5 replies to this topic

[soulsister]

Hi,
I'm new to the boards - but considering that my consultant doesn't really answer a lot of questions I have some that I'll try out here!
1. What is the consultant's role? Mine is a great person (I'm on my 9th week), but it all seems like it's more about the food shopping and reading off some questions than listening and helping. Did I expect too much?
2. I'm 1/2 way, so started planning my own days. I feel like I know how to do this - but since I've started that, I've stopped losing weight. I'm really ready to branch out because I'm getting really tired of eating out of a box!

Advice????

[amieteacher]

Some consultants are better than others. Here are a few tips I've collected along the way. Try replacing only one meal a day on your own or less until you feel comfortable that you can loose the weight doing that.

When purchasing foods for on your own look for the fiber and protein just as much as the fat and callories.
Veggies, veggies, veggies
Try to copy one or two of the boxed items you liked the best and keep the ingredients to about the same nutrient content as the JC item (the best you can)
Watch your portions.
Track it (if you have the fit band you can use that to menu plan) or there are a few online sites to help you track food and calories too.

Number one really try to ask your consultant questions. If they still can't answer ask to talk to another consultant to get an answer.

[mindymdc]

And pay close attention to the sodium content. JC food is somewhat lower than Lean Cuisine, WW Smart Ones, and Healthy Choice. Many meals are close enough but some are much higher!

[Kate3]

I'm surprised about your JCC. I've only been in the program for 3 weeks but found my JCC is very easy to talk to. And she asks me lots of questions about me...how my week was....how i'm feeling....are there any personal issues affecting me... any upcoming stressors....she has given me so much advice and encouragement in 3 short weeks, i've been amazed.
as for the food, i noticed a lot of it is high in protein and fiber, low in sodium. yet, if I look at the supposed "low fat" foods in the grocery stores, i've noticed that they can be high in sodium and sugar and low in fiber.
I don't think I'll trust myself to what's in the grocery store just yet.

[MeliWillis]

I know you've been with this JCC for awhile, but if she's not meeting your needs, you might consider switching to a different one. From reading these boards, it sounds like some JCCs are little more than order takers while others go all out with an abundance of ideas and suggestions. You might try some of the other JCCs at your center to see if a different one might help you with the transition to some of your own foods. It might be that she's not very experienced in this area and therefore not comfortable giving advice.

For transitioning to your own foods, look at the meal that will be the easiest for you to substitute out. For me it was the breakfasts and snacks. There are several threads on this site with suggestions for these meals. Mainly you want to pay attention to the exchanges and make sure that what you're substituting is equivalent. Not necessarily the same food, but the same nutritional content. It'll take some planning and work initially, but get the basic set of foods you can rotate between and then work on adding to it. From there, maybe tackle lunch or dinner. Which ever one you think will be easiest for you to plan and fix yourself. At this point I'm doing all my meals/snacks on my own, but it took me several months of planning and gathering recipes to feel comfortable in doing this. Wednesday afternoon is normally the day I set aside to plan my menu for the week, make sure all my calories are in order, and write out my grocery list. It takes planning and research (I try to find a new recipe a week), but it's nice to be in control of my meals again and eating what I like rather than limited to JC foods.

[I Called Jenny]

You know, sometimes I think that going to see a JCC is like going to see some doctors. They get so used to just doing their thing and getting the minimum info they need to make the diagnosis and write the prescription that they don't stop to ask the right questions.

We had that situation when my DH was diagnosed with cancer. We had a million questions and I wrote them all down in a notebook and I literally (with some of his doctors, not all) had to throw myself against the examining room door so they couldn't pop out until we got questions answered.

By and large, once I said, "Wait! There's a couple of things we're confused about." they were very nice and helpful and took the time to answer all the questions but they weren't going to be forthcoming until we pushed it. And maybe you have to do that with your JCC.

When she's finished asking her questions, before you give her your order, speak up and tell her what you want to tell her about what's going on and whatever questions you have. Then, if she's still non-responsive or doesn't seem to have the answers, then you should switch out to someone who is willing to be more than a pleasant order taker.

Just my two cents.