The Cheese Stands Alone

Well hello there. Welcome to the Dairy Free Diaries. This blog will document my journey as I attempt to remove my most favorite of food groups. To be honest, I'm a little bit (ok, a LOT) nervous about this change. Dairy products have always been a part of my life and although I never really thought becoming dairy free was something I would entertain, I have finally realized that if I want to see certain changes in my body, this is the first step.

First, let me introduce myself. I'm Jen...and I'm beyond a shadow of doubt a DAIRY-HOLIC. I'm 32 years old and considered by medical standards "morbidly obese". To look at me, you may not think that...sure, I'm heavy...but when I think of morbidly obese, visions of people that are barely able to move rush into my head. I don't have this problem, but I DO have plenty of other problems that are associated with being extremely overweight. This is something I plan to attack, but first things first. Why am I quitting dairy?

The best answer I can come up with is vanity. Unlike people who suffer severe allergies to foods, I am not really allergic to dairy. I do believe that I am dairy-sensitive. My theory is that dairy is the culprit for my myriad of skin problems...and this is my stepping stone for a dairy free life.

I have always suffered from severe cystic acne. As a teenager, I was treated by a dermatologist for years and tried every cream and oral medication out there. Nothing worked. As I've gotten older and my weight has increase, my skin has gotten worse and I've developed PCOS (poly-cystic ovarian syndrome). I am losing my hair, I have horrible skin, I have horribly unwanted and embarrassing facial hair that even laser hair removal has not been able to help. Yep, I'm spilling it all here people. My scalp is covered in red splotches and gross little scabs that are more and more apparent as my hair gets thinner each day. It's no fun and I can't tell you how low my self-esteem is when it comes to both my face and body.

What I'm finally coming to realize is that nothing is going to change until I do. There is no magic fast-forward button that I can press that will skip the hard parts of reaching my goals. Like many people, I just want the magic pill...the quick fix, but it ain't gonna happen. So this, my dear reader, is the beginning.

I hope you will check back in with now and then to see how things are going. I plan to include video posts, recipes, product reviews and who knows what else...be warned, I will probably make a lot of "cheesy" jokes as well. *crickets*