what sucks more than dieting.how to make salad taste good

I found that my main issue with salads is the dressing! I even use a fat free zesty italian and the sodium is like 480g just for 2 tablespoons, I don't need that much but that's still alot of sodium in my opinion.

Salad dressing is incredibly easy to make on your own if you want to avoid sodium.

Also, fat free salad dressing is typically jacked up with sugar and sodium.

Time to maybe 're-look at you food choices. You shouldn't feel like "All I can have is salad, since I'm on a diet" being unhappy with your food choices is going to line you up for failure in the long run. I'm vegan, and I don't live off of salads. If I'm know I'm going out to eat, I do a few things. First, I check the resturant nutritional facts online. First to see if they have any vegan options, and second, to see what the calories might be for the meal. If I know I'm going to be higher than I want for my calories, then I'll add in extra work outs. Going over on a meal once in a while isn't going to break my weight loss.

As for making salads more enjoyable, I mix things up. Pick a green (mixed greens, spinach, kale, romane, etc. I avoid iceberg lettuce. No flavor, and hardly any nutrients anyway). Add a grain. Maybe Brown rice, maybe quinoa? Or add some non meat protein. Smoked tofu, nuts, or beans of some type? Try adding fruit (I really like oranges and beets together, with some quinoa). And add tasty veggies (spend the money to get decent tomatoes that taste good, diced avocado to add some healthy fats, etc)

Food is your fuel, and it shouldn't make you unhappy.

If I only ate salads I would be in trouble..... You don't have to only eat salad. So, I'm guessing you went to the Olive Garden, right?

Here are a list of "better" options that are not salad:

Dinner Entrées – Better Choices
To be a “Better Choice” I settled on these three criteria: Under 800 calories, under 12g saturated fat, and under 1,500 mg sodium.

Remember, many of these are available as Lunch Entrées, which are smaller portions.

Venetian Apricot Chicken
380 cal, 1.5g sat fat, 4g total fat, 1,420mg sodium, 32g carbs, 8g fiber

Herb-Grilled Salmon
510 cal, 6g sat fat, 26g total fat, 760mg sodium, 5g carbs, 2g fiber

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia
590 cal, 10g sat fat, 25g total fat, 910mg sodium, 42g carbs, 6g fiber

Cheese Ravioli with Marinara Sauce
660 cal, 11g sat fat, 22g total fat, 1,440mg sodium, 84g carbs, 7g fiber

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
710 cal, 8g sat fat, 22g total fat, 1,340mg sodium, 94g carbs, 9g fiber
Not to be confused with the Spaghetti & Meatballs, which has 1,110 calories and 2,180mg sodium. The Spaghetti & Italian sausage is even worse, with 1,270 calories and 3,090mg sodium.

http://www.eatingrules.com/2010/09/healthy-choices-at-olive-garden/

If you have the mindset of "oh poor me, look at all of the things I can't eat" you will have a hard time being successful. Instead, try changing your mindset to "look at all of these options, and they taste really good."

put a steak on your plate and throw the salad away...lol

Nothing sucks more than dieting than having salad while everyone else is enjoying wonderfull lucious juicy yummy delicious foods. Salad sucks compared to mexican food, italian food and pizza. Everyone else is enjoying yummy cheese and crusty bread and rich butter and juicy tomato sauce and garlic, and cheese and pasta and bread and yummies and delicious tiramesu or cheese cake..... and the dieters get salad. Gross healthy salad. The only thing grosser than salad is putting meat on salad. I do NOT eat meat. I do not like the taste ot texture of meat.

Well thats your problem, you are dieting instead of life style changing. I lost all my weight still enjoying french fries, beer, and yes even some pizza. So stop dieting and learn to eat the things you love within your new lifestyle. Key i not to eat it all at once all the time. I have not eaten 1 salad as a meal to lose weight. Good luck!

I agree with the others, forget the salad. Just eat within your calorie limit. You can still have all your favorites. If your like me though, just not as much as you would have earn before. Good luck!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/dining/22mlist.html

Also, here is a good link for salad ideas from another post. 101 salad ideas

Went out to eat once since Jan 1st... on Valentines day. Husband had tour of italy. Kids had Spinach Alfredo and cheese lasanga. I had a house salad.. no crutons, dressing on side.. and water. And still gained a pound on the scale by the next day. Husband cleaned his plate, the kids plates and ordered desert.... and lost weight....;..

This is the story of my life. I can eat nothing and gain weight but I stopped beating myself up over it. Had a very moderate amount of Indian food yesterday, skipped dinner and gained 5 lbs.

When going out I always research the menu and see what will fit into calorie allowance. Sometimes there are other items that are fewer calories than the salad.

Add some good stuff to your salads....black beans (drained, rinsed), low fat cheese - a little goes a long way, corn (roasted has tons of flavor), bell peppers, cilantro, tomatoes...Mexi salad. Or at a Mexican place order tortilla soup, eat around the chicken.

Another good salad option is to add drained mandarin oranges, sliced strawberries, almond slivers and some crushed up ramen (do not use the flavor packet - too much sodium). Use rice wine vinegar to make your own Asian style dressing.

I could go a week on salads with all the different mix-ins. For some reason salad always tastes better to me when someone else makes it, lol!

Went out to eat once since Jan 1st... on Valentines day. Husband had tour of italy. Kids had Spinach Alfredo and cheese lasanga. I had a house salad.. no crutons, dressing on side.. and water. And still gained a pound on the scale by the next day. Husband cleaned his plate, the kids plates and ordered desert.... and lost weight....;..

Sounds to me like you're looking to fail so you can tell everyone you tried then you go drown your sorrows in a chimichanga,