Measuring in

This blog is meant to help me track my progress as I work toward my goal to be a healthier me.  As a mom, I'm well versed in taking care of others and now it's time to learn how to take care of me.  I really am worth the effort.  I haven't believed that for a long long time, but I'm making a series of choices that are going to change the path I'm walking down.

I'm not so proud to say that I've been overweight for a number of years now.  Even obese according to my body mass index, which is currently 32.8.  Ouch.  How long can I just ignore it?   No more!

So what's the plan?  I've had a horrible time finding a plan that felt like something I could do, with the right balance of accomplishing goals I want to accomplish without too much sacrifice that I don't want to make.  Don't get me wrong, I'm willing to work and willing to sacrifice, but I want my diet plan to be nutrient rich and ideally sustainable over my lifetime.  I've found one that I'm willing to try, hopefully in  various versions because I choose a Pescetarian diet (basically vegetarian plus fish) and this limits protein sources for me on this particular plan.

I've decided to follow Whole 30 for a challenge period of 30 days.  Here's a super brief rundown of what I'm gaining and losing with this plan:

Losing
- dairy (oh my heart!)
- grains (help me Jesus!)
- legumes (so sad)
- sugar and all sugar substitutes (ummmm....)
- all processed food (all good, really!)
- hopefully some weight and inches!
- the scale (no more weigh-ins until I'm done)

Gaining
- regular exercise
- more animal protein (fish & eggs)
- freedom from carb/sugar addiction
- higher percentage of vegetable consumption

My first 30 days begins today.  I will do my best to track each day's food consumption along with photos and recipes as I go.  Life gets busy at times so there's a chance that I may miss a day here or there but it is one of my goals to maintain this blog as a form of personal accountability.

This first 30 days will be dedicated to following the plan without legumes.  The second 30 days will be following the vegetarian guidelines on the website so I can compare how I feel, my results and ease of the program itself with more options.

Beyond the 60 days I plan to reintroduce limited portions of the offending foods that I've struggled to maintain moderate consumption of (grains and dairy) and navigate from there.  My main goal is simply to clean house and undergo a physical transformation that matches the mental and spiritual transformations I've experienced.  So here's to a healthier, me!!