[hmacneil6]

Melanie - It sounds like you are on the right track....congrats! Make sure that you are drinking lots of water as well. And remember is you get hungry you can't go wrong with more veggies. But it looks like you've done your research and are ready to plunge in. Good luck on your journey!

[Fat Melanie]

Thanks Hcmacneil!!!!! I appreciate the support. I'm really excited about doing Phase 1 this time around.

[WarMaiden]

I make my own salad dressings using plain nonfat yogurt as the base. Yogurt + avocado, or yogurt + 1 tbsp mayo + crushed garlic, or yogurt + 1 tbsp mayo + salsa are all very yummy.

[Fat Melanie]

WarMaiden, that sounds good, especially the garlic one, because I love garlic stuff. Thanks for the tip! I will get the hidden valley ranch and also the stuff to make your dressing, so I can switch up dressings, so not to get bored.

[greeneyes490]

I had trouble getting my dairy in until I read here to use sugar free jello crystals for flavoring the plain yogurt and it is really good......and I hate milk but I just found some sugar free chocolate milk syrup at a health food store and have been able to drink about a cup of milk a day now.......so really it is just finding things you like and then not repeating so much that you get sick of it. I would also recommend the turkey bacon or the canadian bacon because it kinda gives you that bacony taste...and at the beginning it is those things I missed the most . I have also been looking through cook books and thinking of ways to convert some recipes that i love and making them SB friendly......have some fun with it.

[zeffryn]

Hey, Mel -

Your menu looks good, but I think you might be better off with turkey bacon or turkey sausage for breakfast. There is some wheat starch and corn starch in the ingredient list. TSP is like TVP though and is ok for P1.

Here is the product detail:
http://www.seeveggiesdifferently.com...ily=934&id=352

Also, I don't know if you've eaten it before....but turkey sausage is better tasting.

I don't know if anyone has mentioned it, but adding a bit more dairy might benefit you.

Other that those things, it looks good! Good luck!

[JulieJ08]

Since you're on a very limited budget, pine nuts are expensive. I wonder if that particular nut makes a big difference in the flavor, or what would be a good substitute.

[KellyLou]

Pine nuts can be pricey...one time I could not find any at the store and I used peanuts in a bag from the baking aisle and they tasted pretty good...and as for your other question...you can just crush them in the bag a little and pour into a bowl...the cheese will help them melt to the chicken

[zeffryn]

I use almonds as a pine nut substitute...

Mel,
I must say that I am proud of you for overcoming all of your diet adversaries! You've been doing a fantastic job exercising all the time and planning for P1! Keep up the good work, girl!