Any tried this yet?  I don't feel like I'm starving, and it's fairly
natural.  Nice to have carbs again - p

"The Newton Grain Diet: "
3 weeks gets you on the road to your healthy weight goal

Of the many ways to lose weight, one stands out as by far the most
healthful. When you build your meals from a generous array of
vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans-that is, healthy
vegetarian choices-weight loss is remarkably easy. And along with it
come major improvements in cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar,
and many other aspects of health. The message is simple: Cut out the
foods that are high in fat and devoid of fiber, and increase the foods
that are low in fat and full of fiber. This low-fat, mostly vegan diet
approach is safe and easy-once you get the hang of it.

Getting started can seem a bit daunting. It is often hard to imagine
doing anything-be it a diet, new exercise regimen, or any other new,
healthy habit-forever. Try this: Follow the diet approach outlined
here for just three weeks. That will give you enough time to adjust to
new flavors and will also allow you to start significant weight loss
and see other positive health changes. Participants in PCRM's recent
weight loss study who switched to a vegan diet reported improvements in
digestion and regularity and many also said they just felt better
overall.

The best way to do this approach is to follow the diet completely for
three weeks. This means no sneaking ranch dressing onto your salad,
adding egg whites to muffin batter, or having a bit of chicken with
dinner. Only by doing the diet all the way will you be able to reap all
the benefits and avoid lapses that can lead to weight gain.

So let's get started! Choose the day when you would like to start the
diet. Weigh yourself before you start and keep track of your weight
during the three weeks. Also, keep a record of what you are eating.
Keeping a food record and a journal of how you feel while you're on
the diet will help you monitor your progress. Below is a comprehensive
guide to get you started. Good luck!

OVERALL PRINCIPLES: Choose foods from plant sources. Avoid all animal
products except milk and keep any oils to a bare minimum.

The New Four Food Groups-grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruit-can
provide you with all the nutrients you need. To meet your nutrient
needs, select 8 servings of grains, 3 servings of legumes, at least 4
servings of vegetables, 3 servings of fruit daily, and 1 cup of milk.
It's important to vary the foods you choose within the food groups,
because not only is "variety the spice of life" it helps you to
cover all your nutritional bases, although you should have a daily
multivitamin. The food guide chart below will provide you with about
1500 calories. You may wish to add or remove one or more serving to
adjust this level of calories to meet your own energy requirements. As
with any diet, those who are pregnant, lactating, growing, or ill
should not be dieting.  And please speak to you doctor before starting
any diet.

______________________________________________________________________

Food Group Serving Recommendations:

I. Grains  (A serving equals about 80 cal)

6 of your 8 servings should be from whole grain sources like wheat
bread, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, bran cereal, and oatmeal. You
should get 8 servings a day. A serving is ½ cup cooked grain, like
oatmeal, barley, or wheatena, 1 oz. of dry cereal (usually ¾ cup to 1
cup), one slice of bread, or half a pita bread or tortilla. Eight
servings may sound like a lot, but 1 cup of oatmeal for breakfast, a
sandwich with two slices of whole wheat bread for lunch, a bowl of
pasta made with 1½ cups of spaghetti for dinner, and a serving of
shredded wheat before bed meets your 8-serving goal.

II. Legumes  (A serving equals about 100 cal)

Have at least 1 cup of beans every day. You should have 3 servings from
the legume group each day. A serving is a half-cup of cooked beans, ½
cup low-fat bean spread, 1 cup low-fat soymilk, or 1 oz. of veggie meat
substitute.

III. Vegetables  (A serving equals 35-50 cal)

At least one serving should be a raw vegetable like salad or carrot
sticks and one should be a dark leafy green vegetable like kale or
broccoli. You should aim for at least 4 servings of vegetables each
day. This means ½ cup cooked or 1 cup raw. As long as the vegetable
isn't topped with a fatty dressing or sauce, you can eat as many
servings as you want from this group. At least 1 of your vegetable
servings should be calcium-rich, dark leafy greens, such as broccoli,
kale, or collards.

IV. Fruit  (A serving equals 80 cal)

Avoid fruit juices and eat whole pieces of fruit instead. Aim for 3
servings of fruit each day. A serving is ½ cup chopped or one small
piece of fruit. Aim for low-calorie, high-nutrition fruits like
strawberries, kiwis, mangoes, blueberries, peaches, plums, oranges,
grapefruit, and raspberries.  Avoid higher calorie fruits such as
bananas and watermelon

V. Milk

One cup of 1% milk; it has 1 gram of fat and equals 100 cal.
__________________________________________________________________

If you're still hungry, add extra servings of foods from the
vegetable or bean group to your plate. Is this too much food for you?
Cut out anything sweet first, then subtract a grain serving or two.
However, you shouldn't cut your calories too low. Most people should
never go below 1200 calories per day.

Protein: Plant foods have plenty of protein. The recommended amount of
protein in the diet is 10-12 percent of calories. Most vegetables,
legumes, and grains contain this amount or more. Excellent protein
sources include beans or lentils (especially in combination with rice
or other grains) and meat analogues, such as veggie burgers.

Calcium: Plant-based sources of calcium are widely available. Good
sources of calcium include broccoli, kale, collards, mustard greens,
beans, figs, fortified orange juice, fortified cereal, and fortified,
non-fat soy- or rice milks. Some individuals may wish to take a calcium
supplement (see your doctor).

Vitamin B12: Vitamin B12 is only found in animal products and fortified
foods, such as many breakfast cereals and soymilks. To ensure an
adequate intake on this diet, you should take a common multivitamin or
a B12 supplement of 5 µg per day.

Tips:

1.  The recommended cold cereal is shredded wheat (plain).
2.  Whole grain choices include snacks such as Reduced-Fat Triscuits,
baked tortilla chips, and low-fat popcorn.
3.  Save one or two servings to have as an evening snack.  Plan on it.

Adapted from: Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
5100 Wisconsin Ave., N.W., Ste. 400, Washington, DC 20016
Email: pcrm@pcrm.org   Phone: 202-686-2210
http://www.pcrm.org/health/prevmed/weightloss.html
"The Newton Grain Diet" title copyright 2006