Start Date Jul 10

[amfetz21]

Hey y'all!  I'm Amanda and I'm a wife, mom, and a registered nurse.  I know it seems like my start date is a little far out there, but I want to make sure I can be successful.  I have been listening to "It Starts With Food" on audible.com, and I am about ready to start reading "The Whole30."  I'm really excited to get started, but I want to make sure I can give this program my all.

A little backstory:  I've pretty much struggled with weight most of my life likely due to my unhealthy relationship with food.  I was always an active kid, but usually a little chunkier than some of my friends.  I was a competitive swimmer from age 9 until I went to college.  It turns out pizza, beer, and a lack of 2-3 hours per day of swim practice are not conducive to a healthy weight.  I yo-yoed all through college when finally I got in my head that I wanted to be in the military.  I was able to get to my military goal weight, and I was in the Air Force after college for 4 years.  While in the Air Force, I put back on all of the weight I had lost, and due to some stress, even more weight.  After separating from the military in July 2013, we discovered I was pregnant.  Definitely not the best time for a pregnancy since I was hunting for a job and had no insurance.  I did not gain a lot of weight through most of my pregnancy, but I ended up putting on about 25 more lbs.  The weight seemed to fall off right after I delivered and while I was nursing.  Then I continued eating like I was still nursing.  Now, my baby is 3 years old, and I'm heavier than when I was pregnant with him!  My diet has spiraled completely out of control and my exercise is non-existent.  While I was pregnant, I was affected by almost all of life's major stressors.  We moved from Florida back to Illinois to be closer to family, I started a new job, we bought a house, and had a baby.  Oh yeah, and I did a travel nursing assignment in my first and second trimesters in which I drove from Florida to Arizona, just me and my dog, so I was away from my husband for 3 months.  Anyway, I digress...

I work as a registered nurse in a cardiac cath lab and interventional radiology lab.  I work 4 days a week, Monday through Friday, but I also take call.  Usually just 1 day a week and 1 weekend a month, but due to vacations, I am on call Jul 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9.  In fact, I'm also on call right now!  I never know if I will be called in, so I want to make sure I can have the time to really focus on myself and being successful.  My job can be extremely stressful due to low staffing and just the nature of our work.  We take care of some of the sickest people in the hospital, like patients who come in having heart attacks.  I'm sure my cortisol levels are out of whack because of my diet, but also my job.  I truly do have a reason for a fight or flight response at my job.  Sometimes going home after being called in, it is hard to get back to sleep in the middle of the night.  Getting a lunch break in my department happens most of the time, but some days we are eating on the fly.  Another challenge at work is that we always always always have reps bringing us lunch or doughnuts or candy.  There are lots of treats all of the time!  They are so hard to resist and always available.  They are especially tempting on that 14th hour of your 9 hour shift...