Hello all,

I have just bought the book and am just starting to read it. I have been lurking in this forum for a few days and have a quick question.

Does anybody know if this diet is good if you have a large amount of weight to lose or is it more useful for smaller amounts? I have about 100+ lbs to lose. Should I be looking for a different diet?(or should I say miracle).

My next question is did anybody have problems sticking to wave 1? Did you find it to restrictive?


Thank you for your insight. I hope to talk to all again.

Sonoma is very healthy eating. I see no reason why you wouldn't want to start it, no matter how much weight left to loose.

Wave 1 is filled with great things to eat and if you take the time to do the recipies, there is plenty to keep you going. I have read posts, where people have skipped, not done all of, or just struggled through the wave 1. Mostly it is to get the suger cravings out of your system. I like to think of it as a 10 day cleanse. so I mean , whatever works for you. The recipies are great.
No complaints here.

I lost 87 pounds , so far eating the Medieteranean way, which is what Sonoma is based upon. ANY healthy diet will help you lose 100+ pounds. You just have to pick one you can stick with.. for the rest of your life. This is a forever change you need to make, so think long term. Sorry, sweetie.. but there is no miracle.. Only burning more calories than you eat. Diet AND exercise are both critical to any plan.

The majority of this battle is going to be between your ears. Most of us didn't get to 100+ pounds over weight just because we like food. We got into the habit of eating our emotions.. happy - we eat, sad - we eat, angry - we eat. In my experience, dealing with that stuff was far more challenging than eating or exercise. YMMV of course.

Start out with losing 5 or 10 pounds.. looking at this as a big chunk is daunting, but if you take it in 5/10 pound goals it is much easier.

Hope you'll stick around and read.

I personally think this diet is great no matter how much you want to lose, in part because you have to make a lifestyle change in order to maintain the loss. The foods are so good and varied that it doesn't seem like a diet to me and is therefore something I can stick with for life. Also, your overall health is likely to improve as a result of both the weight loss and eating such good, wholesome, unprocessed food.

Wave 1 is only 10 days. And like Totally said, it's filled with great food. I agree; follow the meal plans and recipes and you will not be bored. I loved Wave 1, didn't even feel like I was on a diet. My husband loved it, too. We've been on Wave 2 since the middle of January and still very happy with what we're eating. But what Totally said about sugar cravings is important. If you've been eating a lot of processed foods and/or artificial sweeteners, you might have a rough time the first few days.

And I completely agree with LindaT's comments about the mental aspect. For example, I had to change my focus from vanity and weight loss to health in order to turn my eating around and begin exercising. Focus on your reason for doing this, set small goals, take baby steps, whatever you have to do to make it work for you.

I am loving Sonoma- have a pretty good chunk to lose myself
I follow the recipes to the t and eat all that I am allowed and am slowly losing which is just fine by me...every time I have lost quickly I gain back twice as much....the food is very healthy and for me the prep time has turned into my wind down time....I drink my glass of wine while prepping and then have water with dinner

By all means try it at least for the 10 days to see how you like it

Thanks everybody for your views. I have peeked at the recipes and I like what I see.

I would like to finish the book this weekend and start on Monday.

Once again thanks and I will be asking questions and looking for advice in the future since I know where to come to for great down to earth answers.

Thanks again everyone.

I'm not adding anything new here, but just wanted to chime in. I started off 75 lbs from my goal weight, and my partner is 150 lbs from hers. I think this is a great diet if you have a significant amount of weight to use. It'll take some time to lose that much, and this is a diet that is balanced and flexible enough to make it relatively easy to eat this way on an ongoing basis.

We didn't find Wave 1 too restrictive, but we did both have headaches the first couple of days. We chalked that up to junk food withdrawals. That was the only real problem we ran into, though. I think the key in Wave 1 is to keep it interesting. Check out the Recipes thread for some great ideas.

Good luck!

Jeri

I'm new to Sonoma also...and have 100 lbs to loose. I know it's going to be tough (especially since hubby isn't going to be totally supportive...he always cheats on diets), but I look forward to what I'll feel like when I meet my goal.

I'm thinking of setting some mini-goals for myself like I see others doing here. I think that will help motivate me.

I'm also having a hard time truly doing Wave I. My mom is staying with us for a couple of weeks to help with the babies...'cause they're all sick and so was I. She is not a dieter...doesn't need to be. Sigh...

Monica

I have alot of weight to lose so I don't know if that is the reason but I had to add several more snacks the first few days until the cravings calmed down a little.
I also want to add that the recipes are really really delicious. I've been very impressed with them. I just had the beef and barley soup today and it is definitely a keeper!