Read the labels (carbs only). Like one slice of white bread is 30 grams of carbs, one slice of flax bread is 12 grams (please note that flax bread is really dry to eat but much better if you toast and lightly butter. Use spaghetti squash with your favourite spaghetti sauce instead of the real pasta. Plan your meals to have no more than 60 grams of carbs per meal (X3 a day) and 20 grams of carbs 2X a day as a snack. Don't miss meals or skip snacks because you'll get very hungry and eat too much. DW and I drink the sodas made with Splenda but some people can't use these sweetners. Add lots of your favourite activity and you can be like me and lose 82 pounds. Best thing I ever did. Good luck!