For anyone who has been overweight and sort of moved around in those weight-loss circles (I would have said ‘ran around in those circles’, but we all know - there was no running going on) or watched any weight-loss shows; then one of the major goals is to get into Wonderland.

Wonderland is when you get under 200 pounds or 90 kilos or 14 stones (trying to be more global - I hear it is the future - the children are on their way out.)

Officially, I have lost 30 pounds to get here.  But, where is ‘here’?  And why did I do this?

Let’s go back to the Friday before Thanksgiving to my Endocrinologist appointment.  A few key things happened there that really changed my life:

1. I found out I had Hashimoto’s Disease, which is also an Autoimmune Disease.

2. I had to go in for a biopsy for some nodules on my thyroid.

   1. These were tested with one being fine and the other one being tested again at the beginning of the year.  I am still waiting on the results.

3. I will never eat again.

Ok, so that last one is a tad bit dramatic.  With my new lifestyle I now need to follow the below guidelines:

• No gluten

• No sugar

• No cheese

• No dairy

• No fruit juice

• No coffee

• No alcohol

• No nuts

• The list just goes on and on

I did find a great resource called Autoimmune Wellness that has helped me figure out how to eat AIP - which is a combination of Autoimmune and Paleo.

So many people have pushed up their sleeves and helped me with this whole thing to figure it out.  From family members and friends to friends of friends!  Thank you so much!

However I am still stuck on what to make for breakfast and lunch - And I’m sure it is not a trip to Five Guys!

Some of my Mother’s friends put their amazing cooking skills together and made me soup (thank you Morven!) and even Carolina BBQ AIP (thank you Kathy and Mom!).

Now, don’t let me mislead you.  I will only follow this very strict portion of the diet or protocol for 3 months and that is up February 9, 2018.  When, at that time I will start to reintroduce specific things and see how it goes.  I tell ya - we are looking at things beyond your imagination, like how my sleep was the night before to my concentration the next day.  It is not just a; “how did it make your tummy feel, honey?” kind of deal.

Interesting Fact: I would never have believed this, but after about a month of eating all good things I started really tasting the foods.  An example is in my building there is an Architect and his staff - they had amazing desserts for the holidays and I said I couldn’t have them - they jokingly said they had grapes - I grabbed some, popped them in my mouth, and the explosion of flavor was uncontainable.  I must have said something because they said; “that good, huh?”.  But, they really were!

And of course dating after that - we can’t forget about the dating

My thoughts on that are to see how much I can lose until May, take new photos, and then see the difference in responses.  Will there be any?  Fat girl vs. not as fat girl?  Actually - wait - let’s go all out - Sandra Bullock Miss Congeniality all out - mostly - I’ll get my hair colored - I could always wear lifts? - maybe workout? - maybe Amanda or Ashley could fill me in on what they call Crossfit (and hope to God it does not kill me).  Interesting study . . . I think the men of the area can handle it.  Sure I do.