:::About Me:::
I was born and (mostly) raised in sunny Southern California, where I currently reside. I have been in the emergency medical field for 10 years and when I'm not responding to 911 calls, you'll find me here blogging, educating and working one on one with clients as a lifestyle coach.
I started this website/blog as a way to share my journey with others, much like other people have done for me. While it can be scary to expose myself to just about anyone with internet access, it is also incredibly fulfilling to know that I have the ability to reach out and connect with someone who might be experiencing similar struggles. This site will also serve as a way for me to educate others on reversing the stigma dietary fat has been misbranded with and share all the health benefits (yes, you read that correctly) that it has to offer.
Lets see, a little about me. . . I enjoy the beach, working up a sweat and photographing food. Some of my favorite things are wine, Dave Matthews Band, and traveling. Some non-paleo indulgences of mine include craft beer and tortilla chips with salsa. I enjoy being around the people I love and I think that there is nothing more admirable in a person than a sense of humor and a positive attitude. I'm a constant work in progress and have ambitions to never stop growing, so come along and follow my journey. I'm excited to share so thank you for stopping in.
--Alexandra
I started this website/blog as a way to share my journey with others, much like other people have done for me. While it can be scary to expose myself to just about anyone with internet access, it is also incredibly fulfilling to know that I have the ability to reach out and connect with someone who might be experiencing similar struggles. This site will also serve as a way for me to educate others on reversing the stigma dietary fat has been misbranded with and share all the health benefits (yes, you read that correctly) that it has to offer.
Lets see, a little about me. . . I enjoy the beach, working up a sweat and photographing food. Some of my favorite things are wine, Dave Matthews Band, and traveling. Some non-paleo indulgences of mine include craft beer and tortilla chips with salsa. I enjoy being around the people I love and I think that there is nothing more admirable in a person than a sense of humor and a positive attitude. I'm a constant work in progress and have ambitions to never stop growing, so come along and follow my journey. I'm excited to share so thank you for stopping in.
--Alexandra
:::My Story:::
By the age of 10 years old, I was well aware of the fact that I was different from the other girls at school; I weighed 150lbs. To my knowledge, I never recall weighing anything less. Weight was never something I noticed until I felt that it was something to be embarrassed and ashamed of. Despite my family insisting that it was just “baby fat" (I'm pretty sure by the time you're a teenager this argument is invalid), I knew I was abnormal. I essentially grew up on a "diet", not entirely understanding what it meant the first time I went on one, only thinking that the result would be a thinner and happier me. Sadly, it has taken me far into my adult life to realize that the way I looked on the outside had nothing to do with how I would feel on the inside. While I can now say that I've learned to love my body, its a constant effort to undo years of what felt like a different life involved in an emotionally abusive relationship with myself.
My eating habits growing up were what you might imagine; full of fast food, skipping breakfast and consuming processed carbs and sugar in any form possible. I have spent most of my life using food to satisfy boredom, cravings, emotions and sometimes hunger. Often times the fad diets (you will read more about these low fat and unhealthy low carb adventures in the blog) and tactics I tried in my adult years worked, my lowest weight being around 152lbs. in my early 20's. I find it hard to understand how the younger version of me thought she was still 30lbs. over weight, knowing now that it was just a number and not a definition of my happiness.
My highest weight was most likely in high school (before and after pics here) and is unknown because at the time I refused to take my head out of the sand and stand on a scale, but as an adult I weighed in at nearly 190lbs on a 5'7 frame in early 2013. By this time I had been introduced to the Paleo lifestyle by a friend and while I explored this approach as a means to try yet another diet and just lose weight, I was incredibly surprised to realize how much more aware of my body I became. The things I was most impressed with were the things that I didn't even realize were abnormal to begin with; I started sleeping better, waking up before an alarm clock, and that afternoon fatigue had disappeared. I stopped getting "monthly" breakouts and I rarely felt bloated or gassy after a meal, even when it was a large one. I was also never "hangry" anymore! All these were symptoms that have been so commonly accepted that we've come to believe them to be normal when they absolutely are not.
It took me nearly 2 years after making the transition to Paleo for it to feel like second nature to me. Finally, I wasn't having this mental struggle with myself each time I was faced with an unhealthy food; trying to talk myself out of it, then to justify the indulgence, then overdoing it, followed by guilt, self loathing and finally punishment in the gym... you might be familiar with the drill. While I have had a lot of success with this lifestyle, it hasn't been easy. There has been an enormous amount of trial and error, not only with my weight management, but my health and a continuous effort to heal my leaky gut, IBS, multiple food allergies and intolerances. These issues have been nagging at me for years and I simply didn't listen well enough to know that it was a direct reaction to my poor diet. I too struggle to lose the "last 10lbs." and sometimes want to say "Screw it, give me the junk food!". But I don't... or if I start to head down that path, I'm quickly reminded of how far I've come and that slow progress is still in fact progress.
Health is something I use to take for granted and through this journey I have learned to listen to my body and adjust my habits according to what keeps me feeling my best. Though my transition to this lifestyle has been anything but flawless, it has been full of lessons that I continue to build on and hope to be able to share with others. The beautiful thing about the "just eat real food" movement is that there are so many bloggers, authors, and real, tangible people who dedicate their life to sharing their experience and knowledge, so you're never in this alone.
The most valuable lesson I have learned is that when you decide to make a lifestyle change and feed your body well (both with healthy food and healthy thoughts), it will return the favor and function optimally. It's become so much more about health and happiness undefined by the number on the scale. And while that is no doubt part of the ultimate goal, learning to love myself at my lowest point (in my over weight and unhealthy form) was where the real change began. My hope is that this blog will allow me to elaborate more and share my personal achievements, struggles and frustrations, hoping that someone else might recognize themselves in my story and share their experience, or even better, find some hope.
My eating habits growing up were what you might imagine; full of fast food, skipping breakfast and consuming processed carbs and sugar in any form possible. I have spent most of my life using food to satisfy boredom, cravings, emotions and sometimes hunger. Often times the fad diets (you will read more about these low fat and unhealthy low carb adventures in the blog) and tactics I tried in my adult years worked, my lowest weight being around 152lbs. in my early 20's. I find it hard to understand how the younger version of me thought she was still 30lbs. over weight, knowing now that it was just a number and not a definition of my happiness.
My highest weight was most likely in high school (before and after pics here) and is unknown because at the time I refused to take my head out of the sand and stand on a scale, but as an adult I weighed in at nearly 190lbs on a 5'7 frame in early 2013. By this time I had been introduced to the Paleo lifestyle by a friend and while I explored this approach as a means to try yet another diet and just lose weight, I was incredibly surprised to realize how much more aware of my body I became. The things I was most impressed with were the things that I didn't even realize were abnormal to begin with; I started sleeping better, waking up before an alarm clock, and that afternoon fatigue had disappeared. I stopped getting "monthly" breakouts and I rarely felt bloated or gassy after a meal, even when it was a large one. I was also never "hangry" anymore! All these were symptoms that have been so commonly accepted that we've come to believe them to be normal when they absolutely are not.
It took me nearly 2 years after making the transition to Paleo for it to feel like second nature to me. Finally, I wasn't having this mental struggle with myself each time I was faced with an unhealthy food; trying to talk myself out of it, then to justify the indulgence, then overdoing it, followed by guilt, self loathing and finally punishment in the gym... you might be familiar with the drill. While I have had a lot of success with this lifestyle, it hasn't been easy. There has been an enormous amount of trial and error, not only with my weight management, but my health and a continuous effort to heal my leaky gut, IBS, multiple food allergies and intolerances. These issues have been nagging at me for years and I simply didn't listen well enough to know that it was a direct reaction to my poor diet. I too struggle to lose the "last 10lbs." and sometimes want to say "Screw it, give me the junk food!". But I don't... or if I start to head down that path, I'm quickly reminded of how far I've come and that slow progress is still in fact progress.
Health is something I use to take for granted and through this journey I have learned to listen to my body and adjust my habits according to what keeps me feeling my best. Though my transition to this lifestyle has been anything but flawless, it has been full of lessons that I continue to build on and hope to be able to share with others. The beautiful thing about the "just eat real food" movement is that there are so many bloggers, authors, and real, tangible people who dedicate their life to sharing their experience and knowledge, so you're never in this alone.
The most valuable lesson I have learned is that when you decide to make a lifestyle change and feed your body well (both with healthy food and healthy thoughts), it will return the favor and function optimally. It's become so much more about health and happiness undefined by the number on the scale. And while that is no doubt part of the ultimate goal, learning to love myself at my lowest point (in my over weight and unhealthy form) was where the real change began. My hope is that this blog will allow me to elaborate more and share my personal achievements, struggles and frustrations, hoping that someone else might recognize themselves in my story and share their experience, or even better, find some hope.