Newbie

Hi

Wondering if I can join you....I started DC on Wednesday and am surprised that I've not felt all that hungry on it!
I have quite a lot I need to lose - around 26kgs (eek!) and think that DC is going to help me with portion sizes.....I had a good old laugh when I saw the breakfast bags, but as you know, they do fill you up!

I must admit to being a little confused about some things, which maybe you can help with...
Milk - we count the calories for this, right?
Veg/fruit - we should be adding this to meals?
I've been weighing out the veg and keeping a calorie tab and I appear to be having (including drinks) around 1300 a day - is that too much? According to the site I should be aiming for 1410, so I guess less is ok!!

Thanks in advance for any advice!!

Piginawig

Hi piginawig I have just ordered my first months supply so any tips you can pass on would be great. It wont be here for a few days so at least I can get organised. I need to lose about 3 stone but going to take it one step at a time. Hows things going with you?

Hiya!

It's going really well - I thought I'd be starving as the meals are literally a quarter of what I would have before!! Don't be shocked when the 2 boxes arrive and you open them and find rather small portions - I literally LOL when I saw the breakfasts....BUT, they are keeping me full! I've swapped coffee for boiling water with a slice of lemon and when I do have coffee, it's decaf.
I've found all the meals really nice - I love soup, so that's a great choice for lunch, but the tray lunches have been nice too - Chicken and Bean salad and Chicken Couscous I can certainly recommend.
I add veg or salad to my evening meals. Had a massive salad with my lasagne the other night and all for a total of 422 calories (plus a tablespoon of extra low mayo).
I've emailed Diet Chef with a couple of questions re milk (do I count it) and the fact that I really should be adding veg! Will let you know what they come back with.
One thing I would say - you need like 'wet' food - which I do - if you're not keen, this would be a nightmare for you!

Good luck and lets keep in touch!
x

My pack in due to arrive on Wednesday and so excited. I was told that the meal plan is 800 cals and I have to add 400 with fruit and veg etc. I thought that I had to count the milk in with this as well so would be interested in the answers they give you. If milk is extra that would be 1500 cals???. I must go shopping tomorrow and get some yoghurt's and salad. Are you having bread/rice/pasta?

Hiya!

Brilliant! I really hope you enjoy the meals as much as I do! Do you know, it was my WI this morning and I've lost 7lbs! Am well chuffed! Going to be a wee bit hard this weekend as my sister and her friend are coming over, but my sis is also on a diet, so we will egg each other on to be good!

Yes, we have to count the milk (120ml with the porridge) - we get the 250ml allowance a day. I believe if you have yoghurt, you 'shoudn't' have milk too.
We have to try to have 5 portions of fruit/veg. We have to remember to count EVERYTHING we have, food, drinks etc.
They also sent me this link http://dietchef.cachefly.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/CalorieCountingExtras1.pdf

Personally I've kept away from bread as much as possible and have had rice on one day, with my chilli con carne (I aslo dry roasted a couple of peppers and sliced onion to go with it - it was lovely!). Had a tiny bit of pasta the other day and also have it in some of the lunches.

Good luck!!

7lbs that is brilliant , sure you were amazed at that loss. Did you do any exercise?
I am on my second day and enjoying the food. Have only added fruit and veg and been ok. The food is very tasty.Going to try the roasted peppers , thanks.

Hi! Sorry not replied sooner - have had guests!

I was so pleased with the loss. No real exercise, just walking, but we have an exercise bike now, so will try to make time to get on that! I'm going to need to as I had a bit of a blow out on Saturday night (went out with my sis for a meal and some drinks), so ended up using 3100 calories with the booze! Don't get to see my sis too often as I live in Holland and she's in the UK. Am hoping I've not blown it too much as the average is still 1400 for the week - not sure you can move allowances or not when calorie counting!

Glad you're enjoying the food. I am still too! Got my 2nd lot of food yesterday, although I still have 2 weeks left of the last lot, so it's fun as have 2 huge unopened boxes in the spare room!

Have you tried the lasagne yet? It's lovely - I normally have it with a huge salad!!

Will report in tomorrow with my results!! :0o

Wow, am really pleased to report a 3lb loss - am shocked to be honest as had that blow out on Saturday night and had lunch out on Sunday (grilled chicken skewers with tabouleh salad). Another 6.5cm gone all around!!

You have done really well. My first weigh in is tomorrow , will report back. Have found it easy , not added any extras other than veg and fruit and milk. Going to have the roasted peppers tonight with mushroom risotto and salad. havent done any exercise but feel so much better already.The veg lasagne is lovely . so far think the veg korma is my favourite but then I still have things I havent tried yet.

Good luck for WI today!! Bet you'll be well chuffed!

It is much easier than you initially think, isn't it! How was your mushroom risotto and roasted peppers? I had the chicken curry on Wednesday night....my little girl loved it sooo much! Will have to have a look for the recipe to make it for her!!
I've still got to have a go on the exercise bike....I have been walking and yesterday spent the morning at playgroup cleaning all the toys, so that's gotta count for something, eh!

Am out (again) tonight - for a Chinese, so will be as good as possible!! I was ok with the food calories last time, it was the booze, which I won't be having tonight....!

I didn't choose any of the veg dishes, bar the macaroni cheese - will have to give them a go!!

Well weigh in turned out just great!!! 7lbs off. I know its first week and next week wont be a sgood b ut I am chuffed.
The Mushroom risotto was lovely . I roasted the peppers in my Actifry and they were delish. Have been trying to add exoctic veg to my food so have had a good assortment this week. Lidl has some lovely packs of stirfry veg for 99p. I love the one with babycorn and kidney beans in. I put a portion in a colander and wash off the fat??? thats added to them so that all I have is the plain veg, cook it in microwave and add it to the soups. Really is good. Lets both hope for another good week. x

Well done!! That's amazing!!!! You never know, you're following it to the letter, so although you may not lose that, you won't be far off!! I'm really chuffed for you!!

I'm gonna give the mushrook risotto a go this week I think. Ooo I didn't think about using the Actifry - d'oh! Will do next time!! Great idea re the veg!!! I might have to steal that idea...great thing is you know the calories too as they're on the pack! Bless you washing it!

I really hope I haven't ruined this week as have been out for 2 meals...I've tried to be as good as poss, but of course it's almost impossible to know the exact calories - have tried my best though, but if I don't have a major loss, I know why! Typical isn't it, everything happening at once!!

Here's to another great week for us both!!! \

Hi both, I haven't posted for a while - life's been a bit hectic! I've lost 2.5 stone on Diet Chef so far (since mid Jan) but for the last month I've been static - I have been travelling several times abroad on business so that's always harder and had several family birthdays to contend with. So although I haven't lost anything, I haven't gained which I'm really pleased about, given I've had a reasonable number of glasses of wine and puddings in that time! So now things have quietened down, I can get back down to business as I have about 1 stone left to go and then I'll be happy.

I found the mushroom risotto on sale for the first time at the weekend - haven't tried that yet so good to know it's tasty. I like the chicken tikka and the chicken korma best I think. I tend to have a diet chef meal plus half a packet of Tilda rice and a small bag of fresh veg for dinner (soup and a bread roll for lunch plus a small fruit salad). My fruit and veg intake has certainly gone up quite a bit in the last six months so that can't be bad. I do exercise fairly regularly (run at least 5k 2-3 times a week) so that helps too. It's been wonderful this summer not feeling uncomfortable being too big and being able to wear summer clothes and think they actually look OK! My brother's getting married next April and I really hope when that time comes around I'll be able to look at photos of myself and think I look fine rather than not wanting to look at any pictures! It's been great getting reacquainted with my collar bones

So keep up the good work - I know how thrilling it feels to shift some weight and how wonderful it feels being interested in clothes again.

Hi Topcat!

Well done with your loss!!!! I managed another 1lb this week - happy with that as have guests here, so have eaten out a lot more than normal! It's so hard trying to guess the calories when you don't make it yourself, isn't it!

I'm yet to try the Tikka or Korma - did really enjoy the chicken curry (as did my little girl!), so am excited about trying those!!! I've been adding lots of salad to meals.

Going to be nipping to the UK next week, so will pack some of the meals to take with me (at least the breakfasts!). Would love to be the next stone level when we go, but know that won't really happen as it means a 4lb loss.....I guess I can work my hardest! Need to get the exercise bike up and running - again, with having guests, it's a bit hard leaving them whilst I go off and do that! We've done lots of walking and I've been pushing my Gran's wheelchair (wow, I'm in awe at the older people who do this daily - my Gran's only little, but it's blooming hard work!), so hopefully that will counteract things - although saying that, on a rough working out, I think I used almost 2000 calories on my evening meal - we went out, so I had French onion soup and a roll, steak, crepes and 4 glasses of wine! :0o Lots of water too mind!!

Collar bones......what are those?!?!!? Are they similar to only 1 chin?!!?

Thanks lots and you keep up the good work too!!!!!!

Hi Both, I lost another 2lb this week thats 9lb in a fortnight so happy with that , and hope that it continues. I am a bit worried about adding extra calories when I exercise, seems to be defeating the object to me but it says if you dont take in more then you wont lose weight as the body will shut down. I have been sticking to 1200 but if I start exercise it says I should have 1400. Piginawig where are you then? Topcat I see you add rice and a bread roll so you must be doing 1400? and you say small bag of veg , well I have half a plate full, more or less the same as the diet chef meal, is that too much?

Hiya! Well done with your 2lb loss - isn't 9lb in a fortnight AMAZING!!

I tend to keep within the 1400 a day if I can, regardless of exercise (although this has just been walking - well pushing Gran....) - like you, I get a bit worried that I'll be ruining it!

I'm in Holland - British, but moved here 7 years ago with my other half...so as you can imagine with all these tall, thin, beautifuls, I feel like a bit of a flump!

As long as you're within your calories I can't see it being a problem having half a plate of veg - I do that too!!

Good luck with this coming week!

I dont count the calories in my veg, suppose I should but i try to have ones that I know are light in cals. Have been putting frozen spinach in my soup omg delish . bulks it out well and extra chilli is great. Only food I dont like is the chickpea tagine and the swet chilli oat bites . What about you?

No, I don't blame you - it gets hard when you have to weigh it all out to count!

Ooo, that's a great idea about the spinach in soup - I LOVE spinach!!!!

I'm not all that taken on the Chicken Fricasse or Chicken Chausseur....will defo knock them off my next order! I haven't tried any of the oat bites to be honest - I have them, but just haven't eaten any - I much prefer the popcorn as I feel like I've had more! L

I liked the popcorn at first but have gone off it a bit , still nice but I am liking the savouries , the best is the cheese and onion bakes , have ordered loads in my next pack.

Will have to give some of the savouries a whirl!!