My story

 My story of struggling with my weight began in childhood. I was a little chunky as a kid. I grew into my body around junior high. I went on my first diet in 8th grade. It was the South Beach Diet. (similar to the keto diet today) This was my first taste of weight loss. I lost 20 pounds. It felt great! I went into high school with a thinner body and more confidence. My focus on my weight only grew. When I was a sophomore I asked for a weight loss program called Slim in Six for Christmas. I was gifted this program and lost 20 pounds in a month doing a 10 minute ab workout every night. 

Unintentionally, my household environment was one very focused on weight loss and body image. I don't think my parents realized how often this was talked about in my home. Growing up as a kid in the early 2000's, our culture itself was extremely diet centric. With things like low rise jeans, crop tops, belly piercings and stores like Victoria's Secret whose sizes were made to fit only the tiniest of bodies. Skinny was in. Curves were out. (Thankfully we have come a long way since those days!)

I got married right out of high school and quickly put on weight after moving out on my own. I lost weight with Weight Watchers and I even went through a weight loss season with meal replacement shakes.

All of that went out the window when I got pregnant and gained 80 pounds. I went from weighing in the 160's to weighing well into the 200's. This is when my journey into obesity really took off. Before I could get the baby weight off from my first child, I became pregnant again with my second. 

This became a decade of yo-yo dieting for me. I tried weight loss aps like Noom and the new Weight Watchers, with a little success. I counted calories. I cut out foods. I did everything I knew how to do. I would lose 15 or 20 pounds here and there, then gain it back. In 2023 I hired a personal trainer and lost 30 pounds. I couldn't sustain this, however, and gained it back. This is when I hit rock bottom. I truly believed I could NEVER successfully live a healthy life. I felt bound and chained to my struggle with food. 

Then I stumbled upon a YouTube video from this pastor that I follow. He had a guest speaker on his podcast. The title caught my attention. "Breaking the strongholds of food addiction" was the title in big bold letters. Desperate, I clicked on it. I didn't know it at the time, but that video would change my life.

In this podcast, I was introduced to something called the Nutritarian lifestyle. It's a whole food plant based lifestyle created by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. This lifestyle focuses solely on eating the best super foods to nourish your body. This sparked something inside of me that I never expected, a passion for plant based living. 

May 12th 2024 (Mother's Day) was the last time I ate the standard American diet. I began my plant based life on May 13th and I haven't looked back. 

The first month was rough, as I my taste buds adjusted and my cravings went wild. Along with cutting out meat and dairy, I also no longer eat processed sugars, flours, oils or salt. I had to rediscover foods that I love. Once I turned that corner, it was like discovering a new world. I absolutely LOVE the foods I eat. Because I am no longer eating addictive foods, my body isn't consumed with continual thoughts of food. I'm not bothered by being around processed foods anymore. I can eat my own food and feel perfectly happy. This is the freedom I've wanted to feel my entire life. 

I am not at my goal yet, but I don't want to wait until I get there before I started sharing my story. This lifestyle changed my whole life. It has given me a second chance to live again and to love myself. It's given me the opportunity to live longer and be present with my family. I couldn't wait to share that with you, so you get to watch the rest of my journey unfold. I'm honored to share that with you!

This is me 3 months into whole food plant based living. I will continue to update you as we go! If you want to discover this freedom for yourself, learn about the nutritarian life here