I've been really enjoying making dressings that incorporate some of my veggies. Here is last night's experiment:
1/4 green chili peppers
smidge of chipotle pepper (it's hot, so be careful)
1/2 c tomatoes
white vinegar
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 TBS olive oil

Throw it all in the blender or food processor and make it smooth. Makes a GREAT taco salad base (and enough for 3-4 servings). Be sure to count the tomatoes in your restricteds for the week.

WELCOME Crystal,
(and apologies to others who have heard me say this before...)
One thing you really want to consider (and what I wish my coach had told me) is that for IP to be successful, you will need to change the way you eat for the rest of your life. This is not just about the weeks or months it takes you to lose the weight. If you finish this plan and then go back to what you used to eat (pasta, bread, sugar) you will gain all the weight back. I can garauntee it.

So, as you move through your IP journey, start thinking about how you are going to change the way your whole family eats, now and forever. For one thing getting away from those foods will mean your kids won't be where you are: overweight. And you are saving them from a future of diabetes, heart disease and all kinds of other illnesses we now know come from a high carb diet.

Please think about/talk this through with your hubby (or wait until you are on plan for a bit and he sees the results ;)). Because committing yourself to success means committing yourself to changing the way you eat FOREVER. And unless you want to eat separate meals for the rest of your life, you should use this time on IP to develop meals/menus that work for your whole family.

My DH and I did this together and our teen daughter needed to have more carbs (she dances 6 hours a day, and is still growing). But we learned to make meals that fit our IP plan, and added some whole grain bread or whole wheat pasta or other "slow carbs" for her.

And now all 3 of us can eat that together (I'm in Phase 4): We moved from dinners that were a PILE of pasta with some sauce and bread on the side, to a big salad, a meaty sauce and a small portion of ww pasta. There are always the "cheat days" in Phase 4, so there are nights we might have a big baked potato with sour cream etc. But that is a once a week event, not our every day food anymore. And the best news? After about 3-4 months you won't even miss it. (I know it's impossible to believe but it's true--after awhile looking at that kind of food will make you feel a little overwhelmed and not in a good way:?:)

And we made a decision to remove all sugar from the house. If she wants something with sugar, it is a "treat" and is not a "grocery item". We are all much healthier for this, and I hope we have taught her some eating habits that will mean she will never end up like me, with 50+ pounds to lose. The best gift I could give her, I think.

So, welcome to the journey. We are here together to help each other!:hug:

Okay, here's my NSV for today:

Before I started IP, I couldn't shop in most of the regular stores unless they had a big & tall section. I end up winning gift cards at work from incentive contests they have, so I always have some Wal-Mart gift cards on hand. I could never use them for clothes, though, because none of the cheap digs at Wally World fit me. I used to joke that my wardrobe was the custom creation of Omar the Tent-maker.

Well, after being on IP a while, I needed some new clothes. All of the old ones got bigger and wouldn't fit me anymore... ;) I was finally able to fit into some of the cheap stuff at Wal-Mart, and so I bought some clothes there that I knew I wouldn't be wearing long. (No Speedos at Wal-Mart, sorry kids!). Well, W-M charges extra, usually a couple of bucks, for larger sizes.

So I went shopping this morning, and just for kicks decided I would try on a pair of dress slacks. I grabbed a pair in a much smaller size than what I've been wearing recently, just to see how close I was to being able to fit into them. When I held them up in front of me in the dressing room I thought, "There's no way these things are going to fit. They're way too small." But when I tried them on...BAM! Perfect fit. It was actually nice to look in the mirror with them on. That alone was a NSV. But it gets better...

They're also a size that's no longer in the "we charge extra for sizes large enough to cover your fat a$$" category. That's when it hit me. I'm turning into a normal person again. Groovy! :D

Yes. Power through the salads. If you weren't used to eating salad before, you won't like it now, especially at first. Eat it anyway. Try every kind of lettuce available, mix them up. Use lettuce to make wraps in place of sandwiches. Try the WF dressings, or look on here for some dressing recipes.

After a while, salad just becomes part of your day. I had a giant salad today for lunch, with a soy sauce/hot sauce dressing I made up. It was incredibly satisfying and enjoyable. But thinking back to my first week on IP, salads weren't very much fun. It gets better, especially if you get creative.

Rocky Monarch- When you put it that way it makes it so much easier to ease into it. I have already started eating some of the recipes on this site to give me an idea what it will be like and I have to be honest, it wasn't half bad. My husband is 6'1 160lbs and LOVES junk food and I know I will never be able to take that from him, so I guess its just up to me to not be tempted by it. I have a beautiful 1 year old daughter that is my world and I don't want her to EVER go through any of the things I have went through. I guess when I am craving sweets I will take a kiss from her instead.

Thank you all for being so upbeat and positive. It really helps people like me who need the help and are a little overwhelmed.

By reading this board, you will get lots of ideas. At the end of Week 1, I gagged when I was eating, but that went away, and now I look forward to my salads and getting creative. It just truly takes some time.

Good luck and Welcome!

Hey all....been away for a few....went to a surprise baby shower in Denver....YEAH! Some fun things-
1. Went to Whole Foods (found black Soy Beans...had chili (SPLURGE!)) No kelp noodles though :(
2. Saw my mom for the first time in 3 months (we live 5 hours away)
3. Avoided cheats (except the cheese and egg they put on my salad that I couldn't pick out!)
.......and most of all.........
4. Got compliment after compliment about how great I looked!

I LOVE IP!!!!!!!! Have a great day all!!!

Way to go on the NSV.

Did anyone ever answer the question about cooking cabbage?

Hey I'd like to know also since I have to find veggies that I like to eat!

Christine

You and I have about the same stats. I'd be very happy to be at the weight you are right now :p Congratulations!

Is this for one serving? I thought we could only have 1 tsp 2x a day. Anyone know for sure?

I think waterchesnuts are a never.

Welcome and it gets better. I was sick of salad in the beginning, but now its lunch and I look forward to a great dinner with my husband. I don't eat salad at dinner (I don't need it I am full without it). I make a great dressing with 1 tsp of evoo, 2-3 tbsp of apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp of djion mustard, 1/3 packet of stevia, and 1 tsp of sea salt....very yummy. Good luck and happy health:carrot:

You may be right. I just checked my list and its not on there at all. I mistook it for Watercress.

I just checked my nutrition site, they are 2g carbs per one piece. :O

No -- it was NOT a good day to be a Broncos fan -- so disappointed in them :( I am so grateful to be on IP -- Between that game yesterday and work -- I have a ton of stress right now and if I didn't have IP I would be trying to eat my way through it. It is definitely keeping me in check on the eating :hun:

this is a LOVELY sentiment and when you get your "ticker" (20 days and 20 posts) this should be your tag line! :D

Where is the "LIKE" button ;-)