Fit Friday:Gym Tips for Sissies

LOL if you think I'm about to try to tell you how to get that bikini bod. By "sissies," I mean people who are afraid of the gym.You know the ones I'm talking about: they walk around aimlessly, eyes down (or glued to their phones), only using the machines and equipment they're 100% familiar with. Actually, these are the people who come in, walk on the treadmill or play on the elliptical for a few minutes, then leave and call it a "good workout."

Oh, and they avoid the weights like the plague.

     Most do this out of fear of embarrassing themselves, which is totally understandable. But let me just tell you, you can be a gym goer for years and you're still going to embarrass yourself sometimes. A few nights ago, I was lying on my back on the bench and when I went to get up, I guess I wasn't balanced enough so there I was flailing my arms and legs around like a moron. Not sure how many people saw that little slip-up, but I just kind of laughed at myself and kept on going.

     Anyway, if you're one of those people or have been one of those people, I feel your pain. But like other uncomfortable things in life (running into your ex, having your credit card declined, visits to the gyno), ya gotta find a way to get over them. Here are my five gym tips for sissies from a former super gym sissy (for real, I was terrible).

1. Know before you go. If there's one thing I hate worse than the Cardio Club (people who run on the treadmill for five minutes, bike for ten, elliptical for fifteen and brag about their "killer workout"), it's the people who come in and go from machine to machine, targeting a different muscle group at each one, stay for a total of twenty to thirty minutes, then leave. They have accomplished absolutely nothing. Research before you go; decide what muscle group or groups you want to work and work them until they're fatigued. If you're sore the next morning, you're doing it right. You shouldn't be in pain--just sore or a little jello-y. Read about some of the most effective workout plans and programs at Bodybuilding.com. Put a plan together that fits your goals then go to the gym and do work.

2. Get some earbuds and keep 'em in. If you can't hear what's going on around you, you're a lot less likely to worry about whether or not those meatheads are talking about your squats-- they're not. On top of that, it sometimes helps me stay focused if I'm in my own little world... until I catch myself humming out loud.

3. Join a class. I'm a member of a small gym now, but when I was a member of the Desoto Athletic Club a couple years ago, I immediately signed up for their Team Training classes that mixed free weights with plyometrics with Crossfit with Insanity. It was like a bunch of different workouts combined into 40-60 minute classes that basically taught you how to work out. I loved it! I have to say that before attending these classes, I was your run-of-the-mill Cardio Queen. I'm no buff babe now, but I'm well on my way :) Generic gyms like Snap!Fitness and ATC don't normally offer classes, but you can still get the most out of all the equipment they have by educating yourself before you go work out (refer back to number one).

4. Use the buddy system. During our freshman year of college, my best friend and I worked out in the school's gym three, sometimes four times a week. We took full advantage of a free gym and having each other as a workout partner. Yes, we usually just went for cardio, but we were never afraid to venture to the back of the gym and do a few exercises with dumbbells, even amongst all the meatheads. Of course we weren't intimidated: we had each other! If she looked dumb, we both did, so it didn't matter. If you can, grab a friend and create a schedule where you can go together. Just stay on track; don't spend more time chatting than working out! There's a couple girls I'm convinced just come to my gym to bounce on the yoga balls and talk about the woes of high school. I want to ring out my sweat rag over their heads.

5. If all else fails, do what you know first. You've done your research, designed a workout plan, and you're pretty pumped to give it a go until you head towards the weights section, only to turn right back around because you're too intimidated by all the meatheads. Happens to me sometimes, even now. Start out with what makes you comfortable. For me, it's running. I get on a treadmill and run for five or ten minutes, until I've worked up the courage (and confidence) to tackle what I came to do. I've got my ear buds in, my hat on, and I go after it. Sometimes you just need to get yourself together. Sometimes we just psych ourselves out a little too much. Trust me though, and I have to tell myself this too, no one is watching you.

6. Tried all these things and you're still a wuss? Nothing wrong with that. Well, not really. Maybe the gym's just not the place for you.. yet. That's totally fine! Get yourself two or three sets of dumbbells and work out at home. Try my #30onThursday!!!

Happy Sweating!

#30onThursday... It hurts to laugh/cough/sneeze/breathe.

     Today is simple. Set the timer on your watch or phone for twenty-five minutes and do the following routine as many times as you can. Twenty-five minutes may seem like a long time for abs (I usually do a core workout at the gym in ten or fifteen minutes at the end of my workout). At home, I turned on the TV and got to work! I got to catch up on Keeping Up with the Kardashians and work on my core! Use the last five minutes to stretch and relax :)

You will need: a mat (optional). That's it!

40 second plank
25 mountain climbers
20 second side plank
25 crunches
25 reverse crunches
20 second side plank (Do the opposite side).
25 Russian twists
10 heel pulses (Try to keep your knees straight and soles parallel with the ceiling to really feel this one)!
REST one minute

"Don't you dare tell her that."

From family members to the tellers at the banks I run to every day for work, to the people at the post office, to the pharmacists next door and the ones across the Square, to the sweet ladies who take care of Vaught every day... People are constantly asking me "So, who does he look like?"

     I wasn't sure at first. By the time he was twenty-four hours old, I thought maybe he had my features: round cheeks, short nose, thin lips... By the time he was a few days old, I had completely changed my mind; Eric and I agreed that this child was way too pretty to resemble either of us. "Well, no offense to my husband," I said to someone, "but Vaught's much too beautiful to look like him." I said to someone else, "He doesn't look like me because I know I'm not that pretty." Everything from his bright, blue eyes to the perfect color of his skin was just remarkable. I mean it-- I still think Vaught is too perfect to look like either of us. When people ask me now, I just shrug and tell them I really don't know.

     It's funny how people are so quick to volunteer their thoughts on who your child favors most. We usually can't see ourselves in our children, but others can. My mother tells me that Vaught has many of Eric's expressions and his long fingers and feet. My aunts say he's got my smile. One of them says he looks a lot like my grandfather who passed away in 2008. No, I can't see myself in Vaught, but I can definitely look at other people's babies and know right away which parent they most resemble. I, too, am quick to say He looks just like you! Or She has your nose! And I never thought it was a big deal. I mean, the two of you made a baby together, so it's bound to look like one or both of you. I never thought it was "wrong" to tell someone who their baby looks like up until a few months ago...

     One of my friends had a baby. I'm actually friends with her husband, but since I wasn't on Facebook at the time, I was friends with her on Instagram to keep up with what they were doing and how the pregnancy was going. As I swooned over pictures of their precious baby girl (just a couple of weeks before having Vaught), I ran into my mom's office. "Look at picture's of so-and-so's baby! Look how sweet she is!" My mom and I sat there ooohing and awwwing over the pictures then I said, "She looks just like her daddy!"

My mom swiveled in her chair to look up at me and said, "Don't you dare tell her that."  

She said it so sternly (almost harshly), I asked, "Why?" That's when my mom told me that mothers, especially those of little girls, don't usually like to hear that their babies don't look like them.

     I had never been so confused in my life. I'd never heard that, and I suddenly thought back to the manyyyyy baby girls I'd seen in my life, where I was so quick to tell their mothers that they looked just like their fathers. I have always thought little girls looked like their daddies until they're a few years old. You could dress any infant girl up in blue, and she could easily pass for a boy all day long. I never considered that mothers might not like to hear that their baby girls don't look like them, even when they're a few hours or even a few months old.

     My nieces are now nine and six. The nine-year-old didn't begin to resemble my oldest sister until she was around four years old, and my six-year-old niece looks more and more like her dad as she gets older. I don't really know where I'm going with this post, other than to possibly spark the conversation... Are all women offended when told that their child (boy or girl) doesn't resemble them?

I'll be honest: I am not. At all. And I meant what I said; I think Vaught is just too beautiful to look like either of us. Even still, it doesn't bother me a bit when someone tells me he looks just like Eric,  but now I'm wondering if all the people who told me he looks like me just said that because they thought it'd make me happy... It sure as hell doesn't make a difference to me.

Thoughts??

Tiny Prints Coffee Mugs

{{Disclaimer: I received this item for free in exchange for my honest
opinion. All opinions are solely my own.}}

For more than a year, a little white coffee maker sat in a corner on my kitchen
counter, used only when my parents visited. I have been a coffee nut
for well over a decade now; however, I only drank coffee that was made
for me by a Starbucks barista. What can I say? I have expensive taste!

With several gift cards after my wedding, I bought a Keurig. It was
fun at first, but after trying dozens of different K-cups, I couldn't
get the instant coffee taste out of my mouth. I sold my Keurig and
bought a brand new small coffee maker (the old-fashioned kind) for $5
at a junk store. I began using it more as I realized how much money
I'd been spending at Starbucks.

Then came baby.

Coffee made at home became my routine because I could no longer run
out to Starbucks any time I wanted. Who knew that I really could make
it taste just like a barista-made drink?! My routine during the first
few weeks with Vaught consisted of preparing my coffee grounds in the
maker at nighttime, then I would run into the kitchen and start my
coffee when Vaught woke up. By the time I fed him a bottle and
rocked him back to sleep, my coffee was hot and ready, and I enjoyed
sipping a homemade latte while watching the sun rise. Making a pot of
coffee is now a must for me and Eric every morning. Eric doesn't
always drink a cup, but he still appreciates knowing that it's there
if he needs it. You really don't have to know me for very long to know
that I am a devoted coffee addict!

And what does every coffee addict need? A personalized coffee mug, of
course!!

I ordered mine exclusively from Tiny Prints!! They had two
different mug sizes and so many styles to choose from! I so badly
wanted to order one with pictures of my family on it but decided I
would wait until we have some professional family photos taken this
March! I chose a vintage-y design with my name in cursive across the
center. You can have it personalized any way you'd like! Most people
know me as Nicole or Kate, but the older I get the more I love being
called Katherine. Plus, I thought the design I chose was so elegant I
wanted Katherine printed on the mug; it sounds more formal :)





Click on the banner below to visit Tiny Prints and customize a coffee
mug of your own! Or a throw pillow... or mouse pad... or a blanket...
or birth announcements! There are so many neat things at Tiny Prints!

Happy Shopping!

My mom doesn't read my blog...

But a lot of other people do! She says it's because she hates reading long articles/stories on a screen. To her credit, she's been asking me for several weeks to print out my blog posts on paper for her to read at nighttime. Still haven't done it. Sorry, mom.

My sponsors watch my Google Analytics page so I don't have to, but I think it's interesting to check it out sometimes too. People have asked me before "Who all reads your blog?" I used to say "Oh, just a few people... Anyone who's just really bored." But now it's more like "Gee, I guess a lot of people!" Here are the analytics for my blog during the month of January so far.

Top 5 Cities where Keeping Pace is Being Read:
1. Memphis, TN
2. Bowling Green, KY
3. Moscow, Russia
4. Tupelo, MS
5. Hot Springs, AR

Gender of Readers
46% Female
54% Male

Ages of Readers
18-34: This age group makes up just a little more than 60% of my readers.

Languages in which my blog has been read:
English
Russian
Spanish

Average of unique monthly viewers:
984... This means that an average of 984 individuals have viewed my blog this month. Could be more, could be a little less.

Pageviews since January 1st:
7,158... This does not mean that 7,000 people have viewed my blog this month. This is the amount of times my page has been visited. I post a few times a week, so this counts for all the times people come back to my blog to read. This is no big deal to big-name bloggers, but it's huge to me. By the end of this year, my goal is to be getting about 15,000 pageviews per month. BUT that's not important; what's important is when you all tell me how much you enjoy reading. That's means more than anything!

It's so cool to bring this page up every now and then just to see how Keeping Pace is doing. I've connected with so many people through blogging, and I really hope to connect with so many more of you as time goes on! Hello to my friends in Russia! How neat!! 

"This place is just, like... it's, like... I just really like this place." {Weekend Recap}

I don't want to do a recap of the weekend after every weekend, but I enjoy doing them when we've had a new, fun adventure or just a really pleasant, relaxing weekend! This weekend, we had both!

Friday Night

When you begin eating healthy, it's surprising how quickly your body will start craving those good-for-you foods. Instead of our usual Friday night at the Mexican restaurant or Buffalo Wild Wings, I was craving a good salad from Newk's!

Eric likes the Black & Bleu salad with ranch dressing. I went with Newk's Favorite salad with the dressing on the side. I ended up using hardly half a cup of their sherry vinaigrette dressing. It's delicious, but you really don't need all that dressing! Salad dressing is such a hidden diet-killer!

 

Vaught had his Podee Hands-Free bottle to keep him occupied. He had just woken up from a nap and was hangry!

After Newk's we did a little grocery shopping at the "Super Kroger" in Southaven. They remodeled the store last year, and it's as big as a Sam's Club now. I had to pick up some Comforts for Baby diapers for my Bzz Campaign! I'm so excited to write a post for my campaign in the next few days!

 

 

Saturday

After a year and a half, I finally scheduled an eye appointment; I've been needing new contact lenses for a while! The eye doctor's office is right next door to one of my very favorite Starbucks locations on Poplar Avenue in Germantown. It seems as if it's almost built into the ground, like a Starbucks café in a basement. I wish I'd gotten more pictures!

 

We had planned to shop around at Whole Foods after my appointment, but as we were sitting at an intersection, I noticed The Fresh Market in a small shopping center to our left. I remembered my aunt, who loves all things cooking and kitchen-related, talking about the fresh produce and unique spices she finds here, so I suggested to Eric that we try it out. In addition to that, it looked a lot less crowded than Whole Foods was bound to be on a Saturday morning.

 

We were not disappointed!

They had a cute coffee bar set up, including different varieties
of raw sugar! Their coffee was amazing!

 

If you're wondering where the title of this blog post came from, it was something I mumbled aloud to myself while pushing our cart. Eric gets a kick out of the things I say when I'm talking to myself... I guess it is a little strange.

 

After Fresh Market, it was definitely time for more coffee! I actually regretted that we'd already gotten groceries the night before because there were so many other things I wanted to try from FM! I'm probably most excited about the bag of fresh-baked whole grain bagels! We'll definitely be going back next Saturday!

 

Earlier Saturday morning I put chicken breasts in the crockpot to cook. I had planned on us having shredded chicken tacos that night, but we were starving by the time we got home, so we ate our supper for lunch. Eric had bought a pork shoulder at Fresh Market, so he marinated that for Saturday night's dinner.

I've been skipping out on bread and eating sandwiches and wraps
on lettuce instead. Just as good and much healthier!

 I skipped leg day Friday, so I made up for it Saturday. My workout was actually about an hour long, but I forgot to sync up my monitor until I was about halfway in!

 

Sunday

I had a short Sunday morning arms, shoulders, and abs workout then enjoyed an iced venti quad skinny latte from Starbucks.

 

 

My niece, Cherish, was sent to the ER early in the morning and we later found out she had pneumonia, so we went to visit her in the hospital. I was a little nervous about taking Vaught into the hospital, but I decided that we just couldn't sit at home all day knowing our precious niece was sick. Since there were so many people visiting Cherish, we spent some time with my parents and sister in the waiting room. Vaught was happy as he could be! We got word tonight that Cherish was doing much better, though she'll probably be at the hospital another day or two. I hate seeing all these babies and children so sick!

 

To top the weekend off, I got to indulge in a cookies & cream milkshake from George's on our way home then Cheslin called, and Vaught and I got to Facetime with her all the way in Alaska! She was three hours behind us.

 

We stuck with a simple dinner tonight and made omelets. Mine was one whole egg, one egg white, mixed with spinach, feta cheese, onion, and diced ham. We love quick and easy dinners!

 

 

Hope you all had an amazing weekend! 





Vaught: Four Months Old

I should probably put this guilty rant elsewhere, but it's going to go right here... I was in the middle of Instagramming one night a few weeks ago when I stopped myself before hitting "share"and realized that some people might think I'm the biggest a-hole in the new parenting world...

 

 I brag on my child like there is no tomorrow.

     I don't necessarily do it on purpose (okay, sometimes I do), but all I heard about parenthood the second I found out I was pregnant were negative things. Yes, they said I'd be crazy in love, but they also said that so many parts of it were just horrible. I didn't think I'd get any sleep for months or that I'd ever get to go to the gym again or be in public with the baby not screaming or enjoy time alone with my husband. I hoped for the best, prepared for the worst.

     With Vaught, I got pure, perfect bliss, the easiest, happiest, sweetest baby I'm pretty sure there ever was. I realized right before I posted to Instagram that night that I should probably chill out with the way I talk about him though. I know lots of people who have had babies fairly recently or are expecting, and I would never want to come off as condescending or obnoxious, nor would I want to give the impression to any expectant moms that their baby will be as calm and happy as Vaught. Every baby is different, and as parents, we love them no matter what. Vaught could keep me up all night long, and I'd still be nuts about him. He could scream the entire duration of every public outing, and I'd still think he was the grandest thing. Okay, I'll get on to the update on Vaught, but I just wanted to put this out there. Since that night I have tried not to gloat so much on what a good baby he is... but to my credit, I did earn it. Every mom can attest to that.

Weight: 17 pounds

Length: 25.5 inches

Food

We now eat solids! Vaught still takes bottles throughout the day, but at least once daily he gets a little baby food or rice cereal We have yet to find anything he doesn't like, but he seems especially keen on bananas.

Sleep

Vaught sleeps nine to eleven hours a night. (One night he slept thirteen hours)! We sleep-trained Vaught, and he is a perfect, happy, healthy baby. That's not to say that it will work for everyone, but it worked for us, and we are so grateful for doing it. Every night between eight and nine o'clock, Vaught is put on his tummy in his crib just as he's beginning to doze off. For several weeks, he would cry for a few minutes then go to sleep... then he began babbling for a few minutes then going to sleep. By three and a half months, Vaught was going right to sleep. We absolutely will not co-sleep. Ever. I didn't sleep with my parents as a baby, neither did Eric. No offense to any parents who co-sleep; I recently read an article with some excellent points on the benefits of co-sleeping. It was interesting nonetheless, but we're just not going to venture down that path. The queen-size bed in our room is strictly for me and Mr. Pace after bedtime :)

Clothing

Vaught can still wear just a few 0-3 onesies, but most of his outfits are now 3-6 months.

Diapers

Vaught still wears a size two, and the best brand we've come across so far is Parent's Choice from Walmart. However, I recently began a campaign for another store's brand of diapers, so I will posting about that pretty soon!

Developments

He lifts and holds his chest really well and can prop up on his elbows. He rolls over onto his side and will be rolling completely over any day now! He does not show a huge interest in toys just yet, but he does like his squeaky cow and things that rattle. He loves to be on his back on his musical mat, swatting at the toys hanging above him. He also loves cartoons on TV; I think it's the bright colors that attract him.

Likes

Bath time is his favorite thing. How lucky are we?!
Babbling
Tummy time
Mama... He sure does love his mama!
Sitting up
Strolling/riding
Sucking on his hands/fingers

Dislikes

Not getting all the attention
Sitting still for too long
Pacifiers... We are completely done with them.

Favorite Pictures

Watching football with Dad!

It's been an amazing four months. He loves daycare, and I'm enjoying being back in school and working every day. We're only four months in, and a lot can happen down the road. I'm just very thankful that so far things have been easier than I could have ever imagined. No tummy issues, no food allergies (yet), no earaches. But he's a boy, and I guarantee you that at some point down the road we'll be in the ER with a broken arm or leg. And once he's mobile in a few months, I've got a lot coming! But for now I just want to bask in how wonderful things are going and how well we've all adjusted in the Pace household, even the pups!

We just adore our sweet, chubby little ball of light!

Fit Friday: Staying Active & Healthy During Pregnancy

Today's Fit Friday is a little different. It's been exactly a year since I found out I was pregnant with Vaught, so I wanted to give a little recap on my pregnancy and how I stayed healthy (or at least tried my very best to stay healthy!) while expecting our baby boy.

 

     In a way, I feel like I totally ripped apart the stereotypical pregnant girl. I was heavy to begin with, so a part of me just wanted to say Screw it, I'm just gonna get fatter anyway, but the reasonable side of me said This is the perfect time to be as healthy as you can be! And so I was... Most of the time at least!

     I knew better than to think I wouldn't gain weight during pregnancy, but I set my goal pretty low at fifteen pounds. I did pretty well, only gaining ten pounds in the first five months. In the end, I gained twenty-nine, just nine pounds more than what is recommended for an overweight woman during pregnancy. I was adamant about keeping my weight in check, logging it in a notebook every couple of weeks and at each appointment. I never wanted to go into the doctor's office and see a spike in my weight and not know how or why it happened. I held myself accountable.

     Despite my struggles with my body, I have always enjoyed working out. When I found out I was pregnant, I had already lost about twenty pounds with a healthy diet and lifting weights. At my first appointment, I made sure with my doctor that I could continue lifting--nothing too strenuous but enough to continue building and maintaining muscle. He approved all of my diet and exercise plans, and I was determined to keep a healthy lifestyle while expecting Vaught. I continued going to the gym three to four times a week, as well as running in my neighborhood a few nights each week. In June, I became an ambassador for For Two Fitness, a company that markets fabulous clothes for the active, expectant mama! This was even more motivation for me to continue working out; I was now representing a company that was based on active moms-to-be! I always enjoyed wearing my "Sweating for Two" tank to the gym. I was complimented on it numerous times.

28 weeks vs. 38 weeks!

35 week bump!

Advice for Moms-to-Be:

     Looking back at my pregnancy and knowing what I do now, I sometimes wonder if I would have done anything different. I think about the advice I might give to an expectant mother who also wants to stay healthy active during pregnancy. Keeping in mind that every woman and pregnancy is different, I would have to advise the following:

1. Ask Doc first. Just because mine said "go for it" to my exercise regimen doesn't mean yours will. My doctor knew me well and knew it would be good, if not beneficial, for me and my pregnancy.
2. The first trimester sucks... Rest. No, I was never sick at all. But I sure was exhausted. That's how I knew I was pregnant a year ago today; I couldn't stay awake during a meeting! I began going to bed at six o'clock in the evening, only to feel exhausted again by noon the following day. I can't tell you how many times I had to use about half of my planning period at school to lay my head down on my desk and nap! Rest as much as you can during that first trimester! It gets better, I promise!!
3. Stay away from pregnancy books. Those are the ones that initially made me terrified of exercising while pregnant. Don't go reading about all the things that can (and might) go wrong. Remember, every pregnancy is different. What is meant to be will be.
4. Get a good sports bra and dress comfortably.
5. Eat well and drink water. Fuel yourself and that little sea monkey! Prior to pregnancy, I was eating around 1,400 calories per day. I bumped my calorie intake up to 1,800 but would often eat closer to 2,000. I stayed full and satisfied and had plenty of energy for my workouts.
6. Keep it up. Make it a habit. Research has proven that women who exercise during pregnancy are more likely to have quicker, smoother labors (mine was a breeze) and healthier babies. Whether you're new to fitness or a seasoned pro, now is the perfect time to be the healthiest you that you can be. Every time I wanted to skip a workout and dive into a sleeve of double stuff Oreos, I just remembered my mantra: healthy mama, healthy baby. Healthy mama, healthy baby!

How are you/did you stay active during pregnancy?

#30onThursday

You know the drill:

Three rounds.

Ten minutes each.

 Do as many cycles as you can for each round.

Don't forget to warm up first and stretch at the end! 

You'll need: a mat (optional) and a set of dumbbells.

 

 

Round One: Legs, Butt, Core

10 burpees

10 side lunges on each leg (20 total) with a lateral raise in the lunge

40 second plank 

Round Two: Legs, Shoulders, Arms, Core

20 forward walking lunges (10 on each leg). To me these are so much more difficult than static lunges. These are also great for working on balance; engage that core!

15 dumbbell military press 

15 biceps curls 

30 second plank

Round Three: Arms (biceps & triceps), Core

15 hammer curls

10 diamond push-ups 

25 second plank

Get ready for some abs next week! Here are two pictures after last night's (next week's) #30onThursday. One of my favorite Instagram fitness girls got blasted for this a few weeks ago, so let me just clear it up... Ladies, if your mama raised you right, she taught you to hold your tummy in at all times, right? My Instagram fitness crush was called out for "not breathing" in her progress pictures; basically, someone told her she was sucking in so hard she couldn't breathe, thus cheating her pictures. I promise I'm breathing... I just hold my belly in, always. On the photo on the right, I am "not holding it in," just to illustrate the difference.

 

If you're a female, don't tell me your mother hasn't at one time or another told you to "suck that belly in!" :) Tag me on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook if you try this workout, and don't forget to use #30onThursday! Guys, I don't live at the gym... These workouts really are helping me shape up and gain strength without spending hours at the gym, and I do them right in my living room. You can too!

Die(t) Another Day

 

     One thing I'd like for you to bear in mind is that this is something that is really hard for me to talk about. I've really only ever talked about it with a nutritionist I used to meet with once a month so that he could refill my prescription for diet pills... and my husband. But I'm not even sure I've gone into this much detail about it with my husband. He just knows that when it comes to dieting and trying different fad diets and weight loss methods, I've been around the block a time or two. Or a million times, it feels like. You could probably call me the whore of the dieting world.

     I grew up in a house full of women: me, my mom, and my two older sisters: Mandy (10 years older than I) and Lauren (5 years older). The women ran the show, while my dad and little brother were just there. So, from an early age I heard a lot of girl talk, and much of it usually had to do with our bodies and different things happening with us. Weight was obviously a very popular topic amongst my mom and sisters. Although my mom has always been kind of petite, both my sisters were overweight throughout their adolescent and young adult years. They too have struggled with body image throughout their lives. I recognized that I was a chubby kid at about five or six years old, and I was okay with that. My first memory of being teased for being fat goes back to second grade. I would run home and cry to my mom who always made everything better. By third grade I knew that I was considered a fat kid, but I was also popular and nice to everyone and had a lot of friends. Kids liked me, and if anyone ever got mad at me, "fat" was the only insult they could throw at me. I was kind and compassionate; therefore, I was easy to tear down. I think I've always been that way.

Lean Cuisine

Despite wanting to be one of the skinnier kids since I was probably seven years old, the first diet I can ever recall being on came the summer after fifth grade. I was eleven, and this was definitely my awkward phase. I'd had my braces removed a few months prior but was preparing to get a second set in December after I turned 12. I had a round face and very dark, prominent freckles that I hated. (Over time my freckles lightened and I absolutely love them now). My best friend Chelsea was skinny, and I wanted to be too. With my mom's help, I started the Lean Cuisine diet. By "help," I mean she bought all the meals for me because I couldn't obviously. (Disclaimer: she is not and never has been "one of those moms." She did all of these things because I asked her to, not due to her own vices). I was so excited to do the Lean Cuisine diet! I just knew I'd be skinny by the end of summer and no one would recognize me on the first day of 6th grade. I was 11 years old, guys. Eleven. Too young to even consider dieting. I lost about 10 pounds that summer but was still overweight. And it all started here.

Slim Fast

Sometime during 6th grade I started the Slim Fast diet and this continued into the summer before 7th grade. I actually did have some minor success with this. That summer before middle school I actually lost about 20 pounds. I grew a couple of inches taller too, so I would almost go so far as to say I had "thinned up." I vividly remember the outfit I wore my first day of 7th grade, and I remember feeling good. I felt like I looked nice. I was still overweight, but as I progressed through puberty I began to fill out a bit more; as a result, I looked a little more proportionate instead of just fat.

Random OTC Diet Pills

Hydroxycut. Zantrex 3. Yellow Jackets. Stackers. I tried them all and then some. All they did was make me nervous and hyper and gave me dry mouth. I was taking some pills in the weeks leading up to my wedding (I actually gained weight right before my wedding), and I remember being so buzzed up in my classroom one day that I had to run to my chair and sit down real fast right in front of my kids and in the middle of a lesson. I know I probably looked like a crazy woman, and that's how these pills made me feel. Obviously, no weight was lost on these.

At my biggest: Christmas 2010

Diet pill abuser: September 2011

Weight Watchers

This works wonders for some people, and that's awesome! I don't think that Weight Watchers is a "fad diet" at all, unlike most of the things mentioned in this post. It's such an amazing program for so many; you're given points based on your current weight, goal weight or ideal weight, and activity level. Then each day you consume those points any way you'd like--just try to avoid going over. In the summer of 2012, I figured I'd give it a try. I was on Weight Watchers for three months. Nearly $100 later, I had gained six pounds. Another failed attempt for the books. To this day I'm still unsure of why it didn't work for me. I just remember feeling so let down and frustrated. It would still be a year and a half before I figured things out. Onward...

Phentermine

I started taking these pills in the fall of 2012 after meeting a lady at work who took them and had lost 30 pounds. These actually worked really well for me... For about two months. My mom has taken these before too and said the same thing; they work great for a little while, then they just stop. I lost about fifteen pounds with Phentermine, all of which was gained back within a few months.

Sensa

Remember that atrocious Sensa commercial? "Shake, shake! Shake, shake! Shake your Sensa... Shake your Sensa!" So humiliating. Even more humiliating that I tried it. But I saw a free trial advertisement and took it, and it ended up NOT being free at all, and before I realized it I had spent $80 on freakin' Sensa shakers. This was summer of 2013, so I can't get by with saying I was young and stupid and should have known better. I was just desperate. It was another quick fix I was willing to try.

Summer of 2013: addicted to working out... and food.

Thinogenics

My cousin took these pills, and they took a few pounds off of her. The girl who styled my hair for my wedding lost about twenty-five pounds on Thinogenics. But for me, this was a no-go. I took them for two months in the fall of 2013 and noticed absolutely no changed in my weight or appetite.

Alli

Again, these pills did nothing for me except send me running to the bathroom after every meal. Disgusting... That's all I'll say.

...............................

 

I'm so embarrassed by everything above, and if you know me, you probably agree that it's not really like me to go waste hard-earned money on things that I know are not going to work. Honestly, these were all just desperate attempts at quick fixes. I just wanted to lose weight; I didn't want to change my lifestyle or eating habits. I wanted to take a pill then be able to eat a Big Mac and fries. I wanted to have a great workout then go chow down at the Mexican restaurant and indulge in multiple margaritas.

There are probably so many more pills and methods I tried. Actually, I'm certain there are, I just can't remember all of them right now. But there is one "diet" I never really tried (well, tried but didn't commit to) that I am 100% certain works:

A Lifestyle Change

It's taken me nearly twenty years to figure this out. I can enjoy a meal at the Mexican restaurant or a cheeseburger. I can limit myself to just a few chips with salsa or guacamole, and I can order chicken tortilla soup. I can eat that cheeseburger but only every now and then and with veggies or a salad on the side. There is no quick fix, and there never will be. No pill or powder or supplement will ever be able to do for me what making healthy choices can. Whoever said that abs are made in the kitchen wasn't lying. Since eating healthier, I've noticed a world of difference in how strong I feel, not just physically but mentally and emotionally as well. I don't feel ashamed or guilty when I leave a restaurant. I'm not regretting any food choices at the end of the day, and that's all the motivation I need to keep going. It's hard sometimes, and it often takes a lot of willpower on my part, but it brings me such peace of mind knowing that I'm doing something good for myself and my future.

Like I said, I'm a little bit embarrassed to share this, but I'm going to hit that "publish" button and give you all the inside look. Yeah, it's humiliating, but I can't be ashamed. If I can just touch one person... If I can get one person to say I'm going to love myself more by making better choices. If I can motivate just one person to go for a walk this afternoon or visit the gym for the first time... If one person goes and dumps their diet pills down the drain and opts to change an unhealthy lifestyle, then I've done my job, and I won't ask for anything else.

Hard work, healthy eating, happy Kate :)

A very happy (and almost blonde) Kate :)

You all mean so much to me, I hope you know that. Honestly, there's many of you I don't yet know, but you've been a better friend to me than some of the people I've known my entire life. You push me and motivate me, you keep me going. Please share this post or any of my blog posts on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media network any time I write something that hits home with you. I have loved connecting with so many of you, and I want to connect with so many more! I mean it when I say you all mean the world to me. You make blogging so worth it!

Parenting: We're Doing it Right

If you're not yet a parent, have you ever wondered how different your life will be once you become one? Sure ya have! Don't worry, it's not so bad. You'll probably even grow to like it after a while (note here that I am totally kidding; it's wonderful)! But I will admit that there were times in the weeks leading up to Baby P's birth that I got really anxious about what life might be like once he was actually here. This would often happen on Sundays around two o'clock when I laid down for my Sunday nap... What happens when I'm not able to take naps anymore?!

Well... I'm here to tell you.

Naps

I am probably the biggest adult nap-lover you could ever meet. "Sorry, I can't meet you for coffee; it's my naptime." "I can't make plans on a Sunday afternoon; I'll be sleeping." I once turned down an interview I had with a city official for the newspaper because he wanted to meet during one of my naptimes (no, I didn't tell him that, and I did reschedule). Here's what I'll say if you're a fellow nap-lover: you'll still get to have naps. You'll snooze when the baby does during the day if you can accept that it might mean that your laundry/dishes/vacuuming doesn't get done. You'll be tired sometimes, but you won't really notice it, or at least I don't. I've also got a lot more energy as a new mother than I've ever had before, so I don't really feel the need for a catnap in the afternoon. Luckily, Vaught's a good napper, so I know that when I am feeling especially cranky, a few minutes of tranquil silence is never too far away.

Out to Eat

You'll still get to do this... It just won't be at four and five star restaurants and fancy sushi bars. Even if your baby does well in public like ours, you just won't want to take him/her out to really nice places all the time. I'm much more comfortable feeding Vaught with one hand, eating with the other at the local Chinese buffet than almost anywhere else. We've taken Vaught to Outback Steakhouse, Olive Garden, Firebird's, and Newk's, but nowhere particularly fancy just yet, and I'm always sure to have our Podee Hands-Free Bottle in tow! I was initially really nervous about having a baby in a restaurant... What if he starts throwing a fit and screaming and I can't get the bottle ready in time? What if he spits up all over me while we're eating? What if I'm too preoccupied with him to even eat?! Once you become a parent, you really don't care. You'll find a way to finish that burger, even if it means your spouse has to hand-feed it to you. Yes, people will stare. Some people might mutter rude things under their breath, but you will not care. You just do the best you can and ignore them.

Nighttime Sleep

Vaught sleeps through the night for 10-11 hours most nights, and he's not even four months old yet. People told me I would never sleep well again once I became a mother, but that is not true. I sleep wonderfully. I get plenty of sleep, and if I don't it's usually because of my own restlessness and not because of a crying or sick baby. I will sleep well as long as Vaught's healthy and doesn't have a driver's license. Now once we reach that point I know he'll make for some hard nights.

Marriage

"Your marriage will suffer," someone once told me of becoming parents. Eric and I both agree that becoming parents together has strengthened our bond more than ever. We are a team, and there's no way we could do this without one another. Many others also told me that after having a baby, there is no time for physical romancing. I'm trying to keep from giggling like a kid as I type this: That. Is. Not. True. But I also believe that it is all in how your prioritize being a parent and being a good spouse. Yes, baby is now our top priority, but my husband and I never displace our physical and emotional needs from each other. His are important to me, just as mine are important to him. We make that time for each other and although it may sometimes be short, it is always wonderful (and I'm talking about together time in general, ya dirty perv). I will say this: if you claim that your marriage has suffered after having a child, you may have gotten married for the wrong reasons...

Housework

Laundry, shmaundry. Do you see that enormous pile that was literally oozing out of my closet?

 I have no idea how we still go through so many clothes, but somehow it all gets done--eventually. Your floors may go unswept for weeks, those dishes in the sink are piling up, and you have no idea when you last dusted off the coffee table. I became a bit of a neat freak when I bought this house in 2012, but the more time I spend with Vaught watching him smile and laugh and play, the less I care what my house looks like. I try to tidy up every few days, but he's not going to remember how clean the floors were or whether or not the laundry hampers were empty. No, you're probably not going to have all the time in the world to clean, but you'll spend that time with your sweet little one, and you'll come to realize that household chores can most definitely wait.

Things change a little when you become a parent; that's a given. You'll never be the same, and at the same time you've never felt so comfortable in such a new role. There's a lot of give and take, but believe me when I say it's all worth it. You won't do things right 100% of the time. Hell, you probably won't do it right 75% of the time! But you'll learn that with parenting, doing it "right" has everything to do with doing what's best for you and your little family. But what do I know? I'm only four months in :)

Fit Friday: Extended Weekend!

Good morning and happy four-day weekend to this mama!!! I am off work today and will be off again on Monday for MLK day. I love extended weekends!

Pounds gained in pregnancy: 29

Lost since delivery day: 45

To go: 34

Really!? Only thirty-four to go??

     This week has been awesome as far as progress goes. I haven eaten 95% clean each day, drank at least 150 ounces of water every day, and I've only been to Starbucks twice this week--that's some kind of record for me. My meals have been super easy and healthy; lots of fresh fruit and vegetables! Wanna know how to ensure that your meat is 100% clean? Obtain it yourself (by that, I mean kill it yourself)! All this week Eric and I have been eating on the two deer he killed last Saturday. I'm actually not a huge wild game eater, but he has grilled deer steaks to perfection this week! Did you know that deer meat is super lean and packed with protein? Just an added bonus :)

    

My workout today will be strictly HIIT cardio with ten minutes of abs at the end. I've begun doing abs at every workout; my midsection took the hardest hit during pregnancy, so I'm doing lots of planks and other core exercises to tone this area as much as I can.

These are just a few Polar Watch readings of the workouts I've done in the past week. I'm seeing and feeling a lot of progress, and I love it! Gains truly are addictive.     

 

A few of you totally made my day yesterday by doing #30onThursday!!! Seriously love y'all so much! I enjoyed doing tonight's workout and will post it next Thursday.

 

      I'm off work today for a wellness checkup and am getting my hair colored and styled afterwards. I'm saying goodbye to dark brown hair and going lighter. I've been thinking about doing this for a loooong time. Few people know that my natural hair color is a golden-strawberry blonde. It's a gorgeous color, I just didn't like it on me, so I began dying my hair auburn-reddish-brown when I was in high school. I've kept my hair dark since then and only went lighter once a couple of years ago. I really liked it, but my hair became so tangly that I decided to go back to a darker color just one month later. Well, I am armed with some good (they better be good for what I paid for them) hair products this time around! I have several ideas in mind, but I'll definitely be Instagramming the finished product to show you what me and my girl Jess come up with :)

    

Tonight I'm meeting a friend from my first school for dinner; I haven't seen her in years, and we're both so excited to catch up. We're meeting for Mexican food and margaritas in New Albany, so Eric and Vaught are going to hang out with my parents while my friend and I visit.

     Venturing over to Whole Foods on Saturdays has become something of a weekly tradition for us, so we may visit Germantown tomorrow. We always stop by Collins Touhy's cookie shop, Whimsy Cookie Co, for a treat, and I'll definitely say that I've earned it this week! It feels so good to see my body changing positively. Along with that, my mindset is changing too. I find myself craving junk food less and less, and saying no to those afternoon Sonic Cokes is so much easier now. Last night the hubs and I went to Buffalo Wild Wings for Boneless Thursday. Before, my order would have been eight boneless parmesan garlic wings with a Coke. I'd dunk the wings in ranch dressing and split a basket of cheese wedges with Eric. Last night, I ordered five mild boneless wings and stayed away from both the ranch and cheesy potato wedges. Sure, one wouldn't have hurt, but I know myself, and I know that one would have turned into two, three, four... Anyway, I was proud of myself. I did treat myself to a Bahama Mama though. What can I say--it was happy hour!

 

I leave you with this: Starbucks has a new drink, and it's fabulous. Order it skinny or with 2% milk and add a packet of raw sugar. Amazing!

Tall Flat White: perfect mixture of the latte and cappuccino!

I hope your weekend is as fabulous as you are :)