It starts small–weight loss.  That’s the hard part.  When there is a mountain to climb, and in the beginning, you have no momentum.  Just starting from a dead stop.  I remember, almost ten weeks ago, while going through our fridge and cabinets, getting rid of processed things, unhealthy things, dairy things, thinking that I had this terribly difficult journey ahead of me.  Thirty-three pounds of mountain, weighing me down.  But I took a first step.  Seven days later, I had lost three pounds.  The mountain still looks terribly high at thirty pounds to go.  But somewhere between three and twenty, it is all sort of a jumbled, blurry heap of solid determination.  Of eating so healthy and exercising consistently.  It’s been a learning experience, and it hasn’t been easy.  But suddenly that mountain isn’t looking quite as steep anymore, now that there’s only thirteen pounds left.

There’s been plateaus, and there’s been some days when I have eaten a couple of things that did not come straight out of the ground, but all in all, it’s been a success story so far.  Amazingly, in nearly seventy days, I have had meat only five times.  I have had dairy in a couple of things.  And I’ve eaten probably only three or four eggs.  Twice, I’ve eaten chocolate–and that is a success all in itself.  Want to know what I have eaten lots of?? Pounds and pounds of spinach and kale, tons of fresh fruits and vegetables, lots and lots of brown rice, beans, seeds and nuts.  Sounds exciting, huh?

I am so thankful for James, who has been doing this whole thing with me.  There is NO way I would be able to do it alone–it’s a ton of work, and I would let my guard down too much if he wasn’t in it with me.