Personal Trainer food meal plan, has anyone tried?

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I haven't tried it, but it looks like a very expensive exercise in portion control.

I'm starting my first day tomorrow. I travel constantly for work - spending the next two weeks on the road. Portion control while traveling is a huge struggle for me. To be honest, portion control at home is a huge struggle! It may be an expensive exercise in control - but to me the help is worth more than the money.

I've tried weight watchers, which tries to teach portion control, but quickly fell off the wagon. The only time in my life that I successfully lost and kept off weight were the two years I lived on campus during college. It is so much easier for me to make good choices when 1. I'm not the cook and 2. Someone else is portioning my food. I avoided the all you can eat dining halls, did 3 correctly sized meals a day and worked out 4-6 times a week and kept myself at my ideal weight of 150 ( I am 5' 10'').

I'm really hoping that PTF can help me on my weight loss journey over the next 6 months leading to my wedding.

I think a huge concept behind PTF is eating clean and somewhat Paleo. There is very limited dairy, no breads, sugars, etc. I'm reading up on PALEO diets and think that if 2 28-day cycles of PTF goes well, a Paleo diet may work for me. I don't tend to overeat meat and its hard to overeat veggies and fruit. Bread and cheese are the end of me.

I'll be good about updating to this thread over the next 4 weeks.

Just to check back in:

I was a bit late on my first weigh-in (I was on the road and didn't have access to a scale), so technically I am on day 10, not day 7. I lost 5 pounds in the first week - probably a lot is water, but some is definitely fat. I noticed putting on my jeans this morning fresh out of the dryer. Usually I've gotta do the squat, tug, squat, tug to get them on at first, but today they just came on and buttoned up.

I really enjoy the food, it was easy to stick to on the road, I'm not hungry all day, and cutting the processed food is having great effects on my bowel movements (TMI?) and sleeping patterns. When I go to bed, I am out! Wake up feeling great.

I'll check back in around this time next week!

Hello, I also started this program 2 weeks ago and I have lost 7 pounds. I am an "expert" dieter so I know that a lot of it is water and that the weight loss will taper off. I know I can cook these simple meals at home, but with work, school and 2 teenage boys with demanding social and sports lives, it's just easier for me to take a month or two to focus on eating properly without having to shop and prep. During the winter, things calm down a bit in my house and so I'll get into the groove of cooking and storing meals.

I have gone out to dinner twice, and ordered a piece of grilled chicken or fish and a side of vegetables. Like any other diet/weight loss plan, it has to be right for you. I know people who have had great success on other plans that I could NEVER do myself, but it worked for them. For me, this works but it's not for everyone.

I just finished my first week and lost 5.5 pounds. Just coming back on to mfp so I can track everything and understand what macros will work for me if I continue eating this way (if I continue to succeed on the plan). The food is good and honestly you get to pick what you want...so you can pick lower sodium options. I opted out of some of the yummy sounding choices after seeing the sodium. I did the lunch and dinner option and have shakeology for bfast everyday...I prepare my own snacks and feel that I need to get portion control under control one step at a time. So this month is snacks...I will probably do another month of personal trainer foods but hopefully be closer to my goal so able to add a few things back in. I feel confident this new way of eating is working for my body and might go more paleo when I am done. I think it is a fine investment and much less than other delivery plans plus you have contact with a food coach via email or phone.

I'm finishing my first week on PTF. I know that I could make the same food and pack it up to take with me to work - the problem is, I don't! I can start out with a bang on Sunday night prepping food and packaging it, but I run out of time and motivation to continue. PTF is working for me. I really LIKE the food. It tastes fresh and unprocessed. My problem was my carb consumption and this plan is getting me off the carbs and learning to enjoy the right size portions.

Yes, it is a little more expensive than some of the other programs (Nutri System, Jenny Craig) but imo the quality is better. In my case, I'm saving an average of $15 a week that I used to spend on lunches, and buying all the different proteins and veggies would add up as well.

I haven't weighed myself yet, but I already feel a difference in the way my jeans fit. I don't have the bloat and I have more energy.

I'll update in another week after weigh in. In the meantime, I would recommend the program to busy people and those that like to have their meals cooked and portioned out and TASTY.

It taste fresher and is more flavorful overall than a Lean Cuisine and you feel fuller. The first 3 days all I could think of was the next meal but then it just gets easy. I'm in the second week and all the meals have been in microwave. They do say you can take them out if the bags and heat in the oven but that is extra work that really isn't needed. They don't auto ship and is a big marketing point of theirs. The CEO videos indicate that he believes you will see the results and just re-order. Freezer space wise be prepared for it to darn near take your whole freezer. I share the freezer with my girlfriend and what saved me was I have a freezer at work that is never used so just took 20+ days of lunches there.

Started at 275 currently at 263 and outside of walking a little haven't worked out much(what they want you to do on the plan). Program works but in my case I did modify slightly to keep my calories in the safe zone as I'm type 2 diabetic and need to avoid the low sugar symptoms. Since I started I've seen a 40 point sugar drop so working not only on the weight but also on the sugar and energy end.

Hello all.

I am in week 2 of PTF and so far so good. I too had a Groupon so it saved me some dough. Also, I am only doing the lunches and dinners...I make my own breakfast of turkey sausage or similar meat and hard boiled egg. I am not a breakfast person so that is quick and easy for me. I think the food is very good!! And convenience is KING as far as I am concerned.

I leave a batch at work so I always have lunch handy and I make sure to add in my own purchased snacks similar to what they offer such as almonds and sting cheese sticks. It also makes dinner quick and easy when I get home.

I also like how they train your thinking. The CEO says..."eat for fuel not for fun" and that has become my mantra when I crave something bad just because! (Like chips or baked goods). I have tried Jenny Craig and Nutrisystem which are both equally expensive and the highly processed foods wreaked havoc on my intestines. PT food is natural, somewhat paleo and not processed.

As for the weight loss....well they say do not look at the scale for the first 28 days so I am hiding it lol. But I have noticed clothing fitting better. The sugar withdrawal is for me the hardest part. Otherwise it is just about eating healthy to fuel the body and nothing else.

Will update in a few weeks.

I started PTF plan 2 weeks ago. I lost 3 pounds and I decided to don't get on scale until I finish my 28 days. I like the food and it taste much better than lean cuisine. To tell the truth-sometimes I cheat and stil managed to lost 3 pounds in the first 2 weeks. I know I can cook it by myself, but I just don't have time to plan and cook for couple weeks ahead. It is very convinient for lunch instead of spending money on crappy food in cafe at work. I also got groupon deal and purchased lunch and dinner option. After calculations-each meal come up to $3.55 wich is not very expensive. Sometimes you pay more for junky fast food

Shadowfax44: It does take a lot of freezer space because they send you something like 28 meats and 28 veggies at least... that's a lot of food. I use the microwave to heat it (3.5 minutes for meat and veggie together). You don't have to subscribe, you can order just once. You might get 'referral' benefits after your first order; if your friend buys with your referral link, you both get cash-back for a subsequent order. Some of the proteins are too salty - the marinara chicken and the steak strips in particular; everything else (in my opinion) is fine.

I am obese, so I have a ton of weight to lose. My results may be a bit higher based on my BMI. I started eating PTF on January 6. So far, so good. I have already lost 6.5 lbs (I know, I should not weigh myself yet). I have not cheated once and find the food really good. This is not my first rodeo. I lost weight about 10 years ago (100lbs) doing body for life. I know how to eat well but I am lazy. I let work and my family get the best of me.

PTF is really really easy and quick. I have food ready in 3.5 minutes. I am only using PTF for lunch and dinner; I am making sensible breakfast and snacks. So far, it is working. I used to spend a ton of money on eating out, so the plan is much less expensive (with groupon). I have enjoyed everything except the chicken sticks. The sausages are really good. So fingers crossed, I can stick with it. I am doing everything right (writing down my food, staying positive, walking, drinking water). Just need to make it a way of life and this feels like a first great step. Good luck to all!

Try this whole thing.... It's free. Plus you get a meal plan and learn to work out the right way Good LUck

I tried personal trainer food. If you have food allergies or sensitivities do NOT buy this food!!!!! I cannot eat any gluten products and they say they have gluten-free products. I even had one of their customer service people check my cart to make sure it was all gluten-free. I purchased the lunches and dinners and did my own breakfasts and snacks. The food arrived in a large foam box with dry ice, and it took up all the space in my freezer. The first day, I was starving because I'd only eaten about 450 calories. They have a customer service messaging feature but the person on that end didn't seem to understand my problem and it was like speaking to a computer program. "These are our recommendation, these are our recommendations... we don't count calories.... these are the recommendations... we don't count calories..." I got the impression it was young girls doing the customer service who have never had a weight or health problem in their lives. It turns out the gluten-free items are lower in calories and carbs (of course) than the other menu items, but they didn't really have a way for me to deal with that other than eat their recommended snacks. I don't think it's a good idea to make up hundreds of calories in nuts and cheese. They did send me a link to a page containing nutritional information for their items- calories, allergies (gluten, soy, dairy and peanuts), sugar, protein, carbs, fat, transfat and salt. However, when I asked for a list of ingredients for the food I was told they don't offer ingredient lists because they have over 65 different vendors and it would be difficult if a vendor changed an item. I just about had a heart attack because I thought they made their own food, but since they don't, there's basically no way for them to properly manage the content.

The food was very tasty, but after a few days I was sick as a dog because the food contained gluten. The other thing that was really bad is nearly every entree I purchased contained soy. I don't know why their grilled chicken breast and angus burger contain soy, but they do.

This seemed like a great value that offers an easy way to deal with the dieting, but I got so sick, I'm still trying to recover a week and a half later. In the end, it's not good quality food and the support is not helpful either. You're better off on your own.

I'm on day 5 of the PTF plan and I ordered the breakfast, lunches, dinners, and snacks. I've followed the plan exactly with no cheating and am 5'7 weighing 156. I was already considered a healthy weight and am now 148 which is still considered healthy, but I ordered this program through groupon to try and eat more healthy because I eat a lot of processed food! I think the key to this plan is eating every 3 hours which kind of follows the "5 minnie meals a day" plan. Eating every 3 hours keeps your metabolism going and makes it so you don't hit that point of where you are starving and will eat anything you can get your hands on! This plan makes it so easy to follow these rules and everything I have eaten has been good! I've also realized that the portions I eat are way too big! I have not exercised since I started although I should be! Oops. Going now! (: