Amber Parker

I want to start out by saying I am a regular person. I am not an expert in the Paleo Lifestyle in any way. I am currently researching a better way to live and stumbled across the Paleo Lifestyle. I had many questions like where to start, how to go about change, what items should I have in my pantry at all times, how to find the best recipes that my family will actually eat, and so on. So I thought why not start a blag so hat others can see how I went about it and so I can pass on my successes and failures to help others. It also help to not feel so alone. So here it goes…

My name is Amber Parker. I am a wife and mother of two beautiful children, Zachary (19) and Kayla (17). I am also a mother to 4 “fur” babies, Vienna (7), Merriman (6) Ginger (6), and one hairless cat (Sphynx), Karma (3). I currently live in Virginia with my Husband, Michael, and daughter.

We originally come from Tucson, AZ where both of our families live. My husband joined the Marine Corp in 1996 and we were stationed on Camp Pendleton for all of his military career. We were lucky in that we did not have to move every three years like most families did.

In 2009 my husband decided that it was time to part ways with the Marine Corp and we moved back to Tucson to be close to family.

In January of 2015 my husband was offered a promotion which would mean that we would be moving across the country to Virginia. We decided to take on the adventure even though it meant moving away from everything that we knew. In the end I think it has brought us closer together and we live in one of the most beautiful sections of the country. We enjoy a lot of outdoor activities including hunting, fishing, and hiking.

My husband and I both grew up in families where we did not watch what we ate and were not very health conscious. Diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure all run in my family. Got to love genetics :)

Once we moved to Virginia we realized through all the stress of moving across country and trying to make everything work as smoothly as possible that we had gained a lot of weight and were not feeling really great. Our energy was depleted and it felt like we were just not getting the best out of life. We knew that dieting never worked for us in the couple of times that we tried it. Within a month we were so sick of salad and chicken that I could have killed for a steak. Going without variety was not going to work.

So we were talking about what we should do and one day when we were walking through the grocery store I came across the Magazine isle and noticed a magazine called Paleo. I had seen Paleo in passing on websites and social media but never paid much attention. We did not buy the magazine at that time but decided to go home and find out what this Paleo thing was all about.

The first thing I realized about Paleo is that it is not a diet to lose weight. You will lose weight on it but it is really a complete lifestyle change. I had mixed feelings about this, it means long term commitment and changes to the way we live. Scary! But this also made it appealing to me. It was different than anything we had tried in the past. The other plus is that it allows MEAT! Something that we just cannot live without. The other plus is that we are currently surrounded by farms. There is a Farmers Market in a town near by and we can get our vegetables and meat from all the near by farms in the area. Not only does this mean consuming healthier foods but it also means supporting our neighbors. How awesome is that!

So we decided to give it a try and here we are, sharing our journey with others and hopefully helping out others who are interested in making a change for the better. So join us. Take what you want and leave what does not work for you. But above all don’t be afraid to make a change that may help you feel better and live stronger in the end.