A New Way of Eating

I've been doing pretty good on exercising on a regular basis for the past few months (less a few minor setbacks - if that's what their supposed to be called).  Now it's time I tackle the hardest part - my eating.

For the past two or three months I've been trying to cut back on the sweets and add more of the good things - fruits & vegetables - to each and every meal.  Some days are better than others, but overall I've been doing good.  I've also been reading about other peoples success stories as well as books, magazines, blogs, etc about other methods to help motivate me and steer me in the right direction - better, healthier, food choices.

My friend from California highly recommends Shakeology (by Beachbody).  It acts like a salad, but tastes like dessert.  All I need to do is replace one meal a day with Shakeology to help me lose weight, increase regularity, and have more energy.  She sent me two samples for me to try.  I tried the Chocolate Mocha this morning and actually enjoyed it.  Tomorrow I get to try the other sample, Greenberry Sunrise.  Two days may not be enough for me to feel the actual full benefits Shakeology provides, but I get to taste the flavor and it gives me something to consider if other options don't work out as well as I hope. 

I've also been doing some reading into a new method of eating - the Paleo Diet.  It isn't a diet like other diets that I'm sure we've all tried and failed at.  Instead it's just a new way of eating.  Eat plenty meat, seafood, eggs, vegetables, healthy fats, and fruits and don't eat processed foods, dairy, legumes, any form of sugar, or grain.  Most meals are made with grass-fed meats and/or free-range chicken as well as coconut and/or almond milk and other items I am not used to eating.  To get a better concept and clear view as to what the Paleo Diet is really all about I attempted to get this book at Barnes N Noble on my recent trip to the east coast ....unfortunately they were out of stock.  Check out http://everydaypaleo.com for more details. 

My boss also had recommend another book ....Belly Cure Fat.  I was able to pick this up at the book store.  This book is all about the "Carb Swap" and eliminating sugar from the diet.  It offers an alternative solution to popular food items by listing the bad "high sugar" items as "Belly Bad" and replacing them with low or no sugar alternatives as "Belly Good".  As I read the details of what it means to switch foods considered high in sugar with an alternative solution with either lower sugar or by using a sugar substitute such as Stevia I find myself looking at recipes that use almond butter, almond milk, soy flour, Mrs. Dash seasoning, etc. and other ingredients that I never considered using before. 

All in all I find these three "weight loss" tools interesting.  And wonder.....do they really work?  I don't know if I'll ever know the true answer to that question.  But I don't think there is any harm in trying.  Does this mean I need to go out and replace everything in my pantry pronto?  Probably not.  What I do know is that I can't continue my current eating habits and I need to make long term healthy choices.  As much as I enjoy eating fruits and vegetables I can't rely on just that to eat healthy.  I need to incorporate other healthy food choices as well.

But just like in exercise, one small step at a time.