Just starting Sonoma Diet

[Woodstock Cate]

Hello:

I am just starting the diet today. It seems to be an excellent diet to follow and to live with. I was on Atkins for almost two years, and I got down to 139, and was feeling pretty good. However, I started craving blueberries last summer, and when I started back on fruit, I gained all the weight back plus!

I don't think that the Atkins diet, or any really low carb diet is good for you. One thing that happened was that I started getting a lot of pain in my hips. A lot of reading lead me to believe that all the meat that I was consuming had an adverse effect on my arthritis. So, no more low carb!

I want to eliminate as much red meat from my diet as possible. I think that I am going to try and do that by increasing the amount of fish that I eat.

I do not know many good fish recipes, so I think broiled is the best bet.

Anyway, I started off my diet this morning with two eggs cooked in a teaspoon of olive oil and a slice of 100% whole wheat bread with 5 grams of fiber. So, only 9 days and two meals left on the first wave.

Have a great day, and good luck to the rest of the Sonoma bunch.

~Cate

[tearjerker]

:welcome3:

We are happy to have you! Let me be the first to welcome you...I'm surprised Linda hasn't been here yet, but she will be!

Hope you find living the Sonoma lifestyle as easy as we do...if you have any questions, there are plenty of us around to ask...Linda is the queen bee of this Sonoma stuff, she is a wealth of information...not to mention the bearer of the prod to keep you on track! :carrot: ;) :carrot:

[petra65]

Cate, Welcome. I hope you like it here. I'm sorry you had a bad experience with Atkins. Not all low carbing is like that. I eat blueberries on my low carb diet, and in fact, eat fruit almost every day. Depends on the low carb diet you do. Low carb certainly can be healthy, depends on what and how you do it. Much of what I eat is very Sonoma friendly which is why I hang out here quite a bit.

[DonnaS]

Cate,

Welcome, I hope you end up liking the lifestyle like the rest of us are.

[Mercee]

Well ladies I am excited today will be my first official day. I
look forward to posting and chatting with you.

[bandit2]

Hi everyone:

First day today & so far, so good. Trying to follow the suggestions for meal plans in book - but will probably modify a few of the recipes.

Good luck.

[bandit2]

Day 3 - so far so good!

[bandit2]

Day 3 - so far, so good!

[beaner0620]

Hello all. I just joined this site, but have been on the sonoma diet since the beginning of the month. I have lost 8 pounds so far and have 15 or so more to go. Cant remember. I just canceled my online membership because I was not using it like I thought I would and there were a lot of glitches with the website. NOt worth the 65$, but I have the book and now found you guys. I love the diet, the website is just not right for me. HOpe to meet more of you here.

[spcdcider]

I was so happy to see the addition for the Sonoma Diet here. Reading the book this week and starting Monday. I am so excited, I think this will work best for me out of all the plans I have read.
Kathy
http://www.3fatchicks.com/weight-tracker/img/purpvinebar/sliderbug/lb/0/36/0/.png (http://www.3fatchicks.com/weight-tracker/index.php)

[Snowbunny]

Hi. I am new to.
Today is my first day.
I dont have the book yet; but I am trying to stick to it the best I can.
I have been following the Mediterranean diet and it always made me feel full and never hungry;

Good luck to you.

[bandit2]

Hi - day 6 here and have kept right on programme with no problems.

I also go to ww and at w/i on Thurs was down 3# after starting Sonoma on Monday. So was very happy with that.

Good luck.

[poohbear65]

HI..I have read the book and intend to start on Feb 6th...I have to do the cleaning out that the book recommends of pantry, etc. I am excited aboyt the recipes in the book and what I have found here. I do have a question....I read snacking is allowed...tier 1 veggies only...can you only have 1 snakc a day??? I was thinking 1 btwn bfast and lunch..if needed and 1 btwn lunch and dinner...and how about before bed???
Any help is appreciated.....Thanks.....
Lisa (who needs guidance)

[petra65]

I'm not the Sonoma diet expert but I think almonds are also allowed.

[poohbear65]

Petra,
Thanks...I do remember almonds,walnuts, etc are on the list for snacks, just wasn't sure how often you can snack on this plan...

[LindaT]

It's three meals plus two snacks a day. This is mentioned on page 194, where they give the meal plans. Of course if you have a dish that has quite a few nuts in it, you might want to not have nuts again as a snack. You have to sort of try and use good judgement.

I think pretty much all nuts are allowed on this plan. The only one I recall being mentioned as maybe not being as "healthy" was the macadamia nut. Not in conjunction with this plan, but in general. I may be remembering wrong, but the idea is stuck in my tiny brain. :lol: Of course they are so darned expensive, who can afford them anyway?

[bandit2]

Hi everyone:

Day 10 here & how is everyone else doing on this????

[luvthosenails]

Good Luck to you!

I think that you will find this diet is one of the nicest things you have done for yourself in a long time

Food is great! Enjoy it all

[bandit2]

Hi - lost 3 lbs on Wave 1. Was thinking maybe I should repeat Wave 1 since it was a low weight loss. Any thoughts???

[beaner0620]

Bandit-I was reading in my book last night and it says that if you are not happy with your results in wave 1 to do it again. It says it takes more time for some people than others. I hope that helps.

How is everyone doing on the diet? I started jan. 3 and have not been super strict on it, but am going to buckle down tomorrow and be very conscious of my portions.

My favorite recipe is the feta stuffed chicken. I love it. I do add a little white wine to the sauce just to add a little flavor. What is your favorite recipe?

How is everyone doing on the weight loss so far? Have a great monday.

[bandit2]

Thanks Beaner - I am going to start Wave 1 again today. I brought my book to work & will read more at lunch.

Thanks!

[jayhawk94]

Hi, all: I just joined this website; this is my 1st post. Today was my 1st day on Wave 1 the Sonoma diet. I'm a little hungry, but hope it will pass. In some ways, this isn't that different from L.A. Weight Loss (don't ask :( ). I'm not much of a cook, so I worry about the numerous ingredients + preparation time - maybe on the weekend + freeze them?

Now to the questions: 1. I don't eat eggs (was allergic as kid; never got accustomed to eating them), so any ideas for breakfasts, in addition to peanut butter + whole grain toast, and 8 g. fiber cereal + milk?
2. At least one recipe mentions using a grill (maybe the flank steak one?). Not only did we just get a foot of snow yesterday :mad: , but even if it were 70 degrees, I don't have a working grill. Has anyone tried recipes with grill-instructions on a regular stove?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions and your support. I tried LA Weight Loss a few years ago, didn't lose much, got frustrated, gained back lost weight & more, and now have quite a road ahead of me. I'm sure I'll be back with more questions and complaints. - jayhawk94

[bandit2]

Hi Jayhawk:

I don't like clearing off bbq in winter so I made the flank steak and marinated it in corning ware dish & just cooked in same dish at 400F for 20 minutes & it was really good. I cooked with lid on.

Good luck.

[Thinfor5Minutes]

Or what about a George Foreman grill? I have a little one, just big enough for a burger or salmon for one. We live in a condo and don't own an outdoor grill.

[jayhawk94]

Thanks for your outside grill-free cooking suggestions. Some weekend I will try those recipes.

I was doing OK Mon.-Weds. on Wave 1, but by today, it wasn't just my mind, but my body, that was rebelling against the lack of dairy, probably fats, and carbs. Any suggestions for keeping on track? I have been drinking water throughout the day. I guess I have relied too much on big salads (easier to prepare), mostly, & maybe that's why I've gotten tired of the approved foods so quickly.

Also, has anyone used or considered using a Mediterranean cookbook (don't have titles right now, but they're searchable on Amazon)? I have Weight Watchers cookbooks, + I'm sure they'll be helpful, but until the Sonoma cookbook comes out, I was wondering if anyone had found an alternative.

Has anyone tried organic frozen entrees by Amy's or similar companies? There seem to be some Sonoma-qualifying [well, maybe after some alteration] - but expensive - wraps, rice & vegetable dishes, etc. Just wondered if any of these were better than others. Thanks in advance.

[sf40]

Hi jayhawk94 and welcome!

I got through Wave 1 pretty painlessly, but had gradually been improving my eating before starting Sonoma so it wasn't a shock. But ... I tend to modify things to fit me and did consume a little more dairy than I was supposed to. My primary goal is health so I'm not in a big hurry to lose weight. You mentioned you're relying on big salads; that would bore me too. I ate a lot of vegetables when I got hungry, but I tended to saute them in a tiny bit of olive oil and lots of seasonings. There's something about cooked food that satisfies me more than raw food.

Regarding Med. cookbooks, our moderator, LindaT, lost almost 100 pounds following the Mediterranean style of eating. So I think almost any cookbook would be fine, but while following the diet you might need to make a few minor adjustments to the recipes. I personally haven't purchased any because I've got two shelves full of cookbooks, many of which contain Sonoma-friendly recipes.

Regarding frozen entrees, there is a section in the Sonoma Diet book that provides brand recommendations (p. 132). For frozen food, the book suggests Lean Cuisine Spa Cuisine meals and Amy's organic entrees. I would suspect other "diet" frozen meals have too much sodium and other garbage.

Hope you enjoy this way of eating as much as the rest of us!!

[poohbear65]

Hi all...
Today is day 7 on wave 1 for me..I am down 7 lbs. (when I joined this group I was 260..lost 5 and gained 4 back before I even started sonoma on 2/6). I have been eating 3 meals a day and 3 snacks and still losing...not exercsing at this time due to some pain issues which I hope resolve soon. I have found this wave nor too difficult and food really yummy. I am worried about adding fruit into wave 2..but think I will be OK.
I have a question qbout the dessert recipes in the book. though they sound great how do you incorporate them into your eating??? Thanks

[leelee2]

hi poohbear:) Day 7 for me also! Although I haven't gotten on the scale yet I am enjoying this food plan and am feeling better already- Look forward to talking to you again.

[poohbear65]

leelee2. Glad someone else is on the same day as me!! I feel great as well. I am looking forward to wave 2, but in looking at the recipes in the book there is not as much that I like there as I do on wave 1. I have gotten some recipes from the recipe file here, but will look for others to modify to fit the plan. Are you waiting until after day 10 to see how you did on wave 1 with wt loss?? Good luck. I wish you success. If you need to talk..I am here...

[leelee2]

hi again poohbear, I love to cook and I think that the recipes so far are yummy as well. I mostly had chicken, pork chops, soups and salads and rice this week. I am going to have fish tonight. How about you? I haven't looked at the recipes yet for wave 2. I think that I will probably continue with wave 1 past the 10 days because I haven't given up having wine with dinner so far. :^: I am glad to have found you here- and that we both started on the same day! I think it really helps to have someone to talk to while doing this kind of thing:hug:
~we can do this~

[poohbear65]

leelee2..hi,
Tonight for dinner I am having the flank steak and the roasted vegetable medley..which is quite yummy. I made it earlier in the week and my family enjoyed it. I will probably have it for left overs tomorrow in a wrap r just by itself with left over veggies. I have not had any rice this week or soups. What type of soups are you eating? I like to cook as well. Do you have a lot of wt to lose??? Slow and steady is the way to go...I know it will take quite awhile for me to get to where I need to be, but this seems to be the way to go. I have tried many diest over the years and really like this one best...
~I know we can do this~

[leelee2]

hi poohbear, That sounds great! Is there a recipe in the book for that? I actually love home-made chicken soup and have been making that quite often lately. I make a seperate pot of some type of little pasta for my hubby to add into his soup, as he has been blessed with being able to eat as much as he pleases and still wear the same size jeans he wore in high school. (which was a long time ago):p Thank goodness he is very supportive> as this is just one of so many times that I have tried to lose weight! Ideally, I would love to lose about 60 pounds.:) How about you? This plan looks the best to me too.
~we can do this~