Matt and Nat took part in our Make Life Merry Challenge and share their healthy lifestyle journey of how they went from sick and unhealthy, to the best they’ve ever felt and looked! Their story is epic! How they’re bringing health to their home and inspiring everyone around them! You guys are AMAZING! Always merrymaking, e + c
In early 2014, we had become out of shape and unhealthy. We were eating all sorts of foods that didn’t love us back, we realised these foods were making us sick. We discovered a book called ‘it starts with food’ and transformed our lives by going paleo. By the year end we were in the best shape of our lives, feeling incredible and had lost a whopping 30 kilos between us!
When we found out we were having a baby, it was life changing, in the best possible way! Then came the curve ball. Nat suffered terrible morning sickness and couldn’t stand the sight or smell of pretty much all meat and vegetables! Suddenly, our awesome routine was gone!
Falling off the wagon was tough, we felt tired, sluggish and unhealthy.
After our son Harvey was born, and Nat’s food aversions were no longer we decided it was time to reclaim our health and go back to our paleo way. We joined the October Make Life Merry challenge!
We love The Merrymaker sisters, their recipes, their energy and their outlook on life. AND we really needed a good kick up our paleo butts to get us back on track! To us, the timing was perfect! Our little man was just a few weeks old and we were crying out for a way back to a healthier us, we just needed that motivation!
Having a shopping list and meals all planned out was oh so appealing to us! And even better: a community of like minded people to go on the journey with together. We were determined to return to our healthy habits and become the best possible versions of ourselves!
We entered the challenge pumped: no more excuses!
The first week was very exciting. The facebook group was so interactive and supportive. We had the 2 week meal plan which we were all following, and boy was the food delicious! It was fun to prepare each meal and share them with the group. Plus, it was far more appetising than your average meat and 3 veg.
They were simple to make, with so much variety! So much so that the new staple meals in our house from the challenge are paleo chicken schnitzel, the roast vegetable stack, burrito bowls, chicken avo zoodles, baked fish, lamb burgers… ok ok all of them! So delish! Are you drooling yet?!
Before we knew it, we felt like our old selves, the switch had been flipped in our brains and we didn’t want to eat processed food or sugar! We had always known it was bad for us, and with the wonderful support of The Merrymaker Sisters we were back in control of our food choices.
We started to feel so much better with more energy and improved sleep (well as much as you can with a young bub!).
It wasn’t all easy, weaning off sugar is no mean feat! The first few days were tough dealing with hunger pains and cravings! But with advice from the girls we found adding avocado, an egg or an extra serving of sweet potato usually did the trick!
Throughout the challenge there were weekly webinars with health experts. The webinars were all about how to build and maintain a healthy lifestyle, and we found these so valuable! The challenge is not just about food, it is about getting into a positive mindset and thinking beyond food. Thinking about sleep, hydration, movement and relationships in your life and more.
We have found that paleo is not just about what you eat it’s about your perspective… and changing the way you think changes what you get out of life. We LOVE this holistic approach to health.
At the beginning of the challenge the girls asked us to set 3 goals to work towards for the 4 weeks. Our goals were to: reclaim our healthy lifestyle, enjoy spending time in the kitchen again and move as much as possible.
We are happy to say that we smashed our goals! We are eating fresh and nutritious food every day, and loving every minute of it! We are back in the kitchen cooking together and having a ball!
To get moving again we signed back up to our gym in Bondi, and we love getting outside and moving as much as possible!
Our journey didn’t end after 4 weeks. Since the challenge, we are literally ‘on our merry way’!
With a positive attitude and fantastic support network, we’ve formed new habits that we intend to keep for life. We have rediscovered our passion for food, and we honestly couldn’t have done it without the girls’ constant amazing guidance. We are forever grateful! They inspired us to create our own blog: Paleo Power Couple, a way for us to share our journey as we shop, cook, eat and move our way back to health!
We can’t wait to join the next round of Make Life Merry and do it all over again! We highly recommend signing up and joining the amazing Merrymaker Community!
Another HUGE thank you to Matt and Nat for sharing their inspiring story with all of us! Definitely check out their blog, Paleo Power Couple, we’re so proud of them for finding their passion and sharing it with the world! <3 If you’re after MORE success stories, check out Kylie’s weight loss journey!