The Why.

Like many people, I have struggled with my weight my entire adult life (and before).  I won't get into all of it, but it's the typical roller coaster that most of us are familiar with... up, up, down, up, down, up, up, down, up, up...  While I can be pretty lazy, the biggest problem, for me, is emotional eating.  When I'm stressed/sad/depressed, I automatically turn to food.   And, of course, the worst foods, because I love bread, cookies, ice cream, chocolate, cheese... sugary, carby deliciousness.  When I'm feeling stressed or sad, don't I deserve a bowl of ice cream? 

When I look back on overweight periods of my life, I was almost always stressed out, or sad.  Eventually, I would find some motivation to shed some pounds, but I most often accomplished the weight loss through exercise.  I believed that I could eat anything I wanted, as long as I worked out enough to burn those calories. 

Even though, deep down I knew...

And while weight loss isn't magic, it isn't as cut and dry as burning 3,500 extra calories.

I knew they were right when they said...

Because, at the end of the day, if you don't change what you're eating, what's the point? You might look good on the outside, but what is your diet doing to the inside of your body?

I had my third child in November 2013.  I did pretty well for a few months after she was born, and managed to work out often, and lost 25 pounds.  However, she changed into a high-maintenance baby, and it became very hard to work out, let alone take care of the other people in my family.  Then, to make matters worse, she started sleeping horribly, which majorly crushed any kind of motivation.  And, because I've always relied on exercise to maintain my weight, I did not develop good eating habits.  Bad eating habits + stress + exhaustion + frustration = me giving up.  

As the end of 2014 loomed near, I was glad for the year to come to a close.  I love the motivation a new year brings, and I knew I had to have a plan.  I barely had any clothes that fit, I felt gross, I looked bad... not a good feeling all around.  

I'm really not sure where I heard about Dr. Joel Fuhrman's Eat to Live (ETL) program, but the more I read about it, the more excited I became.  I decided that I wouldn't weight myself in December, wouldn't worry about what I was eating, or how much I was working out.  I scoured the internet for reviews, tips, and success stories.  Admittedly, I did not read the book (though I will when it's my turn at the library), but I read enough from blogs and such on the internet to know that I wanted to try this.

The basic premise of his 6 week Eat to Live Program is as follows:

I know, I know, it's pretty hardcore.  ESPECIALLY, when you've been eating junk for the past 9 months.  Part of me is scared that I won't be able to do this, but I know that I need to revamp my eating.  Sure, I need to lose weight, but I should pay more attention to what goes in my body in general.  Everyone should!

So... there's the why... Now, can I do this? Can I eat to live?