My story

Hey guys,
So if you are visiting this blog it is most likely cause you are trying to transition to a healthier lifestyle or lose weight. My journey started over 3 years ago. I was 20, feeling really sick, constantly bloated, obese, and fainting. I went to the doctor and found out I had Diabetes. I could not believe it, I had been thin my whole life, I had just gained weight after high-school and could not seem to stop gaining weight. I was at 192 lbs when I went to the doctor, I am a short girl, only 4'11 so this was really unhealthy for my body. I went on a diet, well several, 15 lbs later I started to see results. I started to cook more food at home, eat less fast food, I gave up soda and started to workout. It took me over 2 years to lose weight. I got down to 140 and I was pretty proud of myself.

Then I got into a cycling accident. I had brain surgery and everything changed. My immune system,could not handle things that I could eat before. I found out I had a gluten allergy, which eventually was confirmed to be Celiacs disease. My whole life spun out of control, as I realized that my brain & body would never be the same. I got down to 120 lbs during my recovery, mainly because I fractured my mastoid bone (jaw bone) and could not eat. I felt really sick and weak, and the fact that I was 120 lbs didn't really matter to me. I started to eat more fruits, more vegetables and gluten free foods. I was introduced to super-foods; coconut oil, Quinoa, Chia seeds, flax seeds. Everything was different.

 As I researched more into food, I found an overwhelming amount of evidence that animal products were not good for me. I started to watch documentaries, I never really thought about how animals were treated. Honestly I always envisioned a farm, happy cows, never thought about their death or how it was done. Then I watched the documentary that changed my life, Earthlings. (click link to watch for free). This was when I said no more, no more eating meat, no more promoting companies that  exploit innocent animals. It took me several months to completely transition to a vegan lifestyle. When I did I gained weight, 10 lbs to be exact. I was 134 lbs but happier than I had ever been! It opened my eyes to a whole new lifestyle, a kind lifestyle, it changed my outlook on life, and I began to love myself and the world more than ever before. But, of course the fact that I was gaining weight, was not a good thing. I remembered how easy it was to get to 192lbs, and I did not want to go back. Thats when I started doing research again.

During my research I found Freelee the banana girl, spunky, blond, and very well informed. Her videos stated that she had been a vegan for over 7 years, most of which she spent as a raw vegan. I was instantly hooked, I went through all of her YouTube videos and found out more about her diet. The transition to the rawtill4 lifestyle was quick for me. I went out bought dates, bananas and tons of fruit that I enjoyed. I had never eaten dates before, they looked pretty gross to me after soaking overnight and I honestly threw the first batch of soaked dates away! (I think about those dates all the time now, those sweet delicious dates that I wasted) I drank banana, strawberry smoothies at first. Then I decided to take the plunge and try a dateorade. Best decision I have ever made. I fell in love!! My first date breakfast smoothie got me hooked!! I have been following the raw till 4 diet for over a month now. I feel great & look great. I am down to 124 (not trying to lose weight), and feeling better than ever!!!

Finally why I am doing this blog!!! So money has been short since my accident, I cannot afford to spend more than $250 a month on food, so I have to budget wisely. I have found a way to eat healthy and stay on budget and I would like to share my tips with you!! I will also share recipes, workout tips, and overall health and wellness tips on this blog.