Diane, I don't really have a sweet tooth, either.

One day out of a month I might crave chocolate OR ice cream, but that's about it for me.

What I really liked about the Weight Watchers point system was that you calculate your points, and then you can plan your meals / snacks according to the points that you are allowed.

For example, with my weight, height and a few other factors, I was allowed 23 points a day. (Men get more points than women just for being men. )

You are also allowed 35 "bonus" points a week.

When I first started it, that didn't seem like much. I initially tried dividing the bonus points up into each day of the week, allowing myself 30 points a day, but eventually realized I would rather save all those bonus points and bathe in pasta or pizza once a week!

But let me give an example of what I was able to eat with those 23 points a day...

Mid morning:
fat free yogurt (1 pt)
medium sized banana (2 pts)

Lunch:
sliced smoked turkey on WW bread with lettuce & mayo (4 pts)
1/4 cantaloupe (1 pt)

Snack:
1 cup fresh pineapple (1 pt)
fat free yogurt (1 pt)

Dinner:
BLT made with WW bread and 3 slices Canadian Bacon (5 pts)
baked seasoned potato wedges -small serving (3 pts)

Snack:
7 points left...That would buy me an ice cream cone (some brands) or lots of fruit!

The biggest problem I had was getting my dairy. Most dairy products cost alot of points, so I really struggled with that.

Most raw veggies are free, so you can munch on them all day long. And there are lots of great recipes for this diet that have portion servings of 8 points or less.

But it's all about the portion sizes as well as the choices that you make, and I will admit it's really hard initially, but once you figure out how to spread it out and start to see results, it's alot easier.

My daughter and son in law are doing the low carb diet right now. Besides the fact that pasta, bread and potatoes are three of my favourite things in the world, I worry that it's not healthy for them.

Have any of you tried that diet?

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With drops of Jupiter in her hair, hey, hey
She acts like summer and walks like rain
Reminds me that there's a time to change, hey, hey
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Stevia is a South American herb that is very sweet and has no calories. In Japan Coca Cola actually uses it as the sweetener for diet coke!!! In the U.S. it is actually classed as a supplement not a sweetener. You can find a good selection of brands at the health food store.

I do not really have a sweet tooth, but there are two things which I WILL overdo. One is cheesecake and the other is chocolate. I have a great sugar free cheesecake recipe that I have adapted into my own. Trader Joe's has sugar free dark chocolate that I try to stick to. Sometimes peanut M&M's will be calling me....oh noooooo....I just keep these things out of my house so that if I want it bad enough I have to make a special trip or wait for a special occaision.

Dairy is a challenge for me too. I usually end up eating about 3 yogurts a day!!

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I vote for low-carbing That's how I dropped the 70 lbs I lost (and have kept off), and while it wasn't EASY, I wasn't hungry at all. If you're the least bit interested, the best way to approach it is actually read the book (either Atkins or South Beach - they are variations on a theme, my preference was Atkins).

There are lots of nay-sayers out there and lots of bad info about low-carbing. But it works great for a lot of people, just like WW works for other people and other diets work for yet other other people Reading the book is definitely the way to go. You can get the Atkins book on amazon or ebay for next to nothing these days. Or at a local library.

Here's a typical day:

breakfast: eggs w/cheese, coffee

snack: 2 mozz cheese sticks

lunch: big mixed greens salad w/roast chicken, cheese, ranch dressing

snack: nuts (almonds are great)

dinner: hamburger (no bun) with sauteed asparagus and shrooms

snack: more nuts or blueberries or a protein/fiber bar

The way I finally decided to give it a try (I had the same misconceptions at first that a lot of people do - that somehow low-carb means eating nothing but bacon and butter all day long. Gag!) was I said, "Hey, I can do anything for two weeks. If I'm miserable and see no change after two weeks, then I'll quit!" And the rest is history

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