12 year vegitarian Options

[REGRAM]

I have been a lacto vegetarian for about 12 years and just recently added eggs back into my diet. I am new on JC (second week) and am wondering what other people have done. I talked to the counselor about me making substitutions with vegitarian items, but she was very negative. What has your experience been?

[jennloveskevin]

So far, very good. I had started out with the meat plan, became very sick, and returned for vegetarian foods. So far, they have been very helpful regarding the idea of veggie. I think that there will just be less options.
But if it means that I lose my muffin top, then I can go with less food options.
I wish you luck, let me know how it goes- Jenn

[steenbean]

I have been a vegetarian for 20 years and do agree that the meal plan for veggies on JC can get a bit, well, boring. I actually got so bored that I left the plan for awhile, but had a change of heart and came back in 2007.
I am lucky in that my current counselor is also vegetarian and gives me tips on what she eats off meal plan. I supplement quite a bit with veggie burgers and Morningstar proteins. I also stirfry up light tofu with veggies using non-stick in the pan, or I marinate tempeh or chickpeas in a vinagrette and toss it into my salads. While I wish that there were more JC options, I think that learning to eat healthier without relying on packaged foods is probably better in the long run. it seems to be working cause, as of today, I'm 5 pounds from goal!!!!
GW: 135
Height: 5'5"
Age 42
SW: 158 (1/18/07)
HW: 146 (4/12/07)
CW: 140 (5/29/07)
Almost there!

[REGRAM]

Thanks for your encouragement and comments. I agree with you that one should learn to eat healthier without relying on packaged products. But for the time being I am using this approach to get a handle on portion size and to get in the routine of eating something 6 times a day. It sounds like you are very lucky with your counselor. The minute I mentioned subs to mine she immediately got defensive and told me I wouldn't loose any weight if I started making subs. I've enjoyed many of the Boca, Morningstar and Lightlife products for a long time and miss them from my dient. I wish we had a vegetarian counselor at my site.

[LastTime4Me]

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The minute I mentioned subs to mine she immediately got defensive and told me I wouldn't loose any weight if I started making subs.

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It sounds like you need to try a new consultant. There are many that get defensive because they are paid on commission, so by substituting, you are cutting into her paycheck. Fortunately, there are many more consultants who will care about you and your needs and will be much more helpful. My consultant knows my struggles with the food and is always offering suggestions to help. I've actually gotten so bored with the JC vege options that I've even resorted to ordering some of the meat dishes and picking out the meat. I then replace it with diced up vege burger or shrimp (I do eat seafood). Good luck to you!

[REGRAM]

I just realized today when I was reading another message board that the counselors are paid on commission, so my counselors reaction makes a lot more sense to me now. However, the woman I originally talked to when I joined was very nice and said there were no problems making subs. She was at the center last Friday when I went and I actually spent more time with her than I did my counselor, unfortunately she isn't a counselor. I am going to give my counselor another try this Friday and then make a decision. I think I was paired with her because she is the more experienced counselor at this Center and the person who I originally talked to thought she would be better equiped to talk to me about making subs, but that isn't happening.

[LBelle]

You pay good money for the program and I wouldn't put up with a negative consultant. They should train the consultants to deal more effectively with those who are vegetarians.

[REGRAM]

I guess the woman I originally talked with is the Center Director, I'm going to get more clarification this Friday. She was there last Friday and I talked with her while waiting for my counselor and she was very willing to talke to me about subs. She approved the breakfast sub I wanted to make. Eng Muffin 130 cals, Boca Sausage 60 cals and a little sugar free jam for my muffin 10 cals. This combination has 1 gr more fat but 1 gram less sat fat, 5 less carbs, 13 less sugars and 5 more protein. Has anyone else had comparable subs approved?

[Ala]

I do understand what it means to work by commission, but how does that relate to the counselors? I mean, can someone break that down for me? I wasn't aware of this.

[REGRAM]

I just started with JC a couple of weeks ago and at this point I only know what I've read on the other message boards which is that the counselors get a salary and then a commission. I'm assuming that means they get paid a percentage of the money they get from the food they sell to their clients. I would think this would also include the selling of cookbooks and other JC products.

[LastTime4Me]

That's exactly correct. It only becomes a problem when you have a consultant that is more worried about their commission than helping you make the choices that are correct for you. I make substitutions all the time and don't bother getting them "approved". My consultant knows I do it and she also understands how burned out I am on the food after 1 year, especially with the lack of vege choices. I only buy about half my meals from JC these days and they never say a word about it. Now, from my stats you can see that it hasn't been working so well for me, but that's due to more issues I've had than just subbing meals

[agapetos]

I too am bored of the choices. I only eat about 1/4 of JC food. I need to stand on the scale in front of someone to be accountable though.

[LastTime4Me]

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I too am bored of the choices. I only eat about 1/4 of JC food. I need to stand on the scale in front of someone to be accountable though.

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Theresa, that is so true! That is exactly why I keep going back to JC even though I eat so little of the food anymore. I haven't lost much in the last year, but I'm sure I'd be about 30 pounds heavier right now if I didn't weigh in each week. I'm just glad my consultant isn't one of those that pushes the food on you when you don't want it!

[REGRAM]

I went to my last weigh in on Friday and asked my counselor for a food price list and she didn't argue with me or try to put me off, but I did have to remind her about it twice as I was checking out. Talk about boring. I bought 4 mac & cheese, 4 cheese enchiladas, 4 pizzas, 1 ravioli and 1 lasagna, 5 toffee bites, 2 cheetos and a box of peanut butter anytime bars. My salads and veggies aren't any more interesting. I keep reminding myself I have to look to the long term. I've lost about 7 pounds in 3 weigh ins, so I pretty much on track for what JC says this program will do. I also spent a lot of time at the grocery store this week end looking at the frozen meals to try to find comparable meals to try to add a little variety and I have to admit that JC meals really win hands down. They seem to be really well rounded. I would find other meals that had similar calories, but the fat would be a lot higher or the carbs would be higher so I came away feeling that I need to try to stick to the JC foods even though it is boring as a vegetarian because of the lack of alternatives. There are so many meals I would love if they would replace the meat this a meat substitute. I would die for the Swedish Meatballs which would be so easy to make vegetarian. Good luck to all of you.

[jennloveskevin]

I am like you too, I am tired of pasta and pizza, but the food does taste better then some of the frozen foods that I have had in the past. I am not sure why they don't have more veggie options. I really love the gardenburger, esp grilled. But this journey will get better- Jenn

[yayicalledjenny]

I am a vegetarian and am quite pleased with the JC options. I only have 1 momo a week and that is for our grilling out on Sundays. I make a veggie burger on my own using a boca burger, Alvarado Street sprouted wheat bun and tons of veggies including a pickle. I think the JC foods are pretty tasty. I like the pasta fagioli, penne pasta, mac and cheese, lasagna, cheesy enchilada with chopped lettuce and salsa added, and I always add thin sliced veggies and roasted red peppers to the pizzas. The broc/cheese potato is pretty good too with a side of steamed veggies. I try to change up what I am having in my salads so I don’t get bored with them. I also use the wishbone spritzer dressing. My consultant said if I am using them then I can add a fat to the day. This way I can enjoy an 1/8 of avocado once in a while on the veggie burger. The French toast and pancakes are great cooked in the toaster oven and I heat the syrup and fruit. I guess everyone is different but I am happy that I am able to do the JC plan being a vegetarian. I have never eaten so much food, felt great and lost so easily with any other plan.

[REGRAM]

I love the Mac & Cheese, the Cheesy Enchiladas, and the Pizza with the fake sausage on top and the Fagioli. I don't like the pasta dishes that much as they have too much tomato paste for me. Fortunately, I'm not someone who needs a lot of variety. I agree with you that the meals I like are really good. I usually have a regular salad for dinner and spinach salad for lunch. I am also trying to do different things to my salads. Instead of putting a lot of different things in my salad every day, I put red and green bell peppers one day, cucumbers another day, I bought some cherry tomatos this week end. I've been thinking about asparagus (which I usally eat as a side when my meal calls for a vegetable)and this week end I also bought some fresh green beans that I was thinking about adding to my salad. What other things do you do to change up your salads?

[shellshock]

I am a vegetarian also and haven't had problems with the food. I really like most of it. Though I am not a vegan and occassionaly eat seafood I can see where others might have problems.
I absolutely love the Rising crust pizza and the penne pasta so I never get board with dinner. More choices at lunch would be nice though.

[REGRAM]

Your results look great and it's wonderful that you've stayed on the program. I noticed that you started incorporating your own breakfast, what do you have? Pre JC I used to have an Eng Muffin with natural PB and sugar free preserves. Now I have an Eng Muffin with the same preserves and a Boca sausage. This decreased the fat and increased the protein.

[jennloveskevin]

I think that sounds good, I may have to try your suggestion for breakfast. I am looking at your current weight loss, way to go!