Friend of Julie: Plateaus and Condiments

How fresh are the bottles of condiments sitting in your refrigerator right now? Do you know if they're less than a month old? If your condiments are more than 30 days old - this may be the reason you're experiencing a plateau.

Condiments that I tossed out this morning.

One of the agreements we made in following this program was to toss our condiments 30 days after we open them. The preservatives that are on the inside of the cap causes them to break down after 30 days and that breakdown is NOT healthy for our bodies. I can't quote this in the full scientific way Julie does, but knowing old condiments can cause a plateau is reason enough for me to get back to making sure I follow this rule.

I was pretty sure I used condiments within a month, but yesterday morning, I was not so sure. So, I tossed all the condiments in my refrigerator, except the mustard I bought last weekend.

Starting today, I'm going back to a habit I dropped some time ago - putting dates on my condiments when I open them. Somewhere along the way I have forgotten to be firm with this rule. I'm firm from today forward.

Buying smaller bottles is also a good idea too. Having a plan to use those condiments is another good idea. Just like we have a plan to use the fresh meat  and veggies we buy, so we don't end up throwing it out, we also need to have a plan to use up our condiments.

And if you aren't sure about vanilla, let me help you with this - vanilla is an extract, not a condiment, and it is not on program.

At the refresh I went to this week, someone asked if they could add vanilla bean to vodka to give as a gifts for the holidays. Yes, we're allowed to give it as a gift. No, we are not allowed to drink it. Vanilla bean is not on program.

If something looks like a desert or tastes like a dessert - we are to avoid it, as it's a slippery slope when sometime tastes like a desert we may be triggered to go for something sweet. I deleted the pumpkin drink from my recipe collection. Long ago I also deleted the recipe using Siggis yogurt and cream, because we are not allowed half and half or cream. Somehow I missed this information, but I heard "no half and half or cream" from Julie, so these items are out of my life too.

Speaking of yogurt, I'm off this for a while too. Yes, it's allowed 2-3 times a week (NOT per day), but if you're experiencing a plateau, stop eating it for a while. I'm off it until Nov. And be sure to eat yogurt with lots of meat; it's not a snack. We don't snack anyhow. You're either hungry enough for a meal or you're not hungry enough to eat.

It's all these things that may delayed my weight loss and I am taking the straight road to reaching my goal size:

• I'm tossing the condiments in my refrigerator after 30 days - I'll know they're 30 days old because they will have the date I opened them on the labels
• I'm tossing the bottle of vanilla that I sometimes added to hot milk
• I'm eating cottage cheese again - with lots of meat
• I'm no longer eating cheese in chunks or slices (only 1-2 times a week as a condiment)
• I'm avoiding anything that resembles a dessert

What about your condiments? How old are they? Not sure? Toss them! Who wants to be on a plateau because of a lousy bottle of ketchup?