So here's the plan...

After my last blog post about food addiction I got a lot of amazing support and advice from so many people. Thank you for that :) I truly have incredible people in my life. One conversation in particular that stuck with me was one I had with my good friend Cody Mecham who used to be in our ward with his wife and family... as well as a member of Jilly's Losers for quite a long time now.

He said that my blog post may as well have been written by him and that for years he tried to convince himself he could just do things in moderation. It never worked...as I have found for myself...and he kept putting on the pounds. He said that after 10 years of doing so, he finally decided to focus on giving his body 6 months of nothing but healthy foods. No sweets, very low carb...no excuses. He said that in the big picture, 6 months was nothing and it was the least he could do for all the things he'd put his body through.

So for 6 months, he was hyper-focused. And the weight melted off. And I watched it happen. For months on end, he was usually at the top of every weight loss list in my group. By the time that 6 months was up...it had become his lifestyle. He didn't go back. He still has the occasional treat, but that's all it is anymore. An occasional treat. Before changing his focus to building muscle a couple months ago, he was near to having lost 100lbs. His before and after pictures are truly amazing. He has become extremely knowledgeable about the ketogenic diet and has helped many other people to change their lifestyle as well. It's been so great having him as a part of my group!

Photo 1 - 9/14:Photo 2 - 4/16

Photo used with permission

After our conversation, I decided that this is what I need to do. The idea of giving up sugar, flour and wheat "forever" is terrifying and daunting to me. I don't think I could do it...and in all honesty don't want to. But I can do it until my birthday. 96 days. I owe it to my body to treat it the way it deserves to be treated and to see what life MIGHT be like were I to go without for just a little while.

So tonight, my daughter Ariana and I made a paper chain with 96 colorful loops on it and hung them up along the wall.

One loop for each day. And at the end of those 96 days I will enjoy some birthday dessert and a big gift of my choosing (non-food related) as a reward! If I can get my whole family to do this with me, we will decide on something to do together as a family as a reward!

So here's how it's going to work. 

-No dessert is allowed in the house. If Nathan or the kids would like dessert they may have it outside the home, but nothing may come back. I won't be baking for a while *cries*. 

-No bread/pasta. Bread is a huge trigger food for me.

-No more bananas! I will still have berries when I want fruit..but in small quantities to keep the amount of carbs/sugar down and avoid insulin spikes.

-LOTS of lean proteins, healthy fats, veggies...and water water water!! 

The goal is to stay as low carb as possible for 3 months...and see how my body responds. I know the first couple of weeks will be very hard. I will have withdrawals and headaches and probably be cranky and craving everything under the sun...but I WILL do this. I need to do this. And it's only 3 months.

At the end of those 3 months I plan on being back to work 30lbs lighter. At least. But mostly I just want to feel good again. I want to have energy and fit into my clothes and feel good about myself again. And giving it a half-assed effort is no longer cutting it. 

So I start tomorrow. March 1st. Groceries are bought and junk is out of the house! I'd say wish me luck, but luck won't help. It's gonna take hard work, determination..and most of all preparation. But support from those I love makes a world of difference :) I'm so grateful to have such a huge support system of family, friends, and even people I've never met who have joined me on my weight loss journey. You're the reason I know this is possible :)

Now if you'll excuse me...I'm going to go enjoy a slice of pizza and a donut!!