CathyM Weight Loss & Health Blog

I’ve talked about how much I enjoy the food on the Sonoma Diet, here’s a typical day.

For breakfast I have steel cut oatmeal with strawberries, blue berries, and walnuts. Steel cut oatmeal is wholegrain oats that have only been cut. It takes about 30 minutes to cook but today I have some leftover from earlier in the week so no prep time, I just need to warm it up. I also have coffee with nonfat Half & Half cream. This breakfast is delicious and the oatmeal is very filling. I love strawberries, blueberries and walnuts (can’t have too many though). It’s all good.

The menu for lunch is “Greens with beans and artichoke hearts, wasa and raspberries”. I don’t have raspberries so leave that out since I had fruit for breakfast. The Greens with beans and artichoke hearts is a hearty salad which also includes chicken, red onion, goat cheese, pine nuts, parsley, and a homemade vinaigrette. The beans are supposed to be canned white beans, I happen to have canned soy beans and use those. Prep time is less than half an hour, I have to cook the chicken and prepare the salad and vinaigrette. Wasa is wasa crisp bread. I have been eating wasa since the 1980’s when I was on The Diet Center program. It’s a high fiber cracker, pretty tasty, with no bad ingredients.

For an afternoon snack, I have celery with peanut butter. Again I have to watch the quantity on the peanut butter.

Dinner is “Grilled Moroccan Pork Tenderloin Kabobs with Carrot Salad and Brown Rice”. This meal takes some time to prepare. The pork is marinaded in a sauce of parsley, lemon juice, oil, garlic, oregano (fresh), coriander seeds, paprika, ginger (I started using fresh ginger in a jar to save time and it tastes like fresh), black pepper, kosher salt (I use it all the time now), cayenne pepper, and tumeric. The marianade is prepared about 2 hours in advance and combined with the park. Brown rice takes about an hour to cook so we get that going next. Now we have the time to chop our carrots and prepare ingredients for the Tunisian Carrot Salad. We need garlic, kalamata olives, feta cheese, lemon, Harissa (I’ve never found it in a store so substitute a hot sauce that I have), olive oil, caraway seeds, coriander seeds, and kosher salt. The carrots are cooked for about 5 minutes and then combined with the other ingredients. Instead of doing kabobs on the grill, I stir fry the pork which retains more of the marinade. It’s very good on the brown rice. The whole prep time on this dinner is about an hour and a half. To go with this great meal I can have 6 ounces of wine, I have a red pinot noir. I use very small wine glasses, 4 ounces, and then can have seconds (another half glass). It’s all good.

This is a typical day. I cook quite a bit more than prior to starting the Sonoma Diet particularly because I am cooking a substantial lunch in addition to dinner. It’s so worth it to me to eat this great healthy and filling food and to loose weight with it.

I am down 8 pounds now since starting the Sonoma Diet on December 30. That’s a little over 3 weeks ago. I am happy with the progress!

One of the components of the Sonoma Diet is portion control. We do not count calories or weigh food, instead a plate is used as a visual for portion control. On Wave 1, which does not have fruiit, a dinner would be on a 9-inch plate with 30% protein, 20% whole grains, and 50% vegetables. For Wave 2, the main part of the diet, a dinner would be 25% protein, 25% whole grain, 25% vegetables, and 25% fruit. It sounds easy enough but it is a little hard to be exact. For tonights meal, I made an Asian salad with crab and peanuts as the protein. They were mixed in the salad so a little hard to use the plate for measurements. However, what I do is pay attention to the total amount of protein and then know my portion. In other words, I have a pound of crab and I can have about a quarter pound of it, so therefore a quarter of the finished salad. During the 1980’s I used the Diet Center to loose weight and we always measured 4 ounces of protein. I am pretty good at estimating how much protein I am eating.

I am also using portion control on my wine by using a very small wine glass. Most of my nice wine glasses hold quite a bit more than 6 ounces. This small glass only holds 4 ounces. Some nights I only have the 4 ounces and the times when I want some more, I know to only fill it up half way for a total of 6 ounces.

Yesterday I moved to Wave 2 of the Sonoma Diet. This is the main part of the program, it is the diet that we stay on until reaching goal weight. I am down 4 pounds so far (after 10 days of Wave 1). I feel great and am excited about Wave 2.

The first difference for Wave 2 is that we add fruits! There’s an emphasis on berries – strawberries, blueberries, raspberries – because they are so healthy. There are many others as well and some that are allowed only once a day (of the 2 fruit servings per day). There is an expanded list of vegetables as well. Never any white rice or potatoes but there are sweet potatoes and carrots. I’ll write more about the Tier 1, 2, and 3 foods another day.

Another big addition is wine. It is wine because of its heart healthy benefits. The diet does not recommend substituting other types of alcohol. We are allowed one 6 ounce glass of wine a day. I think that’s quite generous (for a diet afterall). I measured a couple of wine glasses and I am going to try to use a small one that only holds 4 ounces and make that work most days.

I am still excited about the diet, still loving the food, and meeting some new diet pals at the Sonoma Diet Online

There’s an article yesterday about “Americans opt for healthy eating, not diets.” Eight out of 10 dieters said their goal was both to lose weight and improve their health. The Sonoma Diet tries to meet these goals with wholesome, fresh, and delicious food. I have just finished the first week and all of the food has been delicious.

I ordered The Sonoma Diet Book from Amazon and it arrived today. Although the online program is great, it does help to have the reference book too for quick answers on some things. One of my questions was can I occasionally substitute other alcohol for wine. The answer is no and the reason given is that only wine has enough healthy nutrients to make the extra calories worth it.

A couple of points from the introductory chapter of the book. The Sonoma Diet is not low carb or low fat. There are plenty of satisfying carbs and they are all whole grains – high fiber and healthy! The fats emphasize olive oil which has been shown to be heart healthy. By not depriving carbs and fats, this diet is satisfying and I hope one that I can continue with as an eating lifestyle for a very long time.

One thing I disagree with is the statement that it is “Simple for busy lives.” The meals take a long time to prepare. About 2 – 4 hours a day. Many of the lunch meals have as much preparation time as the dinners. I think that the longer I am on it, I will develop ways to shorten the preparation time or make substitutions but for now I am trying to stick fairly close to the menus offered online. I love the food and am willing to put in the time because of that.

I have a few more days on Wave 1 (1st 10 days of the plan are the most strict) and I look forward to seeing what new food alternatives there will be in Wave 2.

I have spent a lot of time shopping and in the kitchen the last few days. It has all resulted in delicious food. After picking up most of my produce and herbs at the Farmer’s Market on Saturday, I made a trip to the grocery store to pick up additional items. Then today I went to a health food oriented market, Sprouts, to find the more obscure items. They had it all but I think I had to ask 4 times where something was. I needed wheat berries, and quinoa, and whole wheat bread crumbs. We had the quinoa tonight in a pilaf along with Braised Pork Tenderloin with Olives and Capers and a spinach salad. It was very good.

Yesterday, New Years Eve, I managed to eat healthy by bringing lobster and crab and cole slaw (from the diet recipes of course) to a party and drinking just a little champagne. We also danced – exercise is good! Earlier that day, we were scuba diving (that’s were we got the crab and lobster) and it all helped contribute to 3 pounds weight loss. Nice to get off to a good start!

I love the food. I LOVE the food! It’s healthy, lots of produce, good protein too. The only negative is that it takes a long time to prepare. The lunch menu required as much preparation as I normally put into a dinner. It was good though, black bean chili and spinach salad. Dinner was steak salsa, brown rice, and broccoli with lemon and dill. Breakfast was steel cut oatmeal, the kind you cook for half an hour. The snack was celery with peanut butter.

Yesterday I tried to prepare by purchasing most of the food for the week. I am on Wave 1. This portion of the diet is the most restrictive and does not include fruits. They are added in Wave 2. It does include lots of produce, lean meats or fish, nonfat dairy, and high fiber whole grain breads and cereal. The online site lists the menu for the upcoming week and has the ability to change meals or add or delete (if you’re eating out or other reason). The flexibility is great. It automatically generates a shopping list and from it you can check off the items that you already have and then shop for the rest. I wanted to get a jump start last night and wanted to find a recipe to use the lean pork chops that I had. It was easy to search for pork and select from a great list of recipes.

Another part of the program is the online community. I introduced myself and saw that there were a few others starting today as I am. It seems like a nice group.

Tomorrow is New Years and I do plan to modify the diet for the evening. That will take some planning.

Time to get a jump start on the New Year’s resolution! I decided to give the Sonoma Diet a go. I like the idea that it encompasses healthy food that you prepare yourself and allows for some wine! Just the ticket for me. I shop at the Farmer’s Market on Saturdays, so I will join the program this morning and after I understand the food plan, head to the market. I have to say that The Sonoma Diet website is beautiful and gives a quick overview but really not too many details of either the diet or the cost (at least I found it hard to find them) without joining. I searched the web a bit to find more details. For that reason, I think it is useful if I start by giving some information about the sign up process.

We start with an entry of weight and target weight along with gender, height, and age. Should I give my short term target or a longer goal? Hmm, I think I’ll go for the longer goal which is a 20 pound loss. The next page is some more history about dieting. I like their slogan, “Food, Wine, and Weight Loss!”. There are a number of free newsletters to subscribe to. I will try several of them, I am sure that there will be an unsubscribe option if they turn out to be too much. Now we have a quick calculation of Body Mass Index (BMI). Yes, mine is high. Now it’s time for “Sign Up Now!” and we find out that the cost is $5 a week. That really isn’t bad, in some ways, it might be too low, not enough to say “I paid so much money I better stick with it.” But money isn’t my motivation, I need to loose the weight and I love to eat healthy food and drink wine so let’s go. I am told that for my $5 I will receive a customized daily plan, recipes, meal planner, registered dieticians online and onlinecommunity and support. There is a note that there is a 5 week minimum, that seems fair to me. After joining, there are now 3 more special offers. The first is an upgrade for a very minimal amount of $ for personalized diet coaching and a recipe book. I decide to take it. The next option is for customized vitamins, I decide to pass on that one. The next offer is for the Sonoma Diet Cookbook, although it’s a good price, I can get a great price on Amazon as well so I pass on it.

Finally, “Welcome to The Sonoma Diet online program, where meals are meant to be celebrated.” Yes! The diet author, Connie Guttersen, has great credentials and a welcoming introduction! The next step is to set up my profile. Most of the information is already filled in from the original weight and height entered. I get the option to enjoy a glass of wine with meals on Wave 2 (guess that means I can’t have any to start).

Now we get to the tools. There is a checklist and pledge. There’s a hint about the food here: whole grains, fresh produce, lean meats, and low-fat dairy products. That’s all good to me! There is a meal planner and yes it allows changes, that’s good! My meals start tomorrow and they look fabulous! There is a shopping list, I can uncheck everything that I have and print the list. I am very excited!

Gotta go now and pick up my produce – cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, eggplant, green beans and lots of herbs!

P.S. To find out more about The Sonoma Diet, visit their website:

Or, if you’re not interested in joining a program, find The Sonoma Diet book at Amazon for a great price:

The Sonoma Diet: Trimmer Waist, Better Health in Just 10 Days!

A new year, time for New Years Resolutions. I think it’s good to have short term and long term goals. This really helps with motivation – short term successes help keep a positive attitude and momentum going in the right direction. I also believe that New Years resolutions should be achievable and limited in scope, not things like achieve world peace (sorry too great a challenge).

I have a very clear short term goal. Loose the pounds I gained in December. It was only about 5 and I think most of it is bloating and will drop pretty fast. If I do that quickly, it will be easier to focus on my long term weight loss and health goals.

My longer term goal is to get back to the main reason I started this blog, to write about weight loss. My intention has been to evaluate online weight loss programs. What should be the criteria to evaluate a weight loss program? Success rate is always important but it’s probably not possible to get accurate data. My belief is that almost any of the weight loss programs will work if you stick with it. It’s important then to find a program that you can stick with and that is an individual decision.

Weight Loss Program Evaluation Criteria

The Diet Programs

This initial list was selected because they are well known programs with a large online presence. The list is in alphabetical order and gives some highlights of the program. More in depth reviews will come later.

The Biggest Loser – Based on the popular TV show, the online program provides meal plans and work out routines used in the show. The fitness trainer from the Biggest Loser is available for consultation in the message boards.

Diet.com – This program provides a customized plan based on a profile that is filled out. Online forums provide support.

Dr. Weil’s My Optimum Health Plan – Not strictly a weight loss program, this is a program for good health! Dr. Weil helps you address your health goals and provides an online weight tracker and message board with supportive community.

eDiets.com – eDiets is known for their flexibility and variety! They provide customized diet programs based on personal goals, food preferences, and lifestyles. With this program you can do the Mayo Clinic diet, Atkins, Cholesterol Lowering diets and many more options. eDiets is one of the biggest programs out there with a huge online community.

Medifast – Provides low calorie, pre-measured Medifast Meals which are vitamin fortified and nutrionally balanced. Medifast Meals are clinically proven and recommended by physicians!

Sonoma Diet – The most flavorful weight loss plan, online and customized! Wine is encouraged but not required and helps dieters maintain a healthy heart while boosting enjoyment during a meal.

Zone Chefs (formerly Zone Diet at Home) – Provides nationwide delivery of fresh and frozen meals making it a convenient, results oriented, and unique program.

When I started this diet my plan was to join one of the online programs to see how they worked and of course to help keep me on track. I have selected diet.com. Why? Because I like the idea that it is personalized, supervised by a doctor, and it’s something new that I have never tried. This banner is pretty close to what I want to do too, 10 pounds in 5 weeks!

Now, their website doesn’t give out all of the program details without joining but you can join for free and then pay for a premium plan to get the full deal. I plan to join tomorrow and will post more details then.

Next Day:

I do the free sign up. It takes a few minutes to answer questions about eating, exercise, and diet habits and attitudes. After the “free” questionaire there are questions about joining other programs like Disney World and Scholastic magazine. Skip through those.

Then a diagnosis:
Your eating personality is Hearty Portioner
Your exercising personality is All-or-Nothing Doer
Your coping personality is Emotional Eater

There is a button to Start Your Program Today! as well as information on Premium Membership which includes an exclusive Diet Personality evaluation and full report prepared by Dr. Kusner, recipes, private online consultation by Dr. Kushner and Registered Dietitians, trackers, and support groups.

The reason I am doing this is to both evaluate the program and loose weight and making that $ commitment is part of the emotional commitment I need. I am a little afraid to pay $ though when I don’t understand the whole program. I don’t like someone else telling me what to do (to eat) and I am hoping that I will be able to follow this program and still do it “my way.”

Now I click on Start Your Program Today! (after reading some of the membership options). Hmm, there really doesn’t seem to be a free option at this point, just a 6 month or 12 month plan. The 12 month plan is a really good price but I believe I will have lost my weight in just a couple of months (unless I up the goal) and a few months of maintenance should do it so I am going with the 6 month plan. It is also very reasonably priced. I know I have spent way more than that for diet programs in the past.

Congratulations… You’re now a Diet.com
Premium Member!

Dr. Kushner has a short welcome explaining that the personality approach brings an unprecedented level of personalization not found in other programs. I’m for that.

Next there are action items: A pledge, lots of reading, places to track food intake, meal plans, and recipes, as well as message boards and buddies for support.

I’ll report more later.