On your mark, get set...

As of February 18, 2011, I am less than six months away from my 30th birthday. Yes, my friends, my own personal roaring twenties are coming to an end, and I have to say it's been my favorite decade yet. I graduated twice, moved a lot (eight times!), got married once, and had two kids. So here I am, a twenty-nine-and-a-half year old stay at home mom to my darling daughters Allison (three years) and Nicole (four months). According to my Wii, I am also exactly 30 pounds over my ideal weight (it suggests a BMI of 22 for greatest longevity). Which brings me to the title of my blog--"thirty by thirty." You guessed it folks, I am challenging myself to lose 30 pounds by my 3oth birthday.

Now I know there will be a kind-hearted soul or two out there [Mom] who will say, "Good heavens! You do not need to lose 30 pounds--you will be way too thin!" To you I say, "Thanks [Mom]." But do not fret, the main goal here is not actually weight loss, but a healthy life-style. I would like to meet the woman I would become if I actually did all the things I know I am supposed to do (and heck--I think my husband and the rest of my family might like to meet her as well!).

So at least until August 18th, hello fruits, vegetable, nuts, lean meats and whole grains. Hello hydration and multi-vitamins. Hello 30 minutes of exercise on most days of the week. Hello 8 hours of continuous sleep a night (hahaha--just a little joke for all you mothers out there...)  Goodbye sugar, enriched flour, and high fructose corn syrup. Goodbye coke. I will miss you the most.

I know I will not actually be cutting out sugars and processed foods completely for the next six months, but the idea is to make the healthiest choices that I can and see how that makes me look and feel.

I think I've covered the who, what, and why of this particular experiment, all that is left is the when. I have a little prep to do before I begin. And by prep I mean I must rid my home of all the unhealthy foods that will tempt me. Mostly, this is the 7 or 8 cokes I have in my fridge which I intend to drink over the next several days. Chris was so kind as to point out that I could just dump them out, and I was so kind as to say, "No, thank you." I will set my official start day as March 1st, and check in with you then if not before.

Finally, this post includes my 'before' picture. It's tempting to post the usual 'before' picture. You know the one I'm talking about: the one where you throw on your frumpiest looking outfit with your messiest pony-tail, slump your shoulders, stick out your stomach and frown. That way, even if you gain 5 pounds, all you have to do is brush your hair, suck your stomach in and smile and you look ten times better. I will resist in the name of fair comparison.

I know this will not be the easiest six months of my twenties, but I hope that it will be my healthiest. Wish me luck (or better yet, join me!).