I've Got a Conundrum

A conundrum is defined as "a paradoxical, insoluble, or difficult problem; a dilemma" or more simply "anything that puzzles".  I looked it up to make sure...and yep, I've got one.  We're gong on a cruise in November and I thought that sometime on the cruise I might want to wear a swimsuit. This means I need to lose weight.  And it's not just because of the swimsuit, my Wii Fit doesn't say nice things about my weight, either.

My general theory when it comes to weight loss is to start by cutting out the really bad stuff and get more active.  That means no more McDonald's for breakfast, at least 30 minutes on the Wii Fit every night and only one Dr Pepper a day for starters. But I also wanted to do more, so I've been looking for other ways to eat healthier. But here's where the conundrum comes in.  During my research, I've come across a few ideas that I buy, but they're not jiving with each other.  Here's what I mean:

I could cut out processed foods.  I grew up on things like Velveeta and I realize now that I'd rather spend my calories on food that is...well, purer.  I love foods that have less than four ingredients.  We've got a beautiful mozzarella in the fridge that is simply made from pasteurized milk, vinegar, salt and enzymes. I like that.  I also have personal issues with unnatural food colors and less processed foods usually aren't filled with artificial colors.  Yippee! But having very few ingredients and no artificial colors doesn't mean a food is good for you.  It can still be high in fat, sugar and salt. What's a girl to do?

I could only eat organic foods.  I see the value in organic foods, I like the lack of chemicals and the sustainable way in which their grown, but just because a food is organic doesn't mean it's healthier. It still has the same amounts of fat, sugar and calories. So, even if I eat organic foods, doesn't necessarily mean I'll get skinnier. I enjoyed this article on the Mayo Clinic website about organic foods.

I could cut out sugar and other white foods from my diet.  My first problem with this is I hate artificial sweeteners.  I'll drink water before I drink diet soda and I'm still not convinced that artificial sweeteners won't be shown to be a problem in a few years.  I could be wrong and if I am, you can rub it in later. I can do whole grain breads and brown rice but don't ask me to eat sugar free foods.  I will look for foods without corn syrup and watch the sugar count on what I eat, but if my choice is sugar or something fake, sugar will always win.

I could cut down on the meat in my diet and eat more veggies and fruit.  I'm doing pretty good on the fruit...I like fruit.  I'm not fond of vegetables, so finding ways to get them in my diet has been a challenge.  We've recently discovered that we like Gardenburgers and Morning Star "Chicken" Patties.  Both are meatless versions of food we enjoy and they help with our quest for more veggies.  But my problem is...do you realize how much processing goes in to make a bunch of vegetables (don't tell me which ones, or else I'll never be able to eat them again) look and taste like a breaded chicken patty? They definitely do NOT go in the four ingredient category!

That's not everything, but that's the highlights. So, I'm sure everyone has a thought about food...can anyone help me out with my conundrum? I'm open to opinions, but I can't promise that I'll follow all suggestions. :)