My husband and I are planning on starting LAWL again. We had signed up over a year ago, and ended up backing out of the deal and getting a refund, we felt the cost was too much for us to deal with in our circumstance.
However, we had already bought the take off drink, and some bars, we still had our guides and stuck with it for a while, did great and loved it. My non veggie eating hubby even CRAVED salad after a few weeks.
That went by the wayside when we had to deal with some medical issues for one of our children.
We're ready to start again but we will have to do it without signing up. I don't know if that is frowned upon here, but we simply cannot afford it, one of our children has such medical issues that anything we have "extra" has to work towards those bills and treatments.
I've read about how we can make our own take off juice so that is good.
My questions though are, if anyone can help?:
1. We used Pria and Luna bars after our initial bar purchase ran out and those worked fine. However, I do not want to eat so much soy, does anyone know of a recipe or another bar we could use without the soy?
2. The first time around we grilled all our meat on a Foreman Grill. I'm now in the process of tossing all nonstick cookware from my home and switching to cast iron, does anyone cook with cast iron, and how easy is it to use with cooking the foods? I'm more or less worried about the oils, which kinds and such.
Welcome! And don't worry about doing it on your own-we have many folks here doing that for the same reasons. Just one note of caution that probably wouldn't pertain to you anyway since you have the books-the only thing "frowned upon" is when folks come here asking for copies of the program. 3FC doesn't allow it. Many people have bought the plans off Ebay or found them by other means.
You can still certainly ask questions-and if you search hard enough-you can find the portions for all the plans.
As for your specific questions I can't help-I don't know of any protein bars that aren't made of soy-honestly-don't know how you could make them without it. I would just move up 1 plan to an all food program What color are you on? We can tell you what to add . . . .
And I don't use cast iron-so I'm no help there either . . ..
Feel free to post with any questions you have. Everybody on this site has been SO helpful and supportive. I do go to a center, and if I get any "new" info, I try to pass it along.
I can't help with the soy substitute, or the cast iron. I am currently on an all-food plan.
We had both been put on the Purple Plan when we started. I think we may both weigh a little more now, and the document I have with all the plans suggests Red for the amount of weight I need to lose, about 70-80lbs.
My husband probably needs to lose about 50-60lbs.
I think we'll do purple though since it was what we were started on and I needed to lose I think 65-70lbs at the time.
This document I have with all the plans, I don't remember where I got it, I went back to a food/diet/exercise journal I had and the last time we did LAWL was the summer of 2005. I'm not sure how much has changed since then. Really we need portion control, and for me personal to really cut out the carbs except for those that are in fruits/veggies and whole grains like rice or oatmeal. Its the bread and processed cereals that get me.
For my husband, he simply stops drinking Pepsi and he drops about 20lbs, men are SO lucky!
Welcome! I don't do the cast iron either, but I'm thinking that if you have a seasoned pan, you don't require much oil. Can you still use cooking spray in your cast iron pans? What about one of the misters that you can buy that you put your own oil in? Then you wouldn't be adding much. Also, you can broil, bake and grill your food too.
As for the plans, maybe if you shared your current height/weight we could see if it falls in the ranges that outher purple users are in and/or make suggestions.
I second Juliemarie on the bars. You don't have to use them. And if you are looking to cut out the soy, you can just move up a food plan.
And, yeah, men are lucky like that. We do have a couple of men who post here too, so let your husband know he's welcome to jump in too.
I'm 5'2 and about 210lbs, I'm happy with a weight of about 130.
Hubby is 5'5 and 200lbs, and happy with 130-135lbs.
From what I understand with cast iron I won't need to use any oil, but that would be good right? My biggest concern is how to season the pans, they suggest vegetable oil or crisco, but I won't be using that, I have a child that cannot have soy, and vegetable oil is often soy. I will use coconut or safflower sunflower oil. I usually use olive or safflower for cooking, sometimes coconut. Are those all ok oils for LAWL?
I wouldn't be too concerned the type of oil. First of all, oil is oil calorically speaking, and even if it's a bit different, your family's health comes first and I can't imagine you having difficulty losing weight over an extra teaspoon of it here and there.
Both of you are close to my weight and height, so I would think that you would be on purple with bars. If you don't do the bars, you would be on red, which is one more starch and 1/2 protein. It's the same portion sizes as the purple plan.
My mom has used cast iron all her life and still uses oil or (GASP!) bacon fat to "grease it up".. If not, your eggs will stick and so will your fish... Salmon, being a bit more fatty, might not be as big a hassle..
I would just use a nice squirt of PAM or other cooking spray.. Why are you getting rid of the non-stick, if you don't mind me asking?
Welcome by the way.. As far as the bars go.. A lot of people here don't even use them, so if you're worried about the soy, see how it goes for a while without...
I would just use a nice squirt of PAM or other cooking spray.. Why are you getting rid of the non-stick, if you don't mind me asking?
I feel Teflon isn't healthy with the chemicals used to process the non stick and would rather go with a tried and true cooking set, plus the extra iron from the cast iron is always good
Sadly, we won't be eating much fish, I love it, but too much mercury
Here you go, Dan- I don't think you can use this as too much of an excuse though
pasted:
Fish and shellfish are an important part of a healthy diet. Fish and shellfish contain high-quality protein and other essential nutrients, are low in saturated fat, and contain omega-3 fatty acids. A well-balanced diet that includes a variety of fish and shellfish can contribute to heart health and children's proper growth and development. So, women and young children in particular should include fish or shellfish in their diets due to the many nutritional benefits.
However, nearly all fish and shellfish contain traces of mercury. For most people, the risk from mercury by eating fish and shellfish is not a health concern. Yet, some fish and shellfish contain higher levels of mercury that may harm an unborn baby or young child's developing nervous system. The risks from mercury in fish and shellfish depend on the amount of fish and shellfish eaten and the levels of mercury in the fish and shellfish. Therefore, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are advising women who may become pregnant, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children to avoid some types of fish and eat fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury.
By following these 3 recommendations for selecting and eating fish or shellfish, women and young children will receive the benefits of eating fish and shellfish and be confident that they have reduced their exposure to the harmful effects of mercury.
1. Do not eat Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, or Tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury.
2. Eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury.
* Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish.
* Another commonly eaten fish, albacore ("white") tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna. So, when choosing your two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of albacore tuna per week.
3. Check local advisories about the safety of fish caught by family and friends in your local lakes, rivers, and coastal areas. If no advice is available, eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) per week of fish you catch from local waters, but don't consume any other fish during that week.
Follow these same recommendations when feeding fish and shellfish to your young child, but serve smaller portions.
Some Questions
Feel free to post with any questions you have. Everybody on this site has been SO helpful and supportive. I do go to a center, and if I get any "new" info, I try to pass it along. 
I know practically nothing about the fish issue...
