This One is for You Dad

So wasn’t really sure what I wanted to talk about today, and then I went to the cemetery and the idea became easy. I wanted to explain the inspiration behind my dramatic (and if you look at the changes in the last two weeks here it has been very dramatic) transformation. From buying organic products, to cutting out all processed foods completely, and including exercising and activity to my daily routine, things have been very different lately. I even bought Vegan cheese today and all natural shampoo and cosmetics. Yup Crazy huh.
Well the inspiration for all this comes from the loss of my dad. I lost my dad 2 years ago this very day. Still the hardest thing I have ever lived through. My dad was an amazing man. Loved and gave so much of himself to everyone who ever had contact with him. There was no surprise why he had so many friends. He truly is the one I inspire to be. However, with giving so much of himself, he rarely took time for himself and eventually leading to his untimely death; although the family lineage was nothing to pride yourself on.

My dad’s grandfather, my great grandfather, died in 1943 from a heart attack at the age 49. My dad’s dad, my grandfather, suffered a massive at the age of 54. Half of his heart had died. And then my dad, the best dad/grandfather ever, died at 56 in 2012. I’m the first girl out of the last three generations, and even though I’m a half-marathoner (13.1 miles BABY) and for the most part ate a little more fruits and veggies than most Americans, I was still feeling pretty bad.
I would wake up in the morning feeling like I had a hangover, and slowly get myself out of bed and drag myself to the coffee shop and get an enormous size mocha with whip cream that looked like little pillows of heaven, along with a bagel big enough to be a dinner plate with thick, smooth cream cheese dripping from it. The rest of my day wasn’t much better. Some sandwich shop with big crunchy bread for lunch, and maybe pizza or spaghetti for dinner. Pretty bad. I knew if I kept going down this path, an early death would be in my future just like the last three before me.
Then came along paleo and the new year. I knew this had to be the year I changed, because if I didn’t do it now it would be much much worse later for and for my kids. My family history is so bad, that the pediatrician recommended that all my kids be tested by the time they are five years old for cholesterol and other levels to ever indicate any heart/health issues. So I knew this had to happen.
Although, every day I regret my dad not being with us, I know that this gave me a new perspective for my future. Its only been 16 days of this new change, but it was the best change I could have made. My weight keeps dropping (109.8 today) and my skin is clearing up. My sugar levels are balanced and not getting shaky when I need to eat. All the food has been fresh and now organic.
Today has been hard, but dad thank you so much to give me the courage I need to do this. You still are my role model in life. I want to learn to give more freely like you, give people more of my time like you, and be surrounded by so many people like you.  I love you so much and so many of us down here miss you. RIP dad.