This was the last week of my 8-week PLAN H challenge. Yes, I know the pic says week 7, but that was because I started the posts after a week had already gone by. I've already elaborated on how much weight I lost and how I'm now in maintenance phase - you can read all about my experiences here and here and here. For today, I'm going to answer a bunch of questions you guys have been asking me all throughout these 8 weeks. If you're wondering what on earth I'm talking about...catch up here
Are the portions small?
According to the hubby and I, they're actually quite large. If you're used to 150g pasta portions, then these will feel smaller but they are really more than adequate in size. I put up some photos in this last post that clearly show the entire portion of a main meal. It also depends on what the meal is, e.g. personally I'm much happier with barley than couscous because the couscous portions tend to be smaller and I'd rather have more food.
Do they deliver every day?
Yes, except for Sunday. Sunday meals are delivered on Saturday. Otherwise, it's cooked fresh daily.
Can you arrange delivery times?
Across these 8 weeks I was in the middle of a bit of a few whirlwind life changes (more on that to come) and there was fashion week, there were night shoots - so I probably drove them crazy asking for different times and locations. However, they actually met all my insane requirements, a fact which, to be honest, surprised me.
Can you choose your meals?
At the start of the plan, you will give them your list of items that you don't like or can't eat. They will adapt and change certain dishes to suit your requirements. Also, at the start of the week you get the list of daily main courses (lunch and dinner) so you can opt for eating the same meal for lunch and dinner for instance or ask for something to be altered slightly. I'm a notorious fussy eater and really didn't have any problems in this regards.
Can you choose your snacks and breakfasts?
Well, I was never given a choice to choose from but I never really gave a list of things I wouldn't eat or want in my snacks. The snacks are mainly fruit, nuts and seeds, banana bread, lots of dips, greek yoghurt, carrot muffins.... These are all things I like so I didn't need to be a fussy snack person.
Isn't it too expensive?
First of all, you can see the prices here. This is a debatable question that needs to start off from the basic calculation as to how much you are currently spending to feed yourself. This varies drastically from person to person, there are people who eat pastizzi daily and people who order chicken salads from restaurants every day for lunch. The good thing about Plan H is that it cuts down on your grocery and cooking time and expenses. There is relly no need to buy yourself any groceries if you're on this plan.
Do you get the recipes?
Yes, you do. There's a facebook group available when you sign up and a lot of recipes are already available, but you can also request a new recipe that's not on there.
But what about my husband/partner/wife?
Well, I guess if you need to feed another person anyway, then maybe part of the attraction (saving time) is gone. I think they might offer some type of discount for joint deliveries if your significant other is interested, but I don't really have full details about this, so best to contact them.
Would I do it again?
Well, actually, I've decided to keep it for a while longer - Mon-Fri. I've lost the weight I wanted to lose so I don't think I need to be on it 7 days a week, plus my weekends are a bit erratic and if I'm out for a whole day, I've found it difficult to either carry the food with me in a cooler and find a place to eat it or wait until I get home to eat it. Also, I do love eating out and that way it's easier to be good Mon - Fri knowing you'll get to cheat on the weekend.
I've decided to stay on it because it is simply too convenient and too fool proof. Prior to being on Plan H, I had found myself in this dangerous cycle of obsessing over how many calories I was eating, yet pigging out on chocolates and sweets frequently. I desperately wanted to stop eating those sweets, I really wanted to lose 4 kilos and the whole thing was really weighing me down. I was constantly obsessing over what I ate and what I was going to eat and bla bla bla. I know I wasn't overweight, I acknowledge I was still thin but it's all about the size you're used to being and what makes you feel comfortable and I wasn't.
I've read that diets give you cravings and in my case that had happened. I don't know why Plan H is different because it's not like they give you burgers and chips after all. Maybe it's because the menu is so varied (I think in 8 weeks I only had my mains repeated three times), maybe because it's really tasty and interesting, but it doesn't feel like a diet. The truth is, that whilst my cravings for chocolate never went away (I think that's just a myth), they did lessen. I didn't feel unhappy or deprived, yes there were times I wanted a burger but not every day.
What's next for the blog?
When I started writing about PLAN H, I wasn't sure how you guys would respond, but the interest was actually overwhelming. This made me realise that whilst my readers, yes, are into fashion and shopping etc, they'd also love there to be more lifestyle-related articles some more personal ones. So I'm starting a new series called CLEAN LIVING. This weekly series will focus on exercise (I spend a large portion of my time at a gym so it makes sense), including what to wear to gyms and workout gadgets, healthy food, new restaurants, more updates on plan h - you get the gist. Occasionally, the series might cheat a little and talk about living options that aren't all that clean :)
Let me know if any of you want anything specific to be on this series
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