Mindful Healthy Balanced Health Coaching

Mindful Healthy Balanced Health Coaching MPHC, HIM
Helping overwhelmed women stop chasing symptoms and start understanding patterns. Metabolic health • low-carb systems • habits over hacks

08/06/2026

"Gosh, I could NEVER eat like THAT!"

I've heard that line a million times.

I used to explain.

I used to tell everyone why I ate this way, share my results, and encourage them to try it.

A few people did...and it changed their lives.

Most people just smiled politely and changed the subject.

So now?

I don't explain anymore.

If someone wants to know, I'll gladly answer their questions.

But here's what I know...

If your quality of life were slipping away...

If you were exhausted...

If you were in pain...

If your health depended on it...

You'd do whatever it took to get your life back.

Including changing the foods that were making you sick.

"Gosh, I could NEVER eat like THAT!"Those of us in the Keto and Carnivore world have heard that line a million times.My ...
08/06/2026

"Gosh, I could NEVER eat like THAT!"

Those of us in the Keto and Carnivore world have heard that line a million times.

My response is to just smile.

I've stopped explaining.

When I first started a ketogenic approach, I would tell EVERYONE who would listen why, share my unbelievable results, and insist they give it a try to address their (fill in the blank) health condition.

On occasion, a few people took me up on it, and it changed their lives. Most people, however, smiled politely, then quickly found someone else with whom to strike up a conversation.

Who else can relate to that awkward silence?

Now I just avoid the conversation unless someone asks specific questions.

Yes, Keto and Carnivore are life-changing. Yes, some people use this way of eating to heal and then return to a more moderate way of eating (but rarely back to the Standard American Diet). And yes, some of us will eat this way for the rest of our lives.

As for anyone who says they could never eat this way—yes, you could. If your quality of life were at risk, you would do anything to get it back...including removing the foods that were making you sick.

08/05/2026

How do I stay consistent? It comes from fear. Fear of going backwards. Fear of becoming dependent. Fear of missing out on life.

While it's a small club who depend on dietary strategies to maintain quality of life, it's probably larger than you might expect.

The reality is that the Standard American Diet is poisonous. Many people eating this way are heavily medicated, struggling with a laundry list of chronic illnesses, and not getting better. A healthy diet does not make you sick.

I dare say the majority of us discovered that food might be a contributing factor to our declining health from a post on social media, not our doctors. I also suspect that the majority of us learned how to save ourselves by becoming members of Keto and Carnivore Facebook groups and watching YouTube videos from brave mainstream healthcare providers who were willing to speak out.

Fear can be healthy. Fear keeps us from making the same mistakes. Fear keeps us asking questions. Fear forces us to look at situations from all angles.

Most of all, fear reminds me what I stand to lose...and that's enough to keep me moving forward.

I am on a number of mailing lists of other health coaches. I do this because I like to see what they are promoting, teac...
08/04/2026

I am on a number of mailing lists of other health coaches. I do this because I like to see what they are promoting, teaching, discussing, etc.

Last week one of the newsletters read something along the lines of a carb that even keto folks can feel good about. I read more. She was talking about starches - potatoes, rice, etc. I dug a little deeper then thought to myself, "It has been a while since I've eaten starches so let's give this a go."

Friday night I prepared a small serving of rice - 1/4 cup uncooked to be exact...right at about 18 carbs...just under my known personal threshold of tolerance - meaning anything more than 25 carbs at a meal (or a day for that matter) will bring on uncontrolled sleepiness. I ate that with my dinner of two hamburgers, fried cheese and a fat bomb for dessert. I felt fine.

Now it's important to note that I don't test ketone or blood sugar levels when I do this simply because those numbers don't matter. What matters is whether or not I feel my energy level tank or stay stable after consumption of carbs...both short term and long term.
I awoke Saturday and still also felt fine. Now I was getting a little excited here. Maybe I could add back in a small serving of potatoes or hash browns with my breakfast in the mornings. Split up those carbs...10 in the morning, 10 at night...But I needed to continue this experiment for a bit longer. I didn't want to get ahead of myself here.

Saturday night, I ate 7 ounces of top round steak, had more fried cheese, 1/4 cup of rice (measured out uncooked) and a fat bomb for dinner - considerably higher protein than the night before...and I felt fine. My energy was great all evening.

However the next morning, reality hit. Despite taking Xywav and sleeping well Saturday night, when I awoke Sunday morning, I could barely roll out of bed...I felt like I had been hit by a bus.

I was determined to get to church, which I did, then came home and promptly laid down on the couch for a two-hour nap - very unusual for me. I spent the rest of the day "recovering" from my "wild" two nights of rice consumption.

What struck me later Sunday night and started a bit of a fire in my soul, is this: Sometimes in the health and wellness space, coaches and functional nutritionists can be just as dogmatic as some of us have experienced in mainstream medicine: The insistence that one size fits all; the streamlined thinking that bio-individuality isn't important and the fear mongering about the dangers of removing "food groups" long term from the diet even when a clear intolerance and explanation for that intolerance is known.

I've said this before and I will say it again and again and again...carbs are not an essential nutrient. Yet even in the health and wellness space, it is being pushed.

Interestingly, more and more studies on a ketogenic dietary approach are now showing conclusively that many people struggling with mental health issues, food, alcohol or drug addictions, neurological issues, dementia and even long-standing metabolic issues are able to maintain control and even reverse the course of their disorders by abstaining from carbs. This can't be said of most medications.

So with that said, I do take issue with the online chatter of keto/carnivore/ketovore being limiting or dangerous or not sustainable. That is not only an inaccurate statement, it discounts the life-saving impact these methods of eating have had for thousands of people.

I have zero regrets trying this experiment or any other carbing up trends I have tried. But I always come back to the same conclusion.

08/03/2026

I've said it before and I will say it again - I do not understand the push to dissuade people from keto/carnivore.

In a recent newsletter a creator baited with the title "a carb even keto folks can feel good about" Jaded but intrigued I read on.....starches is what was being discussed.
My first instinct and the correct one was to scoff. Having narcolepsy type 1, carbs are off limits bc they negatively impact my wakefulness. But curiosity got the cat as they say, so I set up an experiment.

Night 1 I prepared 1/4 cup of rice in bone broth and butter. I ate my usual fatty dinner then had the rice then a fat bomb.
Surprisingly I felt fine.

I don't test with a meter. Numbers in this case don't matter. I pay attention to whether grogginess settles in

The next night I set up a similar experiment but with leaner meat....and again I felt fine....no energy dips etc

BUT less than 12 hours later, Sunday morning the repercussions hit. I struggled to wake up and get out of bed, even though I had taken my usual medication for sleep the night before. Despite a good breakfast and a cup of coffee I felt swimmy headed and out of focus- brain fog essentially. After arriving back home from church, I fell asleep for a good bit. My day was shot.

Recognizing these symptoms as a clear indication of no longer being in ketosis, I spent the rest of Sunday when I was not asleep, hyper focused eating plenty of fat.

By Monday morning I had fully recovered from this carb gone wrong experiment.

Let my experience serve as a reminder to know thy self and don't get caught up in the trends of a one size fits all mentality.

This morning I awakened at 5:45 to several kitties who were hungry. Normally on my work days they are fed promptly at 5...
07/28/2026

This morning I awakened at 5:45 to several kitties who were hungry. Normally on my work days they are fed promptly at 5:30 so this 15 minute wait was clearly unacceptable! I actually don't mind this as there was a time when the simple act of awakening was not possible without the help of pharmaceuticals (Thank you N1)

I got up, fed the cats, then fixed breakfast...2 eggs, bacon, yogurt..sparkling water, and sat outside to watch the sun rise while I ate.

After breakfast I brewed my coffee, then sat outside in my hammock swing sipping on the fresh brew. I watched the birds and the wildlife for a couple of more hours. And that's when I saw this young Buck passing through with his family.

I am thankful for slow mornings like this. Mornings where I get up before the sun rises; mornings where I can sit outside and watch the wildlife awaken; mornings where I can be one with nature and just soak up the peace and quiet.

N1 is still ever present, but between ketosis and a knowledgeable specialist, my world and life looks much different now than in 2015.

When I started this ketogenic way of eating I experienced push back from the Allopathic Medical Community, calling this dangerous and being told that eating cream cheese and using heavy whipping cream would cause a heart attack. Even with my brain fog this sounded ludicrous. But heck what did I know??

Thankfully now there are numerous ongoing studies of the ketogenic diet and the results are offering so much promise for people like me who over 10 years ago had run out of options with medication.

Exciting times we are living in, if I do say so myself.

I've been in this holistic health and wellness space since 2016 - initially as someone searching for answers to question...
07/28/2026

I've been in this holistic health and wellness space since 2016 - initially as someone searching for answers to questions I still did not have. At that time I was literally down to one last medication, an orphan drug, that *might* help with symptom control of my neurological condition. If this medication failed or if insurance refused to cover it, this was the end of the road. That's not drama...that's just the ugly truth...we all meet the end of the road...just differently...some fast, some slow.

That stark realization sent me down the holistic rabbit hole. Maybe there was something I was missing. There I found information on Narcolepsy and a Facebook group dedicated to discussing the ketogenic diet for those diagnosed with N1 (Narcolepsy with Cataplexy.)

I had never heard of keto or even ketosis, but I was desperate enough to figure it out.

I found myself in ketosis very shortly after starting my ketogenic journey and quickly discovered that the combination of this orphan drug AND ketosis, offered me symptom control that no amount of pharmaceutical cocktail drugs had ever offered.

And that is how this started....one foot in front of the other - no expectations, no goals. I simply remained consistent with this way of eating and my one medication. Slowly I improved. The first year I resolved most of my chronic health conditions and got off most pharmaceuticals. Then, next few years my cognitive challenges became less - and my memory and ability to problem solve improved.

After five years, I decided that not only did want to share my journey but I also wanted to help others find their way to better symptom control with nutrition. The important part here though is I wanted the freedom to discuss whatever modality someone wanted to pursue - not what an oversight organization required. That is how I decided that health coaching was the best option to accomplish my goals. I don't diagnose. I don't prescribe. I simply educate and let the client decide what will work best for them.

Now ten years consistently eating ketogenically, I would not change anything that I do. Food heals...it may not CURE everything but food does heal...and consistency matters more than anything.

Ten years with proper medical care, proper nutrition for my body, and a few other little quantum health hacks have given me a quality of life I would have never expected. In fact if you had asked me at 52 if I would live to see my 62nd birthday I would have laughed and said "nope."

If I can start this at 52 years of age and wind up better than ever...you can as well. Never doubt the power of food and when needed a truly dedicated health care provider who knows their craft well.

Loved watching this beautiful butterfly navigate my flowers to It's been INSANELY hot and dry...and quite a struggle to...
07/27/2026

Loved watching this beautiful butterfly navigate my flowers to It's been INSANELY hot and dry...and quite a struggle to bring these seeds to this point. Is it weird to be proud of your flowers for growing so beautifully in such a inhospitable environment??

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