The Flex Diet by Dr. James Beckerman

I was happy to receive a review copy of The Flex Diet: Design-Your-Own Weight Loss Plan by Portland cardiologist Dr. James Beckerman for several reasons. First, it is exciting for me to read any book that is not about Disney princesses or firetrucks. Second, the author James Beckerman was one of my Harvard classmates (I actually recall that my roommates and I marked him as one of the best-looking guys in our freshman "Facebook", and apparently Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb are now admirers too). Third, the subject matter is appropriate for me right now. Along with several of my best girlfriends, I've been doing Weight Watchers for the past few weeks to try to rid myself of that remaining baby weight (can you call it baby weight when your "baby" turned 4 1/2 today?), not just for my appearance but also (and perhaps more importantly) for my long-term health. So I wanted to see how The Flex Diet stood up against Weight Watchers and other plans we've all tried before.

In The Flex Diet, Dr. Beckerman gives you 200 different evidence-based solutions to help you become healthier (the side effect is that you will indeed lose weight, too). You can follow as many as you'd like- just pick and choose. There are no specific menus to follow, no calorie counting, and no hard-and-fast rules. Just lots of very wise tips from a doctor who helps patients become heart-healthy by eating better and making smarter lifestyle choices. The book follows 3 stages: "Today" gives you two weeks of easy-to-adopt strategies to set you on the right path towards healthy eating (and most likely you will lose 5 lbs). For example, weigh yourself daily (I do), eat apples and grapes (I do), close the kitchen after midnight (I do), wear a pedometer (I will), and get 7 hours of sleep each night (I wish). The second stage ("Every Day") is a block of solutions providing optimal daily meal plans and tips for healthy eating and exercise, along with "Flex Solutions" to let you design our own approach (for example, limiting alcohol to weekends only, or incorporating 10 minutes of quick exercise into your daily routine). Finally, the "Your Way" section offers tools for long-term success by further personalizing your plan with more creative and evidence-based solutions (one of my favorite ones is making social outings active rather than food-oriented ones).

I was happy to see that I'd already adopted some of Dr. Beckerman's Flex Diet tips (such not eating in front of the television; eating power foods such as pine nut, flax seeds, and Greek yogurt; and eating more protein at breakfasts) via what I'd learned at Weight Watchers. And the book also gave me the impetus to start trying some new ones as well (I'll be looking into probiotics, fish oil, and taking whey protein after exercise).

How am I doing? Well, I've lost 6 pounds in 3 weeks through Weight Watchers combined with some Flex Diet tips as well. It's a pretty good start. I feel healthier, more energetic, and all that trite but true stuff, which for a 38-year-old single mom of 2 is no small feat. And my (2nd) pre-pregnancy weight is back in sight which is exciting to see. Stay tuned...I will gladly keep you all posted!

Buy The Flex Diet: Design-Your-Own Weight Loss Plan for $14.07 at Amazon.com, or read more about the book at Dr. Beckerman's website.