The Fearless Factor | Overcome Fear Now

Three weeks ago I wrote about the need to eat right so you can live well.

An important consideration as we create our successful lives.

So taking it one step further, I decided to lose 20 lbs of excess weight. It’s been slowly gathering over the last few years and although I’ve always had an active life, I have spent more time in my chair in front of the computer than anything else as I build my business.

It’s not that I eat badly, because I don’t, but the breads, the pastas, the desserts, the wine, the chips, the salsas, the guacamole, the pates….. Did I say I don’t eat badly?

Well, truth be told, I was eating a lot of stuff that I could actually do without, so I put myself on The South Beach Diet. It was a sacrifice. I love good food and I love flavor, and as a cook, I’m a pretty good one and can happily invite chefs over to my house to eat (and have). But this extra weight had to go. It was scary looking in the mirror!!! I needed to do something and stay focused and committed in doing it. I had to follow the same advice I give my clients every day.

So I jumped on the Beach, and off to the gym. I am known for my all/or nothing personality, and I am definitely all in. The gym has become my new obsession. I’m there every morning at 7.15 until 8.40am. I LOVE IT!!!

The first two weeks on this new regime were all about proteins and low-carb vegetables and low-fat dairy products. No wine. No bread. No wheat. No sugars. No white stuff! It was all good, except I missed the sauces. There seemed to be a lack of depth to this way of eating, but I was committed to the change.

I drank the V8 juice, I ate the egg white omelets, and after the first week of denial, I even managed to make a really good frittata with goat’s cheese and spinach that the whole family loved. I made fajitas and we ate them with romaine lettuce, and I cooked an eggplant parmigiana without the parmigiana and substituted skimmed mozzarella. I put in mushrooms and spinach (we ate a lot of that), and I used pure tomatoes with lots of Italian herbs. It was delicious. For dessert, I couldn’t stand their skimmed ricotta thingies, so I opted for bittersweet chocolate squares. I was moving along.

Gradually, my palate has changed. I no longer crave sugary stuff. In fact, it’s too sweet for me. Even the chocolate can taste too sweet. I’m using Blue Agave as a sweetener and actually like it. I’ve been on The Beach for 3 weeks and in the first two weeks I lost 10 lbs. Of course, I know it’s all water weight, and the real deal starts now. For the last week I’ve lost 0 lbs. It bothered me. Maybe I had better change it up. Exercise more, eat less.

But the wise people at The Beach said no. Just add more food to your diet. How cool is that? I’m allowed whole grains and sauces again. But the weird thing is, I don’t really want it. I kind of like this clean living stuff. I eat every two hours or so to keep the glycemic levels even, and I don’t feel as hungry when I sit down to dinner so I eat less.

My goal is to lose the next 10 lbs in the the next two months and thereafter, I’ll keep it off by eating sensibly and exercising regularly. My gym time is my alone time. No phones, no urgings on my part to visit the computer to see who wants to talk to me! No distractions except to strengthen my (aging) body. I plan on reaching my sunset years in full bloom.

So if you’re seriously committed to taking a strong approach to getting your body in shape so you can eat well and live right, I highly recommend this way. It’s sensible and it gives you a lot of options once you start thinking the in the right direction. No more yo-yoing diets. No more quick fixes. Just a serious revision of your eating habits that will last you a lifetime.

For more information visit the folks on The Beach.

Got any comments, let’s hear about it.

Tweet This Post Delicious Digg This Post Facebook Stumble This Post