It’s a lifestyle change.

You are welcome for that. bahahahahahahaha!

Admittedly, I miss being able to eat whatever I want. I mean I really miss it. You know what I don’t miss? Being bloated daily. Brain fog after every meal. My hair falling out. Weighing over 200 pounds. General lethargy. Ok, I still have bouts of lethargy that is unrelated to what I eat. Sometimes honey badger gets stung by the cobra and just doesn’t care and has to take a nap. LOL If you are new, or just missed it, here is the background for the change in what I eat, and when the ante got upped.

I have to repeatedly and grudgingly remind myself that a lot of my issues stem from a gluten intolerance. But I cannot ignore certain facts when I eat gluten free: my hair doesn’t fall out, my scalp isn’t so itchy, I’m regular (who knew I wasn’t before?), the extreme mood swings are all but gone and only surface every 3 weeks…which is now a consistent cycle, I don’t have heartburn much anymore, I’m losing weight even when I am not exercising, I’m not tired all the time, and I just really feel better in general. I have done so much reading up on healthy/clean/whole food eating that I refuse to eat fast food, and am leery about chain restaurant food. After the withdrawls when I gave up the artificial coloring, flavoring, and preservatives, I want a farm where I raise all my food. But that isn’t happening on 1.6 acres, and I don’t plan on moving back to the 40 acres in AR while the kids are still in school.

Admittedly, I was a total skeptic of the whole change in diet. I repeated scoffed at Petra, until I started listening to her and saw & felt the results. Oh, and I got scoffed at by my entire family too, so those chickens came home to roost. The hubby has relented since seeing the changes not only in attitude & physical appearance, but also how I have been more diligent than not at sticking with it. Though, it has been hard getting back on the wagon after falling off during surgery recovery. Not that I can use that excuse for glutening myself 3 times last week. But I did say as I was eating both the jalapeno burger from Army City & dipping the bread in the shrimp scampi at Carrabba’s that any ill effects would be well worth the taste. And, oh, did they ever taste WONDERFUL, especially the Carrabba’s.

All in all, it truly is a change in lifestyle every bit as much as forcing myself to run everyday. I have a love/hate relationship with running. I have a love of eating. But, as my doctor said, I can change my lifestyle now and get healthy, or I can change it in 20 years while I am being medicated for diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. I can be fat, or I can be fit(ish). I choose the latter.