One More Last Day

The blog is named after my propensity to start a diet.... tomorrow. One more last day of gluttony. One more last day of eating poorly. One more last day of making poor choices about the way I nourish my body....about my health.

My very last "last day" was yesterday. And I can say, with certainty, there is not one junk food, fast food, or bad food choice I want to put in my body right now. There isn't a food out there worth how poorly I have been feeling since topping 200 again.

Here's the facts as I know them:

• I am 35 years old this fall
• I have nine children who need me to be an active, vibrant part of their lives
• I am the sole proprietor of a busy photography business that just leased it's first real, actual real estate. 
• I strongly suspect my thyroid is in the process of giving up on me... even though my TSH levels are within normal range. I've had too many symptoms this past year to have it not be so... including gaining 20 very stubborn pounds that just will.not.be.shed with a low calorie diet and exercise. 
• Right now, my thyroid symptoms have mysteriously vanished and my body seems willing to let some of this extra weight go. I am taking the opportunity to really go for it and lose the 70 pounds that have plagued me since I was 22. 
• My reading and talking to others has led me to believe that a low carb/Paleo type eating style will benefit my possibly thyroid condition in addition to decreasing my body fat while supporting the muscle I plan to build. 
• In the fall of 2010 I did a modified Paleo diet and exercised 5-6 days a week. I lost 25 pounds in 6 weeks and haven't felt that good since I quit. My goal here is to not quit, ever again, because I know it's the way my body should be fed in order to work at it's optimal level.

This is no longer about my weight or my body image... this has simply become about health. I do not want to be chronically ill for the next 35 years. I do not want to rely on pills and western medicine just to survive. I refuse to give up my vitality at my young age. I will not bow down to the Standard American Diet and the sickness that comes with it... 

Gentle reader, either real or in the confines of my imagination, you are here to bear my witness and keep me on the straight and narrow. Making good choices can be difficult but I've got two things going for me here:

I am ridiculously honest when I commit to something and I'm very easily embarrassed. 

If I know I will be forced to spill the naked truth here that I pigged out on cake and I've gained three pounds and I skipped a session with my personal trainer, I will be less likely to make those choices. I want the upcoming progress pics to show change-not that I've been sneaking and lazing and not getting it done like I said I would.

I expect there to be difficulties and pit falls and plateaus, but what I promise here is that I'm going to commit to 30 days of eating a healthy, modified Paleo diet. Modified in that I will consume some dairy (mainly greek yogurt in reasonable quantities) but still rich in plant matter and healthy animal protein. I will work out with my personal trainer (who likes to torment me- but in a good way) Lesley Elkins, twice a week in addition to engaging in physically challenging activities that I love the other five days of the week. These will include (but are not limited to!) hiking the bluffs surrounding my beautiful Mississippi River town, biking the river trails, swimming at my local gym, running/walking in my historic neighborhood, and camping/boating with my life partner. And then we'll see where I am on the birthday of my country, July 4th, and set new goals. 

Yesterday was my last last day, ever. Today has begun a new chapter, a new try, a new determination to take care of this body... the only one I will ever be blessed with in this life. Thank you for caring enough to read. :)

Chantel