welcome.

Today, I decided to share with the world something I am about to embark on. You could call it an adventure. After years of feeling awful most of the time (about myself, about the way I ate and not to mention what the things I ate were doing to me), I went on a diet last February. It was something I had done plenty of times in my 24 years but for some reason it was different. I was different. I'll go into detail about those first few months another day but, the point I'm trying to get to is that by making a serious choice to change my life for the better and for good...I began to see things differently and since, my life has been remarkably easier and I've been happier, healthier and thinner than I had been in years.

But....that first jump start came with help from a little blue book called The South Beach Diet. Giving up foods like bread and cereal and fruit was hard but the weight came off so quickly that I didn't feel bad. Months progressed and I began to reintroduce foods I was missing and with the help of exercise and calorie counting, I figured out a way to eat the foods I still liked and continue to drop pounds. The problem is that for years I have struggled with indigestion and stomach issues related to the foods I couldn't admit were hurting me in more ways than one. I attributed it to stress or genetics whenever I'd have a stomach ache after eating something and most times I was just lying to myself to keep from realizing the truth.

The truth is, even after changing SO many things (giving up potatoes, pasta, fast food and others)...I haven't fully accepted my fate by learning how to eat the RIGHT way for ME. I eat breakfast daily, try to eat fruits and veggies, limit my carbs and fat, treat myself to sweets once in a while and watch portion sizes but I still feel sluggish most days, lacking energy to be more active which would help me tremendously and even after losing the weight I have, I'm tired A LOT. I get dehydrated easily and even feel faint at times...I get tense and moody when I don't eat enough or snack in between meals and I have a lot of issues with digestion (bloating, gas etc....sorry). I should feel better about the progress I've made but it's hard to when I feel so crappy most of the time.

This week I took the first steps to change all of that. I met with a nutritional counselor whom I was referred to by a very happy client. After tests and a lengthy discussion into my lifestyle and eating habits, family history and symptoms....I've found out so much about what is going on inside of me and why I feel the way I do. This blog will hopefully help me come to terms with what I'm about to do and be a place to discuss my fears and successes as they come up. Hopefully it will be a way for people including my friends and family to better understand why I'm doing the things I am.

First things first....starting tuesday when I have my personalized food planning session, I will begin a transition towards a life minus wheat, dairy, sugar and corn. I am taking this on after fully believing in the work my counselor has done to help numerous people like me to lose weight, get healthy and feel better overall. So...here I am ready to say "Bring it on", even if that means hearing a lot of "Is THAT what you're eating?"

-goodnight friends.