I know you're just dying to know, right?
I am a lucky girl. Why? Because I’m “healthier” than I should be. But that doesn’t mean I’m healthy.
I’ve been overweight since the age of six. And for the past fifteen years (except for two periods when I was able to lose a significant amount of weight, only to gain it back,) I have been classified as morbidly obese. So I guess I should use the term “relatively healthy.”
I have borderline high blood pressure, but I’ve been lucky enough to avoid full-blown high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea, and other maladies that usually accompany obesity. My joints ache most of the time. Hell, my whole body aches most of the time. Walking up a flight of stairs, or even half a flight, is a chore.
I’m in my mid-thirties and I feel lucky. But I also feel that luck will run out. It will expire. It will sneak up on me quietly, or shock me, any day. My habits of eating lots of sugar and highly processed foods will catch up to me. I feel that my fear is now greater than my desire (or unconscious desire) to choose the wrong foods. I feel that my fear is now greater than my desire to lie on the couch from dinnertime until bedtime, after 8 hours of sitting at a desk (although, I do love my job!)
I feel that the time is now. It is NOW. Now I will make the right food choices. Now I will slowly incorporate physical activity in my daily life. I didn’t say “routine.” “Life” sounds way better than “routine,” doesn’t it?
So follow me on my journey. Follow me as I improve my life. Follow me as I prolong my life. Follow me as I learn and grow.
Though eating meat and fish occasionally, I have leaned towards a vegetarian diet for the last 20 years or so. I have always been interested in a vegan lifestyle. I love real food. I have already learned that processed foods have one major side effect on me…they make me want more processed foods.
But then I have to be honest with myself…it’s not a vegan lifestyle that I’m after. It’s a plant based diet that I’m after. Without getting into the politics of it, I won’t classify myself as a vegan, because the term encompasses so much more than just the food you choose to consume.
A few years ago, I followed a plant based diet for six weeks. Aside from the ten pounds I lost, I felt amazing. I had energy. My joints felt better. My whole body felt better. I felt lighter in general. It’s only taken me the few years since to realize that I want to feel that good again. But this time, for longer than six weeks.
My goal? I will strive towards a 95% plant based diet. Why 95% and not 100%. I want to be realistic. Occasionally I need a few bites of the best ice cream (in my opinion) in the world. I need a few bites of creamy, French, triple crème cheese. The keyword: occasionally.
I will get up and move. I’m not the hardcore, boot camp, dive right into intense physical activity kind of person. I will start slow and the progress that follows will encourage me. It has been a goal of mine to jog a 5k. I have walked a 5k, and I’m not quite sure when, or if, I will ever become a runner. But I will jog a 5k. Maybe in 6 months. Maybe in a year. But I will jog a 5k.
So, here I am. Taking responsibility for myself. Taking responsibility for my past, my present, and my future. You will learn a lot about me as time goes on. You will learn about me as you follow my journey. I hope we can learn from each other. You can ask me questions, and share your wisdom and your experiences. And I hope that you will answer my questions. Let’s share our challenges and our victories. Let's do this together....
"If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?"
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