Welcome! What to expect...

Hello!  This is my very first blog creation ever!  My topic and goal for this online public diary is to share my unheralded Paleo story through a large chapter, COLLEGE .   Anyway, what to expect here?  You will experience :

•  Frequent photo posts of my meals while probably struggling to find a Paleo option
• Submissions of my Fitness Journey ( I love lifting weights)
• Stories and Tips of ways to avoid the dreadful Freshman 15 while on a Paleo/healthier LIFESTYLE

Who am I?

Well, I won't be publishing my name anytime soon, but I am a fitness fanatic who played Lacrosse and Volleyball, Ran Track and Field, and danced for handfuls of years.  I carry a pretty strong athletic resume however, my diet has not been the strongest ever.  I've always had a muscular built, and not much fat because of a naturally quick metabolism.  Once I hit my later years in High School, I noticed extreme bloating and constant discomfort physically and emotionally.

My Senior year of high school, I discovered the Paleo Diet or Lifestyle.  After seeing jaw-dropping  'Before and After' s photo externally and internally, I thought, "Hey, why not?"  In February, I fully committed to this Paleo Diet and now,  I can say this is my lifestyle.  However, it was not that easy.  Scrolling through extremely lean and skinny, which was "beautiful" to me then, I went to the extreme... I counted every calorie, every gram of fat and carbs, making sure I was not over my MyFitnessPal's plan to "beautiful".  Feeling cold, almost depressed, acting selfish, stubborn, and anti-social, I knew I wasn't eating enough even though I was eating unrefined, organic, grass-fed food.  I didn't want to talk to anyone because then, I rather spend time working out or planning out what to eat for my next meal.

My workout consisted of HIIT cardio and HIIT cardio only....

 I lost all the muscle I squatted, bench pressed, sprinted, jumped for from all my years of Varsity Athletics.  I felt weak, sad, and losing 2 pounds a day.  Not 2 pounds of fat, but 2 pounds of muscle.  Walking through the hallways and school stairs were extremely tiresome.  On the day of Lent, people give up Facebook, pizza, Sour Patch Kids, coffee until Easter day in April.  After two ankle rolls during Volleyball practice in one month, I knew I had to give up my obsession over calorie counting and becoming skinny.  I needed to become stronger!  Even though I did become skinnier, it was not beautiful and it made my personality ugly.  Food shouldn't do that.  Happiness was the last thing I could say I felt.

As Easter arrived, I was stronger and still 10 pounds lighter, but I felt progress and Progress is perfection.  By May, I have finally discovered my own healthy balance in eating diet, fitness, and happiness.   I rarely do cardio(sometimes the stairmaster) and instead, lift heavy weights through squats, deadlifts, bench presses, etc.  I have increased my squatting weight by 50 pounds already and I was strong enough to even partake in Insanity and the famous 21 Day Sugar Detox with my sister last month!  I saw great results and I will make a blog post( a shorter one)  about that next!

This is me.  This is my story so far.  I can't wait to see how I will be challenged in College without a kitchen, but I know I can do it.  I have hope that I will strive in this...JOURNEY!

Thanks for reading this overly long post ;)