The 3 Stages of the Sonoma Diet

Wave 2: Define Your Diet Plan

This is the main segment of the diet, the eating plan you'll stay with until you reach your target weight. It's the meat and potatoes of the diet -- without the potatoes! Weight loss isn't as fast as in Wave 1, but it's healthy, noticeable, and easier. More than anything else, Wave 2 is about variety: Your food choices multiply significantly to include fruits and a wider variety of vegetables. And a glass of wine can be part of lunch or dinner. Wave 2 should never feel like sacrifice, partly because you've reduced your cravings for sugar and white flour.

• Breakfast remains the same as in Wave 1, but now you can include fat-free yogurt.
• Your lunch plate consists of four equal parts of protein or dairy, grains, vegetables, and fruit.
• Your dinner plate consists of four equal parts of protein or dairy, grains, vegetables, and fruit.

Breakfast: Whole-grain cereal and nonfat milk

Lunch: Turkey roll, 1 cup Southwestern grain medley, fresh fruit

Dinner: Hearty lentil soup, fish with zucchini relish, 1 cup mixed greens with vinaigrette