I made half way today but my problem is what do i use for my meats. I have become a vegitarian since i have been on JC so i really don't know what meat substitues there are. HELP.
Joann

I eat a lot of morningstar farms products for meats. Like the sausage links count as 1 meat, 1 veggie. All the exchanges are on their web site (although I don't believe all of them)
I'm not vegetarian, so sorry I can't help any more.

Hip! Hip! Hooray for reaching your half way mark. I can't wait til I reach my half way mark! I am not there yet, so I do not know how it works, but my counselor told me that when I get to my half way mark, it would be a slow process. Like six days of JC food and one day of regular food. How is your counselor telling you to work it?
The only non meat substitutes that I can think of is the different veggie burgers that they sell in the grocery stores. Although I have only had the JC kind. Then there is reg cheese and cheese substitutes and eggs and egg substitutes. And different types of beans and rice. Maybe those who are vegans can be of more assistance to you. Maybe your counselor or the 1-800 Hot line of maybe even the Dietitian? Although she will probably tell you to ask your counselor or call the Hot line number.
Also, if it was me, I would look for grocery store items that were similar to JC. Like stuffed shells and mac and cheese and pizza that is near the same calorie and fat count as JC.

Joann-
I am sooo happy for you. Congratulations! As a new vegetarian, you might want to check out your local natural foods store and chat up a friendly clerk. Some of my favorites are:
Seitan (wheat gluten)
Tofu (smooth cultured soybean product)
Tempeh (nubbly soybean product)
Textured Vegetable Protein(soybean product that usually comes in flakes or granules you mix w/ water or broth).
These are great basic building blocks, but it does take some adjustment to cooking with them. You might want to try meat "analogs." I am very fond of Yves Veggie Cuisine and Morningstar. Light Life has some good stuff, but some of it is not my personal bag. In the frozen section, look for Boca, Morningstar, and Worthington products. There are also "TV" dinners by Amy's and Linda McCartney.
One thing you will need to watch is that a lot of these products combine starches with the protein. I count the protein grams first. Also, be careful of serving sizes (but I'm sure you are anyway).
I have a hard time not using up all my starches before lunch , so I try to have soy nuts, cheese, or veggie jerky for my midafternoon snack. The protein helps me get my booty to the gym, I think .
Good luck, and PM me if you want recipes!
Deedee

You can also try different websites for recipes such as
vegsource.com (look under recipes or weightloss)
fatfree.com
or just do a websearch on Google for "low fat vegan recipes" or you can put vegetarian instead of vegan.

I have found you have to be VERY careful about the frozen veggie meals. Just because they are vegetarian does not mean they are low calorie, and frequently they are not. They tend to get a lot of the calories from fat.
Tofu is very versatile, but there are a few tricks to preparation. I always tend to buy the extra firm (my preferred texture) instead of the "silky" kind because it holds together better when you are preparing it as a meat substitute.
You also need to slice it and blot out the excess packing liquid. After I blot it using paper towels, I marinate it for about 15 minutes in whatever flavor I want to impart to it before sauteeing in a non stick pan with a spritz of olive oil.
I also mix the frozen meatless crumbles with an egg or a single serving container of Egg Beaters and season them with spices and Italian bread crumbs for meatballs and bake them. I also season them like sausage for adding to recipes. I use them exactly as I would for hamburger in other recipes--my husband can't tell the difference when I make Sloppy Joes with them.