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It's become a tradition for me over the past few years to write a birthday blog post. And now it's that time again - I'll soon have completed my forty-third lap around the sun!

(Forty-three - wow. Seems so close to fifty, which I used to think was officially old age. But when I look at the fifty-somethings that I know, I'm so inspired - fifty is NOT old!)

As usual, it's been a pretty crazy year - I'm coming to realize that each year is it's own brand of crazy ☺ A cross-country move, a major healing, a renewed business opportunity... it's been a year-full of transition and transformation and trust, growth and goodness and grace.

What I'm most excited about, though, is a MAJOR breakthrough in my relationship with food. Just over three months ago, a friend of mine had posted a picture of she and her husband, who had achieved significant weight loss and health gains by following a ketogenic eating plan.

I was intrigued. I had been hearing about this particular eating plan (not diet - I have come to hate that word; this is NOT a diet, it's a life-change) and it sounded like something I might actually be able to DO. (Anyone who knows me at all will know that I've been trying to lose weight practically my whole life, with little to no lasting success; when you're four-foot-nine-and-a-half, even a little extra weight is a problem, and I'm dealing with a touch more than a little...)

So I went online, I did some research... and I started. In addition to losing weight and getting healthier, I was desperate to confront my life-long dysfunctional relationship with food. Food was everything for me - I turned to food in sadness, sickness, celebration, boredom, stress, uncertainty, gratitude... everything but hunger; not even sure I knew what that was!

Lo and behold, I saw results! I lost fifteen pounds in the first month, and since then it's consistently been one to two pounds per week - THIRTY POUNDS IN THREE MONTHS! Hel-lo! (This is a near-miracle to me - I've never been able to stick with any eating plan for more than six weeks!)

And not only have I lost weight (almost half-way to my goal!), but my relationship with food has changed drastically. I no longer turn to food in response to my emotions. Food has lost it's power over me. (Man, I can't even convey with words how incredibly awesome it is to be able to write that - I have been set free!)

(I'll pause here to address those of you who are preparing cautionary/advisory comments - I know both the positive and negative things that are said about Keto, and about weight-loss in general; but what I'm experiencing is success - for the first time ever. So comment if you must, but please don't be offended if I don't change my mind as a result ❤)

Because of all this, I approach forty-three in high spirits - it's so much fun to watch yourself shrink 😍 I eagerly anticipate all the grace-drenched messy goodness the year will hold. Bring on forty-three!