after Newcastle: bye-bye, SlimFast

Generally, I enjoy my morning SlimFast. I started out drinking two cups' worth of SlimFast shake every morning, but I'm down to a single cup so as to be able to eat more at lunch. Rearranging calories is a pain. I stopped using almond milk a week or so ago because it doesn't go well with Soylent (which I sometimes drink as a SlimFast alternative). Anyway, the trouble with SlimFast is that it's sugary, which is probably why I like it as much as I do. Once I'm done with the Newcastle Diet, however, I think I'm going to have to swear off the SlimFast if I really want to reduce my blood sugar. This is not entirely definite yet (it's hard to let sugar go), but I'm leaning in that direction. Since the experts I'm watching on YouTube say it's OK to have smoothies made from things like coconut cream and heavy whipping cream—plus berries, which can be eaten in moderation if you're following a keto regime—then I might switch from SlimFast to berry smoothies, possibly with some added powdered chocolate (unsweetened, of course).

In the CICO way of thinking, if you eat fewer calories than you expend, you'll lose weight. In the CIM way of thinking, if you reduce your carbs while eating reasonably (no stuffing yourself), you'll become fat-adapted (this accompanies ketosis), and your body will engage in autophagy, i.e., eating itself, which really means digging into its own fat stores for energy. I see a lot of experts at the CIM end of the spectrum saying "Stop counting calories!", and it's something I want to do, but I can't yet because I'm going to see the Newcastle Diet through to the bitter end, and the diet is rooted in CICO thinking.

So the SlimFast may end up being jettisoned, or I may finish up the supply I have and simply not buy any more. It'll be sad to say goodbye to my sweet chocolate shakes, but I suspect we're at a point in my weight loss where, increasingly, the shakes are getting in the way.