Hi all

Question about pickles and lettuces that are NOT romaine or iceberg

Do pickles count towards your veggie quota for the day (am I being optimistic here??)

And if I eat lettuces like arugula or mixed baby greens, do this count towards the veggie quota?

Some days I find it super easy to get all my veggies in but other days I struggle more...

And thanks so much for all the wonderful knowledge in all of these boards! I have learned so much!

Before IP, my go to dressing was EVOO/balsamic/herbs. I may switch it up and use your dressing every other time. I like the WF, but all that stuff leaves a weird chemically sugary taste that I'm not fond of. I'm only in my second week but the home scale has not moved all week. I know, I shouldn't be so dependent on the scale, it's a hard habit to break. I took my own measurements when I started so I'll do that again this weekend and hopefully the changes will be there.

BTW, congrats on your losses and the 28 jeans! Yay!

Happy Friday y'all! Today is my weigh in day, I go at lunch time. My home scale has been generous this week, hope that the "official" scale is as well.

I was talking to a friend yesterday about IP and I was telling her that I had to do something about my weight and that I cannot go off plan for the weekend because I want to get to my goal as fast as possible. I was explaining that at the weight that I was I did not want to go out or see people anyways because I did not feel comfortable, and faster I get to my weight I can have fun one day a week and we can party together again. I did not feel up to partying at 187lbs anyways and purposely excluded myself from social situations. (when I say "partying", I mean going out with our husbands, and having a bottle or two of wine together, not dancing on table tops LOL).

Pukka: Some coaches say pickles are a "freebie" and others don't. I don't count my 1 pickle a day towards my veggies. Arugula and mixed baby greens do count towards your veggies though!

If you're having problems getting your veggies in try some of the recipes that have zucchini in muffins or cookies, rhubarb in puddings or oatmeal or (my favorite) just cook up some spinach - one cup cooks down to about 6 bites!

Hi All,

I am asking on behalf of my friend -- so i figured i would start here. Is there a Vegetarian option or list of alt foods in comparison for those who are Vegetarians that are wanting to go this route?

Just made my first IP pancakes!! They were soooo good!! I used a Lemon pudding packet with a splash of vanilla extract!! Wow! The lemon flavor was very light & it made me think of Spring!!!

I believe if you use the search option, you will come up with some very informative threads!!

I just kinda want to complain for a minute and then I'll shut up; I am bored with eating. I know I have to do it, but the process of chewing is really bothering me today. Same thing with drinking. I do it because I have to. Maybe that sounds a little crazy? I don't know maybe I'm just crazy. As much as the prospect of losing weigh excites me, the thought of putting anything in my mouth is about as exciting as watching paint dry. I think the food is good though. I waited until 10 this morning to eat my breakfast and I was good and hungry too, but for some reason as of late, I'd rather be hungry than to put another bite of anything in my mouth. This is my second time around doing this diet, all alts this time, but I seriously don't remember feeling like this the first time around. Has anyone else felt like this?

On another note, being it's lent and no meat on Friday and all, I did make some delicious egg drop soup for lunch, I just don't want to eat it.

AnaBanana, I hear ya. I was actually thinking about this last night. Obviously everyone here wants to snap their fingers and be done. Not eating hurts your body just as much as food can. If you don't eat, your body will go into starvation mode. It's important to eat within a few hours of waking. Your body needs it. I really do understand where you're coming from though about not wanting to eat. To just be done with the diet and be done with the restrictions. I was thinking about how I used to love to cook (I still do) but being so restrictive begins to take a toll on you. My friends as well. We all used to cook together all the time. While yes, we do have a lot of veggies to choose from, 'dressing them up' seems to be difficult for everyone to decide. Especially when I feel like I'm overpowering them with my way of eating... everytime. Sometimes I feel like I'm limiting them and they may not want all those restrictions.

i did that but i couldn't find what i am looking for -- which is a listing of Alt. products for Vegetarians (Vegans)

I am in a similar boat AnaBanana11. I'm a grazer and sitting down to 2 cups of veggies to eat in a short period of time is outside my norm. Plus, I love salads but I feel like its just been too cold. Today I decided to make a game out of it and ate 2 cups of raw Kale while I completed a task at work. It worked. Little steps to change habits will help. Also not watching TV in real time so I can ff thru food commericals :-)

There is a list of protein substitutes, but I have never seen one for products.
She will need to look at the labels. What she needs to look out for is gelatin and the one coloring made from seafood that I can't remember the name of.

I can tell you most of the IP ones, but not the alternates. I do know that Healthsmart brand uses gelatin as some of the protein in many of their drinks.
I know that any of the wafers--the ProtiThin brand is identical to IP except for the flavors, and that product does contain gelatin.

One of the surprises is that some soups, like chicken soup do not contain chicken.

If she goes to one of the popular sites, picks the foods she likes and read the labels, I'm sure she will be able to find some go-to products. She can then order a couple weeks of those and take a little time to each reorder to investigate a few new products if she isn't happy with or tired of the ones she picked.

Good Friday Morning!

Ok this morning again I cut my little IP omelet in half, placed each half on a lettuce leaf, added 1 slice of tomato and onion and drizzle of home made dressing, along with 1 cup of coffee and I had NO desire to nibble or eat until just now when I made my lunch.

This is AWESOME for me. Being a grazer this has helped me

I also have 1 oz of fish from last night so I made a small fish taco to go with my soup and broccoli

this is good day for me so far HOT DIGGITY DOG!

I always so enjoy your posts. I just was thinking at your height, you must be looking super good. Keep up the good work & positive posts for other IPeeps

Thank you. I will recommend she do that. She is sensitive to certain products even being a vegetarian its hard for her to find food that she can eat without going full vegan. I do not believe she is at that point in her life where she can commit going full vegan.