I’m about to break another one of my blogging rules and start talking about dieting – er, lifestyle changes.

I’m not sure if its that I’m staring down the big 3-0 or that I’m sick with something for the first time in my life, but I’m beginning to realize that I’m not immortal and if I want to live past 50, I really need to start taking better care of myself. The problem with all this is simple: I don’t like healthy food.

Most of my friends pick on my about my eating habits. I don’t care. I don’t like many vegetables, I like fewer fruits and I don’t CARE. If they go out for sushi, I’m checking the menu for chicken.  Fruit feels weird in my mouth – I don’t like mushy, flaky things with skins. I’ll admit, I do like the flavor of many fruits, its just the texture I have a hard time getting past. And vegetables. Don’t get me started. The only ones I eat are potatoes and corn. Basically, I like good old American, deep-fried Southern cuisine. And while I’d say its OK to eat those things, it doesn’t work when that’s all you eat and you don’t exercise enough to work off all those calories.

And yes, my mother tried to get me to eat things when I was a child. But she’s about as picky as me (pickier if you ask me) and she had epic food battles with her mother when she was a child and didn’t get as hard core with me. I wasn’t forced to sit for hours until my veggies were gone, like she was. But everyone’s been trying to get me to eat them my entire life.

Is it too much to ask to enjoy my food?

Of course, enjoying my food without working off all those calories is what got me in this mess to begin with.

So I’m challenging myself and using this blog hold myself accountable. I’m not going on a “diet,” I’m going on a lifestyle change. Instead of grabbing a bag of Ruffles for a snack, I’m going to grab an apple. Instead of a bowl of ice cream, maybe some frozen greek yogurt. And instead of buying that pack of Double Stuf Oreos, I’m going to get grapes. And as I eat said grapes I’m going to be thinking about those Oreos and be extremely bitter that I’m not having them with a giant glass of

milk. But, in the end, this is going to be worth it. Because even though not one of my doctors have said a thing about needing to lose weight, its very obvious that I am not healthy.

For now, my blood sugar and cholesterol and all that are fine. I’m overweight – but other than an overzealous immune system and, consequently, now-busted lungs – there’s nothing wrong with me – yet. I know that in time, I can develop heart problems, diabetes and other things unless I get healthy. So that is my goal — not a number on a scale, but my health. And as a side effect, as the weight comes off and my overall health improves, my theory is that my breathing will improve too.

To get me started, I have a refrigerator full of grapes, watermelon and yogurt and a cabinet full of health(ier) alternative snacks such as dried fruit. So here’s to Week 1 of my Lifestyle challenge; wish me luck! I’m going to try to ignore what’s left of those Oreos on the shelf.