My Health Journey Motivation

I’ve decided to start dropping some posts with my thoughts on my continued health journey. These are not meant in any way to sway anyone to my way of eating. Truth be told, it’s more that I need a place to express myself other than with my best friend, who is the only person in my real-life circle who has any true interest. Since I’m not posting this to persuade you of anything, nor am I looking for atta-girls, I’ve shut off comments. You are welcome to think whatever you want and walk away.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

~ Romans 12:1-2, NIV

Regarding what I’m about to write, there are people who’ll say I am taking this set of verses out of context, twisting it to fit my own interpretation. Let me assure you I get all kinds of annoyed when Christians do that. And I do, in fact, understand the actual intent of this passage.

But give me a moment. I think it’s okay for me to find a different meaning in this, for me personally. It doesn’t replace the original message at all—that needs to stay. But it’s a way for me to keep motivated in my health journey, and I can’t see God being angry about that. 

The way this passage has helped me is by reminding me that my body is God’s. He designed it, complete with nutritional needs. And those needs can be met by consuming animals and plants in their proper forms, which are also designed by God. 

“…offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”  When I first started my health journey, I made the dietary changes I thought would help me become physically healthier—that was my only goal. I wasn’t looking at it in terms of changing to please God. Yeah, I saw it as a sacrifice, but not as a sacrifice to Him. (Truthfully, I was a little miffed at Him for not just making me healthier after all my prayers.) But as I learned more and more about nutrition, and the way the human body works, my eyes were opened to what an amazing machine God has created for me. And while I still wanted to be healthy for my own selfish reasons, I started also wanting to take care of this body as a way of worshiping God – honoring him by honoring this gift He gave me, trusting the design, “sacrificing” those things I knew were harming that gift.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world…” For me that meant, and still means, not eating what mainstream medicine dictates. Not eating the stuff I see most people around me eating. Not eating things that are manufactured and marketed by corporations. In other words, not eating what the world tells me to eat, and instead eating what my God-designed body requires.

“…be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” After following this new way of eating, my thoughts have completely changed. I don’t need those processed foods. I don’t desire them at all anymore. My thoughts, my needs, my desires are all for foods that are whole and real and nutritious and satisfying. Making that initial sacrifice – giving up things I found tasty but knew were damaging me – eventually led to me actually wanting to eat what I had started eating. If you had told me a few years ago that I would someday never crave cookies, or bread, or fried rice, or French fries (my biggest weakness!), I would have said you were nuts. Now those things are not even temptations. 

“Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Am I claiming this has all made me some sort of God’s will detector? Nope. I still struggle daily with figuring out exactly what God has planned for me and how to follow Him properly. I’m hugely imperfect. But, as I said before, this passage has a much more spiritual meaning, and that needs to stay. It’s much more than following a proper diet and taking care of my body. It’s about giving my whole self over to God, and that takes more than cutting carbs. I just know that I wouldn’t have the energy or mental focus to work on this part without taking care of my body the way I have been. 

Final note: I debated and debated about posting this. Every time I reread it, I worried it makes me sound preachy, or pious. That is so not my intent. I don’t see myself as being handed some special blessing by God. And this is not the only thing that keeps me going—there are a few others:

• I watched firsthand as type 2 diabetes stole my grandma’s ability to walk, her vision, her mind, and eventually her life.

• I have a BS in Biology, and my fascination with the biochemistry of human metabolism makes it impossible for me to look at processed food, sugar, and grains without seeing the downstream effects. 

• I was lucky to catch this early and have my body respond very quickly to diet and lifestyle changes, something I know is not true for so many, especially those without doctors like my primary care who has been completely supportive of my efforts and has not tried in any way to dissuade me from this path.

So, yeah, a lot of motivation there for me from different directions.

I guess that’s it for today. I’ll continue posting here and there as I gather more thoughts. 

PS - if you didn't see my first Health Journey post, click here.

Magazine Cover Art and Upcoming Events

My art was featured on the cover of the February 2026 issue (yes, I'm really late in posting this) of Spaceports & Spidersilk, a sci=fi/fantasy magazine for young readers. This is my third time on their cover! You can buy a copy on their site or on Amazon.

And I want to share about a few upcoming events where you can find me, my art, and my books:

Necronomicon Tampa

September 25-27th

Embassy Suites USF

INFO HERE

I'll be participating on several author and artist panels and will have art and prints for sale in the art show.

Tampa Bay Coffee and Art Festival

October 24th

Florida State Fairgrounds

INFO HERE

I'll have a booth with my original art, prints, and books for sale. 

Dixieland Art & Alley Fest

November 21st

Lakeland, FL

INFO HERE

I'll have a booth with my original art, prints, and books for sale.

Speaking of Lakeland, FL -- you can find some of my art prints for sale at Raven Faerie on Frank Lloyd Wright Way. It's a cool shop staffed by the sweetest people! Check them out HERE.

New Novel - A Middle Grade Mystery

Just hopping on here really quick to share that my latest novel is out in the world! The Secret of Blacktree Bridge is a middle grade mystery novel with supernatural elements. 

I'm so happy with how the cover turned out. That art is by my very own daughter! (Who, btw, just texted me to share that she won a First Place ribbon in the Florida State Fair art competition.)

For more info on The Secret of Blacktree Bridge, go to Amazon, where it's available in print and ebook.

To see more amazing art by my daughter, and to purchase prints of her work, visit Anna's Abstractions on Etsy. 

Starting My Health Journey

Last time I posted -- which, yeah, has been a few months -- I said I might start sharing some of my health journey here. I decided the easiest way to get that ball rolling is to show you what I posted on Facebook back in February, including before and after photos. That first photo is me at the Realm Makers writers conference in July 2019, which is why I'm holding a dragon. Not that it's so rare for me to be holding a dragon. The second photo is me in February 2025.

Here's what I posted on Facebook:

A lot of people have been commenting about my weight lately. People I haven’t seen in a while gasp and say, “Oh my god, Kat, you’ve lost so much weight!” The word “skinny” is very often used, accompanied by a look of concern. I’ve actually had a few people ask if I lost weight “on purpose” – which I’m taking to assume means they are worried I’m sick.

Folks, I’m not sick. Not now. I mean, I was. Not like cancer (which, btw, just had my checkup and I’m 20 years cancer-free!) or some other illness. But my labs were a mess. High blood pressure. High blood sugar (prediabetic). Cholesterol panel totally out of whack.

I changed my diet. I did not “go on a diet.” Although I was not happy at the weight I was, losing was not even on my radar – I was doing this to change my lab numbers. 

Y’all, I eat a lot. A LOT. I just don’t eat the same foods I used to (which, btw, I believed I was eating pretty darn healthy). My plate these days is loaded with meat, eggs, and veggies. Avocado. Coconut milk yogurt (can’t have dairy, allergic). Sunflower butter. Lots of berries. Bare minimum levels of grains. No sweets, no chips, no snacky foods of any kind. But as for calories…I have no idea. I don’t track that stuff. I eat. And eat. And eat until I’m full. When I’m hungry again, I eat again until I’m full. I assure you, I am far from starving. 

And I do exercise. I’ve walked daily for many years because it’s good for my heart. When my metabolism righted, I got more energy. Started walking even more. Started lifting weights again.

Anyway, to assure you all is well - that all is actually soooooo much better - here are my lab numbers from when I started this journey (September 2020) compared to January 2025:

Blood pressure (as measured at the doc’s office) 142/98 -> 116/73

Glucose 116 -> 90

Triglycerides 163 -> 43

HDL 63 -> 75

LDL 180 -> 133

Cholesterol risk ratio 4.38 -> 2.89

See? Not sick. Not even remotely. I feel better than I have in years. I don’t wake up creaky anymore. No more hobbling those first few steps in the morning. No soreness. No bloating. No heartburn. No fatigue. My balance has gotten better. My clothes fit. Like really fit. I have a waistline for the first time since before kids. 

I’m not telling you this for any kind of “atta-girl.” I honestly just want to put everyone’s minds at ease. 

{Btw, me focusing on my health has been a big reason I haven’t been active on Facebook much. Busy walking, working out, and working. Hours and hours of listening to podcasts about health and nutrition, functional medicine, metabolism, insulin resistance, etc., so the biology nerd in me can satisfy her thirst for learning. The science of the human metabolic system is fascinating.)

Since posting that, I've actually shifted my diet a bit more heavily toward meat, and my HDL has risen to 94, without my LDL changing. I eat even less grain now, too. Rye bread for a Reuben sandwich about once every couple of weeks and the "healthy harvest" muffin at my favorite mom-and-pop coffee shop every couple of months is it for me. And no, I don't miss it. Don't miss sweets, don't miss anything. I still eat all I want, never counting calories, only keeping carbs low. Lots of protein, plenty of fat. 

I still lift weights about four days a week, and it's maddening on the days I'm unable to get in enough walking. I need the movement. People still see me as "skinny" but I've gotten much stronger, lifting heavier at the gym than I have in years. I feel better, stronger, healthier than I have in years. What surprised me is that I "felt" pretty healthy before. But so many things improved, I realized that I had just gradually gotten used to all the little issues, and now that they're gone I know what healthy actually feels like. 

Okay, that's probably enough for now. I'll post more thoughts/experiences later. As well as some updates on upcoming events where I'll be selling my art and books. 

End Elementary Essays

This may be a surprising opinion coming from a writer, but I believe kids should not focus on writing essays in elementary school. I work at a tutoring center, and I am constantly being pushed to help fourth graders write essays, but it goes against everything I believe in. In elementary school, kids should be learning grammar, punctuation, vocabulary, and spelling. And they should be reading, reading, reading, and reading.

Instead of having their love of writing beaten out of them with pointless essay assignments, they should be learning all the parts of speech, what makes a good sentence, how to find the right word for the idea they want to express. Give them the building blocks of good writing. Teach them how to spell. Teach them how to construct sentences. Teach them where to put a freaking comma. How to effectively use a fragment. My experience is that when a kid learns these things, then later, like in middle school, when you teach them the basics of a good essay (a term I find an oxymoron, but more on that later) they’re able to run with it because they have the tools and materials, and thus the confidence to compose what they want to say.

And don’t start with essays. Start with creative writing while the kids aren’t afraid of being creative. Let them write about winged horses and talking mushrooms. Let them tell silly stories and learn early that writing can be fun, not a chore. Let them write about the things that interest them, the things they are naturally passionate about. 

I homeschooled both my kids and didn’t assign essays to them when they were young. I let them write fun stuff, and didn’t critique those things at first. My kids both ended up writing long assignments on their own. Nick wrote pages and pages of a made-up diary, the story of a Minecraft character’s daily adventures, complete with characterization and voce. Anna put together a binder filled with information on hamsters, organized by topics like habitat and feeding, to show that she was ready to have a hamster as a pet. 

Maybe, you say, they just inherited my natural ability to write. Hm, well, that could contribute to it. But I never felt like a natural writer. I didn’t start creative writing until I was in my thirties. And here is the “later” I mentioned before regarding essays: when I started writing for publication, I had to unlearn all the essay-writing procedure that had been drilled into my head in school. I mean, when is the last time you picked up any kind of published nonfiction work and it read like an essay that you were forced to write in school? 

This blog post even – does this sound like an essay? I’ve got a main point. I’m backing it up with details. But am I writing it like that horrid, strict format we were all taught? If I were, you would have clicked over to something else by now. 

Okay, time to get off my soap box and get ready for work, where I have to try and teach kids who don’t know what a preposition is, who don’t know how to punctuate, who can’t spell to save their lives – not because they aren’t smart, but because it’s not stressed in school and they’re spending their time writing essays on tedious topics that they absolutely dread.

Before I go...just a bit on my absence here. I'm fully aware I've neglected this blog a long time. I haven't been writing as much for years, and I've even slacked on art lately. My focus has shifted to my physical health, and I've been spending a lot of time educating myself about metabolism (short version: I was prediabetic and had other out-of-balance metabolic markers, but that's corrected now by food and exercise). Because of the changes, I have much more energy now and am finding myself wanting to write again and even pop over here and share. So, yeah, even though this has been primarily a writing and art blog, I may start posting a bit about what I've learned regarding health (and like today, maybe more thoughts on teaching/tutoring), if for no other reason than needing a place to talk about it. I also promise to keep up with any news on my writing and art. 

Phoenixes Featured

Quick stop to share that two anthologies released recently, one featuring my short story "Fountain and Fire" and one featuring my artwork.

You can read "Fountain and Fire" in Legendary: Havok Season Ten. The story takes my characters Melinda and Kalek from Toch Island Chronicles on an adventure at The Fountain of Youth in St. Augustine, Florida. Awesome phoenix cover art by Kirk DouPonce. Purchase the paperback or ebook on Amazon.

And the current issue of Spaceports & Spidersilk features my colored pencil drawing of a phoenix, so we've got a bit of a theme this month. You can purchase this issue on Amazon or directly from Hiraeth Publishing.

Three Published Stories in Three Days!

 Three anthologies released this past week with short stories of mine inside!

Another HAVOK anthology, Vice & Virtue, features my flash fiction "First Impression." This story goes along with "Dude" which you can read HERE for free on Wattpad. You can purchase Vice & Virtue on Amazon.

Ring of Fire contains my story "Fire Wall" that was originally published in The Absent Willow Review (an online magazine that has since closed its doors). In "Fire Wall" a literal wall of fire has appeared, surrounding a city, and a mysterious stranger offers a means of escape.

You can purchase Ring of Fire on Amazon.

And last but not least, my story "Darkness" (which originally appeared in Realmscapes) is featured in Florida Tech's latest issue of their literary magazine Kaleidoscope. This is a magazine that is given out on campus, so I don't know if/how you can get a copy, but you can read a few old issues for free here. What is exciting for me about this one is that my story won their contest for best prose in this issue!

It was pretty fun this past week having three releases and receiving my author copies all within three days of each other. That doesn't happen often. Now, I've got to get to work finding homes for the next batch...