<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> I think we need a clarification on rice servings. 1/4 cup of cooked rice is surely not a serving of rice. even 1/2 cup of cooked rice is not enough for my needs. Are these references really to uncooked rice? Watch the Chinese diners at a Chinese restaurant. They will consume 1 1/2 to 2 cups of rice per meal - and they are all rail-thin and look wonderful in those straight, silk dresses. Think about it! Re: cutting out carbs to lose weight being a bad idea because the weight comes back when one returns to carbs --- why not just STAY off carbs and stay slim? As I check out in the grocery store, I watch other customers and what they are buying. The ones who are overweight are frequently paying for donuts, lots of pasta, many loaves of bread, muffins, rolls, pancake mix, cake mixes, .... And while I'm talking about food, when is someone going to say on this list that butter is better for you than margerine?! Hydrogenated vegetable oil is terrible for you - increases cholesterol - yet that is a main ingredient in margerine. I am very sensitive to milk, can't tolerate cheese, no sour cream, yet I have no trouble eating butter. It is fat and not milk protein. I suppose ghee would be even better for me, but I have not disciplined myself to make that yet. Don't know whether or not the kind of ghee you can buy in bottles is good - anyone on the the list know? In our home the consumption of olive oil puts us right up with the local Italian families! I buy it in gallon tins! So to return to my original point - perhaps cutting out the carbs is a great idea, and for me, the carbs in rice are non-fattening. How do the rest of you react? Gayle Kennedy