[NannaCan]

Hi All. I am new to this board. I just started the Mediterranean Diet today, at least my version.

Can anyone tell me what you eat for breakfast? I was thinking whole grain oatmeal would be good, but I'm not sure.

Also what books/cookbooks do you recommend to help?

Thanks!

[Fezzik]

Sonoma Diet ought to be right for what you need. It is a version of the Mediterranean diet. It has a lot of good receipes in it. For breakfast I usually have a bowl of Kashi Go lean. Or another Kashi cereal. I look for good fiber and things like that. With Skim milk. It works pretty well for me.

[Mercee]

How long have you been omn the sonoma diet it really seems to
be working for you.

[sugarlove]

I'm not on Sonoma myself, but I eat a whole foods diet that is very much in line with Sonoma/Med, etc. My breakfast changes from time to time, but what I eat most often is steel cut oats with fruit (and sometimes with fruit AND yogurt, to make a meusli of sorts). It's really tasty, and incredibly filling.

[NannaCan]

What is the Sonoma Diet? I have heard the name, but not the principles of the. Like I read a lot about Wave 1, what is that?

Thanks for your earlier reply.

Ellie

[Sanderson in Texas]

Hi, everyone. I lost 50 lbs. on Weight Watchers, but in chatting with a group of ladies there over the last few years, I realized that they spend a lot of time figuring out how to work sugar into their points every day. I love Mediterranean foods, so when the Sonoma Diet came along, it was perfect for me! I had gained about 30 of the 50 back, but I've lost 13 again so far with the diet. My favorite light meal when I come home at night is a great salad with mixed greens, blue cheese crumbles, toasted pecans and balsamic vinegar served with a glass of Merlot. Sometimes, it's some roasted eggplant, zucchini, portabellas and red onion, tossed with some lowfat feta cheese. I really think I was more deprived before, and the diet is how great I get to eat now!

To answer some of the questions - Wave 1 refers to a more rigid way of eating done to break the sugar addiction. The fruit, wine, and even vegetables like corn, carrots and sweet potatoes are off limits in Wave 1, but if you eat the right foods, the sugar cravings will stop, and Wave 2 will get much easier. The wrap I found for my lunches on Wave 1 had 14 grams of fiber, and though it wasn't exactly the most luscious food I've eaten, it stayed with me for the afternoon. If you're interested in the diet, I strongly suggest the book as well as the cookbook. The recipes are really good, and the combinations of foods in the recipes are done in order to maximize nutrition at meals. I consider myself an excellent cook, but I can't come up with enough combinations of Sonoma foods to keep myself interested in the diet, so I love their recipes!

As far as cereal goes, the vanilla Kashi oatmeal is one of the better nutritionally sound oatmeals, but the cold cereals have the 8 grams of fiber required for breakfast. I haven't found a Kashi that has that much fiber, but Shredded Wheat 'n' Bran, Fiber One, Uncle Sam and a few others do. Kashi and Weetabix are really pushing theirs, but they're only 4-5 grams.

[Fezzik]

Hi I didn't think that was directed at me. I started the Sonoma diet January 16, 2007. March was pretty much a busted month for me but before that I was doing great. I am showing signs of being back on track. I am down to 462 or so now. My fiance finally had to have sugar at least a little so it is a little more difficult for me to stay focused on it. Also some of my medications are starting to do weird things since I have lost so much weight so we are trying to adjust around those. But yeah Sonoma really is good. It isn't too difficult. The hardest part for me is keeping raw vegetables so I can do lunches easier. I end up not getting much time to eat by the time I get home cook and eat. I usually keep raw spinach and Bell Peppers maybe some tomatoes and things like that around so I can throw together a good salad and Bing I am on my way. I have a lot more work to do and it is getting harder to see good results so I have to get more focused and serious about it. The thing is I don't see a reason to have to quit even if it stops working. The food is good and healthy. There is plenty of it. And I am not depriving myself of anything. I get some of every food group and plenty of nutrients. As long as I follow the program that is. I feel great. I can get around a lot better. I don't get winded walking across the parking lot anymore. I really do need to get more exercise though. That is the part I have really neglected. If I would do that I think I would be well on my way. I need to lose about 4 pounds a week to get to where I want to be by the wedding and hopefully keep it up for a while after that. Didn't happen in March. Hopefully April and on into the summer will be better.