My husband, Hunter and I were both in our early 20’s when we decided to take control of our health. Neither one of us had any energy and spent most days complaining of aches and pains. We were both overweight. Our weight wasn’t extremely out of hand but we were both a little fluffy and on the wrong path. We were starting to think about the possibility of having a baby but I knew there was no way we would be able to keep up. My husband at about 21 was diagnosed with high cholesterol and he was put on medication. We pretty much accepted that was the only way to fix it. I was later diagnosed with borderline insulin resistance. So I started taking medicine. We started cutting calories and eating whole wheat. The only problem was the “heart healthy” standard American diet was not working for us. In early 2012 I was sick of being sick and knew something had to give.

I kept seeing a lot of buzz about the paleo diet. I messaged a friend about it and she told me about the whole30 challenge. I talked to Hunter about it and as he usually does he supported me and decided we would both try it. We started the following Monday.

We spent the first week or so hating the world and wanting to quit. But we didn’t. We went the whole 30 days and it has made all the difference in our lives. Parts of us were fixed that we had no idea could be related to diet. Of course there were the outside changes. Hunter lost 20 lbs and 2 pant sizes. I lost 10 lbs and one size. Well probably 1.5. I was starting to get a muffin top and should have been in a bigger size. My fingernails began to grow. They would always break and tear before. My stomach issues I have had as long as I could remember got better. We could fall asleep without having to take Benadryl. My daily headaches became a rare thing. Hunter’s cholesterol numbers were in the good range! And thank the Lord we were both a little less moody.

It has been almost two years now. Since then we have stepped off the path a few times but it is always short-lived as we usually get sick and say “I am never doing that again!”

I think a lot of people look to medicine to fix all of their problems when they have the power to fix some of their health issues, themselves.

It is hard but it is so worth it. I don’t have control over the length of my life. I know that. But if I can improve the quality in anyway then of course I am going to try.

We now have a beautiful little girl. I want to be help her live a happy healthy life. And of course I want my husband and myself to be an active role in it!

And that is why we choose health.

-Callie