I am new and have some concerns...

TheMaidOfAstolat

I'm totally late to this conversation but wanted to add my $.02. You got some great advice. I will seconde the advice about not "giving up" anything. This is not a diet... this is something that you need to feel that you can do for the rest of your life. I have not given up anything - but there are things that I eat much less of now.

I cannot stress the importance of fruits and veggies enough. You asked for breakfast options.... I eat an omelet of sorts every morning... I always start with a cup of spinach, 2-3 egg whites and whatever else sounds good to me gets added... some tomatos, a sprinkle of cheese, some garlic, some peppers, zucchini... if I have it and it sounds good - I put it in my omelet. I cannot even begin to tell you the good feeling you have when you've eaten a ton of veggies for breakfast! I eat at least one fruit and one veggie for every meal...

If you can live without caffeine - more power to you! Me? I'd kill someone... I need my little morning coffee boost!

Make sure that you haven't added in too much whole grain/fiber too quickly... your body will have a hard time eliminating all of it... and yes, you'll temporarily gain weight... make sure that if this has already happened that you're drinking massive amounts of water.

Watch your PROCESSED foods. Try to avoid stuff in cans, boxes and cartons as much as you can... anything that comes in a can will automatically have more sodium than it's natural counterpart. Boxed dinners, bars and products are generally packed with stuff that you just don't need. The old advice about shopping the perimeter of the grocery store really works... I rarely need anything in the center aisles anymore.

You're going to be fine... just make sure that the changes that you're making are not so overwhelming that you can't keep up with them. Just eat as naturally as you can... it's the best advice I can give!

I wholeheartedly agree with Sonjavon on all these points (just wish I had thought to mention them, lol).
I'll add to it on the veggies and fruits...eat the rainbow. That way you're getting different nutrients from each. I also prefer my whole grains in their purest form (I do enjoy bread and pasta but it's not the be all to end all with grains)...try amaranth, quinoa, teff, barley, millet, and kamut.