My earliest memory of having the desire for change started when I was 14, and I was told that I had endometriosis and ovarian cysts. My cycle was extremely painful each month, and I constantly had ovarian cysts that burst each month. The doctor gave me three choices: having a baby, getting a hysterectomy, or getting a shot that sends you into menopause for three months. She told me that I would have a very slim chance of having children later in life. At 14, I was not ready to try for a baby, so I decided I would cross that bridge later on in life.
 I went on six different birth controls, and finally, the depo shot to suppress the symptoms. In turn, I gained ALOT of weight. I had always been active in sports, yet I still couldn't lose the weight. I did have a short success with Weight Watchers and lost around 50lbs.
 When I was 21 in 2005 at Seattle Pacific University, I rowed on the crew team six days a week and was in the weight room 3-4 days a week at around 220lbs. Yet still, I couldn't lose weight. I went to a Naturopath, and he helped me tweak my diet to focus on my hormones and adrenal health. Slowly I got down to 160lbs by 2007.
 

I got pregnant with my first son in 2007 and went from 160lbs to 208lbs. He was 8lb 12oz and 21 1/2in at birth. The endometriosis symptoms stayed at bay for a couple of years until I got pregnant again and lost that baby after getting an extremely high fever. The placenta got stuck, and I lost 1/3 of my blood supply in an hour and had to have an emergency DNC to stop the bleeding. After that, I focused on my health again by tracking my food daily on sparkpeople.com. I worked out every day for 1-2 hours, and I got down to 155lbs. At that time, I still ate dairy and grains. I then got pregnant again and again lost the baby. This time, we didn't wait for a year and a half to try again. We got pregnant with our second son three weeks later. I was 155lbs and delivered him at 222lbs. He was born at 37 weeks and was 10lb 14oz and 22 1/2 inches. He gave me a hernia under my left rib when I gave birth to him.
 

Fast forward three years to 2016, and we were surprised with our daughter. I got pregnant at 220lbs and delivered her at 244lbs. I was still active throughout these years and watched what I ate for the most part. But I was not honed in on what it meant to be healthy overall.
 In early 2017 I felt desperate to lose weight, and nothing was working. I talked to the doctor and gave him my history, and he recommended I try Keto. I had never tried it before, so the research began...
 I thankfully found a coach that taught Nutritional Keto versus the traditional Keto you see online. If you want to know the difference between Nutritional Ketosis and Medical Ketosis. In a matter of 3 months, I lost 36lbs. I went from 220lbs to 184lbs. In my weight loss, I had cut out all gluten and grains and had very minimal dairy by this time around. Nutritional Keto took care of ALL female issues. I can not even tell when my cycle is approaching and in full force. No cramps, no cysts, etc...
 

 Another reason I went to the doctor is that my body hurts. I felt inflamed, and my joints were swollen. As long as I do not consume gluten or grains the inflammation stays down and my joints feel great! Nutritional Keto also took care of all of these symptoms.
 By becoming a detective for my body, I have been able to gain back my health. All pain and discomfort are pretty much gone.
 Fast forward to 2023, and I am still striving to be healthier and keep working towards my weight goal. I focus on my sleep patterns, reducing stressors in my life, drinking ample water, exercising and stretching daily, and fueling my body with nutrient-dense foods that nourish my body. Every day is a new day to strive and push forward for a better version of myself with each small choice.