I just wanted to run this by any of you who wouldn't mind taking the time to see how my DAY ONE was yesterday.... (PURPLE)...

Bkfst: Kashi cereal 3/4 w/ skim (6 oz)
1 cup mixed cut up fruit
decaf coffe with rest of skim (2 oz)

snack: LA Lite

Lunch: lt. bread 1 slice; 5 oz fresh carved turkey, mixed steamed vegs, with butter spray (ICBNB 5 sprays); 2 tbspooons of FF thousand island (on the bread instead of mayo)

snack: NONE

Dinner: grilled (YUMMY) swordfish about 7 oz (out to eat); small part of baked potato; spinach sauteed maybe?? oil?

From what I jotted down... I had one too many starches; missed 1 LA Lite; and missed 2 fruits.

any thoughts?

Comments:

1c fruit - Make sure that all the fruit is of the 1c=1Fr variety otherwise you may want to make it 3/4c

It was really hard for me to get used to 3 fruits a day too since I normally didn't eat one. Plan to add one at lunch and maybe as a morning snack. You will get into the habit of having them soon enough.

Have you found the 4" whole wheat pitas? You can split them and make a sandwich.

You were one ounce under on your turkey and one ounce over on your swordfish (it's on the first fish list), so I guess you came out ok with that.

When I go out to dinner I usually save a fat because I figure they always cook something in it so using the sauteed spinach as a veggie and fat was good.

But all in all your menu looks good. As you get more comfortable with the plan you will see just how creative you can get.

BIZ, thanks!!

I am soooooooo going to buy those 4" whole wheat pitas! awesome! i love that... cause, it reeeeeally was a bummer to hold my turkey on top of my bread without a topper LOL!! I had two-halves like that because I wanted to have it last a little longer rather than scoffing it down as a half sandwich, ya know what I mean?


I appreciate your feedback!!!!!!!!! HUGS!!!!!

I feel better about yesterday now and funny, even more encouraged that I CAN do this!! I guess I am one of those types that need that "confirmation" from time to time...

You're an angel to help everyone!!

Janeen - You are too sweet. Actually helping everyone helps me stay on track. If I'm here, then I'm usually staying on plan.

One of my favorite lunches is two veggie burgres open-faced on the 4" pita and then I put a bit of BBQ sauce on each half. Add a salad and some celery or carrots and it's a great lunch.

And the Laughing Cow lite cheese wedges are really good on bagels and in celery.

all very yummy ideas!
where do you get veggie burgers though?
you MAKE them???? if so, I'm moving in with you! LOL

Heck no!!! They're in the frozen section at your grocery store. Check the frozen organic section. I like Gardenburger original and Morningstar Farms grilled veggie burgers the best, but I will buy whatever is on sale. And I like the veggie chicken nuggets too. Whenever we treat DS to a happy meal I always ask for hot mustard and extra of it so that I can dip my nuggets in it. I use about 1/2 the package and COD said I could count it as a condiment. It's high in sodium and I don't do the nuggets that often, but it does take care of the craving when it comes about.

Janeen - When I go out to eat, I plan to use a fat (like cassi said) and I usually plan for a starch, because between the bread or the potato or the rice, something is gonna get me.

Also, just a tip that I got from the COD way back when, I try to get my fruits in before dinner, so I will have one at b'fast, one at lunch and one at midday.

Cassi is (in my opinion and many other of us!) the menu guru, so listen to her!

Kim you are just my favorite person today. Thank you!

I love the laughing cow lite cheeses. I normally have that on celery for snacks. The french onion is my personal favorite.

There is a vegetarian here at work that is trying to convert everyone. She brought in some tacos made with "protein crumbles" (HVP - Hydrogenated Vegetable Protein or something like that). She warms it up and mixes the taco seasoning with the liquid first and adds it to the meat. They swear it tastes the same as meat. Have you ever tried that? I also noticed in the book it says use that stuff sparingly, why?

TVP = Textured Vegetable Protein.

I think that is so funny. in the book it says if you are vegetarian that you can still choose off of the real meat lists. but at the top of the real meat lists it says you can use off the vegetarian list but to do so sparingly. Ok, someone has to explain to me why that is. The vegetarian choices are lower in fat, and healthier in alot of ways. I mean. the whole reason people become vegetarian is be become more healthy, they don't do it because they say "I would really love to eat real meat, but I just love the taste of tofu too much and would miss it" So why is it that the meat eaters can only have the healther vegetarian choices in moderation.

but anyway. TVP is a soy poduct. made fro soy beans. it is fat free when purchased in the dehydrated form, but you can also get it frozen and that has added fats and salt. it really is the same stuff everything else is made of. - veggie hotdogs, chicken nuggets, burgers, etc. they just change the seasonings and make it a different shape. I love the stuff. it is cheep, fat free, and you get more of it than real meat!

Lettie

I will stop off at the grocery store tonight and grab some and maybe have a taco salad without the chips! I've been missing mexican food and this way maybe I won't be getting off plan to have it. The book says you can have 1/2 a tortilla, would 4 chips be going off?

Cassi - Here's a question for you oh mighty menu queen (ya might wanna add that to your profile - you've been crowned). Tell me if this sounds legal. Store bought pico de gallo (1 carton they sell it in the produce section), 1 can black beans (drained), 1 spoonful of light sour cream. Not sure how many portions are contained there but the recipe in itself sounds legal. I'm guessing 1 veggie 1 dairy? Portion size maybe 1 cup? OK wait - are the beans legal? I'm not seeing them in my book but maybe I'm just overlooking them.

Does anyone every watch Robin Miller's show on Foodnetwork? (quick fix meals weekdays at 2:30) I tape it and watch at night. I like most of her recipes and they seem like they'd be on plan for the most part.

I was told not to mix the protein w/meat and beans. but... here's my version:

2 Morningstar Farms spicy black bean burgers, cut up in pieces (P)
3c lettuce (V)
5 scallions (V)
9 black olives (Fa)
2oz rf shredded sharp cheddar cheese (D)
1 hard taco shell, toasted and crumbled (S)
1 1/2T rf sour cream and 1 1/2T salsa (3 condiments)

You can omit the olives if you don't want to use your fat and use 1oz cheese if you don't want to use your whole dairy. And sometimes I leave out the taco shell if I've already had my starches. But I will say that once you try it this way it tastes just like it came from a restaurant.

One of my other salad tricks is I bought a salad chopper blade. It's basically a metal rectangle that's a little sharp on one side. I put everything in a big bowl and chop it with the blade. It mixes everything together and you get it chopped and all the dressing (salsa and sour cream) mixed on everything. It makes your salads like the salad creations places in the mall food court.

Sounds delicious. I only have 1/2 protein left and no starch for the day but I have 4 veggies, 3 fruits and one dairy. This is a problem I'm having with this diet. I get the good stuff in real quick but the healthy stuff is my challenge.

I think I can get it all in with one nice salad. I will do lettuce, scallions, celery and cucumber I think. Then add 1/2 the protein in.

The pico/black bean/sour cream thing is a whole different ball game. It's actually supposed to be a sauce served on fish tacos but I made it(pre-diet) and ate it as a salad by itself. Were my counts right and does it sound like a legal salad? What are beans counted as?

Beans are a vegetarian protein. On purple and red 2c = 1P so with your 1/2P left you would still get a good sized portion.

I try to limit the beans because I think my body treats them as a starch. I tend to lose a little slower when I have them. Like when I make a few servings of something and have it a few times that week for lunch or something.

By the way... check out the 7 layer salad in the recipe section. I've been wanting that. I may make it for lunch next week w/some veggie burgers.

Dang I'm getting hungry.

WOW!!!! WHAT WONDERFUL IDEAS HERE!!!!! I think before I go food shopping this weekend, I am going to refer to THIS thread again!!! awesome!!

thank you!!