Hello,
Just started the Sonoma diet yesterday and was starving by 9 pm and devoured crap ... something I never was on Atkins ... hungry.

8 months ago I was looking great, 220 lbs, I'm 5'10" ... working out, feeling good. Then my hubby entered rehab for his drinking, and the stress of his kid, my kids, his rehab, all of it caved in on me and I quit working out, started eating everything I could. McDonalds was/is my buddy. I'm now 270.4 lbs and disgusted with myself, I'm pre diabetic, having shortness of breath and cringe when I see myself naked.

I am going to continue with Sonoma until Monday and see if I can do it or not, otherwise it's back to Atkins ... maybe modified Atkins ... I don't know, but I do know IT WORKED and I was ALWAYS satisfied.

It works and you are always satisfied! Those are the two reasons I keep coming back to it. It is healthy too. Meat, fish, berries, and vegetables, along with good satisfying fats. What more could you ask for?

The reason those other diets aren't satisfying is because they cause blood sugar fluxuations in those of us who are suseptible to too much insulin release. We go up and feel "high" from the sugars and starches, then we crash and are starving. Meats and protein foods don't do that to you. Fats don't do that to you. Low sugar fruits don't do that to you.

Modified Atkins? Atkins can be followed at any (reasonably low) level of carbs. It works best at the lowest levels, but Atkins ISN'T just 20 grams or less. So many people think that the induction part of Atkins is the whole diet. It isn't. In fact it is never what he recommended. He recommended increasing carbs until you find a level you can't lose at and then backing off from there. He also indicated it needed to be a lifestyle change that you can live with for the rest of your life.

If you want to call it "modified" you can, but Atkins never needed to be modified, if it is going to work, then it has to be followed in a reasonable fashion, and he allowed for all of that within the plan. Any modification beyond his plan won't work. But none of us has to see induction as what we expect from ourselves for the rest of our lives. That's just dumb. We all know we can't sustain that level.

I've been back for a week, I had considered Sonoma or South Beach but decided low carbing is where I need to be and I am . I have been living it for a week (skipped induction) and I feel great, not deprived at all. I need to go buy a scale (gee wonder why I tossed the last one ) so I can check my progess. We need to find what works for us and do it. Good luck in what ever you decide to do, the results will be worth it!

same sad story here but knew PP worked and did not try anything else. actually did just cutting down but when i start eating those carbs they just keep on going in!!

I didn't mean modify the diet, just like adding the berries in ... I love a few strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, etc here and there.

Was able to quickly offload my sonoma diet book on my paperback swap group, so nothing lost.

Feeling so much better about the new decision, thanks for helping me out.

C - so glad you are going to join us! I took a little hiatus from Atkins and have been back on induction for a week. It does seem to me that when I try other ways of eating that incorporate fruits, starches, etc., I'm hungry. Actually, it's not stomach growling hungry, more that I'm unsatisfied and the "EAT" switch stays on. At any rate, you'll love it here, we're a fun group

I'm pre-diabetic, and I don't just get little hunger pangs, I would feel immediately like passing out ... my sugars would fluctuate sooo much; at least on Atkins I KNOW everything stays level and it's a helluva better feeling; plus the energy. I'm psyched to be here again.

[QUOTE=CMorrison64]Hello,
Just started the Sonoma diet yesterday and was starving by 9 pm and devoured crap ... something I never was on Atkins ... hungry.
, I'm pre diabetic, having shortness of breath and cringe when I see myself naked.

[QUOTE]

I was doing the Med. Diet; but at this point in time it was not working for me.
I have pre-diabetes; you should go to the local library and check out the recent copy of Atkins and Atkins for life.
What made me come back was reading that book again and my brothers (diabetic doctor) put him on this diet.
Reading the book again makes me feel better about this choice.