I've did the 5:2 diet and was not a big fan. The incentive of eating whatever I wanted for 5 days and then "fasting" after that drove me haywire. I felt a HUGE urge to eat like crazy on my non-fasting days at first but it did get better when I forced myself to be more regimented. To do that, I...
Similar experience. Most of the grocery counters I go to will slice up whatever meat I need if it is not sliced up already. Can you use yours to slice potatoes? You can always scallop them or make tornado potato skewers.
It's a pretty amazing contraption. I've used it to make whole chicken the way I used to do it with a slow cooker. The pressure can help speed up the process if you are in a pinch for time.
The all-inclusive experience really is worth the extra money. Being able to relax, order what you want whenever you want it, and not get nickel and dimed while you are doing it is a great feeling