Thank God for Chocolate

I never thought I would find myself entering the blogging world.. Ever. I read blogs, not write them. I've always been the first to say I don't have a lot to say... ok wait... I have a lot to say but maybe not a lot of USEFUL things to say. But I'm doing this because I have a passion and desire to be healthy and I want to see others gain the same passion and desire. Let my failures (uhm there are way too many of them) aid your success!!  

After stuffing my face with cookie dough and goldfish crackers ("fishies" in my house) all through high school as if they were the only foods that really existed, my body seems to be coming back at me with a vengeance. All the sudden you get in to college and realize that your favorite jeans from 7th grade don't zip and think to yourself, "oh my gosh... this stuff like... makes you fat?". Beyond that, I started to develop thyroid disease and some other issues that could only be defined as PCOS when I turned 17. So I ended up with weight issues, emotional issues (probably because I felt like the end of the world was upon me for I would never be able to touch another Almond Joy again) and problems with fatigue/muscle fatigue and whole bunch of other yucky symptoms while the rest of my friends seemed to be out enjoying what was considered the best years of your life. BTW they totally lie to you, kids... college sucks 75% of the time. Unless you don't work... then I imagine you would have lots of fun but be an extremely irresponsible adult. Anyways.

Doctors have tried to help with various medications (and by that I mean like 50 billion different things that I keep buying) but it hasn't seem to do the trick. I thought medications meant that it would make me better so I could eat and do whatever I want. Apparently that's not what they teach you in medical school... who would have guessed? Whatever. I decided to try the Paleo Diet after so many failed diets in the past to lose the 20lbs of extra weight I've been carrying around since the cookie dough/goldfish fiasco of 2008. The Paleo Diet is the first diet I have ever thoroughly enjoyed and truly wanted to be part of. The first diet I didn't give up on when dreams of dancing girlscout cookies came into my head. Can you tell I like chocolate? You're wrong. I'm literally obsessed with chocolate.

You can learn more about the Paleo lifestyle here: http://thepaleodiet.com/. If you hate reading (yet you're reading this blog) basically all it says is to stop putting stuff in your mouth made out of car engines and rubber tires and other scary crap they tell you on the news. Meat, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, healthful oils and spices/herbs... Remember those? Yeah. Apparently they still exist in some parts of the grocery store! Surprise!

My entire definition of healthy has changed. Dairy has been cut out of my life almost completely (I still like a little low-fat string cheese here and there... bite me), sugars are no longer added to my coffee every morning and poured on my oatmeal (oatmeal's healthy right?) and grains have almost completely left my pantry (I cried a little that day).

When I tell people about this diet the first thing they will say is "I don't have time for that". YOU TOTALLY DO, YOU LIAR. We have time for this stuff but we choose to not spend our time on it. That was my first realization. Yeah, of course I don't have time to cook meals because I'm too busy drinking Cherry 7-Up and eating Cheetos Puffs while I watch The Bachelor.  Duh. Let's be honest, being on any sort of a "diet" is more work than driving through taco bell but when you look at your life, are you able to enjoy and experience all you want out of life? Do you feel the best you think you can feel? I challenge you to look at your life and just think about how different your life might be if you suddenly had energy to like...go to work AND work out after AND still go out with your friends on a *shocker alert* week night!

I firmly believe that God had different plans for us when He created us so perfectly, so like-him. Yes sin came into the world with a bite of a piece of fruit (not a good reason not to eat them BTW), but we continue to tarnish this blessing of a body that gives us the ability to live the life God always wanted for us. How is it possible that that isn't a priority? How is it possible that we find other things so much more important that sustaining our body so Christ can continue to work in us and through us? Why does it take sickness for us to realize we are dishonoring God with the way we are living our lives?

With years of self-hatred and depression due to my looks in high school (and what I realize now was partially a health issue), I've heard it all. "You don't need to lose weight!" "You're beautiful just the way you are!" and whatever other words people thought they could heal me with. I felt ugly. I felt fat. I felt like my life could only be made better if I could just be prettier because they've got it good. It was a sickness and an obsession. To me dieting was the only way I could ever possibly be happy some day. We often look at "dieting" and "working out" as methods to get skinny... "it's vanity" many Christian friends have told me through the years... it's "wrong to care about what you look like because God loves you for who you are on the inside". You know what I say to that now that I'm an adult and can? Bullcrap. I don't think God blesses us as we dishonor Him by ruining what He has given us. They are partially right, God has made us fearfully and wonderfully... SO STOP FILLING IT WITH ISH YOU CAN'T PRONOUNCE. I have had to learn both sides to this seemingly never-ending battle in very harsh ways.

I feel that God is truly healing me every day from my self-hatred and loathing. My goal in life is no longer to "get skinnier" or "look prettier". My true goal with this blog, and with my life, is to be as healthy as I possibly can in order to enjoy this blessing called "life". So I'm not saying bye-bye to chocolate-covered peanuts completely... but I'm only saying hello to them far less often. I hope you will join me as I explore new recipes and share workout tips... not because it's my life but because some paleo and a good sweat is the only way I can truly enjoy it. It's all about balance and thanking God for chocolate.