Help for Newcomers

Hi. Welcome. You made a great decision. You are on the road to recovery, and the good news is that each day gets easier, and you can't imagine how good you are going to feel.

Now for the brass tacks- how to get started.

First things you need are a digital scale and a notebook.
Every day you are going to write down your food plan and call it into a sponsor- which brings us to the next necessity- you need a sponsor. Finding the right sponsor is like finding a good shidduch-daven hard and keep looking. When you find a sponsor thank Hahsem for your sponsor and daven that it should work out. Every day you will call your sponsor at the appointed time-try your best not to be late, because your sponsor has a life too and she is making time for you.
Your sponsor will give you a food plan. How much you have to eat of each thing down to the fraction of an ounce. This is the key to success. Don't deviate at all, it will mess you up.

There are many different food plans based on your personal needs and the type of program you join. Men and women need diffent amounts of food, pregnant and nursing women need more then normal women.

I personally belong to the 90 day program and they follow a very strict plan, but I have friends who have different plans on that.

A sample food plan would look something like the following:
Breakfast: 6 ounces of fruit, 2 ounces of oatmeal, 4 ounces of protein
Lunch: 8 ounces of raw vegetables, 8 ounces of cooked vegetables, 4 ounces of protein, 1/2 ounce of oil
Dinner: 8 ounces of raw vegetables, 8 ounces of cooked vegetables, 4 ounces of protein, 1/2 ounce of oil, 4 ounces of whole grain (brown rice, barley,kahsa)

Every day you will call your sponsor and tell her what you are going to eat. For example if your plan says 8 ounces of raw vegetables and 8 ounces of cooked vegetables, you will tell your sponsor that you are going to have 8 ounces of broccoli, or 8 ounces of squash and 8 ounces of lettuce salad or 8 ounces of cut up peppers and carrots. Nothing goes in your mouth that did not go on the scale.

The food plan is in force even on Shabbos. Of course you have to weigh everything before Shabbos, but you still keep to your plan. Your sponsor will tell you what to eat on Shabbos.