[Ms.Trish]

Hi!
I have the book and have begun reading it again.
I had a few questions that I don't think are covered in the book.
If anyone could answer them, that would be great!

1. If I choose to eat a small salad...can I use dressing?
Just a little, not a lot.

2. Can you use A1 sauce w/ steak? BBQ sauce w/ chicken?

3. Where does cereal (Raisin Bran) fit in or does it?

4. Can you drink lemonade or iced tea?

5. No Fat chips and salsa?

I am just planning some grocery shopping...
I know there were other questions..but I forget right now.

Thanks
Trish

[MrsJim]

My answers to your questions - BTW WELCOME!

1. Depends on the dressing. And why eat a SMALL salad with a meal? You can have as many veggies as you want - as long as you eat them during your meal (no in-between snacking on BFL). Here's a mantra...read the label...read the label...read the label... Lots of folks make their own dressing with balsamic or rice vinegar and Udos or flax oil. Check the Cooking Library at Lean & Strong for some recipes.

2. Read the label...read the label...read the label...if it's high in sodium and/or sugar, you're better off avoiding it.

3. It doesn't. Raisin Bran and milk are not authorized. BTW, if it was authorized, milk would be a carb, not a protein. Try switching to old-fashioned oatmeal, Cream of Wheat, or grits!

4. As long as there's no sugar in it - I use Sweet N Low in my iced tea, and I suppose you could make your lemonade using Splenda or Equal instead of sugar (or use Crystal Light). Remember that these will not count as water - you should still drink at least 3/4 gallon of pure fresh water every day.

5. Chips, no; salsa, yes (I like it on chicken and baked potatoes!)

I'd like to take a second to diffuse any negative spin by saying...that's what FREE DAY IS FOR!!! To eat what you crave! And ya know what...if you eat clean after awhile you will be craving the CLEAN stuff!!! (it's true!)

If you need a sweet treat - here's my latest passion: Cottage cheese, creamed with a hand blender (you can also use a regular blender or food processor) mixed with vanilla extract and Splenda or Equal...or you can mix some dry sugarfree Jello powder with it...chill and it is almost a dead ringer for CHEESECAKE!!! I KID YOU NOT!!! Add some fruit for a carb and voila - a BFL meal! YUMMY!!!

[MrsJim]

A little addendum here: Pam Brown posted the following recipe in the L&S Cooking Library if YOU MUST HAVE CHIPS!!!

Obviously, this would be a protein and a carb - if you're going to use tortillas, I highly recommend La Tortilla's whole wheat Low-Carb/High-Fiber tortillas (if your local store doesn't have them, you can order them from Netrition - go to www.leanandstrong.com and click on the "buy supplements" link).

Chips and Queso Dip
Cut wheat tortillas into triangles. Bake in oven on 400 degrees until golden brown.
Blend one container of nonfat cottage cheese with one jar of 505 Green Chile Salsa in blender or hand mixer. Dip chips and enjoy!

[Ms.Trish]

I could use lots of simple recipes....
is there a place w/ just recipes?

thanks for your previous input..
it would make sense to save some of those for free day!!

I am 1/2 way thru the book AGAIN...
its been awhile since I read it the first time.



Trish

[Ms.Trish]

I was wondering if anyone had a tatoo on their pelvic area, ankle, lower back etc...and then lost lots of weight? did the tatoo stay the same or did it stretch?

I just had a miscarriage and I want a way to remember the baby.
I was thinking maybe putting a very small tatoo somewhere...just for me, not for show to remember. But I have weight to lose and I hope to get preg. again. Just wondering if anyone has experience w/ this?
thanks
trish

[MrsJim]

Trish - go to www.leanandstrong.com/ls.html - on the left hand side, click on the "Libraries & Pics" button, then on "Libraries". You should see the "Cooking Library".

I don't have a tattoo so can't answer that one. Perhaps someone else can chime in?

BTW, instead of starting new threads, why not just post to your first one...in fact, I'm going to merge this into your first thread...just makes it easier for folks to scroll down and read posts without so much clicking

[Ms.Trish]

Ok..I am just trying to understand this...
when I asked about dressing...and you said read the label...
sugar and salt content...
what are the numbers I should avoid? how much sugar and salt are too much?

does this mean that a little ranch on a salad might not hurt?LOL

thanks for your reply

Trish

[Ms.Trish]

Mrs. Jim...
I can't find the "Tall Jen's" thread at lean and strong?
can you link me?

Trish

[Mel]

Trish- she only does it on weekdays, since most of us take free day on Saturday or Sunday. Click on the "search" option at the top of the page (on l & s) and set the search parameters at the bottom for posts by Tall Jen for the last 10 days. That should get you the top of the last week and a half of threads. good luck, mel

[MrsJim]

Personally, I'd avoid most bottled salad dressings - even the 'light' or 'fat-free' ones still have lots of sodium and sugar in them.

I like what Steve L. says at Lean & Strong - if you put 100% into BFL, you'll get 100% results (that means eating CLEAN and working out with intensity). If you put 90% effort, you might get 60% results...and it goes down from there.

I can sum it up in five words: HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT? BFL is simple, but in the beginning it's not easy...if you want great results, PLAN AHEAD. Use the Daily Progress Reports and every night, take a few moments to write down the next day's workout and meals. Make sure your kitchen is stocked with clean food - and get rid of the 'unclean' food. I think the reason that Bill made this a 12 week program is to make this way of eating and training second nature. Put your heart into it, and it WILL become a happy habit!

I'd avoid the store-bought dressings altogether - the bottled AND the little packets (which are mostly salt!). An exception might be Walden Farms products - heard LOTS of good things about them from folks at L&S. There are also quite a few salad recipes at the Cooking Library. Here's a good one from Shannon!!!

This is a BFL-friendly version of a popular chinese cole slaw you may have enjoyed in the past.
Asian Slaw / Chinese Chicken Salad

Dressing
¼ Cup Udos Oil
2 Tbls Rice Vinegar
1 Tbls Lite Soy Sauce
1 Packet Sweet & Low (or other sweetener)

Slaw/Salad Greens
Chopped Green & Red Cabbage
Sliced Green Onion

Optional
1 Soy Marinated Grilled Chicken Breast

Combine ingredients for dressing in a small bowl with a
lid. Cover and shake to blend. Pour 2 TBLS of prepared dressing over chopped cabbage (I use about 1 ½ Cups
chopped) and onion. Toss to coat. Optional: Add 1
serving of sliced chicken (or other favorite protein)
to top the salad. Just add a carb of your choice and voila'! A tasty BFL meal.

Cabbage can be chopped well in advance and stored in
zip-loc baggies. Cold left over chicken really works
great in this recipe. This salad can be dressed hours
ahead of time and it will remain crunchy and fresh.

Take it from me - this one is TRES YUM.

So basically, you want to stay away from added sugars and salts whenever possible...remember that food companies tend to hide sugar in the ingredients list under different names so it won't be the first ingredient listed. Sugar is also known as sucrose, fructose, lactose, corn syrup, high-fructose syrup, dextrose, concentrated apple juice, honey, and a bunch of other names that slip my mind at the moment.

In closing, here are some tips from Pam B:

NUTRITION GUIDELINES

* Never go more than 3 hours between meals – your body will begin to burn muscle rather than fat if you do.

* Always eat a portion of lean protein with every meal. A portion = the size of the palm of your hand. Good sources of lean protein: turkey breast, chicken breast, eggs, lean ham, round steak, fish, shrimp, protein powder, low-fat cottage cheese

* Eat one portion of starchy carbohydrates with most meals. Good sources of carbohydrates: sweet potatoes, yams, brown rice, wheat tortilla, fruit, corn, beans, barley, 100% whole wheat bread, oatmeal.

* Include at least 2 portions of fibrous veggies per day: romaine lettuce, greens, asparagus, green beans, squash, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumber, tomato, peppers, onions, mushrooms.

* Sugar should be avoided. Sugar spikes your body’s insulin level and puts your body into “fat storage” mode. Sugar creates cravings for more sugar.

* One meal per week allow yourself the freedom to go outside the norm and enjoy something you are craving.

[MrsJim]

One more thing - here's the link to TJ's Menu thread from this past Friday:

http://216.97.116.55/cgi-bin/BBS/lea...pl?read=318767

Like Mel sez, TJ starts a new thread every weekday morning - I ENCOURAGE you to read and post to it, she is incredibly helpful!

[JEC]

I have a tattoo on my lower back and no it didn't stretch out of shape either way. My skin has fairly good elasticity but I guess it would depend on when you got it done (whether you were lean or heavy)

Good luck with it all!!

JC