I love food. Great food, good conversation, the holidays, or sports, I associate food with good memories and experiences. That being said there can be too much of a good thing. Sometimes work gets in the way and you get into bad wellness stretches.

Perhaps you are getting older and your metabolism is not what it was. Maybe the situation is all of the above.

I have tried prepared meals, diets, fasting, and substitution. The results have been mixed. While practicing some of the regiments I felt sluggish and tired. Fatigue was a problem and it felt like I was losing muscle and not unwanted pounds in particular areas. It was a little bit frustrating and certainly was not a joyful exercise. Looking for a change, I decided to look for other options.

I was not sure if this was the best strategy, but I thought it could not hurt to hear what the individual had to say and what their recommendations were. So I contacted the consultant and explained my situation and what my goals were. I gave a brief background of myself and waited for their assessment.

So I was given a menu and some tips. In the morning, I was instructed to eat any of the following:

• Muffin or bagel with peanut butter and raisins
• Baked fish with veggies
• Vegetable egg scramble with fruit salad
• Fruit smoothies (with protein)
• Apple cinnamon muffins
• Chia pudding
• Breakfast burrito

Lunch

• Chicken stir fry
• Adult lunchable with lean meat
• Couscous salad
• Herb chicken (if I feel like doing prep)
• Fajitas

Asparagus soup

Dinner

• Bean quesadillas
• Lean meat (fish, beef, or chicken) with vegetables and herbs
• Stuffed peppers
• Stuffed mushrooms

As part of the regiment, the nutritional guide stressed to avoid simple sugars such as those in white bread and soda and processed food like fast food and frozen entrees, etc. Interestingly enough, the consultant mentioned to avoid fat free, diet foods, and sugar free. I know based on my own research and what I have heard from various sources that one should do this because of what the manufacturers are putting into the foods as filler (i.e. sugar free is loaded with salt and fat, or diet is enhanced with sweeteners that cause water retention). It is still counter-intuitive because the product label would make one think that these are great food choices.

During the day, the consultant instructed me to drink lots of water to stay hydrated and avoid cravings. Before bed, snacks like almonds, olives were suggested to curb late night snacking.

Overall, the food sounded really good. I tried a few of the dishes and definitely enjoyed them. And this is coming from someone who is not a gourmet chef. However, the routine was not personalized to me. This was a fairly general regiment. And to be quite honest, I am not big on routines like this. I would prefer to be more active than deprive myself. It seems like when I am not trying to remove choice from diet I tend to make decent food choices that maintain my current level. It is like I am practicing a maintenance level of self-discipline.

The result of this experiment was good food to eat and the realization that for me the solution is activity level and nutrition and not just one or the other.