Wheat Belly Wednesday - Edition 1

Disclaimer: Minor panic attack hitting "publish" this morning. Yet, it's refreshing and I'm feeling good!

We're just going to start fresh with this Wheat Belly Wednesday business around here. Illnesses and injuries are, knock on wood, behind us. I'm starting this journey of mine over, at least physically. This is a new beginning, so it seemed fitting to take it back to numero uno.

God willing, every Wednesday around these parts will be "Wheat Belly Wednesday." Since this is the first week, here's my plan:

• Every Wednesday I will be weighing in and sharing that number here on the blog.. eeeekkk. This is not an easy thing for me to do, but it's a huge motivator for me. 
• I'll share progress pictures every 10 pounds
• Update on my week in regards to nutrition. ie: what I'm eating, how I'm feeling etc... As well as how it's effecting my autoimmune disorders. Which, is the main reason I am choosing to try this lifestyle
• I'll share anything that stands out to me in the book, videos, other blogs etc... knowledge is key and I want to get my hands on all of it.

A question I'm getting a lot through the blog, as well as friends and family that I've mentioned Wheat Belly to, is "Why on earth would you want to do that?" This is not some fad diet to me nor am I looking for some quick "fix". That needs to be clear.  With my Lupus being considered "active" at the moment, one of the few treatment plans is prednisone. I'm sure from all my complaining these past few months, you have probably all caught on that I hate the stuff. A lifetime of prednisone and other nasty drugs is a last resort in my book. I want a life I can live to the fullest and feel my best doing it.

So, I started doing some research. There are some studies showing the possibility of a wheat free diet being beneficial in autoimmune patients. It sounds weird to some and most don't understand my decision. That's okay. I don't expect people to understand and I completely get how they are skeptical. It may help; it may not. Only time will tell. All I know is it's worth a shot.

I need to give myself "mini challenges" to kick things off, so I've decided to commit to 21 days wheat free. Statistically, it's supposed to take the body and mind 21 days to adjust to new things. It's a do-able time frame. I can do anything for 21 days, right? No cheats. None, what-so-ever for the first 21 days. Once I've reached that point, I will re-evaluate and go from there. I don't know if I will go 80/20, more or less. It will all depend on how I feel. But, I want to kick start and flush it all out of my system, so 100% for now.

I love all things carbs. This could be more challenging than my week-long labor and birth with Wyatt. But, i feel I'm truly ready to push through mentally this time. These past few months have taught me a lot about what I don't want to feel like on a daily basis. Maybe, it's been a blessing in disguise.

Enough of the long winded rambling. On to the weigh-in and measurements:

Don't mind the unpainted toe. I need to take care of that now that it's healed!

 In all it's scary glory. Honestly, I'm not surprised by that number. It's actually better than I thought it would be, sad to say.

Measurements:

Tummy (right below belly button): 42.5
Hip: 42
Waist: 40
Chest: 39
Bust: 44
L Upper Thigh: 24
Left quad (directly above knee: 17.25
L Calf: 15.25
R Upper Thigh: 25
R Quad: 18.5
R Calf: 16
L Upper Arm: 13
R Upper Arm: 13

Originally, I was going to address the exact number of gains (and eventually, I'm sure I'll have a post about it). If you want to know, I'm sure you can look back in the archives, ha. But, I'm choosing not to focus on the what could have beens and what ifs. All I care about is the here and now. For my own sanity and happiness, I'm viewing this as a fresh start and new beginning rather than failures. I've wallowed long enough, it's time to get to work!

Also, linking up with Liz for the blog hop today. If you haven't checked out her blog, you really should. She is incredibly inspiring and sweet as can be!