A blog I'd like to call, a blog.

One of the many reasons why I am so proud to be a part of the emerging tech community in Los Angeles. Even if “Silicon Beach” is a totally ridiculous name. 

Thank you General Assembly & Charley Wang for giving me this awesome opportunity. I’m really excited and won’t let you down!

9/8/12

It started with cacao.

My name is Stephanie Belsky. I am 28 years old and I am a chocoholic. I knew this to be true very early on in my life. My sweet tooth was out of this world. So much in fact, that my mother and I have a joke about “emergency chocolate” that we keep with us for such occasions as:

• long car trips
• finding out your boyfriend is cheating on you
• waiting in line at the DMV
• getting laid off from a job
• embarking on an anxiety inducing trip to the mall
• or simply because it’s Tuesday.

Whatever it may be, emergency chocolate is always on hand to self-soothe. I’ve tried to cut out sugar and sweets in my life too many times and too many times I’ve failed. Miserably. I had resorted to the fact that I would continue these cravings for the rest of my life.

And then came cacao.


I had often seen my friend Melissa Duttle, founder of Deep Healing Nutrition, create a beverage; a brown substance that she claimed was chocolate. I didn’t believe it. “I don’t crave chocolate anymore because I drink it all day long,” she explained. Chocolate. In liquid form. ALL DAY. What was this magical substance and how could I try it immediately. She warmed up some water on the stove, and in a jar added cacao powder, raw honey, and Pink Himalayan sea salt. She even threw in some cacao butter for good measure. She stirred it up and handed me the glass. I tried it. It was chocolate in its purest form. I gulped it down so fast she had to make me another. My interest was peaked to say the least; if her program started with chocolate, what else could she do?

Melissa has over 15 years of nutrition counseling and spiritual leadership. Her intensive program follows the idea that nutrition isn’t just about the food you eat, but the nutrients that you are putting into your body and specifically that the body’s healing and weight loss comes from cellular health and finding the body’s hormonal balance. I knew she was good, but this chick is certifiably good and I decided now is the time to put her skills to the test.

For my entire adult life I have not weighed less than 130 pounds. I tried Weight Watchers and it got my level of physical activity way up (so much so that I ran a marathon) and helped me with my understanding of portion control. I don’t eat junk food, I love fruit and vegetables. I love to cook. So why can’t I shed the lbs? I decided it was time to face the demons of 2am ice cream binges and peanut butter straight from the jar. And to tackle my chocoholism once and for all. I’ve had many changes in my life in the past year - I moved across the country, started a new job, got laid off from said job, and have dealt with major depression. Now it was time to embark on a journey of weight loss and deep healing nutrition.

My ten year high school reunion is November 23rd. Let’s do this shit. Join me on my journey!

(via Memes, A Tribute Art Show to the Internet’s Best Inside Jokes)

I’m going to this. No I don’t feel bad about it.