On the eve of the day...

25 months ago, a nurse told me that I should see a specialist about my weight and my "female" issues...

19 months ago, I finally did it...

18 months ago, I started on my first month of treatment...

17 months ago, I weighed in 19 pounds less than I had one month prior...

16 months and 27 days ago, I found out I was pregnant...

For seventeen months, I have patiently waited for this night.

I waited through nine months of pregnancy...

I waited through 11 months in Korea...

I waited through the holidays and through my family's weekend in the cabin (which, inevitably, focuses around food)...

And here I am, on the eve of the big day... the day when I start, once again, on my 600-calorie-a-day diet.

The challenge: 600 calories a day for 20 days; then 800 calories a day for 70 more days (under doctor's supervision, and with plenty of supplements and drugs).

I went to the store and stocked my fridge with fruits, vegetables, and boneless skinless chicken breasts...

I ate the boat-loads of fat I was instructed to eat the day before...

I had a "last meal" with my friend Christan...

So that tomorrow... tomorrow I will begin my journey to better health, regulated hormones, and (I hope) extreme weight-loss.

As an ode to what I hope will be this new phase of life, I am setting forth some new challenges:

1. I will eat only 600 calories a day for 20 days.

2. I will not cheat - not one time; not one calorie.

3. I will blog every day for the next 20 days (why are you snickering?)

4. I will report my results at the end of every week (no, I won't tell my weight. are you nuts?)

5. I will not get pregnant.

Now, these are not promises from my computer to yours. These are challenges that I have set for myself. They are goals. They are plans. They are only as infallible as the person who is attempting them.

But, y'all, I feel like this is my last shot.

I know that sounds dramatic. I know it sounds hyperbolic (how's that for a fi'ty-cent word?). But it's really how I feel.

Everything is lined up. My husband and best friend are doing the diet with me and in support of me (with a few more calories thrown in for good measure because, you know, they're not crazy). My parents are blessing me with "free" treatment from my doctor.

My life is in order.

I am not pregnant.

I am not sick.

I am not on the other side of the world.

This times is all set up for my success, if I will only take advantage of it.

So there it is, y'all. That's what's up in my life. This is the big change that's (hopefully) coming.

It's good, y'all. It's reeeeeal good.