as to what the actual deal is--but I'm sure you smart ladies can figure it out. 

 

I would so do it, but my next few weeks of pay are already spent, unfortunately. 

[Julie in CA]

I received my food two days ago, and I'm trying to decide to what extent I want to follow the plan. I'm not sure it's realistic for me to eat differently than the rest of my family at dinnertime. Honestly, even if I just do the frozen meals at breakfast and lunch I'll probably come out ahead of where I've been in my eating habits lately. One thing I can say is that I've really liked the food so far, and the only problem with it is that I like it so much I could easily overeat on the Personal Trainer Food. That's really very different than other diet meals, which I have tried and then thought after eating one that I didn't really want more anyway, 'cause it wasn't very good.

 

I ordered the plan that includes breakfasts, and when they arrived I was a little dubious. They didn't necessarily look very good to me, but when I tried them, they taste great! I liked but didn't *love* the chicken sticks, though they tasted really good to me--it was a textural issue. I really want to buy more Personal Trainer Food now while there's a Groupon deal, but I'm not sure if I can since I used a voucher (from somewhere else though) already?

 

Next time, I would buy the plan that includes only breakfasts and meats, and then fill it out with frozen or fresh veggies from my regular shopping. I could prepackage them on my own, and I think I'd be happier with just a slightly bigger serving of the vegetables than what's included, though the veggies from them have been pretty good, and super-convenient.

 

I've found it easier to stave off impulsive eating, because even I can wait 1 1/2 minutes for my food to be ready, lol! Before, I'd neglect preparing my food until I was starving, and then I'd eat whatever was immediately available. This really solves that problem for me.

 

Overall, I think it's *totally* worth the money, even if I don't lose any weight, because it's certainly a healthy way to eat, and it frees me from thinking about food so much. The last part of this is mental. I spend most of my life preparing food for other people, either in a professional context, or at home. Rarely does anyone else provide food for *me*. I feel so pampered and cared for because there's yummy food ready for me, that I didn't have to work at, and I didn't have to trouble anyone else to provide. Is that weird?  :001_unsure:

[Moxie]

Hmmmm...I wonder if this would be a good thing for DH? He skips breakfast a lot and eats out at lunch too much. Hmmm..

[Julie in CA]

Hmmmm...I wonder if this would be a good thing for DH? He skips breakfast a lot and eats out at lunch too much. Hmmm..

 

Well, let's see...my dh would probably be willing to eat the food, if he didn't see it come out of the freezer (he's used to me cooking from scratch with very little convenience foods).

 

My dh is a BIG guy though, 6'5" and 250 lbs. He would definitely be hungry if he were trying to replace a Big Mac, fries, & a Coke with one of these meals. He'd have to eat two, I think, but he's used to eating a lot of food in a meal, and only two meals per day.

 

Obviously, ymmv! 

[Miss Peregrine]

How is the food prepared? Micro?

[Moxie]

I see PTF is offering their $99 special again--well worth it!

Here's a link: http://www.groupon.com/deals/personal-trainer-food-7  It's a little confusing as to what the actual deal is--but I'm sure you smart ladies can figure it out. 

 

I would so do it, but my next few weeks of pay are already spent, unfortunately. 

I'm trying to figure out that deal.  It isn't really $99, right?  It is $99 for $200 but all of the packages are in the $300 range.  So, it would be $99 plus $100 or so, right?? 

 

Math--ugg.

[DawnM]

You know, I am looking at this plan/website and it occurred to me:

 

This would be pretty easy to put together yourself if you know the portion sizes.  

 

Costco chicken and lean beef

Costco frozen veggies

Costco large bags of nuts, seeds, cheese

 

Bring home, put into snack size or zip lock portion size bags (weigh and measure) and cook the meat maybe once per week, grab the veggies out the freezer and the snack bags on the go and you are done.

 

I would be interested in pricing it out that way as opposed to ordering it.

 

But for $99 I would be willing to try it and then see if I could replicate it on my own.

 

 

[texasmama]

Overall, I think it's *totally* worth the money, even if I don't lose any weight, because it's certainly a healthy way to eat, and it frees me from thinking about food so much. The last part of this is mental. I spend most of my life preparing food for other people, either in a professional context, or at home. Rarely does anyone else provide food for *me*. I feel so pampered and cared for because there's yummy food ready for me, that I didn't have to work at, and I didn't have to trouble anyone else to provide. Is that weird?  :001_unsure:

Not weird.  In fact, this right here would have me signing up.

 

I've never heard of this so thanks for the intro to it.  It sounds likely mostly gluten free, too (I am).  I am the only food preparer in my home, and it would feel very nurturing to have food prepared for me that I enjoyed.  From the descriptions, this is right up my alley.

 

I wish all of you the very best in your health/weight loss/convenience goals.

[Joanne]

You know, I am looking at this plan/website and it occurred to me:

 

This would be pretty easy to put together yourself if you know the portion sizes.

 

Costco chicken and lean beef

Costco frozen veggies

Costco large bags of nuts, seeds, cheese

 

Bring home, put into snack size or zip lock portion size bags (weigh and measure) and cook the meat maybe once per week, grab the veggies out the freezer and the snack bags on the go and you are done.

 

I would be interested in pricing it out that way as opposed to ordering it.

 

But for $99 I would be willing to try it and then see if I could replicate it on my own.

 

I have tried this for years. For me, it was worth paying to not have to. I grabe my bags for the day and go. I did, however, buy hb eggs and bulk nuts and make my own snacks.

[mamajag]

My husband broke it down for me like this. $400 is a lot of money, but if I keep being overweight like I am now we will pay down the road in medical costs. I have a bad ankle that the docs are trying to get me to let them replace, and my weight certainly isn't helping. I spend so much time caring for everyone else that if this is even moderately helpful in losing weight with it it is worth it.

 

I had originally thought my husband would be upset at me for switching from nutrisystem to a higher priced plan, but he also pointed out the quality of the food is better and more along the lines of what I would want to eat, so he talked me into it.

 

I start tomorrow. The Alabama game has me wanting alcohol...

[mamajag]

I went ahead and started. I couldn't find anything I wanted to eat. I had the brisket and the mixed veggies. It was tasty and the veggies tasted fresh. I love the sweet garlic butter sauce. I'm glad I got extra because I'm eating veggies just to taste that stuff. Tomorrow I'll report on breakfast.

[Julie in CA]

You know, I am looking at this plan/website and it occurred to me:

 

This would be pretty easy to put together yourself if you know the portion sizes.

 

Costco chicken and lean beef

Costco frozen veggies

Costco large bags of nuts, seeds, cheese

 

Bring home, put into snack size or zip lock portion size bags (weigh and measure) and cook the meat maybe once per week, grab the veggies out the freezer and the snack bags on the go and you are done.

 

I would be interested in pricing it out that way as opposed to ordering it.

 

But for $99 I would be willing to try it and then see if I could replicate it on my own.

[DawnM]

Julie, you quoted me and well, just quoted me.  Did you mean to add a comment?

 

I think one reason I am thinking of doing it myself in the long run is because I have two kids who really need to lose some weight.

 

Dh and one son are both quite thin, but the other two could use some lower fat/lower carb options (I won't cut their carbs but I think we could really cut back on the breads and cereals.)

 

But you are right, when it is all measured out for you and planned and you don't have to think, it does make it better.

 

[DawnM]

Ok, I missed the deal.  It was there yesterday and isn't there today.  If it comes up again I may be getting it.  I just didn't have time to look at it close enough yesterday.

 

So, can someone give me the rundown of aprox. what you eat per day.  

 

I have an idea, so tell me if this is correct:

 

egg whites and maybe lean protein for breakfast

 

Snack: 1 ounce of nuts or 1 ounce of lean cheese

 

Lunch: 4 ounces of lean meat and 1 cup of veggies (that is a guess based on pictures)

 

Snack: same as above

 

Dinner: Same as lunch

 

Is that about right?  Is there anything else you need to add in from the grocery store?  There are no fruits are there?  No carbs at all?  No sweet potatoes?

 

Thanks,

 

Dawn

[mamajag]

Today I've had:

Breakfast: Egg omelet and patty sausage

Snack: 1.5 oz sunflower seeds

Lunch: Garlic chicken breast (yummy!) and 1-2 cups of veggies

Snack: 1.5 oz sunflower seeds (they come packed in daily snack portion so I just halved it)

For dinner I'll have: Angus burger and 1-2 cups of veggies

 

 

 

The chicken breast smelled so good coming out of the microwave that my kids wanted some. Never had that happen with nutrisystem.

 

 

[Just Another Jen]

You know, I am looking at this plan/website and it occurred to me:

 

This would be pretty easy to put together yourself if you know the portion sizes.  

 

Costco chicken and lean beef

Costco frozen veggies

Costco large bags of nuts, seeds, cheese

 

Bring home, put into snack size or zip lock portion size bags (weigh and measure) and cook the meat maybe once per week, grab the veggies out the freezer and the snack bags on the go and you are done.

 

I would be interested in pricing it out that way as opposed to ordering it.

 

But for $99 I would be willing to try it and then see if I could replicate it on my own.

I think I will try this for a week and see how I do.

[DawnM]

Oh, thank you.  Sheesh, I was looking at Groupon local.

 

 

I see PTF is offering their $99 special again--well worth it!

Here's a link: http://www.groupon.com/deals/personal-trainer-food-7  It's a little confusing as to what the actual deal is--but I'm sure you smart ladies can figure it out. 

 

I would so do it, but my next few weeks of pay are already spent, unfortunately. 

 

[DawnM]

Ok, I did get the $99 special.  

 

However, I don't get how to use it.

 

I went to the website and Groupon says to choose "option 3" but when you do that they want you to choose veggies too or it won't process.  How do I get ONLY the $200 in meat and skip the veggies?

 

Thanks,

 

Dawn

 

ETA:  Shoot, it looks like I will have to pay an additional $125 for veggies......I guess it was towards any plan, I should have read that more carefully.

[mamajag]

Ok, I did get the $99 special.  

 

However, I don't get how to use it.

 

I went to the website and Groupon says to choose "option 3" but when you do that they want you to choose veggies too or it won't process.  How do I get ONLY the $200 in meat and skip the veggies?

 

Thanks,

 

Dawn

 

ETA:  Shoot, it looks like I will have to pay an additional $125 for veggies......I guess it was towards any plan, I should have read that more carefully.

 

Can you choose option 4, just the proteins?

[DawnM]

Yes, but I still owe $160.

 

I thought I could order only $200 in foods for the $99 and try it out.  

 

 

Can you choose option 4, just the proteins?

 

[mamajag]

Yes, but I still owe $160.

 

I thought I could order only $200 in foods for the $99 and try it out.  

 

Oh I see.  Yeah, that stinks.  :glare:

 

I will tell you to skip the Western Omelet if you end up getting breakfasts. The filling has a weird consistency kind of like raw sausage.  I dumped the filling out but the egg part still tasted of it. I can see myself scrambling a few eggs instead of eating that again as I got a week of it.  I'll stick to plain or cheddar from now on.

[Julie in CA]

The Personal Trainer foods have tasted better than the convenience foods I've bought from Costco, and they are easier to cook because they are packaged in their own little steamer bags. 90 seconds in the micro and it's done. No dried out edges on the chicken, no not-quite-done middles. No covering things so they won't splatter, etc.

[mamajag]

I've felt weird today.  Vague headache, hungry, grumpy. Is this the sugar detox mentioned on the PTF site?

[DawnM]

I have ordered so I will see.

 

I think my main concern is cost.  

 

Dawn

 

 

The Personal Trainer foods have tasted better than the convenience foods I've bought from Costco, and they are easier to cook because they are packaged in their own little steamer bags. 90 seconds in the micro and it's done. No dried out edges on the chicken, no not-quite-done middles. No covering things so they won't splatter, etc.

 

[Shelly in IL]

Yes, mama jag, that's the withdrawal symptoms. They should leave soon, but watch out for day 3 and 4, you really want sugar those days. I think it's because your body is fully transitioning to fat burning. Extra diligence on those days!

[mamajag]

Thanks for the warning, Shelly. I've never done low carb before. :)

[Shelly in IL]

FTR - I am so proud of you ladies that chose to do this program at home yourself!  I have done this way of eating before and it works so well for me.  However, until I broke the bad habits I have (hopefully "had") it was almost impossible for me to do again!  This Personal Trainer Food program has allowed me to break the habits and then in two months, I plan on doing it all myself again.  Good job, Ladies!!

[mamajag]

The Mesquite Chicken was so very good.  I wanted more. The egg patties were bland but okay. It has the texture of fried egg, which isn't my favorite. I can see me eating lots of plain and cheddar omelets with sausage.  

 

I don't mention the veggies often because, well, they're veggies and to me there's not much to talk about. All of the varieties I've tried have tasted crisp and perfectly steamed. I like having so many varieties because if I had to eat the same veggies every day I would lose my mind. Oh, the butter sauce is delicious. :)

[Julie in CA]

I was unimpressed with the appearance of the brisket, but it was *so good*. Yum.

And yeah, I really like the garlic butter sauce stuff for the veggies. Speaking of the veggies, I am impressed that the mixed veggies that have broccoli in them have some stem pieces, but they're tender and not tough. Yum to the veggies too.

I'm not a big fan of the Garlic Herb Chicken. It's good, just not to my personal taste.

[Julie in CA]

Julie, you quoted me and well, just quoted me.  Did you mean to add a comment?

 

I think one reason I am thinking of doing it myself in the long run is because I have two kids who really need to lose some weight.

 

Dh and one son are both quite thin, but the other two could use some lower fat/lower carb options (I won't cut their carbs but I think we could really cut back on the breads and cereals.)

 

But you are right, when it is all measured out for you and planned and you don't have to think, it does make it better.

Yeah, sorry about that! I was on my phone with it's teeny screen, and for some reason it wouldn't let me complete my post.

[mamajag]

I wasn't impressed with the Rotisserie Chicken. It was too bland for my taste.

I loved the Teriyaki Chicken. It was tender and very juicy.

 

I am keeping my packing list this time to mark out the things I am not crazy about and the stuff I really like so I can order better next time. Even the stuff I am not crazy about is edible, which is something I can't say about nutrisystem. I feel spoiled having this food ready and waiting for me. I know when my husband comes home he will be awed by how good these foods smell.

 

Oh yeah, I'm down 4.4 pounds so far. Probably mostly water weight, but it is nice to see it going down. I am happier with what I'm eating and getting loss as well. Yay!

[Guest mbrown]

In trying to help my son cope with ADHD, our therapist recommended mostly protein diets.  So I have been googling Paleo diets and came across the Personal Trainer Food Facebook site

 

This really sounds like a great fit for us.  I have not been able to find any coupons in our area, but even the lunch/dinner combo is less than $5 per meal so that is doable.

 

thanks for the insights

[Chris in VA]

In trying to help my son cope with ADHD, our therapist recommended mostly protein diets.  So I have been googling Paleo diets and came across the Personal Trainer Food Facebook site

 

This really sounds like a great fit for us.  I have not been able to find any coupons in our area, but even the lunch/dinner combo is less than $5 per meal so that is doable.

 

thanks for the insights

I don't think you have to be in the area to use the vouchers. HTH

[Joanne]

I'm building a list of what I would order next time. There is nothing I have not liked adequately. But there are some I like better than others. I had the meatballs today for the first time. Yum!

I need to get more sweet garlic sauce - one for each office and a few back up at home.

 

I've been making devilled eggs for breakfast with crudites with ranch. I've mostly had Personal Trainer Food lunches and dinners.

 

I am so happy with a "non scale victory" yesterday. I have to provide "facilitator training" at one of my jobs (our grief support is provided by trained lay persons). The training is for 6 weeks, once a week, and dinner is provided. Last night was Olive Garden. Nary a crouton crossed my lips. I declined the breadsticks, lasagna, penne pasta and had salad. I came home and had a Personal Trainer burger and veggies.

 

I am trying to not weigh. But I happen to know that I've lost 3 pounds. It's been 11 days. Not bad for a nearly 50 year old metabolically resistent woman.

 

[mamajag]

That's great to hear, Joanne!  Congrats also on being at the Palace of Carbs and not eating a bite off plan. That is more self control than I have. :)

 

I'm lucky that I took the chance I would like it and bought a couple extra bottles. I think I'll end up needing one a week. It really helps me to eat my veggies.

[Joanne]

Why no cream?? Everything else makes sense to me. 

 

 

They limit portions and reduce fat a bit. I'm guessing that's why?

 

I've personally noticed that dairy became a problem for me even on low carb after my early 40's. :-(

[DawnM]

I think this is a no dairy plan.

 

That said, I will be adding a little half and half to my coffee.  That has never caused binges or triggers for me nor has it hindered weight loss in the past.

 

Dawn

 

 

Why no cream?? Everything else makes sense to me.