Showing posts with label cheat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cheat. Show all posts
Joel Marion Says Cheat Meals Necessary!!
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Hi,
Todays blog is a nearly entire quote from the e-mail that I got from Joel Marion, who is a fitness expert and body builder. He explains that the cheat meal is the easiest way to boost your metabolism and make your diet worthwhile.
Here is a link to his advertising site: http://joelmarion.org/xtreme-fat-loss-diet/
Im constantly getting questions about the conflicting recommendations from various fitness professionals regarding the use of Cheat Days, whether they are necessary or needed to get exceptionally lean, whether you can get ripped without them, whether youll get better results if you skip them, and whether they work better with or without "junk food" on the menu. Well today Im here to set the record straight on this exhausting topic once and for all.
#1. No, dieting does not work better without cheat days. Sorry, but this is not debatable...at all. The research CLEARLY, undeniably shows that dieting and calorie restriction make your body WORSE at burning fat with literally every week that goes by. The "master" hormone leptin plummets, the metabolism regulating thyroid hormones T3 and T4 take a massive dive, the appetite stimulating hormone ghrelin boosts sky high, the abdominal fat boosting stress hormone cortisol gradually increases, 24 hour energy expenditure and metabolic rate decrease with every passing day. Thats what happens when you diet.
You can NOT get around those truths without increasing your calorie and carbohydrate intake on a weekly basis, more frequently the leaner you get. Sorry, its not possible. Your body hates dieting, and unless you go off your diet a minimum of once per week you will only make losing fat harder with each subsequent week.
Now, if you like [unnecessarily] working hard, then yes:
#2. You CAN get ripped without cheat days. It will be miserable. It will require you to work MUCH harder. You will get no psychological relief from the woes of dieting; in fact, with each day and week that passes by youll dig yourself in to a deeper metabolic hole that youll need to work harder and harder to get yourself out of. It will drain you, both your time and your morale. You will hate yourself, and probably everyone around you. Basically, life will suck.
But it can be done.
Essentially, if you want to diet without the use of leptin and metabolism boosting cheat days, youre pretty much doomed to impractical, ridiculous, time consuming practices if you ever want to get lean. Period. Thats the only way its going to happen.
4 hours a day at the gym. A diet consisting of grilled chicken and veggies (but dont eat too many veggies...that might screw everything up), more exercise, lower calories. Be sure to add more exercise next week, because its going to be even harder to lose fat. Youll want to drop your calories again, too. Repeat!
And if thats how you want to achieve your leanest condition...MORE POWER TO YOU. Unfortunately, its not even close to being practical for 99.999999% of the population.
Of course, you could just eat some freaking PIZZA and make your life a heck of a lot easier, but if for some reason you feel better about your transformation process by ignoring science and making your journey more difficult, you can absolutely 100% get there without the wonders of pizzaioli italiano.
Youll probably lose more muscle than you have to, youll definitely work a lot HARDER than you have to, and itll likely take you significantly longer to reach your goals.
It works better with pizza. Sorry, it just does.
#3. Now, does it have to be ALL pizza and ice cream? No, but a high fat, high glycemic carb cheat day is what has been shown by RESEARCH to best boost insulin and leptin levels, reset metabolism, thyroid hormone levels, and 24 hour energy expenditure to baseline levels. If you want to achieve that via maltodextrin shakes and spoonfuls of coconut oil, you certainly could, but Ill go the pizza route. Sorry, I didnt create science, I just report it.
So, now you have the education necessary to make an informed decision on whether youre going to include cheat days in your program the next time you embark on a journey to get lean. If you have masochistic tendencies, enjoy unnecessary self deprivation, and have no regard for science, youll probably want to skip them. If on the other hand youre someone who enjoys efficiency, results (without subjecting yourself to unnecessary struggle), and good food, youll probably want to include them.
A very hard decision, I know!
Marcia: So there you have it. I believe this is similar to what I had been reading when I decided to include the cheat meal in my program.
For myself, I have found I have to be caul with the cheat meal. This past week of wackiness was a prime example. If I leave the "left overs" in my house I am addicted enough, and insane enough to not be able to stop eating them. That, alone, is enough to toss me on my fanny.
You have to decide what works for you. I now know, for certain, that if I do not have guests, to whom I can give the left overs, then I need to eat out. Period.
I am on Day 6 so I will finish out the week and start again on Sunday. Im going to eat right today and tomorrow, including the cheat meal -- seems I cant do otherwise -- and begin again. I know. I know. It makes so much better sense to skip the cheat meal because Ive been cheating all week. But I also know that if I dont, Ill be much worse off. I trust that I now have a restoration plan that will work for me and my psyche.
I shall see if, based on what Joel has shared about the cheat day, I will not in the end lose the weight again and be on a better road.
I always have to remember to DECIDE NOT TO EAT WHAT YOU SHOULD NOT EAT.
Going down the road, again,
Be back soon,
Marcia
Todays blog is a nearly entire quote from the e-mail that I got from Joel Marion, who is a fitness expert and body builder. He explains that the cheat meal is the easiest way to boost your metabolism and make your diet worthwhile.
Here is a link to his advertising site: http://joelmarion.org/xtreme-fat-loss-diet/
Joel Marion says:
Im constantly getting questions about the conflicting recommendations from various fitness professionals regarding the use of Cheat Days, whether they are necessary or needed to get exceptionally lean, whether you can get ripped without them, whether youll get better results if you skip them, and whether they work better with or without "junk food" on the menu. Well today Im here to set the record straight on this exhausting topic once and for all.
#1. No, dieting does not work better without cheat days. Sorry, but this is not debatable...at all. The research CLEARLY, undeniably shows that dieting and calorie restriction make your body WORSE at burning fat with literally every week that goes by. The "master" hormone leptin plummets, the metabolism regulating thyroid hormones T3 and T4 take a massive dive, the appetite stimulating hormone ghrelin boosts sky high, the abdominal fat boosting stress hormone cortisol gradually increases, 24 hour energy expenditure and metabolic rate decrease with every passing day. Thats what happens when you diet.
You can NOT get around those truths without increasing your calorie and carbohydrate intake on a weekly basis, more frequently the leaner you get. Sorry, its not possible. Your body hates dieting, and unless you go off your diet a minimum of once per week you will only make losing fat harder with each subsequent week.
Now, if you like [unnecessarily] working hard, then yes:
#2. You CAN get ripped without cheat days. It will be miserable. It will require you to work MUCH harder. You will get no psychological relief from the woes of dieting; in fact, with each day and week that passes by youll dig yourself in to a deeper metabolic hole that youll need to work harder and harder to get yourself out of. It will drain you, both your time and your morale. You will hate yourself, and probably everyone around you. Basically, life will suck.
But it can be done.
Essentially, if you want to diet without the use of leptin and metabolism boosting cheat days, youre pretty much doomed to impractical, ridiculous, time consuming practices if you ever want to get lean. Period. Thats the only way its going to happen.
4 hours a day at the gym. A diet consisting of grilled chicken and veggies (but dont eat too many veggies...that might screw everything up), more exercise, lower calories. Be sure to add more exercise next week, because its going to be even harder to lose fat. Youll want to drop your calories again, too. Repeat!
And if thats how you want to achieve your leanest condition...MORE POWER TO YOU. Unfortunately, its not even close to being practical for 99.999999% of the population.
Of course, you could just eat some freaking PIZZA and make your life a heck of a lot easier, but if for some reason you feel better about your transformation process by ignoring science and making your journey more difficult, you can absolutely 100% get there without the wonders of pizzaioli italiano.
Youll probably lose more muscle than you have to, youll definitely work a lot HARDER than you have to, and itll likely take you significantly longer to reach your goals.
It works better with pizza. Sorry, it just does.
#3. Now, does it have to be ALL pizza and ice cream? No, but a high fat, high glycemic carb cheat day is what has been shown by RESEARCH to best boost insulin and leptin levels, reset metabolism, thyroid hormone levels, and 24 hour energy expenditure to baseline levels. If you want to achieve that via maltodextrin shakes and spoonfuls of coconut oil, you certainly could, but Ill go the pizza route. Sorry, I didnt create science, I just report it.
So, now you have the education necessary to make an informed decision on whether youre going to include cheat days in your program the next time you embark on a journey to get lean. If you have masochistic tendencies, enjoy unnecessary self deprivation, and have no regard for science, youll probably want to skip them. If on the other hand youre someone who enjoys efficiency, results (without subjecting yourself to unnecessary struggle), and good food, youll probably want to include them.
A very hard decision, I know!
Marcia: So there you have it. I believe this is similar to what I had been reading when I decided to include the cheat meal in my program.
For myself, I have found I have to be caul with the cheat meal. This past week of wackiness was a prime example. If I leave the "left overs" in my house I am addicted enough, and insane enough to not be able to stop eating them. That, alone, is enough to toss me on my fanny.
You have to decide what works for you. I now know, for certain, that if I do not have guests, to whom I can give the left overs, then I need to eat out. Period.
I am on Day 6 so I will finish out the week and start again on Sunday. Im going to eat right today and tomorrow, including the cheat meal -- seems I cant do otherwise -- and begin again. I know. I know. It makes so much better sense to skip the cheat meal because Ive been cheating all week. But I also know that if I dont, Ill be much worse off. I trust that I now have a restoration plan that will work for me and my psyche.
I shall see if, based on what Joel has shared about the cheat day, I will not in the end lose the weight again and be on a better road.
I always have to remember to DECIDE NOT TO EAT WHAT YOU SHOULD NOT EAT.
Going down the road, again,
Be back soon,
Marcia
Observations After the First Cheat Meal
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Hi,
It is late Sunday night and I wanted to share about yesterdays cheat meal and the later body reactions I observed and recorded.
First I want to explain the purpose of the cheat meal on my veggies and protein diet which is, essentially, a low-carb program. (Im not going to get technical -- because at the moment I cant find the original sources I read on these ideas. Sorry. When I find them, Ill post and share them. For now, this is what I remember about it and what Im basing my program on.)
The best explanation Ive heard, and the reason I wanted to try it, was a description of the progress of a person on a normal low-carb diet which often follows a pattern similar to this:
Week one -- six-pound weight loss (oh happy day -- all is well and Im feeling very successful)
Week two -- three-pound weight loss (still happy)
Week three -- one pound loss, happy to still be losing but wishing it were more
Week four -- half pound loss, happy to still be losing but getting a little frustrated at doing all the right stuff and only losing half a pound
Week five -- no weight loss, but hey, you did not put any on, so that is good (trying to remain optimistic about still doing all the right stuff and seeing no results.)
Week six -- one pound gain -- and you were good all week long -- what gives?
A few weeks of no weight loss and then some weight gain and, man, this is getting harder and harder -- Im doing everything right and not losing any weight -- so whats the use?
Binge
OK, you get the picture and if youve ever dieted you know exactly what Im talking about. The information I read said that the diet itself is the culprit because what is happening is your metabolism is actually slowing down which slows down the weight loss. Your body has perfectly adjusted to what you are feeding it and it has gone into "starvation mode" meaning it is not giving up any more weight, no matter what. What the once-a-week, hour-long, cheat meal does is rev up your metabolism again, so that you dont hit plateaus, but continue to lose pounds each week. The cheat meal actually fools your metabolism and takes you out of "starvation mode" so you can continue to lose weight. At least that is the theory that Im testing.
I have first-hand experience in knowing that carbs are what I call "cumulative." It takes a while to totally remove or deplete them and their effects from my body. It takes three days for the cravings to stop, because it takes that long for the body to adjust to a lower amount of carb intake. It takes about three days for edema to disappear. It takes six days for the pain levels to reduce. Excess carbs, which produce excess sugar in the blood and excess fat to be stored in the body, which also causes inflammation and pain are still affecting the body for six more days.
All this is evidence that excess carbs are stored in the body. Notice Im talking about "excess" carbs here. The body uses a normal amount of carbs to keep us going, to keep us feeling good (comfort food), and they are necessary for certain processes in the body but excess carbs are ultimately stored as fat in the body. The Diabetic or Pre-Diabetic person has a body that no longer functions quite properly in relation to excess carbs. It has gotten worn out and is in the process of being completely overwhelmed by sugar and trying to deal with it. It is very slowly shutting down and the medical profession calls this "diabetes."
So, for these reasons, I believe the cheat meal, replenishes just enough carbs for our bodies and brains to function properly (stay healthy) without adding too much which causes both inflammation, cravings, edema, and weight gain.
The reason for the one-hour time limit on the once a week cheat meal is that when you first start to eat, even when your mouth starts watering, your body sends out an insulin release to prepare for the onslaught. Insulin is called the "hunger hormone" because it makes you feel hungry. If you eat your meal in under an hour that initial response is the only insulin release your body sends out and you experience a normal amount of hunger.
But, if you eat (or even sample something) at from 65 to 75 minutes later, your body sends out another insulin dose -- and you get hungry again which leads to a great deal of over eating. So if you limit the time period to one hour (60 minutes) you dont get that "hungry again" reaction -- and you keep your blood insulin levels lower -- which keeps your inflammation (and pain) response smaller. (Think about Thanksgiving and how you could not believe you were still eating after the meal. All you had to do was have one cookie and you were off again and eating more of everything. This was the meal after the meal. That occurred as a result of the second insulin release. If you had simply not sampled that cookie past the one-hour time limit, you would not have wanted any more food.)
There are also psychological purposes behind the cheat meal -- if you know that every week you will have one real opportunity to "go crazy" on your favorite food for an hour you wont feel so "deprived." Oddly enough that feeling of diet deprivation can lead to resentment and rebellion -- at least in me. Having that one-hour long cheat meal, once every seven days means that I dont have to give up everything I love! I can have my cake and eat it -- as long as it is only once a week. If I am not rebelling against my own diet... if I am not in resentment.... I am more likely to stay on the program the other six days. And that also is why Im trying out the cheat meal approach.
So now. Ive had my first cheat meal and wanted to record the observable reactions of my body and psyche -- just for the record.
What I did was go to a Chinese buffet with my cousin Julianna at about two p.m. and purposefully pig out on all the things that I normally avoid and the first reaction I had to this experience was a feeling of freedom and relief. It was almost exciting to know that I could eat anything on the buffet that I wanted without restrictions. It was like being let loose in a candy store. LOL.
I was actually a little timid as I wandered the aisles with my empty plate. First, I very caully chose one spoonful of fried rice, a couple of small pinches of angel hair rice noodles, and a few of their stir fried potatoes. I also had a little chicken and broccoli. Then I took an almond or "finger-nail" cookie. It was a bit strange to not be in a state of rebellion, but in a state of obedience, while I did this. It was kind of nice, really. As I ate my plate of food I savored the textures and the flavors. They had a new item, chicken pie, which reminded me of chicken pot pie, but it was in small wedges rather than a round bowl shape and I really liked it. Then since the hour was not up... I had a second plate of food.
By the end of the second plate I was beginning to feel absolutely stuffed to the gills. That is when I remembered that I dont really like that kind of "stuffed" feeling. It feels almost bloated and stiff or nearly painful, but not quite. I always feel like the food is somehow expanding in my stomach and making me feel uncomfortable. Then I had ice cream and cookies for dessert.
When I mentioned that I could "feel my heart beating," Julianna did not seem to understand what I was saying. I meant that after gorging on all that high carb food my body was reacting and I could feel the slow, pump, pump, pump of my heart as I secretly wondered if I had gone too far. Since she did not have a point of erence, I just changed the subject.
When I got home, I had to sit in my chair with my feet up and rest. After about twenty minutes the heart pumping disappeared and I felt a little better -- especially after I had burped a really loud one. I laughed and challenged Julianna to beat that one. Her reply was that a lady does not do such things. That gave me pause, so I asked her if she had just told me I was not a lady, and reproved her for talking to her elderly cousin that way. We both had a good laugh!!
At about 7:30 Julianna said she was hungry so I offered to cook one of the steaks I had originally planned for our get together along with a bowl of salad -- but I was way not ready to eat anything, yet.
At a little after 8 p.m. I also got a little hungry so I had a large sausage patty and that was it. I could not face a whole steak, yet, and did not want any salad -- so I just smothered the sausage in spicy brown mustard and ate that.
This morning my blood sugar was 109 but my blood pressure was a little high at 166/83. I ate properly today and had no cravings. That was what I wanted to find out the most. Would that crazy cheat meal put me into craving mode. It did not. Not even a little bit. So far. So good.
I dont want to start applying more restrictions to the cheat meal but I think it would be wiser if I did not go quite so far over board next Saturday. I am wondering if I should cook my own cheat meal next week -- but Im afraid of having left overs in the house. I will decide when the time is nearer if I will once again go out, or if I will make something myself. Oh well. That decision is for another time.
Anyway. I think this might work really well. I had lost five pounds before the cheat meal, and I put on two pounds this morning -- but my ankles were not swollen even a little bit this morning. So I will record my daily weights this week and see what happens.
Hope you are doing well and walking your chosen path with hope in your heart.
Be back soon,
Marcia
It is late Sunday night and I wanted to share about yesterdays cheat meal and the later body reactions I observed and recorded.
First I want to explain the purpose of the cheat meal on my veggies and protein diet which is, essentially, a low-carb program. (Im not going to get technical -- because at the moment I cant find the original sources I read on these ideas. Sorry. When I find them, Ill post and share them. For now, this is what I remember about it and what Im basing my program on.)
The best explanation Ive heard, and the reason I wanted to try it, was a description of the progress of a person on a normal low-carb diet which often follows a pattern similar to this:
Week one -- six-pound weight loss (oh happy day -- all is well and Im feeling very successful)
Week two -- three-pound weight loss (still happy)
Week three -- one pound loss, happy to still be losing but wishing it were more
Week four -- half pound loss, happy to still be losing but getting a little frustrated at doing all the right stuff and only losing half a pound
Week five -- no weight loss, but hey, you did not put any on, so that is good (trying to remain optimistic about still doing all the right stuff and seeing no results.)
Week six -- one pound gain -- and you were good all week long -- what gives?
A few weeks of no weight loss and then some weight gain and, man, this is getting harder and harder -- Im doing everything right and not losing any weight -- so whats the use?
Binge
OK, you get the picture and if youve ever dieted you know exactly what Im talking about. The information I read said that the diet itself is the culprit because what is happening is your metabolism is actually slowing down which slows down the weight loss. Your body has perfectly adjusted to what you are feeding it and it has gone into "starvation mode" meaning it is not giving up any more weight, no matter what. What the once-a-week, hour-long, cheat meal does is rev up your metabolism again, so that you dont hit plateaus, but continue to lose pounds each week. The cheat meal actually fools your metabolism and takes you out of "starvation mode" so you can continue to lose weight. At least that is the theory that Im testing.
I have first-hand experience in knowing that carbs are what I call "cumulative." It takes a while to totally remove or deplete them and their effects from my body. It takes three days for the cravings to stop, because it takes that long for the body to adjust to a lower amount of carb intake. It takes about three days for edema to disappear. It takes six days for the pain levels to reduce. Excess carbs, which produce excess sugar in the blood and excess fat to be stored in the body, which also causes inflammation and pain are still affecting the body for six more days.
All this is evidence that excess carbs are stored in the body. Notice Im talking about "excess" carbs here. The body uses a normal amount of carbs to keep us going, to keep us feeling good (comfort food), and they are necessary for certain processes in the body but excess carbs are ultimately stored as fat in the body. The Diabetic or Pre-Diabetic person has a body that no longer functions quite properly in relation to excess carbs. It has gotten worn out and is in the process of being completely overwhelmed by sugar and trying to deal with it. It is very slowly shutting down and the medical profession calls this "diabetes."
So, for these reasons, I believe the cheat meal, replenishes just enough carbs for our bodies and brains to function properly (stay healthy) without adding too much which causes both inflammation, cravings, edema, and weight gain.
The reason for the one-hour time limit on the once a week cheat meal is that when you first start to eat, even when your mouth starts watering, your body sends out an insulin release to prepare for the onslaught. Insulin is called the "hunger hormone" because it makes you feel hungry. If you eat your meal in under an hour that initial response is the only insulin release your body sends out and you experience a normal amount of hunger.
But, if you eat (or even sample something) at from 65 to 75 minutes later, your body sends out another insulin dose -- and you get hungry again which leads to a great deal of over eating. So if you limit the time period to one hour (60 minutes) you dont get that "hungry again" reaction -- and you keep your blood insulin levels lower -- which keeps your inflammation (and pain) response smaller. (Think about Thanksgiving and how you could not believe you were still eating after the meal. All you had to do was have one cookie and you were off again and eating more of everything. This was the meal after the meal. That occurred as a result of the second insulin release. If you had simply not sampled that cookie past the one-hour time limit, you would not have wanted any more food.)
There are also psychological purposes behind the cheat meal -- if you know that every week you will have one real opportunity to "go crazy" on your favorite food for an hour you wont feel so "deprived." Oddly enough that feeling of diet deprivation can lead to resentment and rebellion -- at least in me. Having that one-hour long cheat meal, once every seven days means that I dont have to give up everything I love! I can have my cake and eat it -- as long as it is only once a week. If I am not rebelling against my own diet... if I am not in resentment.... I am more likely to stay on the program the other six days. And that also is why Im trying out the cheat meal approach.
So now. Ive had my first cheat meal and wanted to record the observable reactions of my body and psyche -- just for the record.
What I did was go to a Chinese buffet with my cousin Julianna at about two p.m. and purposefully pig out on all the things that I normally avoid and the first reaction I had to this experience was a feeling of freedom and relief. It was almost exciting to know that I could eat anything on the buffet that I wanted without restrictions. It was like being let loose in a candy store. LOL.
I was actually a little timid as I wandered the aisles with my empty plate. First, I very caully chose one spoonful of fried rice, a couple of small pinches of angel hair rice noodles, and a few of their stir fried potatoes. I also had a little chicken and broccoli. Then I took an almond or "finger-nail" cookie. It was a bit strange to not be in a state of rebellion, but in a state of obedience, while I did this. It was kind of nice, really. As I ate my plate of food I savored the textures and the flavors. They had a new item, chicken pie, which reminded me of chicken pot pie, but it was in small wedges rather than a round bowl shape and I really liked it. Then since the hour was not up... I had a second plate of food.
By the end of the second plate I was beginning to feel absolutely stuffed to the gills. That is when I remembered that I dont really like that kind of "stuffed" feeling. It feels almost bloated and stiff or nearly painful, but not quite. I always feel like the food is somehow expanding in my stomach and making me feel uncomfortable. Then I had ice cream and cookies for dessert.
When I mentioned that I could "feel my heart beating," Julianna did not seem to understand what I was saying. I meant that after gorging on all that high carb food my body was reacting and I could feel the slow, pump, pump, pump of my heart as I secretly wondered if I had gone too far. Since she did not have a point of erence, I just changed the subject.
When I got home, I had to sit in my chair with my feet up and rest. After about twenty minutes the heart pumping disappeared and I felt a little better -- especially after I had burped a really loud one. I laughed and challenged Julianna to beat that one. Her reply was that a lady does not do such things. That gave me pause, so I asked her if she had just told me I was not a lady, and reproved her for talking to her elderly cousin that way. We both had a good laugh!!
At about 7:30 Julianna said she was hungry so I offered to cook one of the steaks I had originally planned for our get together along with a bowl of salad -- but I was way not ready to eat anything, yet.
At a little after 8 p.m. I also got a little hungry so I had a large sausage patty and that was it. I could not face a whole steak, yet, and did not want any salad -- so I just smothered the sausage in spicy brown mustard and ate that.
This morning my blood sugar was 109 but my blood pressure was a little high at 166/83. I ate properly today and had no cravings. That was what I wanted to find out the most. Would that crazy cheat meal put me into craving mode. It did not. Not even a little bit. So far. So good.
I dont want to start applying more restrictions to the cheat meal but I think it would be wiser if I did not go quite so far over board next Saturday. I am wondering if I should cook my own cheat meal next week -- but Im afraid of having left overs in the house. I will decide when the time is nearer if I will once again go out, or if I will make something myself. Oh well. That decision is for another time.
Anyway. I think this might work really well. I had lost five pounds before the cheat meal, and I put on two pounds this morning -- but my ankles were not swollen even a little bit this morning. So I will record my daily weights this week and see what happens.
Hope you are doing well and walking your chosen path with hope in your heart.
Be back soon,
Marcia
The Best Deals at Trader Joes A Cheat Sheet
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Ladies and gentlemen, we have completed our survey of the Best Deals at Trader Joes! Thanks to everyone who wrote in. There were 58 total commenters participating – 54 from the blog, 2 from Facebook, and 2 via email. And? Looking at the top ten vote-getters, this is going to be one hell of a party.
To review the process from last week: Every product mention got one vote. (So, if three different commenters wrote "butter," it got three votes.) Some things, like honey, elicited one clear vote and were easy to tally. Others, like cheese, were much more varied, producing several similar-but-not-exactly-alike answers. In those cases, I tallied the category as a whole, and then elaborated on individual responses within parentheses. (Um … if that makes sense, which it only kind of does. But youll see.)
Some overall observations:
25 VOTES
Cheese (2 votes brie and goat, 1 vote each for cheddar/stilton, smoked gouda, shredded mexican, fontina)
21 VOTES
Nuts (3 votes almonds, 1 vote pistachios)
16 VOTES
Yogurt (12 votes Greek yogurt)
13 VOTES
Wine (1 vote organic, 2 votes Three-Buck Chuck)
12 VOTES
Dried fruit (3 votes mango, 2 vote bananas, 1 vote strawberries and cherries)
Olive oil
10 VOTES
Frozen veggies (2 votes green beans and corn, 1 vote each bell peppers and asparagus)
9 VOTES
Frozen edamame
8 VOTES
Cereal (1 vote Barbaras Bakery, 1 vote Honey-Os)
Chocolate (4 votes 1-lb. bars, 1 vote white chocolate)
Hummus
Marinara/Pasta sauces (1 vote organic)
7 VOTES
Bananas (1 vote organic)
Cookies (1 vote Maple Leaf, 1 vote Oatmeal Cranberry Dunkers, 4 votes Joe-Joes)
Eggs (1 vote organic)
Pasta (3 votes whole-wheat)
Peanut butter
6 VOTES
Boxed soups (3 votes roasted red pepper, 2 votes tomato, 1 vote black bean)
Bread ( 1 vote Cinnamon Swirl Bread, 1 vote pain au chocolat)
Canned beans (3 votes black)
Coffee
Jams (1 vote blueberry, 1 vote raspberry)
5 VOTES
Frozen Fruit (2 votes berries)
Ice cream (2 votes coffee-flavored, 1 vote Coconut milk)
Pizza Dough (generally frozen)
4 VOTES
Almond, rice, and soy milks
Apples (2 votes organic)
Bars (1 vote cereal, 1 vote Luna/Clif, 1 vote Fiberful, 1 vote Walks Into Bars)
Frozen pizza
Frozen prepared meals (1 vote veggie lasagna)
Milk
Salsa (1 vote Serrano)
Stock/Broth
Tortillas (1 vote organic, 1 vote whole wheat)
3 VOTES
Butter
Canned artichokes
Dairy (1 vote RBST-free)
Flat breads (1 vote Feta & Jalapeno, 1 vote Mediterranean)
Flour
Olives (1 vote canned)
Potstickers
Spinach
Tortilla chips
Trail Mix
Vitamins
2 VOTES
Almond butter
Beer
Frozen pre-cooked brown rice
Frozen veggie burgers (1 vote Morningstar Farms)
Gluten-free rice pasta
Ground beef
Organic whole chicken
Quinoa
Seltzer
Tofu
1 VOTE
Avocados, Bacon, Baby arugula, Balsamic vinegar, Balsamic vinegar dressing, Basmati and jasmine rice, Boxed Indian meals, Broth concentrate, Buttermilk, Canned crab, Capers, Cat food, Cilantro and yogurt dip, Clementine oranges, Coffee filters, Cottage cheese, Cranberry juice, Cream, Dog treats, Doggy glucosamine condroitin, English muffins, Facial cleansing pads w/tea tree oil, Flowers, Fresh produce, Frozen basil cubes, Frozen chile relleno, Frozen croissants, Frozen fish, Frozen hash browns, Frozen pie crust, Frozen shrimp, Gorgonzola gnocchi, Gorgozola crackers, Granola, Ground flaxseed meal, Gyoza, Hatch Green Chiles, Honey, Hot dogs, Individual Mac and cheese, International foods, Jarred hearts of palm, Kashis TLC crackers, Kefir, Kosher chicken/turkey, Laundry detergent, Lemons, Limes, Marinated mushrooms, Mayo (sorry Kris), Meat, Multi-grain pancake mix, Nitrate free meats, Olive tapenade, Organic carrots, Organic sugar, Pesto, Pineapples, Roasted red peppers, Romaine hearts, Pre-cooked lentils, Sausages, Shiitake mushrooms, Smoked salmon, Soy (fake) chorizo, Soy creamer (TJs brand), Special-diet foods, Steel-cut oats (McCanns) , Sun-dried tomatoes, Sushi platters, Sweet potato chips, Tabouli, Tamales, Taquitos, Tempeh, TJs chicken nuggets, TJs spaghetti-os, TJs peanut butter cups, Tomatoes, Tuna, Tuna meals, Veggie sticks
Sweet readers, is there anything youd like to add to this? Maybe something we missed, or another suggestion for a specific store survey? Thanks again for all your replies - this was really fun. (*runs off to buy cheese*)
~~~
If you enjoyed this, youll surely like:
To review the process from last week: Every product mention got one vote. (So, if three different commenters wrote "butter," it got three votes.) Some things, like honey, elicited one clear vote and were easy to tally. Others, like cheese, were much more varied, producing several similar-but-not-exactly-alike answers. In those cases, I tallied the category as a whole, and then elaborated on individual responses within parentheses. (Um … if that makes sense, which it only kind of does. But youll see.)
Some overall observations:
- On the whole, frozen, organic, and restricted-diet (gluten-free, etc.) goods did very, very well, as did TJs house brand products, especially: Roasted red pepper boxed soup, Joe-Joes, Three-Buck Chuck, and Greek yogurt.
- Overall, it appeared as if you dont necessarily shop at TJs for the basic necessities, but rather, for beloved extras - chocolate, wine, edamame, etc.
- Almost half of you voted for some kind of cheese. Yowza.
- Votes for bread were split. A few liked TJ breads a LOT, while others mentioned it wasnt quite up to snuff.
- I loved how many people wrote WINE in all caps. Vino lovers, unite!
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| Wiki Commons Sprew |
Cheese (2 votes brie and goat, 1 vote each for cheddar/stilton, smoked gouda, shredded mexican, fontina)
21 VOTES
Nuts (3 votes almonds, 1 vote pistachios)
16 VOTES
Yogurt (12 votes Greek yogurt)
13 VOTES
Wine (1 vote organic, 2 votes Three-Buck Chuck)
12 VOTES
Dried fruit (3 votes mango, 2 vote bananas, 1 vote strawberries and cherries)
Olive oil
10 VOTES
Frozen veggies (2 votes green beans and corn, 1 vote each bell peppers and asparagus)
9 VOTES
Frozen edamame
8 VOTES
Cereal (1 vote Barbaras Bakery, 1 vote Honey-Os)
Chocolate (4 votes 1-lb. bars, 1 vote white chocolate)
Hummus
Marinara/Pasta sauces (1 vote organic)
7 VOTES
Bananas (1 vote organic)
Cookies (1 vote Maple Leaf, 1 vote Oatmeal Cranberry Dunkers, 4 votes Joe-Joes)
Eggs (1 vote organic)
Pasta (3 votes whole-wheat)
Peanut butter
6 VOTES
Boxed soups (3 votes roasted red pepper, 2 votes tomato, 1 vote black bean)
Bread ( 1 vote Cinnamon Swirl Bread, 1 vote pain au chocolat)
Canned beans (3 votes black)
Coffee
Jams (1 vote blueberry, 1 vote raspberry)
5 VOTES
Frozen Fruit (2 votes berries)
Ice cream (2 votes coffee-flavored, 1 vote Coconut milk)
Pizza Dough (generally frozen)
4 VOTES
Almond, rice, and soy milks
Apples (2 votes organic)
Bars (1 vote cereal, 1 vote Luna/Clif, 1 vote Fiberful, 1 vote Walks Into Bars)
Frozen pizza
Frozen prepared meals (1 vote veggie lasagna)
Milk
Salsa (1 vote Serrano)
Stock/Broth
Tortillas (1 vote organic, 1 vote whole wheat)
3 VOTES
Butter
Canned artichokes
Dairy (1 vote RBST-free)
Flat breads (1 vote Feta & Jalapeno, 1 vote Mediterranean)
Flour
Olives (1 vote canned)
Potstickers
Spinach
Tortilla chips
Trail Mix
Vitamins
2 VOTES
Almond butter
Beer
Frozen pre-cooked brown rice
Frozen veggie burgers (1 vote Morningstar Farms)
Gluten-free rice pasta
Ground beef
Organic whole chicken
Quinoa
Seltzer
Tofu
1 VOTE
Avocados, Bacon, Baby arugula, Balsamic vinegar, Balsamic vinegar dressing, Basmati and jasmine rice, Boxed Indian meals, Broth concentrate, Buttermilk, Canned crab, Capers, Cat food, Cilantro and yogurt dip, Clementine oranges, Coffee filters, Cottage cheese, Cranberry juice, Cream, Dog treats, Doggy glucosamine condroitin, English muffins, Facial cleansing pads w/tea tree oil, Flowers, Fresh produce, Frozen basil cubes, Frozen chile relleno, Frozen croissants, Frozen fish, Frozen hash browns, Frozen pie crust, Frozen shrimp, Gorgonzola gnocchi, Gorgozola crackers, Granola, Ground flaxseed meal, Gyoza, Hatch Green Chiles, Honey, Hot dogs, Individual Mac and cheese, International foods, Jarred hearts of palm, Kashis TLC crackers, Kefir, Kosher chicken/turkey, Laundry detergent, Lemons, Limes, Marinated mushrooms, Mayo (sorry Kris), Meat, Multi-grain pancake mix, Nitrate free meats, Olive tapenade, Organic carrots, Organic sugar, Pesto, Pineapples, Roasted red peppers, Romaine hearts, Pre-cooked lentils, Sausages, Shiitake mushrooms, Smoked salmon, Soy (fake) chorizo, Soy creamer (TJs brand), Special-diet foods, Steel-cut oats (McCanns) , Sun-dried tomatoes, Sushi platters, Sweet potato chips, Tabouli, Tamales, Taquitos, Tempeh, TJs chicken nuggets, TJs spaghetti-os, TJs peanut butter cups, Tomatoes, Tuna, Tuna meals, Veggie sticks
Sweet readers, is there anything youd like to add to this? Maybe something we missed, or another suggestion for a specific store survey? Thanks again for all your replies - this was really fun. (*runs off to buy cheese*)
~~~
If you enjoyed this, youll surely like:
- The Best Deals at Big Box Stores: A Cheat Sheet
- Food, Frugality, and Fighting Brand Loyalty
- Lighten Any Meal: 10 Easy, Inexpensive Steps to Healthier Recipes
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