I feel like I should preface everything I say with "I'M MAINTAINING AND UNDER 30 AND MY TDEE IS 2200" but I am pretty relaxed with condiments and I think most people can "afford" to be less strict with them unless we're talking pure oil or bleu cheese creamy dressing or very large avocados. I also always advocate for dipping the fork instead of pouring the dressing on - much easier to add than to subtract!

I haven't dabbled in condiments for the past 3 weeks. I miss my mayo...hah. But I'm just not much of a mustard person. My top favorite sauces are probably Chic-filet sauce (drool) and horseradish sauce.

Avocado on toast is fantastic though. And much healthier.

Condiments are huge. I agree with the posts to use full fat dressings never low fat ones.

Two main reasons. The fat will help you absorb all the awesome nutrients in the veggies. Second the fat will satiate you a lot. Third one of course the carbs replacing the fats in low fat versions will just wreak havoc with weight loss attempts.

I love using mustard now. Lots of good turmeric. ALWAYS read ketchup bottles. Get organic if you can. Much richer and tastier than other types and better. But at least get one without HFCS.

And try to always have ketchup on the side so you can dip stuff in and control portions.

In terms of wraps, I've been spreading a thin layer of either hummus or baba ghanouj on my wrap, then spread 1/4th of an avocado, then add my veggies.

And for ketchup, you can buy no sugar added ketchup. I don't really use ketchup except on veggie burgers during the summer.

Originally Posted by canadjineh:
Yeah, but the problem is I can eat a whole avocado in one sitting easy, while I don't even like mayo thinly spread on a sandwich. :o To me avocado is actually a food, one I could eat spoons of, while condiments - not so much.
Liana

But to others it can serve as a condiment. Personally I think a condiment is anything that adds moisture or a sauce like quality. Even if you were to eat a whole large avocado that's like 350cal, I'd rather spend the calories on that instead of croutons.

I don't eat avocado. Not because I think they are good or bad for you it is because no matter how often I try them I do not like their flavor.

Larry -I'm pretty sure that, in the cosmic scheme of things, I eat my share AND your share of avocados (and 2 or 3 more people's shares as well), so the world is balancing itself out by having you dislike them. :)

I put avocado on breakfast toast the way other people use jam. nom nom nom

Originally Posted by Larry H:
I don't eat avocado. Not because I think they are good or bad for you it is because no matter how often I try them I do not like their flavor.

I used to feel that exact same way about avocado! I couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about. But then one day it just clicked and I started loving it. The same thing happened with bananas, sushi, duck, salads, blueberries and hummus. I could literally eat sushi every day.

I eat up to 1 avocado every day.

Originally Posted by nelie:
I add avocado :)

Avocado makes everything better :carrot:

Larry- I read that online as well! I wonder what it is? I have stopped using Prego and I feel a lot better.

Avocados, don't really do much for me. I honestly eat them because my mom swears one day I'll change my mind, they aren't gross but the taste doesn't have much appeal to me.

I think I'm going to invest in some good measuring spoons and measure out everything just to see how it goes. I usually eyeball it, and I know I've done that before and neglected adding about 500 cals into my food diary (pretty awful estimations on my end!)

I think from all the sauces, creamers might be the hardest for me. Drinking the hazelnut creamers with my coffee satisfies my sweet tooth and helps me when I'm studying. But I know the creamer + salad dressing could probably be a lot more volume in food (calories wise) I guess I have to pick my battles one at a time.

I'm definitely trying to yogurt + salsa combo that sounds amazing!

Originally Posted by Wannabeskinny:
I used to feel that exact same way about avocado! I couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about. But then one day it just clicked and I started loving it. The same thing happened with bananas, sushi, duck, salads, blueberries and hummus. I could literally eat sushi every day.

You and me, both. I grew up in avocado country and used to dislike them. Then I tried them again as an adult, with salt, and fell in love. Now I can eat half an avocado per day and that's limiting myself :o

Sushi... One of the very, very few foods I miss in going low carb and grain free. Once per year, on my birthday, I usually go for epic amounts of good sushi as my 'cheat' meal. That, and cold stone icecream cakes :D. And then I spend a week losing he water weight from all that!

This is a little off topic, but do any of you indulge in sweet things to satisfy a craving?? Sometimes I want something sweet (I stay away from citrus fruits bc of my reactions) but what about shelf items?

Like those 100 cal packs? I want to buy them when I see them, but I feel like I'll be "reminded" of the flavor and crave more. Dark chocolate? I've seen organic options everywhere but they're so high in calories, I'd never lose weight!

I buy dark chocolate bars and at one point, I had some every night. Dark chocolate is pretty rich so you only need a little. I'd eat 50 to 100 calories worth. I have it occasionally now but I always keep dark chocolate in the house in case I want a little treat.

I love to make my own dressings & sauces (my favorite lately goes well with this thread: avocado and greek yogurt with some spices) but don't have much time... so usually just splash on some fig infused balsamic vinegar I found and am addicted to. I find if I put enough interesting stuff on the salad and a little of this vinegar, I am happy.

BUT you can work dressing in if that is what you want. Just account for the calories and measure because a little dressing can add a lot of calories!

I gave up on most dressings when I realized that I had the same calories in the chicken breast on my plate as in the spoonful of dressing on the salad!

I have found some dressings that are low-fat and healthier, but still good. I like Newman's own balsamic vinaigrette. Just read labels and try things.

hhm6 I started measuring my creamer, I love the stuff, even though for a long time I just used half and half, not sue why I got into the sweet stuff, anyway, I started measuring my creamer and have gotten down to one tablespoon in my coffee, so back to not so sweet, sometimes is use a tbsp. of creamer and a tbsp. of half and half.

Some treats that might satisfy the sweet tooth, mini tootsie rolls, Hershey's kiss, they make dark chocolate ones, mini York peppermint patties.

best to you :sunny:

I am eating clean as well, or at least as clean as I can! I make my own dressing. Spoonful of plain greek yogurt, a little dijon mustard, some garlic powder and salt...oh an a little little bit of water just to thin it out...whisk it and its like ranch dressing...if I'm not adding avocados to my salad I will *** EVOO tothe dressing to get that healthly fat. I also use various vinager and such... I just google all these ideas, many ideas on line for clean, sugar free dressings. No more bottled stuff, its too loaded with sugar and such. I dont measure now as I'm still far from goal, but as I get closer I will be more mindful of how much I'm using.

I can't eat avocado or hummus.

I used to eat a tub of hummus and guacamole a day with my salad as part of my diet until I hit 170lbs. Then they stalled me out. So they had to go. I replaced them with scrambled eggs.

Then the eggs had to go...

Long story.

So all my fat comes from oily fish. Nice.

With regards to salad dressing, try apple cider vinegar. If it's too strong, you can dilute it with water. Olive oil and coconut oil are also good, if that fits with your plan. My weaknesses are ranch dressing and BBQ sauce, but I do Atkins, so I work those in.

For sweets, I do dark chocolate. Usually somewhere between 8-20 grams, which is a prett small amount but enough to scratch the itch. I'll also do some frozen berries, or a coffe drink sweetened with stevia and sucralose, or even guzzle some diluted Crystal Lite. For special/rare occasions I'll make homemade, plan appropriate desserts like low carb icecream.

My daily dose of sweet comes from my coffee and dark chocolate and yes, it's about 200-250 calories between those two, but well worth it to factor into my eating. It hits the spots, satiates me, and keeps me from feeling deprived. That combo is really crucial since I've been doing this for half a decade and will continue for the rest of my life!

Was my post removed? How can i tell?

Another idea. How do you feel about salads without lettuce? We do a lot of cucumber and tomato salads. I use either VERY thinly sliced cucumber, or sliced tomato, sprinkle on a little salt, then add balsamic vinegar and let it soak for about 10 minutes, toss, then serve. My husband loves it, too. You can also do cucumber and tomato together, and you can try out other flavored vinegars. Plain white vinegar is not so good (not bad, just boring), but pomegranate vinegar, red wine vinegar... lots of choices out there! Vinegar has very little fat and calories. For some reason straight vinegar on a lettuce based salad with no oil or anything is very unimpressive to me, but I do love other cucumbers and tomatoes with just vinegar!

You could also do a Greek salad. You say you're not a big fan of oil and vinegar dressings, but what about for a Greek salad, where oil and vinegar is the standard dressing? When we have Greek salad, I just toss together lettuce, sliced tomato, sliced cucumber, sliced bell pepper, Greek olives, and some feta cheese, then we top our own plates with olive oil and red wine vinegar. So yummy! Of course you'll need to watch how much oil, olives, and cheese you use, but those are all good things and I don't feel the need for much olive oil on Greek salad.

As for sweets, I don't have that much of a sweet tooth, but if I want something sweet and fruit doesn't cut it, I do have a little treat. One (small) square of chocolate, or 5 M&Ms, or 3 of the new Mini Starbursts. I let myself have a sweet treat once a day if I want, and that usually ends up being about a third or half of the days.

Originally Posted by Pattience:
Was my post removed? How can i tell?

You can't tell, but I can. No posts have been removed from this thread.

(And just FYI, we prefer if you have questions about mod activities and you think something has been removed, we prefer you PM a mod.)

Originally Posted by :
Another idea. How do you feel about salads without lettuce? We do a lot of cucumber and tomato salads. I use either VERY thinly sliced cucumber, or sliced tomato, sprinkle on a little salt, then add balsamic vinegar and let it soak for about 10 minutes, toss, then serve.

I am doing this more and more. I still have some argula and spinach but in place of a lot of greens I am eating kimchi and seaweed. Delicious.

Sorry nelie i couldn't be bothered hunting down a mod etc. I just thought i had posted on this thread. I don't know who the mods are.

Lettuce is just one salad ingredient. I eat salads without lettuce all the time, including tonight which was a lentil and beetroot and cooked green beans salad with some cheese in it. It was a big meal actually.

Originally Posted by IanG:
I am doing this more and more. I still have some argula and spinach but in place of a lot of greens I am eating kimchi and seaweed. Delicious.

Seaweed salads and kimchi are two of my favorite ways to eat salads. So delicious and really good for you as well!

As for condiments, I am trying to be better but I am a girl who loves her mayonnaise. I always argue, "mayo is low carb! Pile it on!" And I know I need to be better; been trying more mustards and horseradish/wasabi mixes. Same goes with salad dressings; love ranch, blue cheese, etc. I've been trying more oils (like avocado or coconut) and vinigars and it's alright!

I also like a good asian dressing made with sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce and ginger, sometimes I add a touch of peanut butter too yum!!

I love salads without lettuce! Recently I've been eating thinly sliced cucumber, avocado, slivered red onion with vinegraitte. It's awesome!!!

Shaved fennel, apple slices, pecans, pommegranate seeds, orange and lemon juice vinegraitte.

Roasted beets, goat cheese, pine nuts, balsamic dressing.

Broccoli and carrot slaw

I could go on forever.

Originally Posted by Pattience:
Sorry nelie i couldn't be bothered hunting down a mod etc. I just thought i had posted on this thread. I don't know who the mods are.

You did post on this thread, it was on page 2.

For desserty type thing I like frozen bananas with a schmear of peanut butter.

Originally Posted by Wannabeskinny:
Even if you were to eat a whole large avocado that's like 350cal, I'd rather spend the calories on that instead of croutons.

heheheh, totally agree, especially since I have to eat gluten free, but right now when I am sooo close to goal the 350 cal avocados might make the difference. I've never been a goopy condiment person anyhow. I didn't even like drippy or messy stuff when I was a kid. I've always done the 'dip your fork then spear the salad' style too; most dressings can overpower the delicate flavours of some salads.
Liana

Being a Ranch dressing freak.

Fat free Greek yogurt, home raised onion, chives, garlic, low fat buttermilk. I've got Ranch! Woo hoo!

I like mayo, so I go with the fat free. I love Ketchup! I eat it, but a serving or so, only a few times a week. Mostly because my food choices, don't call for it.

Mustard, yay! Comes in all kinds of flavors.

Horse radish, I use, but careful. I get home grown from a friend. It could be used by the military, it's so potent.

Home made dressings and dips, are actually not that hard to make and or invent, depending on your taste, just takes some experimenting.

If you have to have the full fat version, make your salad or whatever, and take a small portion, put the whole thing in a big bowl with a lid and shake the heck out of it to spread the dressing around. You'd be surprised how far a little will go, if you shake it up!:D

So just for the heck of it, today I tried eating salad with a dressing that was a thinner consistency than I'm used to (Italian dressing) could not stand it. Then tried vinegar/evoo blend thing I have, still didn't like it, so then I struggled to eat down this weird liquid-y salad I had lol but yeah lesson learned!!

I felt so unsatisfied and kept craving stuff so I think I'm going to try making dressings with greek yogurt and see how that pans out. Or I'm going to reduce to regular fat dressings to the bare minimum and get used to it. I got used to a lot of things, so this shouldn't be too hard right?!

Thank you all for the suggestions! You guys are fantastic! (and wow some of the stuff you guys eat sound amazing!! I feel like I'm missing out :))

I'm crazy about condiments and usually leave some space for them each day. I've tried to cut out some but honestly I love them so much I couldn't ever get rid of them completely lol

Originally Posted by hhm6:
So just for the heck of it, today I tried eating salad with a dressing that was a thinner consistency than I'm used to (Italian dressing) could not stand it. Then tried vinegar/evoo blend thing I have, still didn't like it, so then I struggled to eat down this weird liquid-y salad I had lol but yeah lesson learned!!

I felt so unsatisfied and kept craving stuff so I think I'm going to try making dressings with greek yogurt and see how that pans out. Or I'm going to reduce to regular fat dressings to the bare minimum and get used to it. I got used to a lot of things, so this shouldn't be too hard right?!

Thank you all for the suggestions! You guys are fantastic! (and wow some of the stuff you guys eat sound amazing!! I feel like I'm missing out :))

A liquidy salad dressing is something that you can get used to. I'm just saying it to be supportive. It's just a mind set to tell you the truth, in Europe I've never had a salad that has gloopy dressing on it and they survive just fine. I don't know why here in America a salad is not a salad unless it's swimming in cream.

When you make your salad, do you spin your lettuce? After washing it put it in a spinner and get all the water out. Then pat the lettuce with paper towel. This removes all the water. Then the oil can really coat and flavor the lettuce and it won't be so liquidy.

I'm not talking calories here, but I want to address the issue of fat free things. In some cases I can understand the need for low fat dairy items that use skim milk to create them. But there are certain items like fat free cheese, fat free mayo that are not actually food. I mean mayo is like 98% fat!! How can you remove the fat and still have mayo? If you were to make it home made (which you should, it's totally delicious!!) you'd need eggs and oil, and a bit of mustard and vinegar and then you whip it into mayo. Tell me, how do you remove 98% of the ingredients and still have mayo? I'll tell you how, you take out anything that is food like and replace it with crap. And there you go, you got fat free mayo.

Sorry for the rant, fat free mayo brings out the worst in me lol

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/stran...#axzz2svHgK800

Originally Posted by Mrs Snark:
For desserty type thing I like frozen bananas with a schmear of peanut butter.

I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but when the moment hits me, I do something similar, but I make it into banana ice cream and I always add a little bit of natural peanut butter, but my daughter loves it with nutella added in.

Munchy, your link didn't work for me... I do banana ice cream, too:

Frozen banana blended with whatever, for me usually 1 Tbsp sunflower butter and 1 Tbsp cocoa, sometimes 1 Tbsp chocolate chips.

It is creamy and delicious and you can't tell there is no cream or sugar added to this.

For desserts, I also like a handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips, a few mini peppermint patties, a Nonni biscotti, or Brownie Brittle. Not all health food ;) but they taste good enough and are harmless enough to keep me on track.

I don't worry about the calories in dressings and condiments. Then again, I don't count calories and I'm not as strict as most. I'm losing weight so it must work :D