Looking at the Sonoma plan
 

I have been doing atkins for 1 1/2 day; but I already feel like it is not workable. I am now looking into Sonoma and Weight watchers. I have sugar cravings so i dont know which diet is best for me.
How is the sonoma diet working for all of you?

I did Atkins last summer. I think I stuck to it for 3 weeks or so, and I felt awful. It wasn't something I felt like I could mainting long term, I didn't like the foods and I felt gassy/bloated and usually still hungry. I'm also not a huge meat or dairy eater (though i do like a lil meat, I certainly don't want a while plateful!) I didn't like that I could never have fruit with atkins. I'm still on the first wave of sonoma, where you don't get fruits and things, but I love it so far, I even feel like I could maintain wave 1 for quite a while (though i would like fruits!) So I really feel like I can maintain wave 2 indefinately. The foods are good, and best of all, very nutritious. I don't feel hungry all day, and there are built in's so you don't have to feel like you're "cheating" because you're hungry and have a snack. It's great! You do have to be prepared to cook a lot of meals yourself, and if you are super addicted to caffiene, sugar, or bad carbs (white flour and refined carbs) you'll have a harder time with wave 1, but it is good for you. When I did Atkins I constantly felt like what I was doing wasn't really good for me long term.

I echo what wildlifechic said. I tried Atkins in summer 03 for a couple of weeks and hated it. Was always hungry and felt terrible. I've been on Sonoma since Jan. 3 and am very happy. I am cooking more than I used to, but I enjoy cooking and am working on ways to reduce my kitchen time when things get busier with work. I personally think I can stick to this way of eating for life; the meals taste great, they're well-balanced, and I feel healthy.

The best diet is one you can stick to.. for the rest of your life. Not as a one month or a six month weight loss fix. Check out the stickies at the top of the forum that explain what the plan is, check out some of the recipes in the recipe forum and see if you think this will work for you.

One thing to keep in mind right off the bat. This plan does not relay on prepackaged foods so be ready for that... and sweets are fruit and an occasional piece of dark chocolate. Traditional sweets( cookies, cakes, pie..) are to only be eaten on the rare occasion and that doesn't mean daily or even weekly.

The primary focus of this plan is good health.. weight loss is just a great bonus.

to chocolate kiss
 

:dizzy:
my husband and myself did the adkins diet about 2 years ago. i have to say that was probably the worst diet i have ever experienced. i felt like i was in a fog, the worst was my craving for chocolate increased so much that i was eating a small bag of the hersheys a day! and losing weight that scared me so i quite and my husband only lost 20 lbs on that one. the best one i ever experienced was weight watchers, but my husbands needs the portion control so i am doing this and it really isn't a bad diet. i agree with the rest of them you need a diet that will work for the rest of your life, which is what i tried to tell my husband. he is now believeing me becasue he is losing weight and not feeling sick like we did on the adkins.