I'd rather starve than eat fat free salad dressing or low fat plain yogurt with whole grain waffles!  Isn't there some butter substitue or some way to swap out something to have maybe regular salad dressing? 

 As long as you stick to your calorie and fat allowance, it should not matter. I don't follow the meal plan at all, I eat what I like as long as it has nutritional value, and doesn't put me over my fat/calories. When I go out to eat and have a chef salad I just have ranch on the side and dip my fork in it. At home I use lt. honey mustard dressing. If you look around you can find low fat salad dressing that tastes good too. I don't eat plain yogurt, but I do eat fat-free. I eat the lt. activia yogurt, it is yummy and good for you. I also eat low fat margarine. Just find what you like to eat, keep in your allowances and you will be fine. I started 12-05-08, have not even looked at the menu plan, and have lost 46 pounds.

I'm with you on the fat free dressing! it taste bad. but the low fat dressings aren't too bad. I'm not sure how the alli pill affects your digestive processes regarding vitamins, but if you eat a salad its far more benefitial to eat it with a low fat dressing rather than a fat free dressing. fat slows down digestion which allows your body to absorb more of the nutrients in the salad. so i say go for the low-fat, it taste better and as long as you don't go overboard it should be just fine.

Let me jump in here and say "yes!" it's fine to have regular dressing or oil & vinegar.  The alli plan is really quite flexible: you can follow the Sample Menus or make your own.  What's important is to have the recommended amount of calories and fat for your level + a variety of foods.

You can "spend" your fat grams however you like.  Some people prefer a little more chicken or some butter on their baked potato and choose FF dressing; other do the opposite.  It's a question of preferences and trade-offs.

Please let me know if you need anything else.

Pat Baird, MA, RD, registered dietitian

 i love spray butter. its great for the butter flavor and easy to apply. i also dont like plain yogurt. i was never a fan of savory flavors with waffles. i usually just toast them and dip them in low fat or light fruit yogurt, makes eating them easy when i am at my desk at work. i dont miss the syrup. the whipped yogurts reminds me of cream cheese. i spread it on whole wheat waffles, mini bagles or 100 cal english muffins.

 i bought ALL the fat free salad Flavours and I could not stand any . so instead i put a minimum like a couple of teaspoons only  to  . i add a couple of olives (chopped ) to give some flavour , and red onion .

you can easily find some very nice fat free yogurts with fruit , or low fat fruity  yogurts . keep looking .

 i really like kernal seasons brand ranch powder. gives the flavor of ranch without the fat.

nesreen_here:

 i bought ALL the fat free salad Flavours and I could not stand any . so instead i put a minimum like a couple of teaspoons only  to  . i add a couple of olives (chopped ) to give some flavour , and red onion .

you can easily find some very nice fat free yogurts with fruit , or low fat fruity  yogurts . keep looking .

These are great ideas.  Bumping up the spices and/or adding fruit juices or yogurt (or some raisins, dried cranberried, dried blueberries, etc) really helps to keep down the amount of oil used and the real oils round out the flavors very well.

Pat

 You should try the Toasted sesame ginger salad dressing by lighthouse. It is really good and only 35 calories and no fat. I used to say if it has no fat it has no taste. but in order to lose the weight you can't just take a majic pill and expect it to do all the work. You have to change your eating habits. Once you eat low fat for a while you wont want to eat fatty stuff. I used to live on chips and fries now I might eat a handfull once in a great while. You just have to give eating healthy a chance not only for you but for everyone who cares about you.

 I don't care for fat-free dessing either.  So what I do is ask for the dressing on the side and then do a dipping method.  Put some salad on a fork and then dab in the dressing.  You don't need to coat the entire forkful, just a small dab.  You will be surprised at how much dressing you will leave behind doing that.

lighthouse_nancy:

 I don't care for fat-free dessing either.  So what I do is ask for the dressing on the side and then do a dipping method.  Put some salad on a fork and then dab in the dressing.  You don't need to coat the entire forkful, just a small dab.  You will be surprised at how much dressing you will leave behind doing that.

 

This is a really neat idea!  The beauty of the alli Program is the flexibility.  Sample Menus are provided, but you can make your own.  FF items are suggested but you can trade-off full-fat if you prefer.

Because we ALL have different food preferences the key is to know what you like and find a way to work it in -- while you include a variety of healthy foods.

Cheers!

Pat