"Flexitarian"

I am fresh off a six-week strictly vegetarian diet.  My oldest daughter encouraged me to read Joel Fuhrman's book Eat To Live, and I am a changed person.

According to Amazon:  Fuhrman's restrictive diet plan is designed for clinically overweight people who suffer from a spectrum of lifestyle/obesity-induced conditions like diabetes and heart disease and need to drop a significant amount of weight fast—about 20 pounds in the first six weeks. The basis of Fuhrman's program is Nutrient Density, expressed by the simple formula health equals nutrients divided by calories. Fuhrman's "secret" to optimum health and permanent weight control is giving the body only what it needs. An aggressive six-week vegetarian plan segues into a regimen that includes a limited amount of animal products, like lean fish or egg whites once a week.

For me, this six-week plan was a chance to see if I could live without meat.  And guess what...with a little planning and organization, and a few trips to Trader Joes and Sprouts, I did it.  I learned to plan vegetarian meals using specifically legumes, tofu and alternate sources of proteins. And I realized how lacking I was in fruits and vegetables at most of my meals.  While I was paying strict adherence to Fuhrman's diet, the pounds began to drop.  But I began to add sweets and carbs into my diet as the weeks went by and I saw those pounds creep back on.

My takeaway from this book and my diet is:  I can live without meat.  I never got a bloated tummy like I sometimes do after meals.  And I really can and should fill up on vegetables and fruit for my meals and not always rely on beef or chicken or even fish to be the largest item on my plate.  I don't need diet soda on a daily basis. 

I am going to continue on my vegetarian journey.  However, I am not ruling out the idea of diving into a juicy steak every now and then.  I will consider myself a "flexitarian" as a friend calls herself -- flexible in food choices but striving for clean eating, and making the veggies and fruit the main course of my meal, not meat.

I'll keep you posted.  It's only just begun.  But six weeks in, I feel great and strong and balanced.  And that's a good thing.