Whoa nelly.

Did I just shock you with my time travel back to the early years of this millenium? I did didn’t I? I blew your miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind.

Well, I blow my own mind whenever I look at this picture. That. Is. ME. At 18 years old, posing for my wonderful graduation shot. I even got my hair did. You like it?

But let’s get down to the nitty gritty here. I weighed 185 lbs. in this shot. After my scoliosis surgery in 1997, I ballooned up to this weight because I no longer had to take phys ed (because I had a doctor’s note) and I gorged on junk food whenever possible. I had an unhealthy love affair with cheese sandwiches, chocolate milk, gummy candy, cheezies, slurpies, bagels with an inch of cream cheese smeared on them, egg sandwiches, margarine, and pop. Everything and anything that could be classified as a non food was my choice of “nourishment”.

I didn’t know any better and I wasn’t being guided towards much else. I led my own way into the world of junk food and I had no light to guide me back out. It wasn’t until shortly after graduation that I my boyfriend’s mother introduced me to Weight Watchers and the Point system. After less then a year, I had lost 65 lbs. and I had never felt better.

In the eleven years since that day, I have researched, read, learned, listened and taught my way into the knowledge of health and fitness I now possess. I have garnered magnificent amounts of information from any and all sources. I’ve tried numerous “diets” and ways of eating. Not one way is right for one person and wrong for another, it is what works best for you.

In the next few weeks, Adrian and I will probably be trying out the Primal/Paleo diet and seeing how that works for us. I’ve always had a sensitive stomach and most sugar and dairy based foods tend to bother me, as well as grains. So for me, it makes sense to try it for at least 30 days. We’re getting pretty into CrossFit as well and look forward to integrating that into our fitness regimen as well. It seems like every day there is something new and exciting to add to our routines and I love it! Fitness and health has really stolen my attention and I love to spread the gospel as far as I can. (A big shout out to Kelly Olexa, #FitFluential, the #2012RCFGames and #CrossFitGNC for the motivation this weekend!)

I hope that I can get some really interesting ideas for Paleo food and I look forward to introducing you guys to all that it has to offer. In the meantime, here is a fabulous party dip that anyone can enjoy. It’s delicious and easy to make as well as being raw, gluten free, dairy free and Paleo friendly!

One year ago: Salt Roasted Beet Salad

Two years ago: Strawberry Shortcakes

Three years ago: Summer Pea Soup with Miso Marinated Tofu

Similarly delicious recipes from other fabulous food blogs:

Green Apple Guacamole from Sweet Freedom
Three Raw Almond Spreads from Healthy Happy Life
Raw Salted Caramel Apple Dip from My New Roots
Raw Vegan Cheddar Dip from Colourful Palate