Sonoma Diet and the Mediterranean Diet - Sonoma/Med January Support Thread

Happy New Year everyone. Hopefully we will all be back on track with the holidays behind us. Welcome to the newcomers. Feel free to jump right in. I am also wondering if it would be helpful to start a menu thread this month-maybe weekly. People could post their menus daily or a few times a week if that would help them feel more accountable. Let me know if there is any interest in that-Monday would probably be a good day to start with that if we are going to try it.

As for recipes-I got this one off the Sonoma Diet site this week and used some leftover turkey for it. It is awesome. Definately a wave 2 recipe though.

Turkey enchiladas (serves 12)
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp water
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp kosher salt
4 cups chopped cooked turkey or chicken breast
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
12 7-8 inch. whole wheat tortillas

1 can reduced sodium condensensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup light sour cream
1 cup low fat milk
2-4 tbsp finely chopped pickled jalapeno peppers
1/2 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
chopped tomato, bell pepper, cilantro (optional toppings)

Instructions:
1: For filling, in a covered saucepan cook onion in a small amount of water until tender; drain. In a medium bowl stir together cream cheese, 1 tbsp water, cumin, black pepper and salt. Stir in cooked onion, turkey, and pecans. Wrap the tortillas in foil. Heat in a 350 oven about 10 minutes or until softened or wrap in paper towels and microwave on high about 30 seconds.

2. Meanwhile, coat a 3 quart rectangular baking dish with cooking spray (DON'T FORGET TO DO THIS). For each enchilada, spoon about 1/4 cup of the filling onto a tortilla; roll up. Place tortillas, seam side down in the prepared dish. Repeat for remaining filling and tortillas.

3. For sauce, in a medium bowl stir together soup, sour cream, milk, and jalapeno peppers. Pour sauce over enchiladas. Cover and bake in a 350 oven for about 40 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with cheddar chesse, Bake, uncovered for 4-5 minutes more or until cheese is melted. If desired, top with tomatoes, sweet peppers, and cilantro.

I didn't think 1 enchilada would be enough for a meal, but with a vegetable or a salad-it is. These are awesome! They will be a favorite in my house and I suspect they would even freeze well and would make a great take along lunch to heat up. Don't be put off by the long ingredient list. They are actually easy to make. Probably took less than 30 minutes to put together.

I see we are not off to a big start this month. People have been posting goals for the year on the other thread. I have done my meal planning for the week and will do my grocery shopping today. Will set myself up for a successful week. How is everyone else doing?

Not a lot of action here so far. How is everyone doing? I'm making a new recipe tonight-Mediterranean chicken with vegetables. It's off the Sonoma website-not sure if it is in the book or cookbook. It only makes two servings so not a lot of leftovers but if I don't like it, I'm also not stuck with it for several days either. I'm also making some spiced nuts for snacking this week. I like these a lot-in fact they can be problematic if I'm not careful.

The mediterranean chicken sounds good! I tried a tuscan bean soup tonight that was very good with plenty left over for lunch. I really enjoy the food on this type of diet and I am up for the preperation. The most difficult thing I have is on Friday nights. It is the night I usually have a few beers with my husband after a long week. I don't really care for wine but maybe I just haven't tried the right kind. It was very hard this past Friday not have a nice winter brew!! I just have to stay focused. I wish everyone luck during this week!!

The Mediterranean chicken was okay. I think I'm glad I only have 2 servings. Not something I am likely to make again anytime soon.

Hi, today is my first day on the diet. I did it a couple of years ago,lost 10lbs. Since I didn't gain the weight back, I figured it was a good sign. I'm back on it, I need to lose 50-55 lbs,but I 'm not very disciplined so I'll be happy to stick to it until I lose 30lbs before I take another break.

Welcome Claudfin. The more the merrier.
Mondays are always a little challenging for me because I really can't pack my lunch. I have nowhere to eat it. I work at a nursing home that does not provide me with any workspace. I sit in the day area with the residents watching TV to do my charting-kind of ridiculous but that's the way it is. So I always go out to eat for lunch on Mondays.

Petra65 - sorry to hear the chicken wasn't so good. How did you do with Mondays lunch?

Claudfin - Welcome! I am new also and I have about the same amount to loose as you. It is encouraging to hear you have lost ten pounds and kept it off.

I hope everyone has a good day today!

Lunch was okay yesterday. It was the stupid cookie I ate for no real reason that was the problem. I did better today overall. How are you guys doing?

I did o.k. but it took all I had not eat some goodies that they put out at work today. They put the goodie table right by microwave where I have to heat up my lunch!! Petra65 the important part is that you did better overall and one cookie will not derail you! :) I hope everyone has a good night.....

Hello, I recently found this site. I have been on the Sonoma Plan for 4 days now. I wasn't planning to do a diet, just saw the book at the Dollar store and bought it because I liked the way it looked. I got to reading it and thought it sounded like something I could actually do. I have really enjoyed it so far and it hasn't been hard at all. I need to lose around 85 pounds! I lost about half that 5 years ago and gained almost all of it back after a few years. I can't wait to weigh next week and see if I have lost any! I am counting my calories on SparkPeople (I am heatherinsc on there too) even though the book doesn't say I need to, and calorie-wise it looks like I should lose, but this doesn't feel like a diet!

The enchilada recipe sounds fantastic. I have made several recipes from the main book and am getting the cookbook from ebay. So far I have made the beef and mushroom kabobs, the stuffed green peppers someone posted here, the marinated flank steak (we made the wraps and I also had that for lunch today), and tonight I am doing the easy Balsamic chicken.

Anyway, just wanted to say hi and I am glad to find others who are on the plan. No one seems to have heard of it!

Heather in SC

Hi Heather! :D It is nice to meet you. I am glad you joined this forum there are not many of us and the more the merrier! I also count my calories on fitday.com to just to give my self an idea also as to what I am eating. I don't want to be unaware of my portion sizes and how it relates to my calories. I also don't limit my veggies and try to make most of my meals grain and bean based if I can.

I hope everyone did well this week! :carrot

Thank you, Pinkpinkycat. Maybe a few more people will post here soon. This is day 5 for me, and I still feel excited about the plan and I am having no problem with it! I am so looking forward to weighing in on Monday. I am only going to weigh once a week. I hope I have lost!

Last night I did the Easy Balsamic Chicken for dinner, and I was making it in the oven rather than on a grill. It wasn't quite done when it should have been, so I put it back in and it got over done. But it was still okay. I will have to watch it better next time. What are some other good and easy meals some have been preparing for Sonoma?

I have to leave early this afternoon and won't be home until evening. I am going to try to remember to put together another one of those wraps with the veggies and leftover meat. It was so good yesterday, and I know I will be really hungry by the time I get home and get dinner ready, if I don't eat while I am out.

But I really have not been hungry between meals or craving anything.
Pretty amazing! Hope to hear from more of you Sonoma Plan people!

Heather in SC

I started to think I was going on the south beach plan, but changed my mind....

I just like the Sonoma plan. To me it makes a lot of sense. I mean, I have been doing alot of research on the med. plan and it gets alot of good marks for it being solid, heathly plan. On the sonoma plan you get the portion control aspects. Put the two together and it is a great plan.....

anywho...nice to see everyone!

ckatgo- I agree portion control is very important. When I started to do the mediterranean diet I had trouble with portion sizes. I also read the superfoods RX book which is pretty close to a mediterranean plan and put the portion sizes used in that book to use on the mediterranean plan.

Just popping in to say hi!
I am on Day 7 with Sonoma, and still have not lost my excitement or ability to stay with it. I seem to be less obsessed with eating. I like that. I hope I show a good loss...I decided to wait until Day 10 to weigh, end of Wave 1.

Hope everyone is doing well.
:)
Heather in SC

Hello everyone from another newbie. I'm looking for a diet plan for me and my family and was considering South Beach. I went to the library, today, to check out the book to see if I liked it before buying it, but their only copy was out. Later, while at the Dollar Tree, I found the Sonoma Diet book for only a dollar so I bought it.

I haven't read it yet, I wanted to come to 3fatchicks to see if it was a recognized diet and found you all. From what I have learned from you all, this sounds like something doable for me. Maybe this was meant to be. :)

Well, I'm off to start reading.

Hi Debbie, I also got the Sonoma Diet book at Dollar Tree. I always check out their book section, and I just liked the way it looked. I wasn't planning to go on a diet, since I am terrible at them. But after reading it I thought it looked like something I could actually do, so now I am on Day 9! It is just real food in reasonable portions. I have not had any problem staying with it; I am AMAZED! I will weigh in tomorrow and let everybody know how it goes. :) I hope you find that is will work for you.

Heather

Now that I have read most of the book, it sounds somewhat like what I have already started doing since my husband wanted to start eating healthier after finding out his cholestreol and triglycerides were high. We have been eating more fish, chicken, whole grains, green vegetables, etc. We haven't completely cut out the sweets and processed foods so I am still having a hard time with cravings.

Now I would like to do the Wave 1 to break my sugar addition. I wasn't planning to go to the grocery again until Thursday, but I'm going to keep reading and planning until then.

Heather, did you do the complete kitchen purge like they recommend? With my husband and three kids at home, I don't think I can get them to all go cold turkey with me. I know everyone would benefit from eating this way and plan to gradually change them, especially the kids. My husband will be more likely to join me because he wants to lose weight and improve his lipid levels. Also, which recipes have you enjoyed? Have the portions been enough?

Congradulations so far and I look forward to see your results tomorrow.

Debbie

Hi Debbie,

I did not do the complete kitchen purge as suggested. I also have a house full who are not ready to go all the way with this, by choice or by force, lol. I did clean out the refrigerator and toss a bunch of stuff that seemed to be overlooked anyway, and I have not bought replacement junk as it runs out. I have let the kids still have their cereal and jelly for PBJs. Instead of buying junk to bring home, I let them get one treat when we were at the store and when it was gone it was gone. They are eating some of the new things, eventually I think it will all be fine.

So far I have made the steak and mushroom kabobs, marinated flank steak and wraps with the left overs, rosemary pork chops, and easy balsamic chicken from the book, and the stuffed green peppers someone posted here. We have enjoyed all of it. Some nights I made a meat that was not in the book. I have found a renewed interest in cooking and making a nice family sit down meal, so my husband especially appreciates that. The portions have been enough for me. My husband is not on the diet although he seems curious about it. He eats more meat servings, and some nights I put extra sides I didn't eat on the table for him and the kids. My 5yo is a bone, and I'd rather he ate some mac and cheese than nothing!

I am going to weigh in here in a few hours and I will report back!

HTH,
Heather in SC

Okay!!!! I weighed today, Day 10 on the Sonoma Diet, and I have lost 8.9 pounds!

So far so good!

Yay!
Heather

Wow!!! That's great!!!!!
Congratulations, Heather

Debbie

Thanks, I am really excited!
How is it going for you? Are you going to start today?

Heather

Okay!!!! I weighed today, Day 10 on the Sonoma Diet, and I have lost 8.9 pounds!

So far so good!

Yay!
Heather

Heather - That is fantastic!!! :carrot: You should be so proud of yourself!! That is a great accomplishment in 10 days!!!! Way to go!!

Thanks!

I got some fruit yesterday, since I can now add that in...bananas, grapes, apples, and clementines. I also won the SD Cookbook on ebay last night. Today I could not decide what to make, so I just put a roast in the oven.

I hope I do not lose interest now that the ten days are up. I am bad about quickly losing interest in things. I guess that is why I have not been successful with any diet (except Weigh Down) before. But this is not so much like a "diet" diet, I guess that is why it is easier for me. Just gotta stick with it!

Glad to see more posts here. I didn't see any support for Sonoma on SparkPeople. :) Hope you all are well!

Heather

I have not weighed myself yet. I am waiting until the end of January but my clothes feel a little looser and my energy level is much better. I don't find this very hard to stick to at all. I like all of the food and the beans, whole grains and veggies are very filling!

All of the food prep in the first week or so was a little daunting but now that I know what I need each week it gets easier and little quicker as time goes by.

I hope everyone is well!!

Hi All,

I hope I am not subconsciously slacking off. I have had two days in a row which were higher in calories. I know we don't have to count them, but it worries me, I have such a bad track record with diets. I am going to plan now what I will eat tomorrow. I really don't want to mess this up when I am doing so well and it didn't even seem hard during Wave One!

Pinkpinkycat, I think it is a good idea to wait and weigh more sporadically. Then you don't get obsessed with every blip and bobble of the scale.

I saw a lady at Dollar Tree looking at the Sonoma Diet book and ended up telling her all about it. Maybe more than she wanted to know, lol. She did end up buying two copies of the book!

Someone told me about the T-Tapp exercise program and I ordered the VHS program on clearance. So it should be here this week and I am going to try to add that along with my diet and hopefully I will see good results.

So what's for dinner tomorrow? I am going to make chicken. Have to plan things a little better here!

Heather in SC

Well, I did much better yesterday. Planning is important, apparently.
I think I am going to weigh every other week instead of each week.

How is everyone doing?

heather in SC

I'm so pleased to see you all hanging in there. I have been VERY sick. I was in the hospital last week for several days with cellulitis. I'm still not feeling back to myself yet. I haven't had much of an appetite so I pretty much eat whatever appeals to me at the moment. Hope to be back soon.

Hi Petra65!

I am sorry to hear you were so sick! I hope you make a fast and easy recovery. Certainly don't worry about your diet now, just get better!

I also just noticed that we have a really similar start weight, current weight, and goal weight! I look forward to getting my ticker...

Hugs,
Heather

Girls I am new on this site as well but so glad to find others whom are starting this journey as well. I decided to give it a whirl and yes for a dollar the book was a great deal and the info. is worth much more than the cost of the book for sure. I read a lot about health issues etc. I think this is the way to go so on monday I started to do the wave 1. I didn't get rid of the stuff in my house either just went out and bought things to make my intake easier etc. I have already preplanned my meals for wed. Also picked up a turkey breast to roast this weekend. I would like to lose appox. 20 lbs. but never have been able to get this off to easily. In the past did south beach and know that the sugar out of your system really makes a difference less over eating etc. Well take care I like your idea of not using the scale until the 10 days the 29th will be my day. Lets continue to share info. etc. the support can help us all to stay motivated. Just think a 24.95 book for a buck crazy how that made us all move in the same direction I love it!!!

Hi cacmsc54! Glad to have you join us!

Yes, great book for a dollar! I was in Dollar Tree again last week and saw a lady looking at the book... Well, I told her ALL ABOUT IT. Not sure she really wanted quite so much information, but she ended up buying two copies! I am so glad I bought it.

I am still doing pretty good, especially for me. (Not good at diets!) Just had those two bad days last weekend. Most of the "bad" stuff is out of the house by now. Today my 5yo was mad that "his" strawberries were all gone! So that is pretty good that he is asking for fruit instead of candy or cookies. I had 1/2 cup sliced strawberries, 1/2 a sliced banana, and 10 blueberries yesterday all mixed together, and it was surprising to me how good and sweet it was. I am not really craving sweet things, I seem more drawn to more savory things with herbs or a salty taste. Drinking lots of water too!

Hope everyone is still hanging on! All the best to you as you start your plan tomorrow, cacmsc54.

Heather in SC

Heather I read up on this a bit and South Beach kind of runs side by side with Sonoma. So I don't see any reason we can't intermix the two to have more info. and recipes. I started my 4th day today and so far no cheating other than a taste of applesauce while spooning it out for others. I do have to say that in the past I did do sb and lost some wt. and the cravings were way reduced. I like what this book stands for and the ideas are right on the mark of what health information thats out there. I do a lot of reading on this subject it kind of goes along the line of my work a bit ensuring folks are encouraged to be healthy and safe etc.... This a.m. I started out with a I mushroom omelet and one slice of whole wheat toast and my 6 oz. of v8. For lunch I will stop today veggie sub on a whole wheat roll a 6'' of course. Tonight for dinner its meatballs, mozz. cheese salad, broc. steamed. Well here is to sticking with it good luck to you take it one day at a time. Every morning I give myself a little pep talk you can do this just stay focused. I pick up the book daily and read a little as it helps me stay on task and towards my goal.

Hi, I do not know much about Southbeach, but when I started Sonoma people were asking me what was the difference, so I looked up some info. One thing I noticed on SB is the artificial sweetener thing, which I am trying to get away from, and I read that there are no grains at all on SB for the first couple weeks then it goes to 1 grain and 1 fruit for the next couple weeks.

So that is a little different, but really any basic recipes can be adapted for Sonoma, I think. I have not made anything specifically from the recipes in a couple days but still stayed on plan. I think my Sonoma Cook Book might be here today, or soon, anyway. I am interested to see what it has in it; it got good reviews even from non-dieters.

Cacmsc54, I definitely think you can do it! You have less to lose, so hopefully it will go fast for you! I also read little snippets of the book for inspiration, and come here and to Sparkpeople for encouragement. Yesterday I checked out The Biggest Loser website. Just little things to keep focused and upbuilt as we try to lose! Good to hear from you. :)

Heather

Yay, my Sonoma Cookbook came today! Everything looks too good!

Heather

Hey ladies. I have a little more motivation to get more serious about all this. I was back in the hospital this week with chest pain. My blood pressure was 211/106 when I got admitted. I've never had blood pressure like that before. It has stayed pretty high so apparently I have high blood pressure. I'm now on medication for that which I'm not happy about. I'm sure if I lose some weight, I can get off it.

Hey all. I may have found something really interesting. I'm a really big Jonny Bowden fan-I get his newsletter on email. Anyway, one of things about this program that bothers a lot of people is the amount of cooking involved. It can be an issue when we get busy. Jonny has started offering these meal kits with another company-now they aren't cheap because they contain organic, high quality ingredients but everything is done for you. (most are about $20) You just add a couple things like eggs, or ground turkey, or yogurt, or whatever and there you have it. Several of them appear to be Sonoma friendly. Jonny is offering a sampler pak (some of these are not so Sonoma friendly) but they are a good value so I ordered it. I'll try it out and let you know what I think. There is a turkey meatloaf and a turkey chili in there and salmon patties-I believe all of those were Sonoma friendly as I scanned the ingredients. You would just add a veggie or a salad and have a complete meal, several servings apparently. Many of the recipes have several reviews already and the vast majority are overwhelmingly positive. Could be a solution to the chopping and cooking of this and many other plans if you are willing and able to spend the money.

At the beginning of Jan., I had asked if anyone is interested in a menu thread. Now that we have more people, is there interest in posting daily menus? If not, I think I'm going to start doing it anyway because I need the accountability.

I must be feeling better, LOL

This is the first day I have felt up to some real cooking in a couple of weeks. I'm making teriyaki chicken for dinner-even made my own teriyaki sauce. Had to go find sake. Turns out it wasn't that hard to find and I learned more about it than I ever wanted to know. I'm going to have that over brown rice and have roasted zucchini and a nice glass of wine. Nice to be feeling human again.

uh-oh. am I talking to myself again here? I'm feeling pretty well 2 days in a row. I hope this is the beginning of me getting back on track.

Hello Petra65! (and any others)

I definitely check in here each day, but I left Friday evening to go out of state and just got back late last night. We picked up our new puppy! Had a disastrous eating Saturday, despite planning and packing a feed bag. We were basically in the car nonstop for 20+ hours, so getting out and eating was a treat. There were very few places to eat in this area of Mississippi...Subway (not too bad, they have a multi-grain bread now) and Long John Silver's were involved in this indiscretion! But I am going to get right back with it today.

I am not sure what I will make tonight, but tomorrow I will have something planned out better. I got the Sonoma cookbook the other day, and it looks really good. I actually enjoyed cooking the meals and making a nice sit down dinner for my family, but it is a hard habit to establish, apparently. I want to do better with that this week. And I am going to have my second weigh in Wednesday. I hope yesterday didn't completely wreck my loss for this time period.

Hope everyone is getting on track!

Heather in SC

Pinkpinkycat, do you like fitday.com? I am looking for a calorie counting website, and I've heard mixed reviews about the availability of some foods on the page. I really don't know which one to sign up for!?!

Hey! Good to see you MissMusic32187. Funny, I was just coming back over here after logging my calories from yesterday's fast food disaster. It turned out to be less than 2200 calories, I didn't pay attention to or log in all the fat grams, but that seemed like it could have been much worse!

Personally, I am using SparkPeople to log my calories. I did sign up for fitday after I heard about it here and tried to use it, since it really did seem to have statistical reporting that looked more in-depth than SP. But I had trouble getting portion sizes adjusted to what I actually ate, and I admit I was just used to SP. So go with what seems to work best for you!

Glad to see you post here! What is your experience with the Sonoma Diet? Hope to hear about your success!

Heather in SC

A new puppy...how exciting. Obviously, I love dogs-check my avatar. What did you get? Where in MS did you come to? I live in MS.

I'm planning to make something out of the cookbook tonight-the Grilled Beef with Quinoa and Vegetables. I've not made this recipe before but it looks good. I'll let you know what I think after I make it.

I've tried a bunch of computerized food journals and can give you my two cents. The free version of fitday is quite limited, if you buy the version for your PC, it has quite a few more features and you may find it easier to use. I also have one called weight-by-date that I like. It is not as detailed a number cruncher as fitday but has some other features that I like. I think you have to buy this one but it isn't expensive as I recall. There is another free one that I also liked called nutridiary.com. The only issue with this site is that no one is supervising it so you can't upgrade your service even if you want to and if you have any issues, no one can help you but it also has some nice features. Hope that is helpful. Dr. Guttersen tries to discourage obsessing over your food so I have been trying to keep a less formal journal where I just write down what I eat. I got that one they were recommending on the home page-The Ultimate Diet Log. It's just an oldfashioned one where you write in it. It encourages you to work on small goals at a time like increasing your water intake, or veggie intake, or cutting out sugar or whatever goals you want to set for yourself. I haven't used it enough yet to know what I think. Probably more information than you wanted but hope it was somewhat helpful.

I'm reporting back on the recipe-it is very good and not very difficult to make. In fact, preparing the green beans is probably the most time consuming part of the enitre recipe. I'm not a big fan of quinoa but this recipe is more vegetable than quinoa so I found it pretty tasty.

I happened to find my book at The Dollar Tree and read it last night. Then I popped on the computer today to look for a forum and found you guys, yeah. I hope to start my plan tomorrow. Congrats on your weight loss Heather that sounds great! I hope I can get through Wave 1, wish me Will Power (I love to snack:)

Petra hey hang in there this really works. I am on day 7 this weekend slipped a little bit but not bad for a weekend. This really changes your cravings yesterday I made the hubby mashed potatoes and yah know they didn't even taste so great. I didn't finish my little scoop. Funny how your feel better more energy and now I feel so in control.
Dorothy glad your joining us I think we will grow with time. If people can support each other and we will all learn along the way with each other.
Heather oh please share a recipe or two once you experiment with the book. Maybe I will have to get one. See I like to cook so thats not a problem for me. Its one of my like to do things.
I attende two gatherings this weekend and felt in control now thats a real plus. I also started to work out with my daughter on sunday and we scheduled a couple more times for this week. We are motivating each other.
Heather sometimes moving 10-20 lbs. is harder than more wt. I know and will just continue my road of living a healthier lifestyle and learning along the way how to reach my long term goal.
Well take care I have been making some new jewelry designs for a show that keeps me busy with my hands and not feeding my mouth. Though my cravings in between meals has lessened greatly.

Okay, it says to measure Rim to Rim for the plates. 7 inch Breakfast plate is really a saucer, which is fine but when I put my Whole Grain bread on it ~ it takes almost the whole plate not 25%. I am using what they recommend (1 slice whole grain), I looked at some of the smaller sliced loafs and most of them were whole wheat, not really Whole Grain ..............hmmm.............what do you all do or buy?

I use the 9 inch plate for breakfast too. I know what you mean about that being a ridiculously small plate and I don't think I overdo portions.

I've had a few good days in a row. Good to have some new people here.

I also belong to the Sonoma website. I'm not sure it is worth the cost for most people. There are a few people there who have lost some substantial weight on this plan which is encouraging to me. I know it works if you stick with it. We also have an Easter Challenge going which has been a big motivator for me.

Hello Everyone,

I made the Greek pork chops from the cook book for dinner tonight. It was good, but so good I ate an extra one. I just logged my calories for the day, and was surprised it was kind of high...not due to the meat, but dried FIGS! Who knew? Oh well, I guess I am not technically supposed to worry about the calories anyway. The last few days I don't feel I have not done as well as I was. I did get dinner on the table and everyone actually did linger instead of racing to the finish, so that was nice. My teenage son ate broccoli!

I was curious about the Sonoma website. I think it would be worth it for me IF they have a feature where you can choose the meals you want to make, and then it makes a grocery list for you. That would be great! Do they have something like that, Petra?

I did measure my plate when I started so I would have an idea, but I do not obsess about it. (I only ever eat cereal for breakfast) I watched this video on youtube that has the author of the Sonoma Diet explaining about the portion sizes. The portions she demonstrated did look very small. But she also said that vegetables (I assume tier 1) are actually unlimited. So I don't get really concerned. I count one slice of WG bread as a serving even if it seems to be overflowing its spot. But sometimes I can't eat the whole piece. I agree that this seems to really stop cravings. I loved sweets and now I am just not interested.

I am a little worried about my upcoming weigh in. After a great start (that also seemed quite easy) I sure hope these past two weeks have been somewhat successful. I have had 2 or 3 higher calorie days, but most have been well within the range Sparkpeople suggests for me. So I guess I will see what happens! It is so great to have the support thread here. I am so glad more people are posting!

Heather in SC

I haven't worried much about plate size; I just follow recipes and eat whatever the serving size is. Since I only have ten more pounds to lose, I am not concerned about any rapid weight loss, and I can't reduce my calorie intake much more than it is now. What is challenging for me is that my husband is a vegetarian, so I have to make alternate meals for him on the nights that I eat chicken or fish. I rarely eat pork or beef and never cook either at home.

Heather-the website does let you choose from a limited number of meals and then will make a grocery list for you from that list. There are a lot of recipes on the website that are not in that list (and therefore can't be incorporated into the grocery list) and it has a small forum.

Okay, thanks, Petra65. :) I thought I might join later on if I feel like I am starting to lose steam.

I am going to weigh today, the first time since I started Wave 2 , two weeks ago. Hoping for a loss!

Everyone, Thanks for the info about the plate size and it is good to verify that veggies are unlimited. I ate alot of raw veggies yesterday ~ I had one of those days where I just felt like I needed to munch......Heather good luck on your weigh in. You are so good, I am one of those who weigh in about every other day ~ just a habit. PS the Spa Lean Cuisines for lunch seem to be helping me alot since I am not into cooking that much:)

Oh, Dorothygailflyer, thanks for your kind wishes! My weigh in was a total bust! I stayed exactly the same! I do not know how that is even possible. :( I did have 2 or 3 bad days over the two weeks, but all those were under 2200 calories. Most days were between 1200-1500. I am pretty disappointed. At least I didn't go up, I think I would be completely destroyed if that had happened!

I need to analyze what I am doing a bit more closely. After seeing other people's menus in the other thread, I switched to a lower calorie breakfast cereal, and I also noticed some are not eating much fruit- so maybe I should cut some out. Less meat? Portions that look more like the ones on the Sonoma Diet Youtube video? I feel pretty bad. But I am going to keep with it. I had initial success and it has been the only plan I have been able to stay with for any length of time.

Heather in SC

Heatherinsc, You should still be proud of doing so well. I think we all have to customize our diets and not worry about sticking to the book so much. I have to keep at least 4 oz of cranberry/blueberry juice in my breakfast for health reasons which is not in wave 1 and a few other things as well. But, the premise of the diet I like so my version I am doing is probably not like anyone else's. I am working on eating healthy with the Sonoma basics and a few other diets incorporated! Stick to it you will find your nich.....

Heather-don't get discouraged. A lot of people find it gets harder in Wave 2. I find I really have to stick to the plan (no more than 2 fruits) and watch portion size or I won't lose either. I try to focus more on the healthy eating aspect and know that the weight will eventually take care of itself.

I went to pilates tonight for the first time all month. I did pretty well considering how sick I have been. I am hoping I didn't overdo it and now can't exercise for the next several days.

Thanks Petra65. I have not been eating more fruits than allowed, but my portions probably do need to get smaller.

I have a pilates tape and I liked doing some of it, but couldn't get consistent. I am too far from town for classes. It sounds like it would be fun. I did do Walk Away the Pounds on Monday, and today I started my T-Tapp workout. I think this is something I will be able to stick with.

Thanks for the encouragement. :)
Heather in SC

P.S. Petra65, our new puppy is a basset hound. We got her near Louisville, MS. She is a lot of fun, aside from getting up really in the morning.

Louisville must be up north because I have no idea where it is. I'm not originally from MS. I'm from the northeast (PA, DE, NJ). I've only lived here a little over 2 years. Enjoy your new puppy. Puppies are a lot of work but if you are home during the day, it shouldn't be too bad. I tend to get my dogs already housebroken because I don't have time for that with my schedule.

I made the sicilian tuna recipe for the first time tonight. This is interesting. I like the sauce but wasn't crazy about the tuna in it. I'm wondering if it might be better with something else like chicken or even another fish like swordfish? The sauce even might be good by itself over pasta.

I went to a yoga class tonight. This is a pure meditation class. I used to go to this class regularly and I think it is actually helpful for my weight loss efforts because it helps reduce stress. I havent been to this either all month. I was pleased I didn't fall asleep in class. I'm planning to do some more cooking over the weekend. I'll let you know how my recipes turn out.

Friday is my official weigh in day and I have had a good week. I have been on plan all week-taken my lunch to work every day and it has payed off. I lost 4 lbs. I know what I need to do to be successful-its just a matter of doing it every day, consistently.

That is fantastic, Petra65! Congratulations on the loss.

Sorry I was gone most of yesterday and did not check in. Hoping to have a good eating weekend, that has generally been a problem area for me. :)

Heather in SC

Congrats Petra on your weight loss. Good luck to everyone over this eating weekend (superbowl):carrot: Maybe Mr Carrot will help us through the snack times......

I hear ya Heather. Weekends can be trouble for me too. Too much free time and things just end up in my mouth. I'm trying to find lots of little projects to do this weekend to keep me busy. This is the first weekend all month that I haven't been sick or working so it is nice to be able to accomplish a few things.

I had a little (and I mean little) slip yesterday. I ate a tiny piece of King cake someone brought to work. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's a mardi gras tradition in this part of the country. It is not a particularly sweet cake-almost a bread but it does have some sugar in it. I am trying to steer clear of the sugar though so I'm a little disappointed in myself. I've otherwise done well all week.

Well girls I did give into pizza and a few wings on friday. A little off now that I am in wave 2 but still feel in control. I am back on track today and only did one small opps and that was I shared a dark choc. snickers with my hubby. I tell you now I can't even eat white pot. mashed they just have no flavor I made them for the hubby tried a spoonful no way. Funny how cravings and foods now taste differently to me. I am still working on my fruit intake now having just one or two serving. I find the frozen fruit works out well. For breakfast having eggs with peppers, onions, ham and a little cheese w/ whole wheat toast seems to keep me full longer. I made my lunch for mon. sm. whole wheat pita with hummus, lettuce, tom, and a fresh cuke. Well take care hang in there this is a highly recommended diet. I saw in the Better Homes mag. Meditarian spelling off is one of the best ways to go and the one glass of red wine in the evening is kind of nice treat. Take care and we can do this hang in there. Change isn't easy after all we gained wt. over a period of time taking it off in a healthy way might take a little while. I am exercising more now too and that helps.

That's great, cacmsc54, about the exercising. I am going to just keep on trying too. I wonder if I should just stay in Wave One, with an occasional fruit or wine thrown in. Seems like if I get too "fancy" with it, I mess myself up, lol.

Heather just remember every little change you make in the right direction your one step ahead. It takes time to lose it took time to put it on always longer to take it off. I am not really following the plate method just the wave 2 and trying to eat better. Tonight I worked out after work for a short time. But thats better than none at all. It was quite busy at the gym today. I am planning on attending again wed. or thurs. Well good luck. I am still kind of calorie counting in my head. Just to ensure I am not going to crazy off my path.

Just thought I would pop in to say the weekends are a bit tough. But I have stayed in control having a little something of the wave but no going hog wild. I am keeping myself in tack and in the drivers seat. I feel really good with this diet. I checked out the Cookbook it looks really good. I think its going to be my purchase soon. Maybe my reward for staying on the diet for a month come the 19th that is my scale day too. I dont know what I lost but I look better feel better and my clothes fit better so long behold gotta keep going This isn't so bad and I think its something I can live with.
I actually made the hubby white potatoes a couple of times and didn't have any urge to eat them.

cacmsc-please join us on the Feb. thread.