Hi Emily,
Answering second question first - yes, we are POP if we eat foods on the consume infrequently list. It is when we eat foods that are not on the approved lists that we fail to be POP. Of course, we need to eat all of our food categories and not exceed the established portion sizes.

Personally, I try to stay away from consume infrequently foods. I tend to think of them as a special treat. It also depends on how well you are losing at a particular time. Since I am getting closer to my real goal, it is harder for me to lose so I have to be more conservative in my food choices. I also have to be more conservative because I am older.

I am sure others will chime in with their views on how often they eat foods on the infrequent list.

Thanks Lynn

I'll echo what Lynn said...

The consume infrequently list comes in handy when better choices aren't available..

They also come in handy as a treat, once every couple of weeks...

Pizza is one of those things for me... Before LAWL, it was a weekly meal.. Now it's maybe once a month, if that... And BOY does it taste good when we get it.. So much better than when we used to eat a lot of it...

I treat it the same way Emily. I enjoy a RF graham cracker every now and then instead of a wasa cracker at lunch. And like Dan, it was hard to give up pizza so I'll work it into plan every couple months bc it's hard for me to stick with two pieces! But you are definitely still POP as long as you count it!

Regarding pizza - My plan only allows 1 piece of pizza. I can't handle stopping at 1 piece so I don't have it unless I have it within the frozen meal guidelines, but even then those varieties are heavy into the bread thing.

Sunday night DH and I went to his favorite pizza restaurant. Luckily, this local gathering place changed locations last year and what used to be my favorite pizza isn't what it used to be for me. With their new ovens, they burn the crust more than I like. The best pizza, for me, is one that we get in Chicago. Anyway, I had a side vegetable salad. I ate my protein before we left home and then had my lite bar around the same time. I am in the "zone" mentally and I have to keep going.....

week 44
LAWL franchise center
Plan 2 with lites
total lost 54 lbs.
Original goal of 50 lbs lost – achieved
New goal to lose total of 65 lbs

I just had a talk w/ my COD about this last week because I find it very difficult to avoid some of the foods on the “consume infrequently” list. I think because I have so many daily servings it’s hard to go more than a day w/o eating something from the list and also getting a variety in. I get 4P, 4V, 3F, 5S, 3D, 3Fa. My biggest struggle is with the protein because I don’t eat fish or much wild game and I can’t eat chicken for every meal (I’m actually starting to turn my nose up at chicken too). My only life saver is using a meal replacement shake or vegetarian proteins, but in the past some of them have slowed my weight loss (like PB or cheese). I also love condiments and most of them are now on the “consume infrequently” list. I always say “if it wouldn’t be for condiments, I’d be skinny”, probably not but it sounds good! It does help that I can now count RF dressing as a fat. I also find it strange that some of the starches the COD wanted me to avoid on the colored plan are not on the “consume infrequently” list. For example I ate oatmeal probably every other morning on the old plan and my COD said that was too “heavy” and I should avoid it all together, but now the new plan basically says the opposite. Same thing w/ potatoes.

Any how, the COD said I was doing nice on mixing up my food and that my diary looked great and that was with using beef probably 2 times a week, an occasional pork tenderloin, 2-3 condiments everyday, and an occasionally bagel or hamburger bun. They didn’t think I was using the foods on the “consume infrequently” list too much. I know when I’m done nursing and my daily services go down I’ll use the foods less, but right now it’s a struggle.

I don’t want to highjack this thread, but whatever happened to Morton Lite Salt? I thought that was “so important” to get in and now I can’t find it mentioned anywhere.

Good question re: Morton salt... i thought it was important because we have to drink so much water, we lose sodium so had to replace it with salt...anyone know?

salt is a condiment...

I'm actually in a different place now that I'm off weight loss. The maintenence book actually gives you a break down of the consume infrequently foods. I think it depends on how you do the infrequently foods. For example I eat regular peanut butter 4-5 times a week, but I'm a food snob and only use the fresh ground from the local organic market. At this point for me R/F grahm crackers are off the infrequent list, they're the one starch that's a major staple now.

As for the protein aspect, I've barely touched beef in over a decade. There's away to vary the protein. I'm constantly munching on the vegertarian options, I incorpoarate nuts and Ricotta Cheese makes an awesome dessert when it''s blended with just about anything.

The Morton's lite is to balance out the potassium that you're not neccessarily getting with a limited diet. 64 ounces of water is not a lot of water, trust me I'm about 116 ounces in so far today. Granted I did 3 floor moves at work, came home jogged for 28 minutes with the dog, then did a 20 minute toning session, I've probably sweated it all out by now.

I have a tidbit on the pizza subject. I always make a nice fat italian style salad, and I make myself eat that before I have my first piece of pizza. Then, I have another small portion before I have my second piece It really works, cuz you begin to feel full even before you take your first bite of pizza. And, Lynn........Chicago has the best pizza EVER!!!

My fav is Giordano's and my second fav is Pizano's.

week 44
LAWL franchise center
Plan 2 with lites
total lost 54 lbs.
Original goal of 50 lbs lost – achieved
New goal to lose total of 65 lbs

Wouldn't it be really easy to make a POP pizza at home that was not on the consume infrequently list?
Forgive me as I have not seen a consume infrequently list yet, but while making my breakie yesterday I thought it would be really easy to make a POP pizza.
1 four inch ww pita, some tomatoes that you squish up, cheese and veggies.

I mean you could really play around with some different herbs and spices, different veggie combinations...

It would be far healthier and perhaps more satisfying than a 'parlor' pizza.