Hmmm.. I think spinach can be used as either... 2 or 3 cups of leafy "salad" + 1 cup veggie is what I usually eat. If you cook the spinach, the volume is less thus you count the cooked portion not the pre-cooked portion. So a 1/2 cup of cooked spinach can actually be over 1 cup of raw?? Same goes for onions, and other veggies you can eat raw or cooked.

I do best when I make sure I get that 3 cups or more....the fiber helps. Less dairy, moderate protein and fat...

Portin: A piece of meat about 4-5 oz is the size of your hand closed. A cup of salad about a handfull; veggies, dairy, I always measure... Have my measureing cups and spoons.

Hope success is yours

thanks guys--
so, for like a Wendy's grilled chicken sandwich, would that piece of chicken be around 4 oz?

And I've got another question for you-- i noticed you wrote that you keep your calories under 1500 (congrats by the way, i have a hard time with that)..... but i thought u could eat "liberally" with Atkins and not count calories? This has really confused me-- people write that you should eat until you're satisfied, and that they sometimes go up to 2000 calories a day and have to keep calories that high so as to not go into starvation mode, and yet then there's also emphasis on portion control and 10-12X body weight (which for me would be 1200 calories!) Any advice? =)