Mendocino:
I can tell you what worked for me. It help me lose 70 punds in 6 months. My girlfreind developed this, and to give you an idea, she's 5'6", 125 lbs, and a size 2. Note that this is not a weight loss diet, but a true diet, a diet for life.
We are allowed NO: fried food, oils, butter, margarine, minimal dairy, (we use Lactaid 100, which is 100% fat free milk) minimal salt, and finally no meat of any kind. We only eat turkey, chicken and fish. when I shop, I never buy anything that has a saturated fat content of great than 5% RDA.
Now, that sounds terribly strict, I know. Here's the good part: That's the standard diet. By following that on a *regular* basis, you're allowed to cheat. For example: Once a week, when I used to live in Buffalo, we'd go out for chicken wings. They are probably the worst, (Fried in oil, fatty as hell) but by guidlining to the above, it gives you that freedom.
My G/F is a chocaholic, so on her birthday, I'd get her custom-made triple chocolate cakes. Again, terrible, but because we strictly adhere to the diet, when we cheat, there's no consequences.
We still enjoy many wonderful foods: Edy's Free Ice Cream tastes great, and has no fat. We enjoy Mexican food, using Fat-free sour cream, eating chicken fajitas all the time. Alot of broiled fish, grilled chicken salads, and all the standard chicken dishes (minus fried.) Spaghetti, (no meatballs) vegetarian baked beans, (Bush's) all the veggies we want, and can even enjoy alot of gourmet meals. At one dinner party I made Smoked Roast Turkey in Cherry Sauce that (If I do say so myself) was killer with wild rice, glazed carrots, and a squash medley. After the dinner, people were surprised to find out that it was completely fat free.
E-mail me off-list if you want some more guidelines.
It sounds terribly strict, I know, but once you get into the swing of it, it's easy, and really does work.
[This message has been edited by joegerardi (edited March 05, 2000).]
