Bucking History (still day 1)

I am just 8 hours into this "project" and I am already struggling mentally. Not with the "no sugar" thing or even the "no cheese" thing (I LOVE CHEESE).

You see, I was a college athlete, and I know how to work out and lose weight. Come January, when I'm 20 lbs overweight, I restrict what I eat and work out hard. That's how I lose weight. And it always works. And it certainly doesn't include steak, bacon and eggs!

Except, it didn't work this year -- in part because I never quite working out and never quite put on the whole 20 lbs. It was more like 10. But I'm less motivated because there was less weight to lose. Now, my decision to do Whole30 was based on my health and how I am feeling. It was not about losing weight.

HOWEVER, that doesn't mean I want to put on 25 lbs eating steak and potatoes and as much as it takes to get me to my next meal so that I don't have headaches. Aren't I supposed to be hungry? Aren't I supposed to be cranky and suffering? No pain, no gain, right? Well so far, I still have the headache (no I wasn't expecting miracles) but I'm not hungry and I am in a good mood. That can't be right!

Our office admin did this in January and she continues to live the Whole30 way. She looks amazing and feels great. She didn't have 10 lbs to lose and she lost 18. She looks like a supermodel. But what if it does the opposite for me?

I have to retrain my brain to accept this or I won't make it -- and it has nothing to do with the cheese withdrawal. I honestly thought that was what would do me in.

Day 1 - Whole30?

After overwhelming evidence and success from several people I love, I am taking the plunge. I am going to do the Whole30. I will eliminate added sugar, grains, legumes (including peanuts), alcohol and dairy for 30 days or more. If you think I'm crazy, I think so, too.

I cannot say I plan for Whole30 to change my WHOLE life or to never drink wine or eat cheese again. But I read "It Starts With Food" and I can say this could help me. I'd like to change some things about my eating habits and break out of what I've been doing that's not working for me. I have chronic back pain so I'm hoping for some inflammatory relief. I was sick all winter, on and off, and I just don't feel "good."

I've been told my weight to lose is vanity weight. But it's 10 pounds over "my" ideal weight (which is often considered 15 lbs over my doctor's office ideal weight for my size).

So today I woke with a refrigerator packed with veggies, delicious proteins (such as bacon and ground beef, softshell crab and mahi mahi) and a few necessary substitutes -- I cannot drink black coffee, so I bought almond milk -- and a searing headache. I got out of bed, reluctantly, and took my dog for a 45 minute walk. But before I left I peeled two hard boiled eggs for my "pre-workout" snack. This is supposed to get my body ready to burn calories or something. Either way, I'm good at following instructions, so I did it.

I stepped on the scale before I left -- I am not supposed to do this again until the 30 days are up. I weighed 158.6. I am 5'8"  ... truthfully I was 153 on Friday post workout and dehydrated, so I am going to say I started 156 lbs.

I ate a massive breakfast upon return and left way too late for work. Lunch was much of the same.

I am energized, satiated and motivated. We'll see how long that lasts.

Two kids and a bikini!

So, about 3 months ago I cleaned out my swim suit drawer - sadly, but finally, removing my maternity swimming suits and some very stretched out tankinis. I'm sorry, but tankinis were the worst offender when I was young. But I totally understand now why they are not only necessary, but very handy.

And while I will not go to a public beach with a regular bikini on, I have decided not to throw out my pile of bikinis. It am just under 2 pounds away from my goal weight and I have no intentions of stopping exercise, weight lifting and the like! I look forward to tanning my flat, albeit still a little giggly tummy and perhaps wearing one of my mid 20s bikinis. Life is so much better when you don't feel like you have to cover every inch of your body - at least that's how I feel.

My goal, now, is not to continue to lose weight until I disappear. It is to keep up with my pilates (encorepilates.net) and strengthen and tone to keep my back and belly in summer shape - hopefully through the summer and for the rest of my life.

I thought my goal would be about losing weight. It turns out, it will be about how I changed my life to stay fit and eat healthy as a mom. I've never been able to do it before ... so it will be a challenge!

Encore! Encore! -- I love my pilates class!

So, I am always complaining there aren't enough exercises out there I can do with my bad back. But I have been doing pilates for the past 2 years, and it's very low impact on my back if I do it correctly.

I took pilates at a gym, but I hated it. I take a mat class from one of my neighbors, and I absolutely love it. The mat class is held in a private home in Holly Springs not far from Avent Ferry. If you live in the Holly Springs, NC area, I highly recommend you check it out www.encorepilates.net/ ... the instructor is Kathy, and she has had two kids and understands how a woman's body changes, especially her belly area, and what it takes to get your belly back in shape and strengthened the RIGHT WAY.

The mat classes are usually five people or less, so you can expect a little bit of one on one attention, not like those gym classes when  you are one of 20.

Pilates has helped my back so much, as it focuses so much on core strengthening. My belly is flatter, stronger and so it my back! I feel like I can do more, and her classes have helped me break the pain cycle. I cannot say enough good things about her, and she's a little shy about sharing her success stories. But she's amazing!

An exercise I can do without hurting my back

So, my husband bought me a recumbent bike after Christmas, which is something my physical therapist said I could use any time. I bought it off craigslist and credit that bike for at least 80% of my weight loss. It isn't just the calorie but, but it keeps me from falling off the wagon with the food, too.

I know it will all have gone in vain if I eat like a pig or really unhealthy. Why exercise at all if you're not going to try to eat right and help it along!

I am happy to say I hit my original goal weight of 155 pounds, but I realize there is more toning and weight loss to be had, so I readjusted my goal to 149 pounds. I am struggling a bit, but it will come. I am not 153 pounds and have been as low as 152. I am going to do it!

After I hit 149, my goal will be to look good in a bikini. Those tank-inis make me feel old!

Try this recipe - YUMMY!

Found a new, FANTASTIC shrimp recipe. I cut the olive oil by 1/2 tablespoon and it was awesome. I feel like I could cut it even further and love it just as much. Maybe 1 tbsp total because there is so much marinade to keep it moist. On a whim, my 3-year-old picked a Mediterranean Couscous and together it was outstanding (I also cut the olive oil in the couscous by 1 tbsp, and it was perfect).

It wasn't the lowest fat recipe, but I didn't feel like I was cutting fat at all! It was nothing short of wonderful and I would do it again and again, if fresh shrimp were not so expensive. I will wait for deals and make it whenever fresh shrimp is on sale!

We got the recipe from eatingwell.com, and it is called Shrimp Paulista.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
• 8 cloves garlic, minced, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, divided
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (again, I cut this by 1/2 tbsp)

Preparation

1. Place shrimp in a medium nonreactive bowl and toss with lime juice, 1/4 cup cilantro, half the garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, marinade and remaining garlic; cook until the shrimp are just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; add the remaining 1/4 cup cilantro, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper. Toss to combine.

Nutrition

Per serving: 164 calories; 6 g fat ( 1 g sat , 4 g mono ); 224 mg cholesterol; 2 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 24 g protein; 0 g fiber; 456 mg sodium; 241 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Selenium (66% daily value), Iron (20% dv).
Exchanges: 3 1/2 very lean meat, 1 fat

7 weeks - 13 lbs lost & still going!

About two days before New Years, I started to work out and eat right. Since my New Year's resolutions are rarely kept, I didn't make losing weight and getting healthy my resolution.

It is my focus! And this time, I really am going to keep up the hard work and healthy eating.

My sister is to be married in less than 3 weeks, and I am the maid of honor (matron of honor sounds so old to me, even though I am married). The other bridesmaids are tiny! So I didn't want to be Big-Fat Kristin in front of close friends and family.

I know they're not looking at me. But still ...

So I have used pinterest since January to find healthy recipes and am not shy about asking friends for great light recipes.

I got this one from a friend and pinterest also had it.

It's black beans, corn, edamame, red peppers, scallions, fresh squeezed limes, cilantro, cumin and garlic. It was really yummy. I could have eaten it all as a simple salad, but my husband threw some shrimp in with it. That was OK, but he really seemed to like it.

It's crucial to have support when you're losing weight, and my husband makes a great weight-loss buddy. We push each other to work out more and eat healthy. I owe at least three of my 13 lost lbs to him!

And he has lost several pounds (probably 10-15) and his cholesterol and blood pressure are both improving.