Day 2

The truth is, today is Day 2 because yesterday my blog post went live to tell everyone that after five years of dealing with my chronic skin conditions, I am going to be going gluten free starting on Monday.

Not only will this blog continue to update on my life, it will also serve as my diary throughout this process. Whether that means food logs, thoughts, frustrations, joys, logging recipes, whatever. This will be that landing space. I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not... I'm hesitant. I had coffee with an old friend yesterday and we were discussing how I would feel throughout this journey. She suggested maybe keeping some of what I was doing and feeling to myself so that it was a more personal experience and I could ensure SUPPORT from people who were following along. On one hand, I understand what she is saying. On the other, I think about the rareness of my conditions and the people who have been invested since [the real] DAY 1 back in March of 2010. I also think about me and how this is my story... my life. I think about how writing it down, taking pictures, and talking about it is a way for me succeed.

I've never been this intrinsicly motivated before. I've never thought "I want to get healthy and happy so that my life can be better," but I do feel that way this time. I am EXCITED about the changes I'm going to be making in my life, I am excited about the potential results, and I am excited about the outpouring of love and support from the people in my life. I know that I have the right tools to make this work, to succeed.

With that said, the start-up process has been a little... overwhelming. I went through our kitchen cabinets yesterday and cleaned out anything that had gluten in it - who knew that Cream of Mushroom soup had it?! I ended up with about two paper grocery bags full of stuff that we have offered to my brother and his girlfriend now that they've starting renting a house. I obviously don't want it to go to waste, but I would rather it not be sitting around the house to tempt me either! Getting everything cleaned out gave me a better idea of what I can and can not have. I'm sure I will still need to read labels carefully and try to still to real food [fruits, veggies, meat, etc.], but it gave me a good idea of where I'm headed.

The next step will be grocery shopping. I've gathered an ad from pretty much every grocery store that exists near our house so I can find the best deals on things. From what little experience I have with it, I know health foods usually cost more, so we're going to do our best to hit the city market, buy in bulk, and freeze the fresh stuff like fruits and veggies to use later.

Admittedly, I think the biggest challenge will be eating gluten free when Ben and I go out to eat as we like to. We plan to continue our brunch list, and I don't want our lives to change in that regard because of this. Ben has already been such a trooper about me making this change, even offering to be gluten free at home so that meals are easier. I'm sure he will enjoy his Jimmy John's and Taco Beuno on his lunch breaks, so don't feel too bad for him! ;)

Overall, I think the point of all of this is to be a better, happier, more fulfulled person. I want to not only change my diet, but I want to increase my water intake, exercise more [even if just walking], make plans to see friends more often, put more effort into my appearance... I want to love myself more. So even if this gluten cut does nothing, it's more about being wholistically healthy, and making this dietary change is just the first step.