I'm on CAD but was wondering how important the salad before the reward meal is.
I have a largish salad for lunch and although I enjoy salad I find it really difficult to eat it again before dinner.
I imagine that it probably takes the edge off the tendency to want to binge but if you don't feel like that why the salad???

Have some of you had success without having the salad?

Like you I eat it most days for lunch and don't really feel like it again at dinner. The Heller's can point out that you can substitute other low-carb veggies for the salad, but they would be seperate from the 1/3 balance of the RM.

I have to admit, I haven't managed to keep my RM's balanced very often yet, although I am striving to add more veggies most days.

Feel free to look in my journal to see what I have for RM's if you like.

Tracy

I usually have the salad... mostly to keep myself from going overboard on high carb things. But others skip it. I usually eat celery at CM instead of salad, so I don't mind having salad with my RM. There have been times when I've eaten out, though, and salad wasn't available. I think it's kind of a personal choice, so I'd say just do whatever works best for you.

I eat the salad because it helps me to consume a more reasonable reward meal. I also put roasted soybeans on it during RM-these are surprisingly good on a salad.

I eat the salads almost all the time too. I think it helps curb my appetite which has always been my biggest problem. I do, however, feel sometimes like I'm going to die if I have to see another salad, so I will do the extra veggie thing or have a cup of cabbage soup or some coleslaw before eating my RM. For me, I think it's key for appetite control, but like just about everything else you have to evaluate it for yourself.

Deb

I grow fresh alfalfa and clover sprouts to use as my 2 cups of salad.

I serve them under a meat and vegetable cook up with a sour cream sauce, and they serve the function of pasta very nicely soaking up gravy and adding bulk. They add a nice fresh taste, but are not as strong as a lot of other salad greens.

Lynda

Thanks everyone, your info was very helpful.
Isn't it great being able to hear from others. Doing this alone would be so difficult.
I am finding that I can't eat much at the reward meal because I feel really full quickly . I'm not complaining but am surprised. I thought that it would be really difficult to stop eating once I started but I am finding that after eating only small meals all day my stomach can't handle as much I my eyes can
What a relief because during the first couple of days I envisaged enjoying all sorts of things for dinner.
Maybe if I am feeling ravenous I will have the salad to prevent me from having too much.