I started my journey three years ago in January 2018. Leading up to that time, I was attending college and ate food that was fast and easily accessible. Not only did I have terrible eating habits, but I put additional stress on my body by pulling lots of all-nighters studying for classes. My efforts would be rewarded with all you can eat sushi dates with fellow classmates, further adding to my unhealthy lifestyle and poor eating choices. I live in Las Vegas, so weekends would consist of drinking alcohol and partying at nightclubs - resulting in my subtle weight gain of 56 pounds. Once I came to a realization of my weight gain, I decided that change was a necessity. I attempted a lot of different diets where I would lose some weight, only to later put back on the weight I had lost PLUS more whenever I would go back to eating normal. The diets I followed at the time were high in protein and fats and low in carbs. Despite my best efforts, I never felt satisfied and was unable to make a long term switch and lifestyle change. I was 26-years-old and diagnosed with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and constantly struggled with kidney stones (I had 5 different cases of kidney stones in a span of 2 years). In January 2018, I was taking a return flight from San Francisco to Las Vegas and sat next to a doctor who was a kidney specialist. I mentioned my struggle with kidney stones and he recommended I research a whole food plant based diet. Before getting off the plane, he even gave me a sticky note that said “whole food plant based” and told me to Google it if I was ever bored. My initial thought was to ignore his advice as I had no interest in eating a vegan diet or anything that resembled one... but, little did I know, he planted a seed that would forever change my life! | 
