I was the chubby kid who ate Hamburger Helper for dinner with soda. My single dad struggled to feed us healthy foods. I was 14 when I figured out that Corn Nuts and a Slurpee from the snack cart at school was cheaper than the meals I could purchase, and I could save the extra money to buy music CDs. This was also around the time I decided to become a vegetarian, despite my total lack of interest in vegetables. My diet for 14 years consisted mostly of pasta, cheese, and other white foods.
Fast forward 15 years, one baby and a failed marriage later, and I was exhausted, overweight and unhappy. Looking back, I believe that’s when my adrenal glands really started to crash. I developed horrible acne, and my hair began to fall out. I tried every face cream on the market but it only got worse. I went to a dermatologist who put me on antibiotics and back onto hormonal birth control. When this didn't help, I finally went to a naturopath. He suggested I had Candida overgrowth, possible food allergies, WAY too much stress, was drinking too much caffeine, and I was not getting enough sleep. I decided to eliminate dairy from my diet, which helped a lot, but not enough. (Read about the dairy journey here)
I was a busy single mom relying heavily on packaged convenience food. I felt like a zombie and a hypocrite because the life I was living was not in line with my values, and I knew that I would feel better if I took the time to clean up my diet. I started reading about local economies and farmers markets and homesteading.
In 2011, I considered a detox or cleanse – but wasn't interested in starving myself. Then a friend encouraged me to try a whole-food paleo approach for 30 days and see how I felt. I began to eat simple, whole foods, as high quality as possible. I ate meat, eggs, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and oils. I ate when I was hungry, and stopped when I was full. I didn't measure or track anything. I ate fruit when I craved sweets.
I was inspired by the simple cooking recipes I found online and started to think this could be just what I need to learn to cook, support local economies, and improve my health all at once. I read Robb Wolf’s The Paleo Solution from cover to cover and was fascinated by how much sense it all made. I began to understand the biochemistry of why my body felt the way it did, and how to fuel it properly. I learned that grains are highly processed foods, which cause systematic inflammation that leads to many symptoms and diseases. I learned how the government had come to endorse following a low-fat diet that kept the food and pharmaceutical companies rich, and the people sick and fat. I also got over my fear of healthy fats, after learning what “healthy fats” really meant. I learned to ignore most conventional nutrition wisdom, and really start thinking and learning for myself. This way of eating felt perfectly aligned with my values – and I never once worried about becoming another one of those annoying women who are always dieting or weighing themselves. Within two weeks my mental fog was gone, my skin was clearing, and I had boundless energy. The cravings faded away and I began to really enjoy cooking and eating real food.
This is not some fad diet - it is a well-researched lifestyle change. I went for it and have NEVER looked back. I started with an average of three meals a day and a few snacks, but quickly noticed I very often wasn’t hungry, and dropped snacks. I fell in love with the farmer’s market and couldn't get enough new nutrition knowledge. I slowly added grass fed beef and pastured pork into my diet a couple of times a week.
Within a month of eliminating gluten and sugar, Man Cub was having an easier time in school. When he was two years old, I eliminated dairy from his diet and his asthma and eczema went away completely. At age five, I had begun to slowly add dairy back into his diet. When I really started paying attention and understanding how food impacts mood, I realized that, although it no longer triggered his asthma, it made him feel emotionally out of control and clogged his sinuses. Without dairy and gluten he was more focused and more in control of his impulses and his emotions. It took a while to work up to a full change, but he now avoids sugar as well, and embraces healthy whole foods and snacks with enthusiasm.
In the first four months, I went from 185 pounds and size 14 to 145 pounds and a size 6, without much exercise at all - and without the obsessive diet brain. My skin was softer with a more even tone and fewer wrinkles. My hair was softer, growing in stronger than ever. I was cooking great meals, packing my lunches, and learning more every day about nutrition. I felt satisfied, and it got easier every day.
In 6 months, I had more energy that I knew what to do with – so I started working out. I added walking and dancing to my routine a few nights a week, and tried Crossfit and LOVED it. My weight began to shift again. I built muscle, lost inches, and dropped fat. A year and a half later, I’m down to a fit size 2. I lift weights and do high impact intensive training 2-3 times a week, and really enjoy pushing myself to be stronger and have more stamina. My mood and focus are fantastic!
My sister joined me and lost 30 pounds. My dad joined me and has lost over 20 pounds and reversed his type two diabetes. I’m still learning every day, and taking stock of my values. I've planted two gardens and a window herb box. I bought a juicer and I enjoy juicing greens in the morning. I’m having so much fun learning about nutrition and alternative health, I’m planning to go back to school and provide health coaching. I work with children with disabilities and meet kids every day who are struggling. I believe that a diet of whole foods that eliminates allergies can make a difference in everyone’s lives. My dream is to help families of children with disabilities through holistic treatments that include diet interventions.
It’s not always easy making big changes, but I've never regretted putting myself first and making positive changes for my own health and well being. I've connected with my local community and I can honestly say I can’t remember the last time I bought a Coke, Nestle, or Monsanto product. I have joined a local produce buyers club, become a regular at the farmers market, joined a CSA at a neighborhood farm that also donates to my son’s school, and even joined in with friends to pool our money together to buy a ¼ cow from a local butcher. I swap and share fish and veggies with my neighbors and barter work exchanges. I’m so much happier, healthier, and closer to my dreams than I ever thought I could be, in just one short year
Always keep evolving!
Kellie
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