Diets are for Jerks

That's right. The word "diet" conjures up images of grapefruit squeezing, near-manic hustling on the treadmill, and meals consisting of one cherry tomato and cottage cheese. The word diet even brings along with it, images of intensely self-abusing women throwing up anything above 100 calories.

Not me. No way in hell.

Diets are for jerks. Diets are, in my opinion, our version of a 'quick fix' rather than what the word was intended to mean - what you eat. You can have a healthy diet or an unhealthy diet, but instead, the word diet equals starvation mode in my emotional brain center.

After a few tough months of embarking on a new, healthy approach to living, I've decided to shift this blog over as a way not to only share the ups and downs of my own weight-loss and health journey, but to also hold myself accountable. After a month or two of posting my weight-loss achievements (no matter how tiny) on Facebook, I've decided I needed a way to express my personal journey to becoming healthier, even if the expression is just that - to myself.
Writing it out is far better than rolling the trials and tribulations around in my head. After all, I'm still a woman and I'm still a woman at war with a sometimes wavering self-image.

This shift is designed to be informative, but most importantly to help me identify cracks in the system and to encourage others to communicate with one another about their own struggles or fitness goals. I'm not here to talk about diets. I'm here to talk about living healthfully - to make decisions in nutrition and exercise that will lead to a better kick-ass version of myself. It's going to get funny and sarcastic and emotional around here, but I have had to find a way to check myself against temptation and to finally, FINALLY, make up for some serious time lost to unnecessary indulgences.

Disclaimer - I'm no expert. I only know what works for me half the time, but I will say, if you choose to read this, you know you better than I'll ever know you. Take that into consideration. If nothing else, I hope you can relate and I hope you can deal with a bare-bones blog because I work full time; I have a family and friends; and I have community commitments that won't go away anytime soon. That said, enjoy.

This ship is turning around, so-to-speak, in a very Titanic-trying-to-evade-the-iceberg kind of way (aka - super duper slowly).

Before heading right down into the details of what's going in this girl's fitness orbit, you should know the following:

*I was once nearly 40 pounds heavier than I am now. I know what it's like to be fat, to be constantly uncomfortable, and to live on an out-of-a-box (see: Ramen, Hamburger Helper, Kraft) diet.

*I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. More on this later. Basically, it's code for slow metabolism and various other annoyances that often can thwart weight loss and energy.

*I have a goal of 20-30 pounds to lose to be in what I consider a healthy weight zone (based on BMI). Some will tell you I am my right size now. Trust me, I like the me I am, visually. But! Things can certainly improve.

*I'm learning to run. Emphasis on learning. I'm running my first 4 mile race in September. The Couch to 5K works.

*I don't follow any one diet prescription and I won't. I try to eat healthfully while understanding that sugar and basic carbohydrates make me sick and instantly gain weight. Ultimately, I try to eat what occurs naturally, but that is definitely difficult to do. I often fall off the wagon. Some would call my approach "low carb" or "Atkins friendly." That is not entirely inaccurate.

*I'm attempting to strike a balance between exercise, confident body image, nutrition, and weight-loss. This blog will serve as my check-in post.

Welcome.