About Me
Hi! I’m Christine
Healthy Living Consultant
Why i’m so passionate about healthy living
Growing up, watching what I ate was not something I had to think about. I could eat whatever I wanted and didn’t have to change my clothes 27 times before leaving the house because I didn’t like the way something fit. When you are young it’s easy to take your health and energy for granted when you have plenty of both. I have always had a love for food and a very healthy, by that I mean a BIG, appetite, but I was fortunate enough to also have a great metabolism! I remember loving to cook and I loved looking at cookbooks at a young age. All that is still true today, minus the great metabolism.
Fast forward to June 2017… marriage, three kids, life stresses and not focusing on my health, I was more than double what I weighed when I walked down the aisle 26 years earlier. I was extremely overweight, exhausted and moody all the time. I had been struggling with my weight for many years, but this time it was seriously affecting my health. A visit to my doctor proved just that. I was borderline pre-diabetic, and my blood pressure was very high. I love my doctor, she didn’t recommend medication, she suggested I focus on dropping weight and read the book “Eat Fat, Get Thin” by Mark Hyman, MD.
It wasn’t the first time I tried to lose weight, or even the first time I succeeded, but it was the first time I realized that if I didn’t change my relationship with food permanently, my health and quality of life would continue to deteriorate.
In mid-November of that same year, I’d lost 32 pounds by following the Keto diet, but I felt discouraged because I was starting to plateau, and I still wasn’t feeling quite right. I also received a phone call from my mom telling me my dad was in the hospital. At 76, he was full of life and in great shape, eating healthy and working out daily. For years he had encouraged me to focus on my health and get back to a healthy weight, even betting me $250 one time… which I totally won, because I might just be a wee bit competitive. It was a total shock when two weeks later he passed away. Right before he passed, I promised him I would stay on my path of healthy living. That’s a promise I intend to keep for the rest of my life!
I asked my husband to join me in losing weight and he agreed. Although I was still doing the Keto diet, I asked him to follow a 30-days to Healthy Living plan that we had both done in the past and had success with. He did it without wavering and lost 37 pounds in 30 days. Those results are not typical by any means, but it got my attention, so I stopped following Keto and fully committed to the Healthy Living plan. I followed every recommendation strictly for actually the first 90 days, broke my plateau and lost an additional 24 pounds. Best of all I was feeling the best I had felt in years and lowered my A1C and blood pressure to normal levels! My husband went on to lose a total of 65 pounds and also lowered his blood pressure.
Once I realized the power that food has on your health, eating clean became something I desired. When I stopped focusing on dieting and started focusing on healthy living my whole mindset shifted. I started to enjoy finding healthier alternatives for the foods I love and I no longer felt deprived.
We now strive to eat clean about 80% of the time. We stick to the plan during the week and enjoy splurging on the weekends, when we are on vacation or attend special events. I am a firm believer that we all need to eat a little dirty sometimes so, we aren’t aiming for perfection. From time to time we get strict again for a 30-day reboot when we feel like we have indulged a little too much. I love that we have gotten healthy together and I love that people are noticing. I have always had a heart for helping others and my own success has given me an opportunity to do that by sharing all I have learned as I continue on my healthy living journey.
Happy FAMILY & FRIENDS
“My favorite thing about talking to Christine about healthy eating is that she focuses on foods that are hardest for me to give up. She gives me ideas on how to make or replace them with healthier options. It’s easier to make it a long-term lifestyle when I don’t feel like I’m missing out.”
Heather Mitchell, Montana
“Christine has totally changed the way I think about food. I can’t believe how differently I am eating. I can’t believe how much sugar I ate everyday! I definitely feel better and am really happy to experience real change and positive results. “
Tom Guida, London UK
“I enjoyed working with Christine. No pressure and I love her ‘It’s a process’ philosophy. It has been a process that I am still working on perfecting. I have made little changes that I feel have made a difference and will continue on my journey to a healthier lifestyle with her help. Love sharing recipes with her and getting her feedback!”
Denise Cullinan, New York