The Journey to Self-Discovery: From Isolation to Transformation

I challenge you to rethink health: Can you improve your wellbeing using only what nature provides?

If you would have asked me 15 years ago, you might have gotten “Hell, I’ve tried damn near everything to lose weight and NOTHING WORKS!”

Formed eating disorders, trained until I couldn’t walk, ate soups and salads like they were going out of style, just to have the same outcome… weight gain, endless inflammation and PAIN.

Clients often ask me, “Amanda, how do you do it? How do you continue to make positive gains without messing up? What’s your motivation? How do you keep going and when do you stop?!”

For the first 5 years of my health journey, I struggled, BIG TIME!

I wasn’t in the best place mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally or sexually.  I was broken and lost.  Lost in my own thoughts, feelings and emotions.

“Food” was my therapy of choice and not the good kind.  Pizza, tacos, burgers and fries, ice cream, chips and dip, quick box dinners, canned meals, mac-n-cheese and soda. 

At this time, I was a newlywed and 237 lbs. overweight, I was living 2 hours away from my husband being a live-in caregiver for my grandmother, and the way I saw it, just surviving going with the flow.

Day in and day out I worried about my relationship with my husband, we hardly saw each other longer than a weekend, the thought of him cheating on me clouded my mind, something that my grandmother planted in my mind.

“He’s cheating on you, he doesn’t want a fat wife, he’s going to leave you….” It was so hard to stay positive and motivated to make any sort of health change constantly being fed such hateful lies.

It wasn’t true.

It wasn’t fair to him.

And it definitely wasn’t helpful to me. It pushed my buttons in a way that kept me bracing for the most disastrous news imaginable.

So, what changed? She passed away… and I do miss her dearly, every day. It’s hard to put into words the effects of a trauma bond.

Three months after her passing, I went to my annual doctor’s visit and it was there that I saw my life flash before my eyes.  27-years-old, being told “Amanda, if you don’t do something now for your health, you won’t live to see your 30th birthday.”

YIKES!!!

Why is it that “motivation” to make a specific change has to be so scary for us to actually do the damn thing?  Simple, because we react to fear. “Do this or you will be dead tomorrow.” Yes, that scared the SHIT OUT OF ME!

The next 8 years were filled with trials and errors but eventually I started to see positive results for my efforts. 

“But how did you do it?” 

At first it was fear, “I have to do this or else.” which was extremely difficult to get past. I was so afraid of backsliding.  It didn’t help that I surrounded myself with people who would see my progress and try to sabotage it by offering me foods that I was addicted to, sometimes out of pity…

Sometimes out of spite.

Once I stopped paying them any attention, it was easier to look past the temptations. 

Going through the motions of creating a lifestyle, only eating specific types of foods, actively focusing on mindset, healing, self-awareness, self-love, self-appreciation, created a routine, switched from focusing on what the outside of my body looked like and moved my focus inward.  

Call it what you will, but for me I took a more spiritual approach to my healing and it not only helped me to heal my body, it helped me heal my relationship with my food, myself, my husband, siblings and led to accepting my intuitive gifts as a medium.  

Was it willpower? No, I wanted to do it.  I wanted to change and heal. I wanted to embrace my own life on my terms.  That’s determination. 

Was it discipline? Yes! Without discipline in some capacity the results wouldn’t have shown in my favor.   

It has taken a little longer than I anticipated but I’m closer than I’ve ever been before to truly living my truth as my true authentic, unapologetic self. 

I still have a few aches and pains, but I’m also near 40 years old. (But you’d never know it just looking at me ;))

What’s my secret to finding youth? 

• Eat REAL food- eating every 2-3 hours, (Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, supper, snack, snack )

• Move your body often

• Get up close and personal with your feelings and emotions (yes, they are 2 different things)

• Pay attention to how you feel, physically. This becomes your SUPERPOWER

• Stress control = calm mind

• Physical connection and touch

• Sexual health. Do it and do it often! 

• Stretch and workout NAKED and RECORD IT! This is the best way to see imbalances going on in your body making it easy for you to fix them. 

• Drink 1-2 gallons of water per day!

• Sleep 8-9 hours per night.

• Talk to your spouse openly and honestly every day.

• LIVE YOUR TRUTH DAILY.

You're on the brink of transformation, so why not revamp your kitchen as you revamp your life?

Here's a little pro-tip... Make it as hard as possible to "mess up".

Grab the Southern Renegade Cookbook, get the inside scoop of how my story can help you achieve your goals, and start cooking up a storm that’ll leave excuses in the dust. The journey to your best self starts now at https://rogueconsciousness.com/renegade-cookbook!