Hi all - I'm in day 6 of my firs week and need some advice. I am not liking the olive oil so need to find a substitute and any salad dressing ideas would be helpful as I can't seem to get myself to eat anymore lettuce . I've tried the Walden dressings and don't care for them much. Have no problem getting more than enough water. I'm having a hard time with the foods so any words of wisdom are greatly appreciated. Thx

Lettuce is unlimited but not required. The 4 c veggies ARE required.
Buy some better olive oil. It really tastes better. I buy mine at a gourmet store.
Have your veggies cooked if you're tired of raw. Stir Frys work great!

The links in the first post of this thread for recipes & for "Fun with Veggie Purées" will be really helpful. Purées are great ways to get your veggies.

hmm...I've been wondering about this. I live in New York City and I walk everywhere. Full days sometimes of hustling from one side of town to the other. My daily commute includes about a mile of walking. My heart rate doesn't generally go up, but do you think I should have an extra packet when we are running around all day?

roasted vegetables are really delicious. Asparagus is season and fantastic roasted. Wash, snap the woody part off of each stem then toss with 1-2 tsp of olive oil, salt (be pretty generous) and pepper, roast at 375 for 10-20 minutes. I like them really well done, when the have browned a bit and gotten very soft. This works for every veg. Cauliflower is beautiful roasted, or steamed as an entire head, i cover it, put a bit of soy sauce over the top and a couple tablespoons of water in the bottom of a bowl, cover it, the nuke it for about 12 minutes then let it sit until it cools. If its fresh, it gets very sweet and has a wonderful soft texture.


anyhoo, in terms of salad dressing, 50/50 lemon juice and olive oil with a chopped clove of garlic, salt and pepper (splash of soy, teaspoon of mustard, pinch of splenda if that's your thing....) really delicious dressing. if you have an immersion blender its great to emulsify and add volume to your dressings which will stretch them further. you can also add, green onion and fresh herbs if you use the immersion blender...

I also do a creamy dressing very similar to above but I sub silken tofu for the oil and add green herbs-- generally cilantro and parsley, garlic, etc.. whatever I have lying around. Its really delicious and you can use it as a sub for mayo...great with chicken or in coleslaw.

I love it too. I add Torani salted caramel to it, and its like they were made for each other!

I track on My Fitness Pal, and I have it set up with daily goals of 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fats. I can usually get pretty close to that most days and I've been maintaining steadily in my 5lb window for 3 months.[/QUOTE]

I cant figure out how to set this up on my iPhone FP app ! :?:

You can only change it on your computer, not the app.

Thanks alot , it was driving me crazy

As Lisa said maybe a better quality EVOO. You can get them infused with a variety of spices that may give you some better flavor. Another option is grapeseed extract.

Personally I've stopped using anything but the IP Sea Salt on my salads. I was doing lemon but it's easier just to keep a small shaker of salt with me in case I'm eating out, a couple of shakes, and munch away.

I find that having some apple cider vinegar mixed with some mrs. dash spices makes for a good "vinaigrette" sotospeak for salads.. other than just using plain oil.

Hi IPeeps,

I see some familiar names & faces :) I am restarting again on wednesday and just trying to get psyched up by reading all the positive. I hope everyone is well. Excited to restart :)

I assume you may not be liking the stronger "olive" taste of olive oil... Even in good quality oils it can have a strong flavor. Look for LIGHT olive oil - it is a light taste NOT light in calories. I use this when I don't want the olive taste to overpower an item.

I would - when my son started kindergarten I had to walk him to and from school (one mile round trip, slow walk with a 6 year old and 3 year old), and I made sure to add an extra packet. Even if you don't have an elevated heart rate, you are burning more calories that need to be replaced.

I like to make my own vegetable broth from those leftover pieces of veggies that I don't eat or chop up to share with the birds. We go through so many vegetables now that I either need to make broth or buy a composter.:)

In Canada we have something called a Caesar which is tomato juice with clam, the us equivelant is a Bloody Mary, anyone know if this would be allowed in phase one as a super restricted?