About 90 days after beginning my PD journey it was time for another round of blood tests. By this time I’d lost another 30 lbs. or so, and I was not taking BP meds. My total cholesterol had dropped to 132, and I was no longer “pre-diabetic.” The nurse had taken my blood pressure (it was something like 124/72) and when the doctor came into the office and looked at my chart he commented on how things were looking really good. He commented on my blood pressure so I asked him “are those numbers satisfactory?” He said “absolutely”. I said “Awesome…because I’VE NOT TAKEN ANY BLOOD PRESSURE MEDICINE IN THE PAST 3 MONTHS”. I even showed him the app I’d been using to track my readings. He scrolled back through the days and kept shaking his head…”I’ll take these readings all day long.” I reminded him…”IT’S THE FOOD!” There are two thoughts I’ve held very close during this journey. One is a play on what Weight Watchers uses. My version is NOTHING TASTES AS GOOD AS HEALTHY FEELS (they say skinny…I think that’s the wrong message!). And the other is “WHEN THE STUDENT IS READY, THE TEACHER WILL APPEAR.” I was so ready! Thankfully, Julie appeared!

To this day, I don't believe I would have made the strides I have without finding Protective Diet and following Julie's recommendations. With this new found health I have never felt better. In 2013 I trained and ran my first half marathon under 2 hours. A year later I challenged myself and ran my first 50K in under 9 hours and have plans for a 50 mile race in April, 2015. There is no challenge too big to conquer. Julie's approach allows each individual to take control of their health and flourish. I owe my health to everything she has dedicated to bringing to those willing to listen.