Found this one online not long ago, and ordered the book. It's Mediterranean-based, though meant to actively cause weight loss and not just be healthy. Anyway, the diet takes place in "waves" with Wave One being the most restrictive, and actually pretty low-carb. Lots of fish, meats, and low-carb veggies with zero added sugars and very little dairy (though you can have small amounts of whole grains and more are added back later.) Sounds like it might work, and seems like it would be a lot easier to follow than strict Atkins induction or similar.

I just had the book from my library. It was very much like South Beach. Sounds like a good plan and could possibly work well for many people.

I like it because it's actually do-able. I could never, ever give up bread for my whole life or any of the other, really extreme low-carb eating regimens I have encountered. I could definitely eat the Sonoma Diet way, though, and in fact the food is pretty close to my favourite stuff anyway. I go into ketosis pretty easily, even on up to 80-90 grams of carbs a day, so I bet I could do the Wave One and still lose weight pretty fast.

RJ, I don't believe all carbs are bad and throughout my entire weight loss process, I enjoyed whole grain breads, oatmeal, crackers, etc. just in moderation as with everything else. So yes, I do believe it's doable and sustainable. I like the fact that the book talked about whole/real foods rather than shakes and fake foods.