Whole30…I think

Several, several years ago, I was feeling gross and out of shape.  I didn’t like who I was, felt tired all the time, and looked bad in my clothing.  I also knew I wanted to get pregnant in the nearish future and wanted to be my best self before that happened so I could have a good foundation for my new baby.

After a few looooong discussions with my dietitian (who is also my best friend), we both decided we wanted to get healthier.  We started tracking our calories on Calorie King, joined gyms, and committed.  About four months later, I had lost 30 pounds, completed most of the Couch to 5K program (I think I got to the week where it said “OK now just go out and run a 5K” before I stopped), and felt so much better about myself!

I was able to enjoy my new body for about 6 months before I got pregnant.  We all know what pregnancy means right?  Food free for all and no exercising for 9 months!!!  Yeah.  I did that.  I decided I would give myself a break from all the healthy eating and exercising because, hey, I was pregnant.  I could only keep so much stuff down (when in actuality I never threw up or got very nauseated from being pregnant) and I was tired all the time, so adding in extra exercise was just dumb.  If I could go back and talk some sense into that chick, I would!

Unfortunately, I ended up miscarrying after 10 weeks.  The problem was I kept eating whatever I wanted and not exercising so…you guessed it…I gained a lot of my weight back.  Then, in 2011, I got pregnant again, this time carrying the baby full term.  All in all, I weighed 204 when I gave birth!

I wanted to be healthy for my new baby and feel better about myself again, so I refocused and ended up losing about 60 of those pounds.  I wasn’t exactly where I needed to be at 145, but I was much closer.

Since 2011, my weight has fluctuated up and down about 20 pounds here and there.  I’m currently in a “there” stage, holding fast at 165.  I’ve started Orangetheory Fitness (LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!) so the exercise part of this journey is on lockdown.  But I need to figure out my eating.  I’ve tried lots of ways to focus on food including counting calories, weighing everything, tracking macros, etc, but so far nothing has stuck.

I know you aren’t supposed to do Whole30 to lose weight, but I need to do SOMETHING to reset my metabolism.  I also have some hormonal acne I’d like to try to remedy naturally, so it’s a multi-goal program.

I know Whole30 is only 30 days and anyone can do anything for 30 days, but I’m nervous!  I love my morning coffee, but I take it with cream and sugar.  I have a super strong sweet tooth at night and often don’t feel full until I’ve had a cookie or some ice cream.  I don’t LOVE all the fruits and vegetables, so I’m afraid I’m going to get bored.  What I DO have going for me is how much I love to cook.  I’ve heard you need to do massive amounts of food prep for Whole30 to be successful, which I’m kind of used to doing already.

Even so, I’m supposed to start Monday and I’m nowhere near ready.  I’m going to the library today to get some books about Whole30 and not starting this program until AFTER Easter.  I also plan to take before and after pictures as well as do a beginning and ending weigh in.  Wish me luck!

Healthy in 2015

Back in 2009, I got motivated and decided enough was enough.  It was time to get moving and lose the weight I had been putting on for the last few years.  So I decided to eat right, count calories, exercise more, and so on.  After about 6 months, I was 30 pounds lighter and in the best shape of my adult life.  Then…I got pregnant, had a miscarriage, and got pregnant again.

After Jake was born, I began again.  Eat right, count calories, exercise more.  Again I lost some of the weight I put on, but I was still about 10-15 pounds heavier than I wanted to be.  I just wasn’t as motivated as I once was.  I was still lighter than I had been, I felt relatively good, and I could eat pretty much whatever I wanted and not put on weight.  Plus, with my job in retail, I was on my feet for a good portion of the day.  I maintained my somewhat high weight for a good 1.5-2 years.

In January of 2014, another big life change occurred.  I got promoted to Store Manager, hence why I stopped blogging.  I had to get used to this new chapter in my life along with a husband and much more mobile, attention-seeking toddler to appease.  So now, I was still eating somewhat (OK maybe a lot more) poorly and on my feet less.  Store managers tend to have a bigger role in the planning process and a smaller role in the task doing process.

You probably see where this story is headed.  After a year of being a store manager, eating poorly, and not really working out, I had put all of my weight back on.  I was back up to the weight I started at in 2009.  Yippee.

So what now?  I thought, in the spirit of being accountable, I’d share my plan with all of you.  How will I get Healthy in 2015?

Accountability:  My best friend, Carolyn, and I have been doing a weekly weigh in with each other off and on since 2009.  That’s when we developed this plan and it worked back then.  I was a way for us to keep ourselves accountable to each other and motivate each other.  Well, the novelty of the program kind of fizzled.  It just wasn’t working anymore.  So this year, we gathered several of our friends and created a Facebook page to post recipes, issues we have either with motivation or challenges we are facing, and share accomplishments of all shapes and sizes with each other.  So far it’s really working!

In addition to this, Carolyn and I joined DietBet, an online program where you send in your starting weight and “bet” that you will lose 4% of your body weight by the end of the program.  You pay $25 and everyone who achieves that 4% splits the pot.  So, basically, if you’re pretty determined to lost that 4%, there’s no risk as you’ll just make your money back.  The only bad thing is for you to make money, others have to do poorly.  But I’m not going to focus on that…

New Gear:  I’m a gadget person.  I really am.  My family knows that so, for Christmas, they got me a few things that would help me on the journey they had no idea I was planning to take.

Fitbit Flex

I wear this thing every single day (except the one time I left my tracker at home and went to work just wearing the arm band…that was fun).  I didn’t know if I would be motivated by it or not, but I usually am!  See how the Flex works is it has a tracker you charge periodically and then slip it inside a wristband you wear.  You can tap the tracker throughout the day and little dots light up to tell you your progress.  I have mine set to the standard 10,000 steps per day, so for every 2,000 steps I take, a dot lights up.  If you’ve reached your “mile marker” (i.e. 2,000), the light is steady.  If you’re progressing, the light blinks: slowly if you’ve just entered that 2,000 or more quickly as you’re nearly the end of that particular set of steps.  Once you reach your goal (which you can adjust to fit your lifestyle), the wristband vibrates! If it’s towards the end of the day and I haven’t achieved my goal, I typically walk around the basement or head to the gym to make up my steps.

The Flex also tracks sleep and can wake you up if you like, but I don’t like to wear jewelry or anything like that when I sleep, so I don’t use those features.  It’s nice that they are included though.

Fitbit Aria (i.e. the Fitbit Scale)

I’ve wanted this scale for quite some time.  It’s the neatest thing for lazy people like me.  When you step on the scale, it tells you your weight and body fat %, but then automatically uploads that weight to My Fitness Pal, which is an app I use daily (when I’m in this healthy phase).  It keeps track of all my past weight ins too.  What’s more, you can link up to 6 people on it, so Jeff and Jake can use it too!  Sure, it’s not a necessity by any means, but I like it.  🙂

Soundbot SB220 Bluetooth Headphones

Again, not really necessary, but having Bluetooth headphones is nice when you’re at the gym.  When I’m lifting weights or running or whatever I’m doing, I don’t want my ear bud cord getting in my way.  Plus, with these headphones, you don’t have to worry about them falling out of your ears like you do with ear buds.  The one downside to these is I like to immerse myself in music when I’m at the gym.  These get pretty loud, but I can still hear outside noises every so often. Not often enough that I will go back to ear buds though.

Finally, some of my favorite apps I’ve downloaded this year to help me stay fit and motivated:

MyFitnessPal (Free)-This app is how I track all my calories, exercise, and water intake.  It’s probably the most talked about calorie counting app out there and what’s better is it links directly with my FitBit.  The more I walk, the more calories I get to have if I choose.  Also, a new feature they’ve added since I used it last is the recipe importer.  This is killer for me as I do A LOT of cooking from internet based recipes.  Before I would always shy away from inputting recipes because it was time consuming and tedious.  Now you can enter the link for the recipe you’re making and MFP finds the ingredients for you.  You have to verify the items and quantities, but for the most part MFP gets it right.  It has never been easier to upload a recipe!

Fitness Buddy (Free)-This is a new app that was rated highly in the App store.  I discovered it on one of the “best apps for working out” lists I read when trying to find workout apps earlier this year.  I downloaded several but so far this is my favorite.  It has a ton of different workouts, easily tracks your sets and reps, and (best of all) it was FREE!  I believe there are some in-app purchases available, but I haven’t needed to utilize that function yet.

Couch to 5k ($1.99)-This app is another one that’s highly rated and tons of people use it when they want to train to run a 5k.  There are free versions available (one I like is Ease into 5k), but when experts recommend something to people, this is the one they choose.  Being a gadget girl, I like that this app (and others like it) track your runs for you, build you up gradually, and even have voice over encouragement if that’s your thing.  I don’t really enjoy running, but I do love the runners high I get when I do.  It’s a love/hate relationship, people.

RockMyRun (Free)-I just discovered this app last night actually.  I’d had it on my phone for a while, but I’d never really played with it.  (Something you may not know about me is I’m a music junky.  I love music.  It motivates me when I want to give up and calms me down when I’m anxious or upset about something.)  Last night was my first time in the gym in a while.  I had made a half assed attempt to go last week but ended up flaking out on my cardio, banged out some strength work, and left.  Just no motivation at all.

Last night I decided to try something a little different and played around with this app.  Maybe it was the playlist I landed on, maybe it was my mood, maybe something completely different.  Who knows.  But I KILLED IT last night.  I like to think it was due in part to this app.  The playlist I found was a mix of rock, rap, & pop.  What’s better is they were all mashups!  (Mom – mashups are when you take two seemingly different songs and blend them together so they seem as though they were meant to be together all along.)  I had to stop myself from busting out the lyrics to Aerosmith’s Sweet Emotion and Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’!  I’m anxious to get back to the gym just to find another playlist I love.

So, as you can see, my year is starting off on the right foot.  Where it will lead, I have no idea.  But for now I’m gonna ride this wave as far as it will take me.  Hopefully this post has left you with a little inspiration for your own healthy 2015!

Run Baby Run

I had been looking forward to my girls’ weekend away in Louisville for a while now.  Not only would I get to see my bestie, but we were doing The Color Run too…“The Happiest 5k on the Planet”!

You may remember when we did this run last year.  I remember thinking it was just OK but I wasn’t sure if I’d do it again.  I’m so glad I did!  I’m not sure if it was because we knew to expect about an hour wait at the lineup or what, but this year was so much fun!  Could have been partly to do with these jokers keeping us entertained while we waited!

We took our time getting to the race because, as I mentioned before, we knew we’d have to wait a while at the lineup.  They let the runners go across the starting line in waves so the color stations don’t get too clogged up.  We killed time taking pictures.

After about 45 minutes, we were on our way.  Blue was up first!

There were three (well, technically four) more color stations, but I didn’t take any more pictures until almost the end when there was a fun wall everyone was able to sign.

Look closely…can you spot my name?

By the time we were done, we were both a hot mess.  But in the best way.

Afterwards, I messed around with the panorama function of my iPhone!

One of the best parts of the Color Run is the color throw at the end.  I missed it last year, but this year we were dead center.  It was fabulous!

I loved this saying:

What a great time we had!

While we were walking to the car, Carolyn spotted a friend of hers, who she promptly stole.

This little bundle was the cutest thing ever!

From there, we went to my favorite breakfast place in the world…Wild Eggs!  So good!

There was a 45 minute wait (worth it, btw), so we got some coffee and headed outside to kill some time.

It was a gorgeous morning.  I think it was about 70* with a slight breeze.  It was the perfect morning to chill outside!

Of course, once we got inside, it was just as good.  I ordered the chilequiles and we split an order of the raspberry lemon pancakes.  They were both out of this world.  I already want more.

Once we were done eating, we were both pretty tired, so we headed home to rest up and get ready for painting that night.  Stay tuned…

What has been your favorite 5k (or longer) you’ve run in the past?

Race to a Healthy, Happy Me

A few weeks ago, my life looked a little different.  I would go to work, come home, and sit.  Sure, I would play with my child and cook dinner for my husband and myself, but the thought of working out was just not present.

Yes, I had a baby almost eight (!!) months ago and it was definitely past time to start getting myself healthy, but I just couldn’t bear the thought of being on my feet at my retail job every day and then coming home to do even more physical movement.  I already had the tasks of making dinner, cleaning, doing laundry, taking care of my boys, etc on my list.  Could I really add another one?

I thought long and hard about adding in some exercise.  Well, actually it was a pretty short internal conversation:

Me:  I hate feeling tired all the time.  I have to work on my feet all day.  Why do I need to come home and do more physical movement?

Me:  You want to know WHY you’re so tired?  You’re out of shape!  If you get your butt in gear, maybe you’ll find energy you never knew you had.  And WHY should you do more movement?  To get healthy!  Duh!  You want to be a good role model for your little boy, right?  That’s why you make healthy dinners.  That’s why you keep the house clean.  That’s why you try to make healthy decisions, right?  Well, exercise is all part of that, my friend.  Now MOVE!

Me:  But I really don’t want to.  I’m fine the way I am.

Me:  Remember that picture you took when you were at a healthy weight and not classified as obese?

Right, that one.  You’re not gonna get that way by sitting on your butt.  Make a decision.  Be fat and lazy or be healthy and in shape!  Whatever your decision, just shut up and do it!

So, after that dialogue I made my decision.  Healthy and in shape is definitely the choice I choose.  I went to the gym the next day and started Couch to 5k!

Now, telling myself to move is one thing.  Having motivation that pushes me is another.  When Jo‘s husband said he was running in the Ghost and Goblin 5k in October, I made my second great decision.  I would sign up to run in it.  Before I could talk myself out of it, I paid the $20 and joined.  No turning back now!

Then, a few days ago, my manager told me our community at work was creating a group to walk in the Step Out Walk to Stop Diabetes.  Walgreens is an avid supporter of walking and getting healthy.  This is just one more way to get the word out there.  I immediately agreed to walk!

Last weekend, Jeff, Jake, and I went to visit Carolyn in Louisville.  While at breakfast at Wild Eggs (if you live in Louisville, you MUST go!), all these people had on white shirts covered in splotches of color.  What the heck?  Carolyn informed me there was a race called the Color Run that weekend.  Basically the concept is to run the 5k while being splattered with paint powder.  I’d never heard of such a thing, but it looked really fun!

(source)

Well, this morning I was talking to a different friend who mentioned there was a color run coming up in Cincinnati in October!  Yay!  I watched the video below and started to get really excited.

Please tell me…who wouldn’t want to be a part of “the happiest 5k on the planet”?  I’m stoked!

So, my friends, the morale of the story is I made the decision to be a healthy, happy me.  I started running again, I started going back to Zumba, I started eating better.  Basically I started caring for myself again.

And I’ve never been happier.

How are you making yourself a healthier, happier you?

Healthy Eating

Back in 2009 when I decided I had had enough of my weight and it was time to do something about it, I knew I had to change two things: my eating and my exercising. This is a no brainer for getting fit. Here are some of the things I incorporated into my diet:

Oatmeal: I would typically have this for breakfast every day. I liked adding a scoop of peanut butter to it as well as a banana or some dried cherries. Slivered almonds were great if I wanted a little extra crunch too.

String Cheese and Roasted Almonds: This was one of my go to snacks. Lots of protein and just enough fat to get me to the next meal a few hours away.

Carrots and Cream Cheese: I know, it sounds kind of odd, but the Philadelphia Low Fat Garden Veggie cream cheese is similar to really thick ranch dressing. Try it. I promise you’ll like it.

Chobani yogurt: I have always loved yogurt, but I love Chobani even more because of the added protein. Protein=sustained energy and who doesn’t want that??

Apples with Low Fat Caramel Dip: I have a MAJOR sweet tooth and almost always have to end my lunches and dinners with a little treat. I started eating apples with caramel dip as a way to get in a healthy treat without blowing my diet.

Hard boiled eggs: Again, this is a great source of protein. I actually don’t like the yolk, so I would bring a couple eggs and just eat the whites with a pinch of salt. It makes for a yummy, quick breakfast if you are able to toast a couple sliced of bread and add a slice of cheese to the mix. Yummy egg sammy!

Canned vegetable based soups: I ate a bunch of Progresso soup. At first I would eat all the varieties including the ones made with meat. Then I saw a special with Jamie Oliver that talked about the pink slime. Apparently this is what they use in canned soups. So long, meaty soups! It’s all veggies all the time for this girl.

Ham sandwiches: This was pretty much my staple for lunch. I almost always had a ham sandwich, light chips, and a yogurt. It was filling and tasty. I more often that not end up bringing this to work still to this day!

Frozen Meals: OK, so Lean Cuisines are probably not the best thing you can have (TONS OF SODIUM), but when I am in a hurry to get to work, I don’t always have time to make a sandwich or put a salad together. This is when I grab a frozen meal. I mean, hey, it’s either this or hitting the drive thru. You tell me which is better…

Weight Watchers Frozen Candy Bars: This is Weight Watchers’ version of a frozen Snickers ice cream bar. Oh so tasty and extremely satisfying. I loved when I had enough calories at the end of the day to enjoy on of these babies!

These were my go to foods when I was getting my eating back under control. Now that I’m having to do it again, however, I find myself still burnt out on many of these items.

So, dear friends, I need some help. What healthy foods or snacks do you keep on hand to maintain your healthy eating? I’m hoping to get some new ideas so I can keep the momentum of healthy eating going!

Encouraging the Masses

I’m not normally one to get on my soapbox and spout my beliefs for everyone to hear.  I think everyone is entitled to their opinion and I try to respect everyone’s point of view.  The fact that we are all different is what makes each of us special and unique.

That being said, I must pull out the soapbox and dust it off today.  I’m not sure how many of you watched Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution on ABC last year.  If you didn’t, you missed out.  Luckily, it’s on again this year targeting the LAUSD school system in Los Angeles.

LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District) is the largest public school system in California and second largest public school system in America (NYC’s public school system being the first).  They are responsibly for molding, shaping, and most importantly feeding nearly 700,000 children in the LA area.

With that amount of children’s health at stake, Jamie decided to try to improve the dietary guidelines in the school district.  California, after all, is known for healthy, active lifestyles, so you would think the school district would be concerned for their children’s health, right?

Guess not.  The reason I’m so irritated this morning is how obtuse the Superintendent and his staff are being as far as Jamie coming in and trying to improve the situation.  He was barred from entering the schools and was told if he tried to enter, the police would be called.

Here’s my question…if you believe you are doing a good job and you have nothing to hide, why are you not allowing just one person to inspect your cafeterias and the quality of your food?

I am a huge advocate of the prevention of childhood obesity.  I believe we should give our children wholesome, healthy foods as much as possible.  Whole grains, bright cheerful fruits and veggies, lean proteins.  That’s where it’s at, man.

One of the main topics of last night’s show was the prevention of sugar laden milk in the schools (think strawberry and chocolate milks).  Jamie did a presentation where he piled one week’s worth of the sugar found in flavored milk alone into a school bus.  By the time the sugar was emptied into the bus, there were HUGE piles of sugar flowing from the cracks and crevasses of the bus onto the ground below.  It was appalling.  All that sugar is unnecessary.

Granted, I am not a mom.  Yet.  I don’t have kids.  Yet.  But I do know what it’s like to buy school lunches every day.  I remember very clearly what my school’s lunch program was:

Day One:  Pizza
Day Two:  Cheeseburgers
Day Three:  Frito Chili Pie
Day Four:  Chicken Strips
Day Five:  Pizza
**Every day french fries were available and most of the time I would get those covered in ranch dressing.  It’s no wonder I have had weight issues my whole life!  (Disclaimer:  my mother did her best to encourage healthy eating at home, but she wasn’t there to slap the fries and ranch out of my hand at lunch!)

In fact, when I moved out and went to college, I lived on cheeseburgers, fries, pizza, chicken strips.  Typical college fare.  It didn’t help that I worked at a diner that made these foods readily available.  Luckily, in my third year of college, I began rooming with Carolyn, who slowly and gradually helped me see what exactly I was doing to my body.  Thanks, friend!

I really want to encourage everyone to pay attention to the health of the humans (and most importantly the children) around you.  Yes, it can be hard to eat healthy all the time, especially when you are used to eating fat and sugar and CRAP.

Make little changes.  Swap out whole grains for white bread and pasta, pick a yogurt that has more fiber protein in it (Chobani versus Yoplait or Dannon), drink one extra glass of water instead of that soda. If you made one change a week for one year, think of how much healthier you’d be by April 2012.  If you won’t do it for yourself, do it for your kids.  Promote a healthy image for them!

If you feel like helping Jamie’s cause to bring healthy food to the children of America, visit his website to sign the Food Revolution petition and get tips on being active in your community.  Over 23,000 people have signed the petition in Ohio alone, yours truly being one of the few and proud!

Do your part, America.  GET MOVING!

(That is all.  Storing my soapbox under my bed for at least a week.)