There are diets and there are lifestyles and then there are lifestyle diets.

The Sonoma Diet falls into that latter category.

This diet was influenced by all things that are California: sunshine, simplicity and activity.

The Sonoma Diet is not really a diet at all. It is simply a way of living and eating that restores enjoyment of life and eating to your living.

If you are going surfing with the Sonoma Diet, so to speak, you must go with the waves, and there are three of them.

The first Sonoma Wave, Wave1, is a transitional time and potentially rapid weight loss and consists of reducing the amount of sugars, both simple and complex, that lead to increased insulin, which in turn can lead to weight gain. What this means is that you surf past all processed foods and swim into the world of lean meats, fish and veggies. You can do some fruit at this stage, but not to excess. Why? Because even though fruit is still "natural", it still increases the amount of insulin in the body. Gone, too, are the white breads, doughnuts and bleached out grains. These are replaced with multi-grain and whole grains.

Wave 1 also conditions you on how to eat. Instead of just grabbing what's convenient, you think about the balance and the amounts of foods that you eat. The Sonoma Diet has its "power foods", and you need to learn what these are and how to better incorporate these into your diet. Some of these twelve "power foods" are almonds, beans, blueberries, grapes, tomatoes and whole grains.

So in Wave 1 you learn what to eat, how to eat and how much to eat. Your final part of Wave 1 is to pre plate your food to save you from yourself.

Floating onto Wave 2 of the Sonoma plan means you can loosen up a bit, enjoy a wider variety of foods and even fats and even a glass of wine and incorporate exercise into the program. Remember, the Sonoma plan is really a lifestyle. Fats are an important part of the Sonoma plan, with an allotment coming at each meal. Some of those fats include extra-virgin olive oil, canola oil, walnuts, almonds and the other fats that are part of your daily meals.

Wave 3 begins when you reach your weight goal. The Sonoma plan does not believe in a "maintenance" program, but instructs that your enhanced feelings, both physical and mental, will keep you deeply immersed in the lifestyle. This will make your efforts effortless and self-sustaining.

No longer will you want to surf into the doughnut shop, eat bleach- out and tasteless pasta and you won't be reaching for the sugary box of cereal in the morning. Your tastes will be thoroughly retrained and your body will instinctively want the main foods of the Sonoma Diet plan. When you want sugar you will reach for blueberries or strawberries or another type of fruit.

The goal of the Sonoma plan is to make what you eat an unconscious choice, but one that has become that way by mindful choices. The Sonoma Diet will make you slimmer naturally.