Introduction:  Joie

  

   My turn.  I'm Joie (pronounced JOY. It's French. I'm not.)   I'm half Italian, with the love of pasta and breads and all that goes with it.  I'm a Midwestern girl who's been surrounded by dairy and cheeeeeeese and whole grains and county fair sweet delights.  Now I'm deep in the heart of Texas, where Southern fried everything, fast food Nirvana and ethnic carbohydrate overload is the norm.  No wonder I've been pudgy/heavy/thick for most of my life... and downright fat since entering my 50's.  I'll be 52 next month.
     I contracted breast cancer at age 50.  Survivor, here.  During that time, I threw all caution to the wind and dove into my comfort foods to "cope with the stress."  Bad idea.  My weight reached heights never seen before, and my internal numbers skyrocketed.  I was put on blood pressure meds, and water pills, and cholesterol meds, and was approaching the need to test my blood sugar levels regularly.  Reality check, please?
     I turned to my Dr., who put me on The Ideal Protein Plan.  It worked for a while, but was soooo restrictive and monitored... then became very pricey. The best part of THAT plan is that it prepared me for the next step.

Enter my friend Rachael, creator of this page.
A chat, a link, a book.  The Paleo Solution.  :)

     Now?  I'm about off my meds, with the exception of my cancer hormone suppressor.  I'm a size down and feeling so much better. The aches and pains of "getting older" are less noticeable.  The thought of eating like this for the rest of my life is not a scary thing.
     I still need help.  Stress, life in general, and the old bad habits of wanting to eat everything in sight still gets to me.  Temptation is hard to resist.   It's not easy, but I know it's what my body needs.