Health Coach | Speaker | Writer | Welcome to my digital diary! I'm here to help you blend life & fitness to find your health & happy! Thank you for being part of my family & allowing me to add value to your journey!
I used to crave all the sweets. Could smash an entire pan of brownies, boxes of cereal, gallons of ice cream — & I did in the thick of my binging & disordered eating. Followed by days of guilt, inflammation, pain, & more hunger.
Thank God every day for this carnivore lifestyle. This is an important post, please SWIPE, save tag & share freely with someone who needs to hear it or if it’s a simple reminder for yourself.
We think we crave chocolate, cookies, brownies, & ice cream, but our hunger truly is for somethin much deeper, somethin much more nourishing.
Things like love, significance, fulfillment, & connection are what we really crave.
When we allow ourselves to FEEL & RECEIVE & have these things, it’s far more satisfying than treats, overindulgence, & temporary pleasures.
If you feel constant, ravenous hunger, know you are probly feeling undernourished & unfulfilled in more ways than just food.
❌Watch your words, they’re powerful!
“Diet starts tomorrow, or Monday, etc”
“I deserve a ‘cheat meal’ or ‘treat’ because I’ve been, ‘good’ all week.”
“I messed up my diet, might as well splurge & start again Monday.”
“If I eat that I’ll need to make sure I workout enough to burn it all off.”
“I’ll be happy when I reach my goal weight.”
“I don’t deserve to eat that, Ima failure.”
“I can’t do that until I lose the weight.”
Look deeper for what you truly need. Maybe its a walk with a friend, a deep convo, GRACE, a hug, doing something nice for someone else just because, or quiet time with God/the Universe/the Collective or whatever you believe.
⠀Without connecting with ourselves, forgiving our past, & getting real honest on the bullsh*t sandwiches we’ve been feeding ourselves & understanding what TRUE nourishment is — we remain unfulfilled & hungry.
If you are feeling disconnected & lost, my door (& DMs) are always open 🚪💌📲
I have a whole 354 page guide with an entire section dedicated to emotional eating and things to help you. Click below ⬇️
Thank you to all that is holy for blessing me with a day off. I have the crud just like everyone else.
Feeling much better. I thought to myself…I don’t get sick much…even being in the trenches every single day. If I do it’s like 2-3 days & I’m all better.
I’ll admit I’m not a softy when it comes to pain or getting sick, this Farmer’s daughter can take a f*ckin beatin. Right mom & dad?! 😂
Rub some dirt in it you’ll be fine.
I feel society has changed & as a whole has become soft & uber sensitive to everything. Whatever, you can hate me for that comment but I feel a lot of us need to toughen up a lil bit.
I know a huge part of my quick recoveries are via:
➡️A relentless, diligent work ethic & abundance mindset 🧠
I really don’t care if 1 or 1,000+ people read my posts. I didn’t always start out with this mindset tho. There was a time I saw myself as insignificant if a larger number of people didn’t “like” things I shared daily.
The greatest lesson I ever learned was advice given to a bellboy in 1922 on how to be happy in life by Albert Einstein.
I mean isn’t that what we all are searching for? I’d tell you you’re full of sh*t if you said no.
Tis the time of the top 9.
I’m always surprised by what comes up. It’s crazy to see what the digital world views as your top 9 “most important” posts of the year.
These were mine.
So back to the Einstein thing & message of this post…
The story goes that has Einstein was exiting his hotel in Tokyo, a bellhop came up to deliver something & instead of giving him a monetary tip, Einstein handed him 2 pieces of paper.
On the 1st he scribbled what has now been termed Einstein‘s theory of happiness:
“A calm & modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness.”
I took this advice to heart & this is how I strive to live my life.
I am happy because I don’t want anything from anyone.
I know money is just energy & there is always abundance.
Achievements & productivity don’t define me & titles really don’t mean anything in the grand scheme of things.
Everything I do is in the name of growth, love, & Joy.
I realized when I lived life simply doing things I loved with enjoyment, the time passed by effortlessly & the things that were meant for me found me & I was always provided for.
You may be sitting there thinking this may be Pollyanna but may I remind you on that second piece of paper he handed to the bellhop:
I’ve talked about how I choose a word every year. I choose a word I desire to embrace & embody. This year, & it also, now, being the start of #worldcarnivoremonth – I feel maybe it should be BEEF 🥩🐮🦾😜
2 years “carnivore” & a lifetime to go. #bodybybeef #Merica
The word I choose helps me to make decisions, to think, to feel, to BE the essence of that word in every facet of my life. I have learned over 39 trips around the sun in this lifetime to be my own accountability partner, my own best friend, my own favorite – my most important love.
I learned to love my body because it is the longest commitment & only forever home I’ll ever have.
I learned to love my weirdness, my mind, my heart, & my spirit because it makes me, ME. And nobody else can look like me or BE ME. Same for you.
I can’t believe I’ll be 40 this year, I remember when I thought 25 was old, then 30 was old, & now it seems 40 is the new 20. I can tell ya I feel a whole helluva lot better as an almost 40 something than my 20 year old self.
My journey has been both pleasure & pain. I’m sure yours has been too. I understand.
I hear you, see you, support you.
I’m right beside you unpacking & packing those bags sippin on that cup of coffee or cocktail, pick your poison.
I’m not writing this post today, on 1-1-2022, to tell you what to do, or to tell you I have all the answers to whatever you want to change or troubles you, but I am writing this to tell you that you can do it. I’m writing this to tell you that I believe in you.
I used to pick 5-10 new goals each year. I realized a singular day on the 1st of the year, setting goals like I was “supposed to” never turned me magically into Superwoman. It didn’t magically give me the health I wanted, the body, the career, the money, the friends, the love I desired.
I was still the same ole weird lil creature that I am, still overwhelmed with trying to change too much all at once, still “shoulding” all over myself. Still lost in all the information & society’s expectations.
Within a month or so, I failed or fell off the wagon & had to start over.
Smaller.
With lower expectations.
Shrinking myself.
F*ck that sh*t.
I’ve told y’all before, you can’t live a BIG, full, ABUNDANT life on an empty tank.
For a few years, I gave up on resolutions entirely. Then, I discovered the book, “One Word” & it changed my perspective. Instead of a sh*t ton of goals, I set intentions to embody 1 goal, 1 word, & that worked a lot better.
That concept is using your word as a theme for your year.
My word for this year is ‘Abundance.’ My word for last year was ‘Joy.’ Other words I’ve used were peace, growth, & grace.
I challenge you to simply glance at the year ahead & choose a word you’d like to embody as a pillar & map of growth.
Quick annoucement to my baby carnivores & people wanting to try a meat-based diet, my group coaching is open & ready to welcome you with open arms. Coaching FAQ’s in link in IG bio and HERE
You can always dm me and don’t forget to sign up for our email list HERE
➡️I slept until almost 7. Our patient numbers in the ER are insane. Grateful for a day off right meow.🐱
➡️I Googled #fengshui for the new year yesterday & they said to wear red or yellow underwear for good luck 🤷♀️🍀🩲 contemplating buying some😄 although I really hate wearing underwear. Jus sayin. I know I’m not the only one, don’t lie.
➡️Set routines not resolutions for the new year. You have to BE the lifestyle & the person you want. Routines will get you there, vapid resolutions with no true intention or action will not.
➡️Figured out how to keep Pete from waking me up when I don’t have to get up early. Set my auto brew on the coffee pot maker till later. ☕️ 🐈⬛ He hates it when I work on my computer in the mornings. He’s a Snuggle bug.
He wants to sit on my lap!
Holy sh*t tomorrow is a new year. I know they say as you get older time flies by, they ain’t kiddin. We’re only here for a short blip.
Simply sharing things on my mind & heart this mornin. Swipe through for lessons I wished I’d learned earlier & “That Girl” habits to bring into 2022.
Click for full post on IG!
I just want to thank y’all for your love, your kindness, your dedication to yourselves to learn & grow & do that with me, here.
For Christmas last year I gave away alcohol & money as gifts. Merry Christmas Probly do the same this year. Why lie?
I also bought my family Christmas Eve dinner – which was @doordash of all the delicious wings from @tpindyi69 Twin Peaks because that the only place open & none of us wanted to cook.
Just thought I’d not bullshxt around & put that out there We had the best Christmas ever simply because we were together.
End of the year reflections & intentions… Do you know I had never had a Christmas before that where I hadn’t worried about money?
There was a time I didn’t know if I’d have enough money to buy eggs & I lived out of my office. Last year was the 1st year I had enough money that I didn’t have to worry about it.
There was a time I could’ve told you how to sneak into every pool & hotel to snag free breakfast to save money.
Brand name clothes were not something I could align funds for. Goodwill, Walmart, second hand & the discount rack, bishes.
In college, I stayed home while my sorority sisters went out shopping.
Self confidence, vibrancy, energy, mindset, frequency & self-awareness were not things in my consciousness at the time.
I viewed money as a bad thing, something I had to work really really hard for & always felt there was never enough. And if I wasn’t saving every penny, that made me a bad person.
I came from a middle class world. We didn’t dare leave lights on, waste food, buy “unnecessary things”, or be caught not working or doing chores because that was viewed as being lazy.
From childhood I thought love was earned thru accomplishments, productivity, & what you looked like.
I felt I was never good enough to attain the life, love & wealth – things that other, luckier more affluent people had.
Totally mind fxcked me for decades. I’m grateful now to have healed to the point of peaceful evolution & gratitude.
The holidays are hard on people. I get you.
The New Year is like some imaginary clean slate that people think on January 1 everything will be different when they truly have the opportunity to clean the slate any day they want.
I paid off more than $43,000 in debt last year — in a damn pandemic. Dunno how. I had faith that I could & let the Universe take care of the rest. I paid off all my credit cards, a consolidation loan I was paying $730 a month on for 3 years. I purchased a new vehicle, finally restored my credit & spent money on the things that brought me joy without apology. This post really isn’t about money but I needed to write this stuff out & just give thanks for this point in my life. Maybe you can relate too. I realized I’m my own best friend. I love being alone but I’m never lonely. I don’t need anyone else to complete me — I am complete. I am ready to finally let an aligned special someone in if it’s the right time. The past 2 years have been painful as hell too, probably 2 of the most painful & biggest roller coasters I’ve been on in my 39 years – in every facet of my life. I’ve had to swallow my ego more times than all the shots on my 21st birthday y’all Every year I reflect on what I’ve been thru & what I could do better. I come up with a motto & a word to symbolize intentions for my next year. My motto for 2021 was: “Wherever I go, there I am.” Still is.
2022 is: “The wheel turns.”
Because wherever I go I will choose to make the most of it & cultivate a life & environment that brings me joy. I will honor my changes, emotions, needs & evolve as I need to. I will have purpose, impact, & I will serve to the best of my abilities. My word for 2021: JOY. I promise to still live with JOY.
My word for 2022: Abundance. So I’ll raise my glass w/y’all, cheers!
Happy Saturday from the VA btw and GO COLTS! Headed to the game after my shift
There hasn’t been a day of my life where I haven’t needed to read a quote, a poem, an affirmation, a book, or beautiful words from a talented creator to express how I feel, give me a hug, punch me in the gut, break my heart, or put it back together.
You know what I mean?
I told a friend one time I understood the feeling of that hopeless pit. I said, “I hope you find love, but most importantly, I hope you love yourself more to be strong enough to walk away from what love isn’t & find peace in the realization that you are already love.”
In my 20s/early 30s I made plenty of bad decisions after my 1st divorce at 27.
Plenty of fast & furious acquaintances, some more longer-term, they all aided in growth (some more enjoyable than others 😂)
Hxll, let’s be honest, some I don’t even remember. It’s like that person you put in your phone as “Joe Bumble” or “Dude from Texas” 😆📲
I talked about this in therapy. My therapist said it’s because when I was younger I didn’t believe I was worthy of love I desired.
Which is why I picked men that were not on my level, & to be frank, EASY for me. 🤦🏼♀️fxck me, she’s right.
She said now I’m “selective & guarded”because I’m actually afraid I might find someone & be forced to choose between my happiness & freedom of autonomy & that person. I’m afraid to make the same mistakes like being a people pleaser & losing myself.
Today was an absolute sh*t show at work. One of those days the ER is completely full all day, like a waterfall that never stops. Don’t get me wrong, I love busy days. I love the rush. It’s an addiction & a high for me.
Like working.
I know it’s an addiction. I love working to the point of exhaustion, same with physical labor.
💁🏼♀️I’m a special kind of crazy, I know.
And I realized this week I use it partly as a shield. It’s really hard for me to get truly close to someone, to crack open & completely expose myself emotionally.
I know I don’t NEED anyone. I love myself & my life so much it’s kind of embarrassing.
Not in a narcissistic way but I have so much appreciation for the woman writing these words today compared to the woman 5 years, 10 years, 20 years ago.
I can bleed my heart via words with y’all & I’m not ashamed to talk about heartache or things I really just am not good at.
My last marriage ripped me to shreds. I hadn’t taken a chance & loved someone like that in a long time.
I come back even better every time I experience a failure whether it’s in life, love, or fitness.
I hate heights. I’m even more afraid of falling. I’m not afraid of love, I’m more afraid of rejection & the scattered pieces of my heart that follow.
I’m not afraid of being alone, I’m more afraid of committing to a relationship & feeling lonely, again.
I’m proud of my risks & mistakes. I would never know how good it feels to realize you love someone so much it brings you to tears & no matter how much that other person pisses you off, you can look at them & you’re like, “Yeah, that’s my person.”
The thing is – I’m not the same woman as I used to be, & neither are you. We have the privilege to learn from our past experiences, good & bad, to find US & THEM.
Tips if you’re stuck in this rut:
– Take off the mask & filters. Perfection isn’t needed, the “real life shxt” is what builds a solid foundation.
– Own your baggage. Have the hard conversations you don’t want to have, with yourself & the people in your relationship.
– Be open to meeting someone with the same level of consciousness. You attract the energy you put out. You also have to be open to receive & believe you’re worthy of your desires.
– Live with JOY & Unattachment to outcomes. You have control over your reactions, which means you choose whether it is a positive experience or a negative one. It’s simply an experience, not a right or wrong decision.
I personally do not digest plants, gluten, fiber, nuts & seeds, lectins, or oxalates well. Figured this out thru trial & error & 3 decades of living with gut issues.
You can catch the details of my story & whole first year one the Carnivore diet here in this interview.
The research points to YES according to Dr. Mark Hyman. Gluten has been found to negatively impact the lining of the gut, creating “leaky gut” or intestinal permeability, even in those who do not have celiac disease. The lining of the gut is supposed to be strong & tight, keeping food, waste, & microbes inside the digestive tract. Gluten can cause the release of an inflammatory protein called zonulin, which opens up the junctions in the lining of the gut & causes gaps, allowing particles to leak into the bloodstream (where they don’t belong) & creating an immune response. This sets the stage for systemic inflammation. To summarize world renowned gut specialist, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, animal foods are the foods that FEED the human body & SUSTAIN the physical structure of the temple you live in. Because only animal foods can provide the right quality protein & fats to build your physical structure. Our human digestive system is perfectly designed to digest & absorb animal foods.
Tap photo for cheat sheets on recipe for #meatbars
These are basic physiological facts.
Plants are indigestible for human beings. In order to digest plants mother nature created ruminant animals. They are equipped to digest plants, like cows, they have 4 stomachs with specific microbes. You have to have the right kind of microbes to digest plants & fiber efficiently.
We don’t have a rumen like cattle. We have 1 stomach that releases hydrochloric acid, which creates a hostile environment for many microbes, which is why the stomach is the least populated area of the digestive system. This acid & digestive enzymes are specifically equipped to break down meats, fish, dairy, eggs.
Plants do not digest to a large degree, they are than passed through the rest of our digestive system. We digest a small amt of water, things like vitamin K, vitamin C & some phytonutrients
Our body — muscle & fat & organs, are structurally almost identical to animal based products. Only animal foods provide the optimal protein to build YOU efficiently.
The more they study plant proteins, gluten is the most common, the more researchers find it is unsuitable for the human body & damages everyone in some way.
Light bulb moments right?
And fiber? Which is what all my doctors told me to add back in along with fruits & veggies when I was experiencing chronic constipation & slow transit digestion are all like sandpaper on my insides.
Insoluble fiber doesn’t dissolve in water. It’s abrasive to the gi tract & damages the epithelial cells. Bacteria ferment fiber, creating gases like carbon dioxide, hydrogen, & methane.
Now do you understand why you’re getting gas pain in building when you keep adding fiber & more plants to your diet?!
A Journal of Gastroenterology study showed stopping or reducing dietary fiber intake reduced constipation & its associated symptoms. Showed complete resolution of constipation, bloating, & painful bowel movements within the study group on a zero fiber diet.
Now do you understand why I stick to meat & eggs & my digestive symptoms & constipation are completely gone since going meat-based?!
You just need to eat food you digest & absorb properly. All of us will be different but biologically most of us will do better on an animal-based diet.
Choose food that doesn’t cause any digestive distress or emotional issues triggering self sabotaging habits.
Hands-down for this cattle farmer’s daughter👉that’s meat for me.
This is me this morning getting in my workout!
I feel great, I love the way I look, I feel strong, & I’m never hungry. I 💯 support our farmers & give gratitude to Mother Earth & all creatures giving their life so we can thrive❤️🦾
It was like I was jumping into my car to go somewhere without the keys…
The number one block preventing me from transformation was my BRAIN.
Like 90% of all transformation comes from awareness & resilience. I didn’t know that when I started.
When you are at your lowest point, that is your greatest door to change. A big friggin door that smacks you in the face!
I remember the morning after I wrecked my truck. I fell asleep at the wheel. Tired, going through a divorce at the time, living with my parents, had been drinking that day.
My mom looked at me as I walked into the kitchen & I told her what had happened. I said, “Mom I have a problem.”
She replied, “Yeah I saw your problem sittin in the driveway. Congratulations, you’ve hit rock bottom. There’s only one way left to go & that’s UP from here!”
Trying to navigate my way through life, more specifically my weight loss & health journey, I thought my success & happiness would come when I found the perfect diet. I thought if I could just find an easy way to restrict food, lose fat fast, & shrink to the smallest version of myself my problems would be solved.
It wasn’t all my food, most of my problems stemmed from my thoughts & the story I kept telling myself.
Your brain is the control center for all activities in your body, mind, & reality you live. It regulates your breathing, heartbeat, emotions, thoughts, words, conversations you hold internally & externally, & many more vital processes.
Yet, most of us think success comes from singular things like diets, workouts, having just the right job or relationship, when we’re harming our brains every single day. And most of the time, we’re not even aware of it.
I started noticing positive changes & ease of life when I set new intentions & habits like spending more time outside, listening to my gut, doing things that brought me joy like coloring & walking, light therapy, gratitude, morning movement, less time on my phone, using blue blocking glasses, not drinking tap water, moving more throughout the day, removing toxic people/things/habits/social media & cultivating an up leveling environment. All products, codes, & links are in the link in my Instagram bio.
I wanna share these with you so you can learn them quicker than I did.
The 4 habits crippling your brain & blocking success!
SLEEP
Y’all this a biggie! Most of us don’t get enough & realize the impact quality sleep has on our overall health & energy. It affects EVERYTHING from our mood, energy, performance, fat loss, muscle gain, body function, ability to give sh*ts about the truly important things we should give sh*ts about.
When was the last time you didn’t sleep well but felt great & performed at your best? Never. I’ll answer that for you.
The consequences of sleep deprivation can be fatal & range from dementia, brain cell loss, early memory loss, or even Alzheimer’s. These effects slow down your thinking, impair your memory, & hinder learning. Research even shows that sleep deprivation might shrink your brain. When you sleep, your brain gets a chance to recover & process what you’ve learned & experience throughout the day.
THE FIX
Most people need 7-8 hours of sleep to feel & perform their best. However, it’s also important to consider the QUALITY of your sleep. Set regular bedtimes, wear blue blocking glasses after sunrise & light therapy in the mornings. I use Swanwick glasses. Put down the electronics an hour before bed, create a dark, cool environment by turning the heat down & getting black out curtains, reduce caffeine intake to mornings only & under 300mg/day, take a natural melatonin & or magnesium supplement before bed. Helpful supplements I’ve used are Natural Vitality Calmful Sleep, Relax Liposomal from Nuethix Formulations, & Zzzyquil. On Amazon Favorites List here
2. DOING “NOTHING” One of the most underrated ways you might be harming your brain is by NOT USING IT. Your brain is like a muscle & like they say, “If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.” We are designed to move & create & think. Challenging thoughts, new skills, different hobbies, interesting & meaningful conversations, reading, podcasts, nurturing social media, YouTubes, new experiences, puzzles, games, coloring, cross stitching, painting, & crosswords can help stimulate your brain & develop neuroplasticity, which refers to the brain’s ability to adapt. Like any muscle, your brain needs to be used and flexed to stay in shape.
THE FIX Research proves that brain exercises have a positive effect on our cognitive abilities. So, what are you waiting for? Ask yourself what you could do today or this week to learn something new & train your brain. Start with choosing something that brings you Joy! I enjoy coloring, writing, learning, exploring new places I’ve never been & talking to new people!
3. NOT MOVING
I’ll say it again, we were made to MOVE. Living a sedentary lifestyle can have dangerous effects on our mental & physical health. An inactive lifestyle comes at high costs, such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes, depression, loss of strength, & even dementia.
A study found that a sedentary lifestyle also has negative effects on our brains. For example, it negatively influences our memory. There’s nothing wrong with chillin on the couch & taking a time out, we need that balance too. However, the problem is that millions of people, especially those working from home or with desk jobs are victims of a sedentary lifestyle (because you choose to be). 10k steps per day, make that a goal.
THE FIX Beating a sedentary lifestyle is mostly about incorporating daily activity into your life that you enjoy & becomes a success habit. It’s not about exercising hours a day but being intentional to make movement a vital part of your day.
Teach yourself to be a morning person, get your workout or some kind of movement done first thing. The most successful people make this a part of their morning routines. Take short walk breaks every 20-30 minutes, walk after meals, park further away, take the stairs, wind down with a short walk at night, do yoga, stretch, run, do group classes, walk around your house & lift dumbbells during commercials – just do something! I walk around our ER & around my CT machine in between patients, I walk after meals & work out in the morning. I also have a pair of extra 10 & 3lb weights & a resistance band I keep in my radiology suite for a quick circuit during down time.
4. NIX THE SUGAR
According to Fernando Gomes Pinilla, professor of neurosurgery at UCLA, what you eat affects how you think. 100% agree! If you’re like me, I’m one that has suffered with gut issues & food addiction. Never had a great relationship with carbs or sugar, nor could I digest them well.
Research also proves that a high-sugar diet slows down our brains as well as interferes with memory & learning. What do we tend to crave in times of stress or boredom? Typically highly caloric foods chocked full of sugar, carbs, & fat. When we get overwhelmed & stressed, these cortisol spikes make us feel the need for more energy & the easiest way to get that instant hit is through sugar. And that’s exactly what most junk food delivers: minimal nutrients, low quality oils, additives, sugar, & salt. The problem is that we are overfed & undernourished as a whole because of readily available “junk” food. Malnutrition doesn’t only harm your waistline but also affects brain function & development. Our brains make up 2% of our body weight, but they use 20% of the resources. That’s why the food you consume has such a huge effect on your thinking & behavior.
THE FIX
Cut out the crap. Protein & healthy fats should make us the majority of your meals. Choose foods you love & ones that do not trigger negative physical or mental problems like gut issues, mood swings, & disordered eating habits like binging & emotional eating.
Make sure you’re eating enough, We should be eating out true maintenance calories the majority of the year. You can use the TDEEcalculator.net to find yours & it’ll give you a suggested group of macros. I like my protein set around 1g/lb of body weight or goal weight if you have more to lose. I’ve personally even gone up to 1.5g/lb of body weight & for smaller individuals like myself doing a more meat-based, low carb lifestyle.
My meal 2 at work today! #meatbars 😉 Airfry. 380, 12 minutes thru preheat cycle. Surf & Turf! Air fried shrimp, 80% ground beef, & 93% Perdue ground chicken! Cleaning out the fridge. I bring an airfryer to work with me. Have an instant vortex 6 qt. on Amazon fav list. These also re heat well. Info all over my IG, scroll thru, check highlights & link in IG bio!
Invest in a coach or practitioner or qualified individual to help you! My Coaching FAQ’s are in the link in my Instagram bio & here!
AS always, to my humans out there just tryna be better! oxox Coach K