Hi all!

Well, I'm going for it. I'm starting the new thread to keep track of our menus, progresses, dips, rants, moans, daily lives, etc. A few of us here think it's a good way to help eachother stay on track and keep in touch .

It doesn't matter what Wave we are on, just that we are following Sonoma life principles. It's about encouraging one another, sharing tips, and being accountable. We can do this TOGETHER !

I suppose I'll be the first to post....

Weekends tend to be the hardest for most of us, including me. I have at least one wild engagement. The World Cup Tournament started yesterday and we've been invited to a party to watch England vs. The Czech Republic. I don't even like soccer, but I wouldn't mind the socializing. We are supposed to bring something to eat. The DF wants to make cookies. This could sound trouble!!! So long as we leave any leftovers at the party I don't think too much damage will be done. I'm going to try to stay full on healthy Sonoma food so I don't want any of the cookies or whatever other junk is around at the party. I am, however, allowing myself a glass of wine or 2.

Menu:
Brk - WG cereal w/ milk and blueberries
Lunch - Shrimp, Strawberry and Spinach salad w/ 1/2 pita
Snack - Latte with skimmed mik
Snack 2 (just before the party) - small plate of Tier 1 veg (cuke, broc, cherry tomatoes)
Dinner - at the party so unsure, Wine

Hope to see some new posts when I check back in!! We can do this!!

Hey Angela,glad to be here One thing I know is I need support that we give each other by posting menus,rants,or whatever. Week-ends can pose a concern for all because there is always something doing. Sounds like you are going to have fun at the party. Looks like you thought things out as far as Sonoma is concern. You go girl One thing that I like about this program is not only learning to eat healthy but I feel more relaxed about choices and I'm not stressing so much trying to be perfect. In the real world nothing is perfect and things happen that the best laid plans go a little crazy where food is concern. So we need to just relax, head into the wind and go for it.We won't be doing anything this week-end (DH)so its a at home time.But during the summer months its so hot to be out so its a good time to relax and catch up with housechores.

Haven't gotten into the exercise thing yet but inching slowly towards it. Today's menus is not really complete because I want to try a few recipes out of the book but here is my intentions.

B..............WG cereal,coffee,milk
S..............fruit most likely raspberries
L..............Oops this is not on program but I'm still having it wo regrets
just less of it.........Baby back ribs,salad,coffee,slaw
S..........cashews
D..........Baby greens walnut apple salad w chic out of book
S..........Yogi & cucumber on 1/2 pita I think

Well thats the crazy menu for today,some of it looks good and others I might say Yuk! What a combo!
Angela have a wonderful time today.We are watching a tropical storm out in the Western Carib. hope it doesn't turn into something we don't want except we need the rain so bad See you tomorrow,enjoy the week-end

Good morning ladies and gentlemen.....love this website and the way words of encouragement just fall from everyone's fingers ! Sonoma seems like such a healthy way of eating and we (dh and I) are hoping that it is an easy program to follow.

I have tried all kinds diets for most of my life. Eventhough I am very much overweight, I am healthy. My dh, however, has high BP and cholesterol and has gained 25 lbs in the past year. Last Sunday we started Sonoma (fortunately with the help of the forum) and although the past week has been very positive it was not perfect as I just received my book yesterday. As of Wed. dh had lost 5 lbs and I had lost 3 (now 5). Granted it is mostly water weight but the idea of eating healthier and in smaller quantities is definitely showing results all ready. My husband is an "over eater"......big quantities...the more the better. I love my sweets . I told him we would do one step at a time. Little goals at a time so as not to get discouraged. We are both retired and love to cook. The program seems to be portion control with much flavor......to enjoy it more. I like this idea and hope we have some success with it.

Have a great weekend!

WELCOME Retiredandlovinit!! Sonoma is such a naturally healthy plan, it's perfect for long term lifestyle changes. It seems you have discovered some weight loss success also - Terrific!!

And Sissy!! I am so glad you are here!! I am a little worried about this tropical storm though - I will be checking the news today. I would imagine that even though a tropical storm is scary, it's probably beautiful to watch. I've only been to Florida once but I loved it. Well, I've been to Key West too which was a totally great time but didn't feel at all like Florida to me. You are lucky to live in such a sunny and tropical state - except when the humidity is outta control, that can be awful! BTW - your rib lunch sounded really good, and it was nearly Sonoma so you can feel fine about it.

Yesterday was okay afterall. My DF, love him dearly, but he is bad with practical things. He screwed up the time we were supposed to be to the party by 3 hours!! By the time he figured it out the game was almost over so we decided to skip the party - and making the cookies. I was bummed we didn't get to go out, but happy to not have to ward off all yummy game food. I had a great Sonoma day afterall! I did have some wine and added some yogurt to my fruit 'dessert' after dinner, but I feel good about the day. Got lots of exercise too.

I'm not totally sure about lunch and dinner today but I think I'll try some recipes out of the book too. You'll have to share how your recipes went yesterday, Sissy.

For today:
Brk - scrambled egg whites w/ salmon, mushrms, feta & WG toast
Snk - cherry tomatoes
Lunch - Lentil soup?? w/ pita
Snk - fruit
Dinner - cxn breast w/ spinach and squash

Welcome to you retiredandlovinit. We are retired too and feel the same way. Keeping a eye on that tropical depression which is now heading into the Gulf. Southern Florida(Keys,Miami) getting the rain and hope we do too. I'm in the central part of the State which is safer then the coast,however the last batch of hurricanes hit us too. We all have to watch carefully how these storms go. Hopefully we will get the rain which on the radar looks like it'll come right over us.

Hi Angela,looks like you had a good day yesterday Your menu looks great. Yesterday I did switch things around on the day. I didn't make that baby spinach salad w apples,walnuts etc. Instead I made that tomato & lentil on pg.274. OMG its to die for,if thats how ones looks at food. I didn't make a double batch because this looks like enough for about 5 days at one cup per serving. Its filling and just wonderful I also did the yoki & cucumber sauce on pg.140. First I did the yogurt cheese the day before then went from there. This can also be used as a dip.

Hey, where is everybody? Aren't you going to join us! The only thing you'll gain is friendship,how to learn to eat healthy and great support. Come on,writing it down is part of the battle. You'll win in the long haul. This is a life change not a quickie . If you have a slip here and there thats part of the learning process,no big deal. Don't throw up your hands and say forget it! I was the Master at doing that and its the reason I'm where I'm at today. But its one day at a time,one meal at a time.

Angela,I forgot to tell you I tempted fate yesterday by making a batch of cookies for DH. Guess what!!!!Didn't touch one thats a plus being last week end I ate cookies at my daughters house. I certainly don't want to tempt my strenght too much,not yet anyway. But if it happens,no regrets just move on. Yesterdays ribs were great! I did control how much I ate,they were small and my DH cooks them well. Good grief this is becoming a book.

Tomorrow is 2 weeks on Sonoma and lovin it Here's the menu for today

B...........eggs,coffee, WG bread
S...........apple with 1 t. PB
L...........chick parm,salad,green beans,coffee (can't keep away)Expresso no less
S...........1/2 pita,2 T yoki cuke sauce
D............Tomato Lentil soup(by the way,I used fresh toms & homemade chic broth I had in freezer,but you can use water which it calls for)
S..........???????

Angela enjoy the rest of the week end You too retiredandlovinit.
See you tomorrow

Good morning Ladies
Well, this a.m. was "official weigh in day" for dh and me. DH is down 10 pounds and I'm down 6. Both of us are quite pleased as this is a good amount for one week (plus at the beginning we didn't know all the rules).....eventhough we both know that the larger you are the quicker you supposedly loose. I'm sure once we start adding in the fruit things will change but I'm just happy that we are eating healthier and hubby is not complaining.

Today's menu is as follows:
B = wg cereal, ff milk
L = chef salad with dressing
s = almonds
D = baked chick breast with a bit of salsa, brown rice, green beans.

BTW - yesterday I made the Latin spiced pork on page 203...it was lucious and the pork didn't dry out at all. Ooh...something I've discovered but maybe lots of you out there do this already......shake salad in zip lock bag with dressing. I discovered that I had the wrong dressing so to compensate I took a measured serving and shook it with the dressing.....covered the "salad for two" with one serving of dressing. And they say you can't teach an old dog new tricks .

Sissym, I have to admit we are having ribs tomorrow as we are having guests and the menu was planned before dh and I started Sonoma. Dh wanted to change the menu but since meat was already purchased, he makes a delicious home-made sauce which we can control (nothing forbidden in it) and he cooks the ribs quite well .... we'll go forward with the ribs. As dh is happy with the way things are going, I don't want to discourage too much. I'm sure he'll be really pleased when his doctor pats him on the back next month.

I, too, am watching the tropical depression and hopefully it will dissipate. Sissym, looks like I wrote a book too

Have a great day and hope to see posts from others.

Hey everyone,

Don't know how often I'll be able to check in this week, but wanted to post my partial food plan.

When I was not working, I would snack on whatever sounded good. To some extent, I will continue that by taking a variety of snacks with me to work. I purchased a tiny Igloo cooler and a blue ice pack so I can keep the snacks in my office. So this week, I will take some of the following as snacks:
- almonds
- 2 servings of raw, cut vegetables
- whole grain crackers and Laughing Cow light cheese
- plain nonfat yogurt with vanilla whey protein powder mixed in
- fresh fruit (usually mix in with the yogurt)

Today I am cooking a big batch of steel cut oats then storing them in .5 cup portions so I can nuke a portion with an egg, a bit of sweetener, and cinnamon for breakfast.

Am also cooking chicken breasts, then slicing them and putting the slices into sandwich bags of 3-4 ounces so they're ready to pack for lunch. My standard lunch is a pita pocket with hummus dip, chicken, salad greens, and tomatoes. Will probably prepare the veggies ahead of time, too. Then I have some kind of fruit for dessert.

I haven't figured out dinners yet, but I have enough Sonoma-appropriate food in the house to get us through Wednesday and will try to report daily. All in all, I think I should be able to stick to Wave 2 for the most part. Hope to go out for lunch a few times, but I am no longer shy at all about asking the server to modify things.

Glad to see everyone is doing so well with their eating! Welcome retiredandlovinit and congrats on the weight loss for both you and your hubby!

I've been on Sonoma for days. I feel pretty darn good... but to be honest, I do have a lot of rumbling tummy times. I think my body just isn't used to all this salad I've been eating!

I went to a BBQ yesterday, and before I even got there, I know I would allow myself fruit (even though I'm on Wave 1) and a small piece of cake for dessert. (The host made it esp. for me, since it's my favorite). I don't want to tell everyone on I'm a diet, because if I should not lose weight, I don't want all to know what a failure I am. Anyway, the host mainly made Sonoma style foods, so I was in heaven. We had gazpacho, shrimp, carprese salad, fruit and cake.

Today's menu:

B: Mushroom omlet w/ 1 whole grain toast
L: Salad w/left over flank steak
S: Two cherry tomatoes w/1 piece fresh mozz
D: Pork Tenderloin, green beans and WG rice

As I prepare these meals, I try to remember, I should be cooking like this forever. I also realize, that there is no way I will be able to go w/out some prepared foods... so I will adjust. For example, even though it doesn't appear that the Rice-a-Roni Whole Grain Spanish rice is Sonoma approved... I approved it myself. I think it's a better choice than white rice, and I do feel it is acceptable, at least for me.

I'm trying to get some exercise in too. I rode my bike 7 miles on Thurs and 4 miles on Friday. Nothing yesterday... but today I'm hoping to mow the lawn, so that is a lot of walking (which I will consider exercise).

I have to admit, it's been challenging to make sure I'm preparing my foods from scratch, when I'm so used to grabbing prepared foods all the time. Also, I have a DH and two young children, who pretty much don't want what I'm eating. My daughter is allergic to chicken (don't ask, very rare allergy)and nuts, so as you can see, she can't eat some items I make. Also, due to her rare allergies, we do not give her any other foods that are considered high allergins, like strawberries and shell fish.... we hope she will outgrown this! So, to bottom line it, I'm making food for me, and then food for them. It's so hard not to finsh their crusts off their grilled cheese sandwiches.

I'm here, I'm here. Unfortunately it was a week of birthdays (mine was one of them!) and I lost it. Thought I'd allow myself a slight cheat and - what a surprise - it descended into total non-Sonoma eating. Today I restarted Wave 1, with the knowledge that I can do it, and also that I have nothing at all coming up in the next 10 days that will lure me to cheat!

Today was pretty good food-wise, although I was a bit lacking in the protein area. I roasted some eggplant, yellow squash, and peppers and made a mediterranean pasta with some Barilla Plus penne - delish! I should have made a veggie burger to cut into it, but there are plenty of leftovers for me to do that.

Nice seeing you all here!

Welcome Katec,glad to see eveyone coming around. Congrats to retiredandlovinit and hubby on their weight loss. How did you enjoy the ribs? Hey Luv,just do the best you can,it sounds like you have a handle on the food.There are times when it makes it a little hard to stay on course but if you don't vary too much you will succeed. Sherry your job sounds wonderful and interesting and I would do the same thing about the cooler if I were still working. Hey Angela how is it going?

Well, the storm is above us and we are just getting rain,not the winds. Of course Alberto won't make landfall untill early tomorrow and the Panhandle looks like it will get some of the storm plus coastal areas from Tampa Bay northward. We are southcentral about 83 miles from Orlando,in what is known as cattle country and orange groves. There are a lot of ranches out this way.

Just returned from the grocery store with a new supply of Sonoma foods.
Fruits,veggies,eggs,fish etc.Today marks 2 weeks on program and I've lost unstressed 6 pounds,which delights me. No pressure,just great food and good support from you gals on this site.

Here is the menu for today.........
B...........WG cereal,coffee,milk
S...........blueberries with yoki
L...........sm. steak,mushrooms,green beans,salad,coffee
S...........1/2 pita w 2 t yoki/cuke sauce (recipe in book)
D............tomato/lentil soup
S.............pita w yoki cuke sauce

I think I am turning into a cucumber covered with yogurt and a lentil
Have a wonderful successful day and we can all do this ,just don't give up the ship no matter if you think its going to sink.
See you tomorrow

Hi Everyone!

I just finished listening to the Sonoma Diet on the CD's and am now ready to start reading the book. I will be starting Wave 1 any day now. This diet really seems like what I've been looking for all my life! Losing weight AND eating for nutrition and feeling good!

Can't wait to get started and meeting all of you!!

Lori

Welcome, Lori! And I hope you Alberto ladies are doing OK.

Here's what I ate today:

Breakfast: Allbran with skim milk
Lunch: ham wrapped in a low-carb tortilla w/veggies and some goat cheese
Dinner: Leftover mediterranean pasta
Snacks: almonds, soy crisps

I am HUNGRY but I know that if I can get past Day 3, I'll be OK.

I believe I've lost 10 lbs so far. Not bad IMO. I weighted myself on my mom's scale a few weeks ago, so I just figured that as my starting weight. Today, I weighed in on my scale. However, not using the same scale, I could be off a few pounds. In any case, I'm pleased at my success. I haven't been 167 in over a year. I'll be even happier when the scale reads 150 something.

Today I ate:

B: GoLean cereal
L: Chicken wrap w/a salad
S: 2 cherry tomatos w/fresh mozz
D: Salad, and a small side of WG spaghetti w/a dab of meat sauce
D: 1 cookie

I know the cookie was bad... but if this diet is going to be a lifestyle change, and way of life... well then, there are going to be cookies. In all honesty, I've been thinking of that cookie for 24 hrs! I wanted it so bad. I don't believe that Wave 1 will rid me of my sugar/dessert cravings. I love them, and look forward to them... I'm just going to have to find other ways to fulfil them. I'm hoping that when I begin eating fruit, that will help the cravings.

I did ride my bike 6 miles today! I'm happy I'm getting in some exercise too.

CRAP - just wrote a long post and the site deleted it before I got to post it! I hate when that happens!!

Well, for starters, glad to see everyone is doing so well - this is wonderful!! Congrats on the weight loss both Sissy and Luvthelighthouse ! Also welcome mommyto5sweeties. Glad to see you are here katec.

I had a near disaster yesterday - spilled a giant mug of coffee all over my laptop. It actually sizzled before the screen went black ! I was in a state of panic because I hadn't yet backed up all of my thesis files. Luckily my DF is a whiz with computers so he ran down to PC Laptops and purchased a PC repair kit and then spent the whole afternoon taking my computer apart. Luckily the hard drive was okay - thank heavens!! Infact, after he cleaned everything free of coffee it seems to be running okay. The keyboard remains a little sticky, but it seems a small price to pay.

As for Sonoma, I have been struggling to keep my portions under control the past few days. I just feel ravenous!! It is that TOM so that's probably a part of it. Even still, it's been hard. I have made some delicious Sonoma meals though, the Greek Pizza recipe in the book is fantastic! I had 2 beers yesterday - not so very Sonoma. It was during the USA vs the Czech Republic soccer game. I should have had wine but it just didn't feel right with the sun shining and the sports on the screen. Such is life I suppose.......

I am going to London for the weekend. I'm so excited, I love London!! I'll be bringing my sister back with me too and I am very excited about that also. It will be a challenge to stick on plan but I will do my best. Since I'm on vacation I may allow myself a yummy Starbucks drink or dessert after dinner one night. I have made a rule for myself - no junk food on the train. I always get M&M's and a gingerale for the road when I travel, just a bad habit I've gotten into. This time I am bringing berries with me and ordering a coffee. Other than that I think most restaurants will have Sonoma-ish meals. I just have to take it in moderation and not go overboard, and most importantly, not give up when things don't go just as planned. That's when I tend to throw in the towel. But not this time!

Hope you all are having a great week. And hope you are safe from Alberto, Siss. Keep us posted.

I plan to check in the next few days but doubt I'll have access to a computer in London. For now, I am off to the gym. Take care everyone!

Welcome Lori,Hi Angela, this morning woke up to thunder and lighting storm with heavy rains,but no big deal.Alberto has not touch down yet and is expected to around the big ben area of Florida this morning(thats the curve area of FL)so we were lucky this time in our county but its only the beginning of the season.

Angela,I hate when that happens to me after spending time writing a long email. Sorry about your mishap on the computer,sounds like something I would do. Have a wonderful time in London and do the best you can. My big challange will be in the Fall when we start cruising again,but right now its the business at hand. My late friend had a son who lived in Wells. I don't know how far that is from London but she would go visit for 6 weeks and loved it.

I am covering for a girl where I used to work,I told her I would when retired.
Its only for a week but when its not part of a routine anymore it almosts becomes a hazzle. But I really don't mind. So it'll be a little more of a challenge this week starting Wednesday about food. I know what I need to do but its the evening meal that my DH will prepare. He knows what I need but I will get home 6:30 PM and for me thats a little late for lots of food,even tho its on a 9 inch plate. Oh well,if thats my only worry,then I have it made in the shade. I'll try to post menus before I leave,if not it'll be later.

Here's the menu for today(incomplete because not sure about dinner)

B..........2 eggs,WG bread,1 T, PB,coffee,1/4c. milk
S...........blueberries & yoki
L...........Cod,spag. squash,salad,coffee
S...........radishes,cukes
D..........????????
S..........????????

Ang,again have a wonderful time in London Hope everyone has a wonderful day and to our friends in the Carolina's,do take care as Alberto is headed your way. Sucesses to all Talk to you tomorrow