Keepin' it real

Hi! I'm Lacy. I'm 29 (hurdling at lightspeed towards 30) and have myself a husband, a baby, an apartment and a diet that is desperate need of authenticity. For the first time in my life, I'm attempting to eat a diet (and by "diet" I mean a way of eating) that's primary goal is encouraging health increase rather than weight loss. Let's not fool ourselves. I also really wanna lose some L-B's. BUT, my main goal is to live a healthier lifestyle. This blog is going to be my little spot of the interwebs to blah blah blah all about my journey in that sphere of health and fitness. If you'd like to spy in on me and see how it's going, please do! I'm a natural saleswoman for the things I love. If I try a toothpaste that makes my mouth sparkle, I'm gonna tell you all about it. If I found a pair of socks that insulate my footsies just perfectly, you'll know too. It only makes sense that something as important as food be a part of our daily conversation.

A little background:

From about the ages of 10 to 26, I had a growing weight problem. It started out with just a little chub, and grew and grew and grew until it was clear that I had a serious issue that needed addressing or I may in fact become a statistic of our western diet. Junior high, high school, college and then, post college all were years of failed resolutions, attempts and defeats. I wanted nothing more on earth than to be like everyone else. I wanted to be thin.

It all changed one day when after many years of denial, I looked down at my scale for the first time and saw a number I didn't know I could hit. At my highest weight (oooh, this is hard to admit) I was a grand total of three hundred and forty pounds. (It doesn't look so bad when you write it out!) How on EARTH did I get so heavy? Where did all this weight come from? How could I possibly lose it all? Was there any diet I hadn't tried? Was there a magic pill I could take? I vacillated between panic and acceptance. The panic won over. I knew I was going to die prematurely if I didn't do something. So, I thought about the things I could do to win this weight war I'd been fighting for years. And I made one of the best decisions I've ever ever ever made.

Three years ago, I had weight loss surgery. As a result, I lost over 150 pounds in about two years, making my lowest weight 180.

But this isn't a blog about my surgery. It's a blog about food and health.

I should obviously say WLS helped me shed a lot of weight. I couldn't have done it alone without that tool. It set me up for success. And success I had. But here I am, post baby, post surgery and still the struggle exists. After having my child six months ago, I did not, as anticipated, lose the weight quickly. Breast feeding wasn't the magic answer that some purported. The success I had with surgery and the tools it's given me are still invaluable, but I am now able to eat normal portion sizes (not overeat, however). The surgery was about survival. I HAD to lose weight or else. The health benefits I gained from surgery were a result of the DRASTIC reduction in calories. I also couldn't consume large amounts of sugar or fat due to a condition called (and elegantly so) "dumping" which causes sickness. However now, with the severe restrictions loosened, the sugar and fat effects lightened, many of the choices that were made for me are now more in my own control.

Which leads me to the point. I am finding myself drawn towards the concept of real food and real living. After reading 100daysofrealfood.com (GO THERE!) I knew I had to take my inklings, my late night wandering thoughts, my ponderings and do a little something with them. It's pretty simple really and doesn't need much explanation.

I eat too much fake food. I eat too much food that other people have messed with and fooled with. I eat too much tasteless food. I eat too refined, white, man-made-food-like-imitation-food. I'm gonna start eating real food. Meaning, food that is "whole." Not messed with. Not overly processed. Not refined. Not pretend food. Nothing that has an ingredient list a mile long. Food that is whole and flavorful. To start, I'll be journaling for thirty days about what I'm eating, how I'm feeling, if I'm exercising or not, how hard it is, how easy it is, and any delicious recipes I've tried. Also, let's not lie...cause the theme is "keepin it real," I'll also be watching ye olde friend the scale to see how this effects my weight.

I'm relying on the help of a couple sources for this, and I'll share what I'm learning along the way. I'm gleaning from "The Sonoma diet" but adapting for my own purposes. I'm also doing all this on a pretty tight budget, as I know many of us have concerns about the cost of whole foods and organic vs. the other.

What I hope to have accomplished after 30 days:

1. Not go broke.

2. Be more in control of my food choices and what I put in my body.

3. Be informed about what goes into the food I buy and feed my family.

4. Lose weight.

5. Eat really yummy good food.

6. Get moving too.

And for the numerically minded (and cause it matters to me too) here are my stats:

Highest weight: 340

Lowest weight: 180

Current weight: 210

Goal weight: 160