I have been on IP for 10 days now and so far have been doing GREAT! I have lost 15 lbs and feel amazing! I tried the Big mac in a bowl the other night and loved it, but then had it again last night and did something horribly wrong! I just couldn't choke it down, so I set it aside and figured I had a pretty good day that it would be too bad to just skip that meal... Well now for lunch I made myself a bowl of "rice" cereal, with the vanilla pudding and riced cauliflower... well it made SOO much and it tastes really really gross! I dont want to skip another meal two days in a row, so I am sitting here trying to gag it down I am thinking I might have to try and only eat half of it... Any suggestions?? I have loved almost all of the IP foods so far! But so far these creations are failing miserably! :P

Pick things you are sure you'll like! Do you LIKE cauliflower?
I did REALLY well adding veggie purees to the cream soups. Those savory flavors are more in line with my favorites PLUS I was trying to stay away from having everything sweet. I'm trying to NOT teach myself to want sweet all of the time.
The vanilla rice pudding isn't a recipe I'd make but I do LOTS of savory things with cauliflower (cooking some to mash right now!)
Instead of the the Big Mac bowl, my preference is a taco salad bowl. I like my meat seasoned with cumin, garlic, chili powder, onion flakes, to make taco meat & then I have that over lettuce with green onions. If I need to add more veggies (never a prob for me to get in enuf veggies) I add cucumber and celery.
Just play with it and find what works best for you!

Yeah, I never ventured into the "rice" pudding recipe myself, the thought of vanilla cauliflower kinda turned me off

Definitely keep trying stuff - you are going to find recipes you love, and some you will gag down and never try again. (I could never get the pudding waffles right, tried a couple of times and ended up choking down a half cooked mush mess) Trial and error will eventually give you a great arsenal of go-to meals that will carry you through all of your weight loss! Don't give up!

Love the new avatar, holy sh**- is that really you!!

Amazing what losing 60 lbs will do for a girl, isn't it? (and a professional hairstyle after a cut)
Thanks!

I had issues about 2 weeks ago and couldn't deal with the texture of the veggies. The purée saved me! Try it out.

You look great!!

Whoa, you look like a totally different person! I love the haircut and the color! Your dedication has really paid off--good for you!

If you're looking to eat cauliflower, try it roasted in the oven. YUM! I eat this at least 2-3 times per week. I don't like raw cauliflower at all, but roasting it totally transforms it. Toss it in olive oil, add some garlic powder, onion powder and sea salt, spread in a single layer on at pan and bake at 450 for about 15 minute.
I've tried roasting many strange veggies while on IP, and some were flops, but this one is a winner for me.

Do you like canned tuna? I occasionally make a tuna salad--mix a 5 oz can with two hard boiled egg whites, some diced onion and diced dill pickles. Then I toss it with mustard and about 1 tsp of WF mayo. (I think the WF mayo is pretty gross on it's own, but it can add creaminess to some things). I've also made it with just mustard. At first it was strange to eat tuna with mustard instead of mayo and dill pickes instead of sweet relish, but I really like it.

Keep at it, keep experimenting, and you'll build a repertoire of stuff you'll enjoy eating.

My first two or so weeks were horrible! I made the mistake of trying what others liked instead of thinking what I liked (in the fat world) and tweaking it to make it IP friendly. Just give it time...you'll have to find your groove...once you do you'll be so happy and love IP even more!!!

One of my great find (realized in maintenance) is a protein shake with spinach. Not a huge deal but it helps me get 1/2 of my daily veggies through a straw!

I tried Big Mac in a bowl..first time loved it and after that can't stomach it. My problem with it is I love cheese on my hamburgers, real ketchup and a bun. There's nothing about it that I like... Bummer because it is a god send for so many others...

So, you'll just figure it out as you go...

Just want to ask if anyone has tried the Mt. Olive sweet pickle relish? Its great in tuna salad...it is sweetened with splenda, and I believe meets all the "0" criteria for things permitted to add....there is no sugar in a number of their products.

Well, not quite.
It is 0 sugar 0 fat but 1 g carb in 1 Tbsp.
It IS pickles so I've used and counted as part of my veggies, but NOT as a 0/0/0
That's just me, tho. The sheet says "dill pickles"

Thanks so much! The color is mine. But my stylist is awesome on the styling. Love him! Plus all the compliments he gave me today!
BTW: My 72 year old mom has hair about my color and hardly any gray. Can't complain about those genes!

Ooops! Sorry, I thought your original post said, "cut and color". Well, the color is beautiful, and you're right-lucky you, can't complain about those genes. I can't say the same. I got my first grays in my early 20's. Now, I have to spend quality time with Ms. Clairol every 2 months or so!

I'm really happy to hear about the relish! Thank you.... I'm gonna try and find it. I really like tuna and can add onion egg white and relish, that would be really good.

You're doing well if you love most of the IP foods so far. I can only really eat about 5 things, and the rest I just don't like at all, so I just do use the few packets I really, really enjoy. And I think that like Lisa wrote, if you are creative with spices you can create variety that will help tremendously. I think finding just a few great meals you look forward to and enjoy will see you through. It's the experimenting phase right now, you'll discover what works.
Try the "pudding cake" recipe. That seems to go over really well with most folks.