It isn't necessarily about the calories. It's also about the fat within the stuff. I can't really tell you how mine is working as I don't really understand how it works I just follow the rules in the book from the group that I go to. Basically all fruit and veg as is is free. Then you have carb days where you are limited to small amounts of protein and protein days where you are limited to small amounts of carbs. So it is vaguely food combining too I suppose. Dairy is unlimited amounts so long as it is fat free, so muller light, cottage cheese, quark etc is all fine. A pint of milk and a small matchbox of cheese is also allowed daily.
Basically given your diabetic issue, you should be filling up on cous cous, basmati rice, veg, fruit etc and limiting if not completely cutting out potatoes and bread.
Have to say though that if you do have some sort of slimming group near you it is well worth going. The weekly support, help and guidance is a MAJOR help that can't be valued to highly and I don't think I would have stuck it for as long as I have or been as succesful as I so far have been without it. We even have men at ours! So it isn't as though it is just a "lady" thing.
I'll come to your group then 'cos the local ones here are weird. Weightwatchers is run by a man who is an arse that doesn't pay his bills (for adverts in magazine or for hall rental) and the other one, the name escapes me at the moment, is run by a woman who is twice my size which sort of saps my confidence in what she is selling. Basically they both seem more interested in selling products than actually helping people (I guess it isn't actually in their interests to get more than a few people slimmer ~ they really do want a continued supply of fatties who will keep the faith and the income rolling in).
I have seen the NHS Nutritionist at the hospital who turned out to be a stick insect of a child aged about 18 (I think she must have been on work experience). She looked at my food diary and pronounced it good but advised me not to eat more than one piece of fruit at a time because of the fructose (sugars). When I pointed out that one strawberry hardly makes a portion but I wasn't in the habit of stereo eating bananas she said I was "unhelpful" and walked out of the consultation. I complained and had to go back to see the head dietician who apologised and gave me some crap about "female issues". The head dietician offered to give me advice so I showed her my food diary and she refused to believe that anyone did not eat cereals
and toast for brekky, she was also reluctant to tell me how much she weighed but she was most certainly a size 18 if not 20 so I figured that they were going to be of no help.
The diet you suggest is roughly what I do. One of either Cous cous, wild rice, small amounts of pasta, potatoes (two small ones once a week with skins on) with main meal. A little bread because it is the only way I can meet the carbs requirements. Any meat has fat trimmed from it by butcher brother. I restrict meat to 4 ozs in any one day and I do eat more fish that meat anyway. Chicken is only ever the white meat and must be pot roast, free range from local farm to avoid the fats etc that supermarket chicken have in them. I do not eat chocs, sweets or biscuits.
I am bewildered. I even gained weight in hospital where they controlled the meals. "They" accused my wife of smuggling food into me!
I will confess that about once every month or so I get so depressed that I buy a cod n chips or an Indian Takeaway just to feel "normal" again.
