Personally, I'd avoid most bottled salad dressings - even the 'light' or 'fat-free' ones still have lots of sodium and sugar in them.
I like what Steve L. says at Lean & Strong - if you put 100% into BFL, you'll get 100% results (that means eating CLEAN and working out with intensity). If you put 90% effort, you might get 60% results...and it goes down from there.
I can sum it up in five words: HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT? BFL is simple, but in the beginning it's not easy...if you want great results, PLAN AHEAD. Use the Daily Progress Reports and every night, take a few moments to write down the next day's workout and meals. Make sure your kitchen is stocked with clean food - and get rid of the 'unclean' food. I think the reason that Bill made this a 12 week program is to make this way of eating and training second nature. Put your heart into it, and it WILL become a happy habit!
I'd avoid the store-bought dressings altogether - the bottled AND the little packets (which are mostly salt!). An exception might be Walden Farms products - heard LOTS of good things about them from folks at L&S. There are also quite a few salad recipes at the Cooking Library. Here's a good one from Shannon!!!
Quote:
This is a BFL-friendly version of a popular chinese cole slaw you may have enjoyed in the past.
Asian Slaw / Chinese Chicken Salad
Dressing
¼ Cup Udos Oil
2 Tbls Rice Vinegar
1 Tbls Lite Soy Sauce
1 Packet Sweet & Low (or other sweetener)
Slaw/Salad Greens
Chopped Green & Red Cabbage
Sliced Green Onion
Optional
1 Soy Marinated Grilled Chicken Breast
Combine ingredients for dressing in a small bowl with a
lid. Cover and shake to blend. Pour 2 TBLS of prepared dressing over chopped cabbage (I use about 1 ½ Cups
chopped) and onion. Toss to coat. Optional: Add 1
serving of sliced chicken (or other favorite protein)
to top the salad. Just add a carb of your choice and voila'! A tasty BFL meal.
Cabbage can be chopped well in advance and stored in
zip-loc baggies. Cold left over chicken really works
great in this recipe. This salad can be dressed hours
ahead of time and it will remain crunchy and fresh.
Take it from me - this one is TRES YUM.
So basically, you want to stay away from added sugars and salts whenever possible...remember that food companies tend to hide sugar in the ingredients list under different names so it won't be the first ingredient listed. Sugar is also known as sucrose, fructose, lactose, corn syrup, high-fructose syrup, dextrose, concentrated apple juice, honey, and a bunch of other names that slip my mind at the moment.
In closing, here are some tips from Pam B:
Quote:
NUTRITION GUIDELINES
* Never go more than 3 hours between meals – your body will begin to burn muscle rather than fat if you do.
* Always eat a portion of lean protein with every meal. A portion = the size of the palm of your hand. Good sources of lean protein: turkey breast, chicken breast, eggs, lean ham, round steak, fish, shrimp, protein powder, low-fat cottage cheese
* Eat one portion of starchy carbohydrates with most meals. Good sources of carbohydrates: sweet potatoes, yams, brown rice, wheat tortilla, fruit, corn, beans, barley, 100% whole wheat bread, oatmeal.
* Include at least 2 portions of fibrous veggies per day: romaine lettuce, greens, asparagus, green beans, squash, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumber, tomato, peppers, onions, mushrooms.
* Sugar should be avoided. Sugar spikes your body’s insulin level and puts your body into “fat storage” mode. Sugar creates cravings for more sugar.
* One meal per week allow yourself the freedom to go outside the norm and enjoy something you are craving.
