My food program revolves around my choice of vegetable—the sweet potato. As I’ve mentioned, I eat this when I am physically hungry. For me, this generally doesn’t begin until 11 AM-4 PM. I put margarine and dark brown sugar on it and microwave it. I count this as 300 calories.

1) The brown sugar is 15 calories per teaspoon so I am generous with it because it is so delicious. When evaluating calories, you will be doing yourself a big favor if you increase the calories rather than decreasing them on your vegetable. This has to be the most satisfying food you eat all day. If you’ve chosen well, it will hold you until supper.

2) My chewing need in met by my apples and my Greek Salad. For this salad I use seedless cucumbers from Canada, small grape tomatoes, red peppers, crumbled low fat feta cheese, and red onion. I sometimes add Greek pepperoncini. I count this as 100 calories for a small bowl and have it several times a day. The salad dressing I make is ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar, ½ tsp. of lemon juice, ½ salt, 1 glove garlic minced very fine, ½ tsp. Dijon mustard, and ½ tsp. of dried oregano. This recipe is recipe 118629 from fooddownunder.com.

3) My husband and I are unusual about eating out—we rarely do so I cook a main meal at least once a day and sometimes twice. I eat my portion on a small dish. I allow 200-400 calories for this. Sometimes I eat my own food. I don’t want to ever feel deprived (except for those days I deliberately have a modified fast).

4) A hot beverage or soup will help you over a desire for something and the ones I use have few calories. The hot beverages I use to satisfy by emotional hunger are:

Café Bustelo Cappuccino Sugar Free 1 envelope 45 calories

Nestlé’s Hot Chocolate Sugar Free 1 envelope 60 calories

I add Splenda for extra sweetness which is 0 calories

Progresso Soups—many of them are 100 or less calories per serving. Some of the flavors available are:

• Beef & Mushroom
• Beef Vegetable
• Carb Monitor Chicken Vegetable
• Chicken & Wild Rice
• Chicken Noodle
• Chicken Noodle 99% Fat Free
• Chicken Rice with Vegetables
• Escarole in Chicken Broth
• French Onion
• Garden Vegetable
• Hearty Chicken & Rotini
• Hearty Penne in Chicken Broth
• Homestyle Chicken with Vegetables & Pearl Pasta
• Roasted Chicken Garden Herb
• Roasted Chicken Italian

• Roasted Chicken Rotini
• Roasted Chicken with Wild Rice 99% Fat Free

• Roasted Garlic Chicken with Vegetables & Penne
• Turkey Noodle
• Vegetable
• Vegetable Italian
• Vegetarian Vegetable with Barley

5) For my sweet potato and Greek Salad, I use the following:

Land ‘o Lakes Fresh Buttery Taste spread 80 calories per

tablespoon Dark brown sugar 15 calories per teaspoon

Sweet potato—I like the large ones—which is 150-200 calories. I count it as 300 once I’ve added the brown sugar and margarine

Maple Grove Farm Fat Free Greek Dressing

2 tablespoons 15 calories

(Any Maple Grove Fat Free Dressing is good.)

Feta cheese ¼ cup 70 or 90 calories

Red Peppers (without stem and seeds) 20 calories

Small grape tomatoes 1 pound=100 calories

Seedless cucumbers 8 ounces+32 calories

For easy protein, StarKist has tuna in a flavor fresh pouch. I like herb and garlic, zesty lemon and the spicy mix.

6) My Treat List:

Smuckers Cherry Jam 50 calories per tablespoon

Sun chips (especially Garden Salsa) 15 chips 140 calories

Pepperidge Farm bread 12 or 15-grain bread 150 calories per slice

White bread with thick crust from bakers-I eat the two ends because I love the crust and count this as 200 calories.

Fudge bars—110 calories

Walden Farms has several great no carbs and sugar free products. I especially love the chocolate syrup. I put a little in a bowl and cut up my apple and dip it into the syrup for a 100 calorie treat.