As long as I can remember, I’ve always had extreme anxiety. I didn’t know the extent of it at the time. I thought it was normal. As I got into high school and then college, I realized how extreme my anxiety was. I felt like it was crippling me and controlling my life. Like most teenagers in this situation, I didn’t know what to do about it. I didn’t have any healthy coping mechanisms or knowledge on how to help me whatsoever. I honestly just accepted the fact that I would probably always suffer from anxiety and I let it define me.
On top of that, I started working at a fast food place. That is when my “health” story really begins.
I was always a skinny teenager growing up and was blessed with a high metabolism. I was that friend who could eat anything I wanted and never gain weight. And that’s exactly what I did. I ate anything I wanted whenever I wanted. And let me just say... it was never healthy. I was the typical teen who hated veggies and pretty much lived off Poptarts and Code Red Mountain Dew. (true story: that was my breakfast every morning my junior and senior year of high school). Anyway, at the fast food restaurant I worked at, we had access to all the ice cream, candy, greasy-food, and soda that we wanted. It was truly heaven to a 16-year-old who was addicted to sugar, but I oh so regret it now. Around that time, I remember always having an upset, majorly bloated stomach and constantly felt so fatigued and tired. My mom took me to the doctor because she was worried about me sleeping all the time and never having energy, and, of course, what do I get? Prescribed with tons of meds. Nothing worked. These meds probably ended up making things worse. Not once did my doctor ask me about my diet or activity levels. Which, looking back, its so clear that my diet and lifestyle were the issues.
Anyway, my anxiety was also very bad at this time. My doctors and I were convinced that I had a heart issue. I did so many tests and labs done. I even had to wear a heart monitor for a week. Turns out, my heart was fine, it was just anxiety. So what do they do again? Yep, more meds.
Fast forward to college, I started to care more about my body image and wanted to start working out. I got really into the gym and lifting weights. That’s when I started to learn more about health and nutrition. I followed a bunch of gym gurus on Instagram and ended up getting sucked into the life of calorie and macro counting. I was obsessed with what I ate. And how much I ate. I ate the amount of calories and grams of macros that “I was told to.” This eventually led me to getting too obsessed with food. I built a super unhealthy relationship with eating. I would feel guilty over eating fruit... FRUIT. This also, of course, made my anxiety even worse. Constantly stressing over packing and prepping my food and when/what to eat and, man.. I wish I knew then what I know now.  
I then started my first full-time job, which was a big deal to me. I would pack all my meals and snacks the night before, in the morning go to the gym before work, sit at a desk for 8 hours, and then start the process all over again. I did this for a year, and it was one of the worst years of my life. I hated my job. I hated constantly being under stress. I hated having to constantly worry about food. I hated pretending like I was fine and happy. But I kept doing it. Because I thought its what you HAD to do to live a healthy lifestyle.

I want to also add that my diet was the typical macro/gym diet and was restricted low calorie foods and meals. Not ideal but, I didn't know better. I didn't know there was a way to be healthy and have food freedom outside of calorie counting. I didn't know I was actually harming my body by eating more chemical-filled foods and less nutrient-dense foods. And I certainly didn't know my diet and lifestyle was contributing to my debilitating anxiety.
Fast forward a few more months, and I finally made some changes. I went to the Institute of Transformational Nutrition (ITN) and learned SO much about how to actually live a healthy, maintainable lifestyle and eat the foods my body actually needs. I learned how to escape the world of obsessing over food and I gained food freedom for good. I also learned a ton of healthy coping mechanisms for my anxiety, and I have never been healthier and happier.
I wish back then, when I was struggling so badly, that I had someone like me who could help. Now it’s my passion to help YOU learn how to live a healthy and maintainable lifestyle, control your anxiety, find food freedom, and feel SO good and healthy again.