Day 3: Joining this Journey with me is....

...my darling, adorable, fashionable, make-up loving, perfect-haired, clothes-closet-that-would-make-you-jealous, always-has-the-right-accessory, perfect-selfie-taking, one-year-younger-than-me, LITTLE SISTER, Brooke. Don't worry, I love my wiser, more-competent-mother-than-I-am, two-year-older-sister, Amy, but I will write about her another time.

Aside from our automatic bond because we were basically the same age--being just 14 months apart--(my mother is a saint by the way) my little sister was my built-in best friend.  When my older sister was off with her older friends doing older stuff Brooke and I were home together and we had each other.  We also always shared a room and that just lends itself to being very close...or homicide--obviously we chose close.

Brooke and I have always kind of been about the same size and have similar body types--but I have more muscle so I have always weighed more--should have been a body builder...and we often bounced back and forth at who was "skinnier" or "fluffier".  We shared clothes most of our lives. (And by shared I mean that she would steal my clothes when we were in high school and college...and there were times that I was forced to knock her down and rip my jeans off her body...in front of witnesses... And then when she was single with a disposable income to buy clothes and I only had frumpy Mommy clothes I got from the $2 clearance rack at Wal-Mart I would reap the benefits of wearing her clothes...anyway...I digress.)  

We are both in a place in our lives that we need some serious food fixes.  Eating the way that we have been for so many years has led to being overweight (no, I won't tell you how much she weighs like I did when I told you mine here, but I can tell you it is not nearly as much as I do) suffering from migraine headaches, general lack of energy, and for both of us, serious self-esteem issues.  I just am funnier about my issues, which makes it seem like I don't care, but I do.

Brooke is actually the one who encouraged me to try the Whole30 diet.  She said she was doing it by looking up some stuff on Pinterest. Soooo naturally, I had to find out more about the Whole30, buy the Kindle Book, join the Whole30 Forums and start a blog about it.  But don't worry, we aren't competitive--I just like to be thorough.  So here we are together, day 3 and we are keeping each other accountable.  She even went out to dinner last night...which I don't plan on attempting for a while, and stayed on plan...with the exception of Japanese ketchup...but I should let her blog about that.

Thankfully I am not doing this alone.  I know, I know I am never ALONE...I have Jesus and the Holy Spirit and prayer, but let me just tell you, the Holy Spirit doesn't text you back when you text that you really want a snow-cone and tell you if you eat a snow-cone they will drive from their town to your town and punch you in the baby-maker.  Brooke would...and has.  That is why I love her.  Well, that and all her clothes...and shoes...and purses...and make-up...and hair products...and jewelry...

So here is to my amazing little sister{{insert raised champagne glass not full of champagne because that isn't on the Whole30 plan here}} for doing this with me...and thanks for the friendly competition!

Let me know what you think so far in the Comments section below. Do you want to know more about what I am eating? Do you have specific questions that I can answer from my extensive experience of 3 days on the Whole30 plan and after reading 45% of the book? Or are you just sick and tired of my italics--which are the blog equivalent to the sarcasm font.

And yes, that was a shameless request for validation--so give it to me.

Day 2: Everything is Awesome!

Everything is Awesome. Except black work-coffee.

Black work-coffee IS.NOT.AWESOME.  The only thing that can help work-coffee (and by work-coffee I mean the little bags of coffee that come in a GIANT box that we order once every few months which has little flavor, not much umph, and a seriously questionable amount of caffeine...I digress) is lots and lots of non-plan, dairy-based, sugar-filled yumminess. I pulled up my Big Girl Panties (no-pun intended--it is okay, you can laugh at my fat joke, I did) and drank my coffee black and to be honest I even drank it after it was cold.  And surprisingly I don't want to punch anybody in the face today...yet. Who wants to give me a medal?

Today I am still in the Honeymoon Phase with the Whole30 plan.  I attempted a 21-day Daniel fast in January and only lasted 10 days...but I couldn't have coffee then...or meat...but I digress.

I know that I have this down.  30 days of staying on plan.  (And when it gets hard I will read and read and re-read that sentence and pray and pray and pray that I do have this down, and that I am staying on plan.) 

I am learning so much from the book It Starts with Food.  I knew it would be full of good information, but didn't know it would be so detailed.  I am loving learning about all of the "science-y stuff" because I am a nerd at heart.  *INSERT NERD PICTURE HERE* Oh if I only had a scanned picture of myself from 6th grade...I don't know what is more humiliating...telling my weight, or posting a picture of me  from 6th grade....or a picture of my husband from 6th grade...{{insert evil laugh here}}.

I love learning about the functions in the body and how food effects them.  I am learning so much, and have already become a food judge.  Oh, you thought "natural peanut butter" was a good choice?  Well, let me tell you about what I read about peanuts last night.  ***Sorry to my dear sweet friend who was the recipient of that email---you know who you are.***.  Never mind that I have only read 1/3 of this one nutrition book.  I have seen two documentaries, searched Pinterest for some recipes, and I even had a nutrition class in college.  I am an expert already.  That means I can judge your food choices, because I haven't made any bad food choices in going on 48 hours...{{pulling on my judge rope and pounding my gavel}}.  Oh wait, this isn't about me and how smart I am becoming...Rrrrrright.  This is supposed to be about what this journey is going to do for my body, and mind, and how it can reset my soul to look to God for comfort, and not a box of Reduced Fat Cheese-Its.  Did I fail to mention that?  I let myself get in the way of what God is trying to show me through this, and I need to remember that I am doing it for Him and THROUGH Him, and if I did it all on my own I will fail miserably again...like all the times before.

I haven't discussed that I am  interested in the spiritual side of this body/mind/food thing the most.  I am on the hunt for a Christian based book that talks about this subject...vs. an evolutionary perspective on the subject.  So I went to Facebook and someone suggested Every Body Matters by Gary Thomas.  I will have to check into it some more...but already notice the emphasis put on physical exercise, so I am very excited to learn more and start reading that book next.  Oh and remind me to tell you about then time I did a half-marathon and then gained 20 lbs in two months.   Because everybody knows that if you run/walk 13.1 miles one time you can eat candy bars and chips every day...and it won't matter.  NOT...

First, I need to get through It Starts With Food, especially since I have to learn more about what to eat and not to eat and remember that it is not my place to judge any one's food habits, only my own.

I have made it through most of day 2.  And I know I certainly can't do it all alone.  Thanks for being here with me.

Tomorrow I will talk about who is doing this *with* me.  I need permission first!

Oh, and no need to thank me.  You are now going to have the Lego Movie "Everything is Awesome" song stuck in your head.  All. Day.  Long.

Thank you!  I will be here all week!  Good Night.

It Started With Food and Ends there too!

Recently I have hit my all-time high weight. I know, you want to know what it is right? Well, I am going to tell you. My scale this morning read: 210 lbs.

I am 5'6" tall. I have an athletic frame (broad shoulders, big muscles). Even when I was "skinny" I weighed 130 lbs and wasn't ever a "small" looking girl. I am not striving to be a size zero. I don't desire to be a model. I just want to be able to run around with my kids and be healthy and happy. I don't want to miss out on their lives because I am in bed with a migraine (which I have suffered from since childhood).

 I am tired of being tired. All the time. EVERY SINGLE DAY. I am sick of all the pain I have in my body constantly. I have been through two expensive rounds of physical therapy for pain in my shoulder. I sit on a heating pad every single night. I take two Aleve every single day. I CAN'T WON'T KEEP LIVING LIKE THIS!!!

A few months ago I watched this great documentary, called Hungry for Change and another one called Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. It changed my entire life. For one week. I bought a juicer. I juiced for 1/2 a day. Healthy Eating Tip # 1: Don't put onion in a juice...even if the recipe calls for it. No one wants to drink onion juice. Then I went back to eating real food the processed food-like substances that I have been living on my entire life. Because juicing all my meals isn't realistic for me.

I have two little girls. They are adorable. And they like chocolate cheerios and fruit snacks. And why do they like that? Because I have conditioned them. When you want a snack, here have high fructose corn syrup, gelatin, and who knows what else instead of an actual piece of fruit. I mean, don't get me wrong. I buy fruit from the grocery store. Bananas, apples, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries. But those rot away in my fridge, and I have to make a 2nd store run to buy more fruit snacks...because I let them eat those instead of making them eat real fruit.

In my quest to eat better and live better and lose weight I found a book. Maybe you have heard of it. It is called It Starts with Food. And it is going to be the change that I need. For real. I can't keep living like how I have been living.

The best part, I am going to document my journey in this blog for your entertainment. I am going to keep it real. And sometimes it is hard to be "real" with your family and friends. I will share it...but I hesitate because I am afraid this will be just another thing that I start and fail...or get really gung ho about for one week and then give up.

Today is Day 1 of my Whole30 journey. Thanks for coming along.