Hello, I guess?

Yet another mom blog.  But wait, don't go.  Seven years ago, while working as a firefighter, I completely destroyed my knee.  Since then I have had four surgeries, two children, and a whole lot of food-as-medication.  On the day of my injury, my weight was somewhere around 160 pounds, but on the day of my most recent surgery, my weight was up around 190.

I am now three weeks post op, and though I am still on crutches, I feel mentally strong enough to put down the pizza and start working towards getting control of my life and my health.  Since surgery, I have lost a bit of weight (183) but that is pretty much just muscle atrophy as I am really not allowed to do much.  My goal is to hit 150 by September, and while it is a big leap, I think it is doable.

For now, I am a bit stuck eating whatever my husband can manage to toss on the table in between working two jobs, cleaning the house, and caring for the kids, but once I am able to cook again, my plan is to loosely follow the Forks over Knives guide to eating.  This is basically a vegan diet, which is going to be a serious overhaul for my pasta and cheese loving, fruit and vegetable hating self.  Why so drastic?  I am overweight, I have high cholesterol, and I want to set a good example for my girls.  I want them to see a mom with a healthy attitude towards food-as-fuel.  I don't have a history of success with diet modification, so this time I am trying lifestyle and mindset modification.

I also want them to see a mom who exercises for pleasure, not for some kind of punishment.  I am going to experiment with different forms of exercise until I find something that makes me feel happy.

I would be honored and thrilled if you followed me on this journey and occasionally sent some words of encouragement my way.  In return, I promise to be completely honest about this journey, warts and all.