I've been lurking here for awhile but just had to jump in here. Been doing my own version of Weight Watchers (old exhange plan) since Jan 6th and have lost 19.5 lbs. to date. I'm afraid the road to weight loss will get tougher any day now since I haven't hit a plateau yet. My point to posting on this thread is that I've noticed so many here have all these things they stay away from and I detect some feeling of deprivation there. I eat out several times a week including at the occasional greasey spoon. I eat everything. I can make a salad at home so other than one that comes with a meal I never have one eating out. I do make choices though. If I want fries I'll get a turkey or clubhouse sandwich (no mayo). If I get a cheeseburger it's fruit or veggies instead of fries. Everything is ordered on the side....I'll add my own butter,gravy or dressing so I control and know what's on my plate. I eat chicken or fish (even fried) when I want it and beef or pork when I don't. When I get a sub I order the usual 6" and eat it all including cheese but leave off mayo,oils and fatty dressings. Mustard and barbque sauce are my friends LOL. I see peeps in restaurants afraid to order 2 fried eggs (about 220 calories) but who will "diet" on a 400 calorie bagel. They will throw away an 80 calorie dinner roll and eat a 250 calorie scoop of cottage cheese instead. So I guess my answer is everything and I just want to encourage all who struggle along with me to get and keep these added pounds off to try to think of food as fuel we have a right to enjoy and to question some of the diet lore out there.

I started this diet Oct 7th and have found it very easy, I have lost 12 lbs. I take 2-TBSP Extra Light Olive Oil, in the morning and at night time (No eating for 1-hr before and 1-hr after as required). This is truly one of the easiest diet's I have been on. I do not feel hungry at all and do not hate doing the diet. Usually diets bore me, this one does not...I can litterally eat what I want without restriction! Of course, it helps to count calories if you really want a stronger weight loss, so I am maintaining myself and not going over board, but it's not a big deal...if I want to splurge,I do! I just make sure to continue the oil the next day and go back to counting those calories, it's hassle free. I have not felt left out, food neglected or starved at any point and I can actually go out to dinner with my husband without the guilt of falling off my diet! Also another benefit, my skin and hair look better, my skin appears healthier and my hair seems shinnier as well. This is truly a Bliss diet for me, I have 45 lbs to go...but it will be a piece of cake because of the Shangri-la Diet! I love this diet :)

I don't have many options for diet ginger ale but I've always liked ginger ale and when I wanted to avoid sugar, I'd buy diet and I was fine with it. I'm not all that fussy when it comes to soft drinks. I did like the flavored carbonated waters but there to FAS set in and it has to have sugar and sweeteners in it. Good grief can't these people even drink WATER without sugar and salt in it??? Crystal lite has such a metallic taste that I can't drink it very often. I'll take Kool Aid over it. I do drink a lot of the green tea from Aldi which is fine for the price though I don't really need the extra stuff in there. I prefer things less sweetened than the FAS folks require these days. Trying to find unsweetened tea is difficult. I like a lot of lemon (preferably lime if there were a choice) but keep the sweeteners out of there. I usually choose what they call "diet" soft drinks when I have to drink them, and if given a choice. I used to prefer Bubble-Up to 7Up but don't see it anymore. I like Diet Dr. Pepper, Diet Root Beer, well for the most part any diet drink is drinkable to me though still over-sweetened in my book. Occasionally I do savor a "real" root beer or cream soda. Not too often though. Water is still a beverage of choice around here. Spring water when I have the choice. Oh and once in a great while, even Tang! It's what the astronauts used to drink... :)

JoAnn, I think (I may be wrong) but seems to me Scott is diabetic. Is this true Scott? OK so about the diet grape soda, yes Faygo makes it if they sell Faygo in your area. We have Marc's stores and they carry an extensive line of Faygo flavors. I just bought a small individual bottle of diet grape Faygo today and it tastes OK, what you would expect out of a diet drink.