Is it really this simple?

Well Hello Blogger....I am sorry to tell you this, but I completely forgot about you. The past few years have been nothing short of busy. So, my new goal is to SIMPLIFY. I'm laughing at myself right now as I see I've bolded the word and just past my laptop screen, I see 3 different types of calendars tacked to my wall. I have one monthly calendar dedicated to my workout regimen, one large whiteboard weekly calendar dedicated to my meal planning, and one smaller month whiteboard calendar for my meetings and events.
I really put a lot into those calendars because I had so much anxiety about achieving my weight loss goals. Desperate; is the word I would use to describe my feelings in regards to my health.
If you were to sum up what I've explained in previous blogs, I have been obese since the age of 5. I have usually had a desire for exercise. I am ambitious and driven. Yet, still overweight.  I've tried the Curves diet, Jenny Craig, MyFitnessPal, and Whole30 (paleo). I've tried the "run it off" approach. That only works while you're young and is still ineffective because of a hormone called cortisol (stress from overly elevated heart rate) and a thing called inflammation; which causes your joints and muscles to stiffen and creates lots of pain. I've finally made it a matter of daily prayer.
I know low carb, high-fat diets work great for many people. But, let me tell you; it makes my heart feel sluggish and it does not make me want to go running and hiking; the 2 of my most favorite "healthy" things! Plus, it just seems excessive; to be eating like that. Something about it never sat well with me and I think it's because I know it's against the Word of Wisdom. We've been counseled in the church doctrine to eat meat sparingly. So, in my quest for the truth about what I should be eating, I stumbled on a youtube video. The part at the end of it had me almost in tears. As Dr. Lim poured water into this dark brown glass of coke and the brown started to clear out, I started to feel some real hope for me. This is the video I'm referring to for anyone interested:WHY I QUIT PALEO KETOGENIC DIET & WENT PLANT-BASED - Dr. Lim
I was so inspired, by his words and his examples of health but I didn't know where to start and was honestly pretty overwhelmed. I decided to keep watching and listening to different things that could help me understand what I should be eating and be motivated to ditch some of the foods that I love. I discovered High Carb Hannah, Mic the Vegan, and Plant-based news. I eventually learned about nutritarianism and read Dr. Furhman's book, Eat to Live. Of course, I was even more excited about the results I was hearing about but still struggled to implement. It took months of being primarily vegetarian and then finally cutting out dairy a few weeks ago. It's so funny how much I struggled at first to come to terms with labeling myself nutritarian or vegan. But, now I find it's easier if I just tell people I'm trying to eat Whole Food Plant-Based, and if they look confused I tell them I'm leaning towards being vegan. And, if they still look confused, I just tell them I'm avoiding dairy and animal products. It's easier if I tell people so they won't expect me to eat something they've prepared. But, I haven't gone all facebook post happy about it or anything. Maybe I will announce it when the school year starts or something just so no-one brings me a dairy-filled "treat."
My most recent and exciting discovery is Dr. McDougall's book, The Starch Solution. It's so simple! I love it! This is so much easier than the Nutritarian plan. So, today is day 1 of the 7-day challenge.
Here are the 10 Rules of the 7 Day Starch Challenge:

1.  Eat more starch
1. Eat as much as you want
2. Don't go hungry
3. "Eat when you're hungry. Stop when you're full."
2. Choose the least processed starch as possible
1. Example: Brown rice; not White rice
3. Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits
4. Eliminate animal foods from your diet
1. NO meat
2. NO dairy
5. Keep your fat intake as low as possible
1. Enjoy nuts, seeds, avocados, coconut sparingly, and only occasionally
6. Avoid any added fats and oils
7. Skip highly processed soy foods and enjoy minimally processed soy foods
1. Enjoy tofu, edamame, soymilk infrequently
1. These foods are richer than you think!
8. Go easy on sugar and salt but don't sweat the small stuff. 
1. They're usually the scapegoat, not the problem
2. Only put on the surface of the food -don't mix in while preparing
9. Avoid temptation and discard tempting foods from home and work
10. Keep your fridge and cupboards stocked with GOOD foods

Whole starches include beans, potatoes, and rice. It's so simple! It's so cheap! I hope this really does work! I weighed myself this morning and will weigh myself again next week. So far, I'm surprised just how filling these foods have been. So long as I'm not dehydrated, I'm feeling pretty content thus far....