I ran across Roni’s blog, Roni’s Weigh, a few years ago when I started my own weight loss journey. Last year, I met her for the first time during Fitbloggin’ and got to spend time with her again at BlogHer. She is every bit as warm, friendly, and helpful in real life as she is on her blogs. She’s the real deal. Roni is a wife, mother of two,  full time blogger, and all around awesome girl who chose to change her lifestyle for the better.

How does your lifestyle “now” compare to your lifestyle “before”? (You can see all of Roni’s progress pictures here.)

Oh boy is it ever different! I used to do nothing, and I’m not exaggerating. I’d work, watch tv or go to movies, and eat. That was about it. Now I try my best to be active and DO things. I take walks, go on hikes, read more, run in events, play board games and do puzzles with the family. Even though I’m still pretty food obsessed I’ve channeled that “hobby” by cooking light and finding new fun healthy foods. I more active now then I have ever been in my life and in better shape because of it.

Okay so I have to ask you something. You write 4 blogs GreenLiteBites, Roni’s Weigh, Roni Noone, and Poop Butterflies. You also organize Fitbloggin’ and manage a weightloss communities called Blog to Lose with over 5000 members! How do you do it and stay sane? Any time management tips? I know I need them!!

Sane? Who said I was sane?

In all seriousness, I do what I can when I can. I know it sounds kind of simple but it’s the truth. I have conference calls while baby is napping. I write blog posts while watching TV at night. I wake up early and work out when I can. It’s a lot of juggling but I’ve always been the type of person who’d rather be busy than bored.

What does your exercise routine look like now? Is it hard to find the motivation or time with so much going on in your life?

It has been hard but I’ve learned that I am much happier and have more energy when I’m working out. I even tend to handle stress better. Right now I wake up at 5:30 AM twice a week for a BodyPump class and I take a BodyCombat class in the evening one day a week. I also joined a gym that’s just over a mile away from the house so I run there and back. It’s been hard finding a schedule that works but I try to be flexible and not let more than 1 day go by without doing something active, even if it’s just a short run.

You love Weight Watchers and it helped you to lose a significant amount of weight. In a nutshell, what did WW teach you and do you still use it to maintain?

Weight Watchers gave me a quick and easy way to judge a portion and balance my diet. It also taught me to food journal, something I still go back to when feeling a little out of control. Right now I’m counting points to lose the last 10 lbs I gained from pregnancy.

I read your 3 Steps to a Healthier You series. My favorite part of that series is when you talk about turning off the tv and dancing with your son and husband. Do you still do that? Was it hard at first to start dancing? In other words, did you feel self conscious at first?

We still do it! All the time and now I have a new little once to dance with!

I’ve always been a music lover. My mom used to crank up the volume  when cleaning, my Dad was a musician, it’s just in my blood!

I noticed that the TV was ALWAYS on in my house and I hated it. So one day I simply shut it off and blasted the radio. It’s hard to be self-conscious when you are alone and dancing with a 1 year old. You’re just in the moment BUT that being said, I am self conscious dancing at weddings or parties because what I do at home is not really “dancing” it’s moving around like an idiot singing off key at the top of my lungs.

What about internet? How do you keep moving when your job requires computer hours? I know I could use some motivation in this area!

I think this is why getting those workouts in is so important for me. Most of the time I’m at my desk or on the couch with a computer on my lap. It is what it is. I’ve learned, however, to walk away. When I’m not at the computer I’m not at the computer, if that makes sense. I don’t tweet from my phone or check Facebook. I don’t walk around the mall checking email. I disconnect completely especially when I go to the gym. I never, ever, bring my phone when I go the gym. That’s my time and I don’t want to be interrupted.

How has blogging played a part in your weight loss and enriched your life? Any advice to new bloggers?

Blogging played a huge part in my weight loss. For me it was having an outlet to face feeling I never faced before. So many people (myself included) feel alone when it comes to how they feel about their bodies or how they relate to food. Once I put myself out there I realized I wasn’t alone. I also find motivation in motivating others. I love sharing tips and ideas and doing so helps me stay inspired.

What is something quirky that you do that makes you you? (Besides being the Queen of Zucchini?)

Hmmmm I’m not sure. I am little quirky, I guess, but isn’t everybody? Things people may be surprised to learn about me: (if they don’t already know because I’m pretty transparent on the blog) I’m a big fan of horror movies, I like all music except country (did I just lose a few fans?) and I have an unhealthy obsession with McDonald’s ice cream cones.

Thank you Roni for sharing your story. You are amazing and a Girl Hero in so many ways!

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Check out our family’s adventures at New School Nomads as we take a year long RV road trip through the United States!

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It’s Girl Hero time again!

This Girl Hero is extra special because she is my sister-in-law.  Kristi is a hairstylist and mother to three wonderful boys!  Her and her husband Garrett enjoy being outdoors and cooking together and, boy, can they cook.  Seriously, Thanksgiving at their house is nothing short of AMAZING.  This spring Kristi decided to change her lifestyle and lost 40 pounds.  She also a recent kettlebell convert!!!

Meet Girl Hero Kristi!!!

My goal at the beginning of this was to go from 165 pounds which I was to 135…that seemed so unreachable at the time. Now the scale reads in at 125 pounds and it blows my mind how far Ive come !I would like to be 120 pounds so that way if I want to partake in a yummy Thanksgiving dinner or maybe a piece of Christmas pie I wont feel as guilty ..I want to feel strong. I never want to look too skinny. When other people look at me I want them to see a healthy girl not a stick figure! My goal has been to have a six pack (I know I’m weird).

Thank you Kristi for sharing your story and for making me cry. I’m so proud of you!!!!  You are a Girl Hero!!!!

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Check out our family’s adventures at New School Nomads as we take a year long (or more) road trip through the United States!

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Girl Hero Khara has an infectious positive attitude.   By day, she teaches early childhood special education (birth-5 year olds) and loves helping families build their capacity to help their little ones be successful.  She says, “It’s a super stressful and emotional job; I’ve become pretty attached to some kiddos and it’s helped me be able to see the big picture, keep a positive attitude at all times, and celebrate even the tiniest amounts of progress.”  By night, Khara is a certified HKC kettlebell instructor who is working towards earning her RKC certification next month!  She blogs over at Beautifully Resilient.

Khara has struggled with her weight most of her life.  She has lost 30 lbs since March  and says, “Although I’ve trained with kettlebells pretty seriously for over one year, I didn’t lose any weight until I changed my nutrition.  I did completely transform the shape of my body though – it surprises me how much of my body weight is lean mass these days.”

Khara loves to read/research and is a total computer junkie.  She loves to swimming, running outside, and (attempting to) playing golf with her husband of two years.

How does your lifestyle today compare with your lifestyle a few years ago?

To be honest, I don’t feel like the same person.  I don’t think the same way, I don’t value the same things, my priorities have shifted and everything has changed.  I’ve fought a long, hard battle with emotional and binge eating.  Food was my comfort and what I turned to when the emotional stuff got to be too much.  I was the girl stuffing her face with McDonalds in the car and hiding the evidence before I got home and then eating a home cooked meal on top of that!

I am so happy to say that chapter of my life is in the past.  I’m in a much happier and healthier place now where food is still enjoyed but mostly regarded as fuel.  I really have been focusing on the relationship I have with myself – learning to love me and celebrate my strengths and find value in what I used to see as flaws.  I fell in love with training with kettlebells – I love the people I train with, what it does to my mood, I love what it’s done to completely transform my shape!  In fact, I like the activity so much that I often struggle to accept a day of rest!

Reading your blog, it sounds like you used to really struggle with self-confidence.  How did you combat those feelings?

This has been the biggest battle for me.  Girls can be vicious and I grew up overweight.  I quickly discovered that by putting myself down, I beat others to the punch.  It was a defense mechanism.  It took a long time through high school and college until I began to truly love and accept myself.  I’ve learned a very valuable lesson about surrounding myself with positive people.  I’m always searching for online communities that foster positive thinking; I read motivating books and blogs, I download and listen to podcasts that build me up, and I make my own mind-movies to keep me motivated and working toward my goals.  I control my thoughts and what enters my mind and I know how powerful the mind is.  I’ve learned to replace all of my disordered thinking with positive affirmations and I sort of learned to fake it until I believed it, but it worked.  Blogging and writing has helped combat my insecurities and negative thinking as well – I know I am not alone in my battles with self acceptance, so hopefully my words can inspire someone else too!

Did you workout before you found kettlebells?  How did you discover kettlebells?  What other fitness tool do you enjoy?

To be honest, I didn’t like working out at all before kettlebells.  I wanted so badly to be a runner because of the lean physique that most runners seemed to have.  I tried doing the couch to 5k program several times but I could never stick with it, especially on a treadmill.  I still run occasionally, but it’s always outside and usually by the lake – I like to have some scenery to keep my mind off of the running!

As far as finding kettlebell, I reached a high weight and was frustrated and knew I needed to do something about it.  I blindly searched online for boot camps in the Omaha area and randomly found a kettlebell studio near my house!  I had high expectations.  I had been let down too many times by trainers who couldn’t remember my name, didn’t take an interest in my personal goals and failed to listen to me to help me achieve them.  I needed someone who knew what they were talking about and who would believe me when I said I was in pain!  So, I checked out their website and credentials, read up on kettlebells, read their instructor reviews on Dragon Door, saw their youtube videos, etc. before I made the commitment.  I’m pretty thorough!  It’s been a running joke that as a teacher, that I know how to do my homework.

You love your trainers and say, “you wouldn’t let go (of them) for the world”!  They sound like special people.  Tell us about them and how they have helped you?

Ahh yes, they are special people.  Mark and Nikki Snow are the most down to earth people you’ll ever meet who met all of my expectations, plus some!  They have a genuine desire to help others and are truly skilled at running individualized workouts, even with 15 clients in the session.  Mark has an extensive background in sports medicine and functional movement as an athletic trainer and has a huge arsenal of corrective exercises to help his clients move better and pain free.  Nikki’s bubbly personality, athletic past, and super strong technique make her able to relate to anyone who walks in the door – everyone aspires to be like Nikki, myself included!  Combined, they pack a punch that is unstoppable – their sense of humor keeps everyone entertained and laughing, they have created a team atmosphere with their clients – everyone cheers each other on and we have this huge built in support group of like-minded people.  Mark and Nikki each bring something so unique to the table, which is why I think their business has grown so much in the short amount of time they’ve been operating.

You are currently training for the RKC.  Exciting! When and where is it?  What made you want to do the RKC and how is it going?

I am currently training for the RKC in San Diego in August and am so nervous!  I’ve always had a desire to work in the fitness industry, but haven’t been able to find a niche.  I worked at a gym that specialized in rehabilitation had an outpatient physical therapy clinic on site.  I loved seeing the clients who were recently released from rehab trying to rebuild their bodies.  If I wasn’t already 3/4 finished with college, I would’ve switched my major right then to athletic training or physical therapy.  In fact, the thought still crosses my mind, but has always been regarded as a pipe dream.  After all, you’ve got to look the part first, right?

I had a very challenging start to 2011 where I suffered a miscarriage.  After a few days of utter sadness and a level of depression I’ve never experienced before, I recognized that I needed to do something to take my mind off of what happened.  I allowed myself to grieve, but decided right then and there that I was going after my pipe dream.  I wanted to be an instructor and I committed to the Hardstyle Kettlebell Certification (which was six weeks away!).  It was hard work, but I put everything I had into training and it paid off.  On April 30^th I got my instructor certification.  :-)

Needless to say, I had the itch and signed up for the Russian Kettlebell Challenge (RKC) right away.  I was making huge changes, dropping weight and finding myself loving and appreciating myself for the first time ever.  Training continues to go well – I am very proud of my strength and skills – I just need to work on my mental game now and not allow myself to be intimidated!

What is your current training regimen?

I go to kettlebell bootcamp class 3-4 days per week and do a program called Enter the Kettlebell (ETK) 3 days as well.  I take one day a week to rest.  We have class for 4-5 weeks straight and then take a week off to recover.

ETK involves a lot of cleaning, pressing, swinging and snatching.  I throw in some squats for good measure and have started focusing on training double bells as well.  :-)

Do you follow a specific way of eating?  What does a typical day of food look like for you?

Yes!  I typically follow a nutritional program called Precision Nutrition by Dr. John Berardi.  The program has me eating five-six small meals per day.  I eat veggies with all of my meals and most of my carbs come from those veggies.  I have to earn starchy carbs and I eat them after my workouts.  Please realize that I’m only 90% compliant, so I do get to enjoy some of my most favorite foods too!

A typical days looks like this:

Breakfast- Green Shake: Spinach, water, protein powder, 1/2 cup pineapple, greens + supplement
Snack- Cucumber salad (chopped cucumbers, non fat greek yogurt, apple cider vinegar), 1 serving of almonds
Lunch – Spinach salad with fajita chicken meat, salsa, black beans, peppers, tomatoes, and side of cottage cheese
(Workout)
Snack- Post workout shake
Dinner- Turkey filet, asparagus, sweet potato

What motivates you?

Seeing others make progress.  I love going to the gym just to see everyone and you can often find me hanging out after my session to watch and sometimes assist other classes– I love the energy at the gym and I love to watch my trainers in action as I always learn something new that I can apply as a new instructor.  I feel as if I’m missing out when I’m not there and they surely keep me accountable on facebook if I ever miss a session!  I love being able to give back to others – I used to be a really private person but have found I really enjoy sharing my story in hopes that it sparks someone else to make positive changes and go after their dreams.

And just for fun, what cartoon character do you most relate to?

Lisa Simpson!  I’m focused on my goals and tend to wear my heart on my sleeve.  I have been known to rebel against social norms and am often an idealist. J  I played the clarinet for 13 years, taught myself to play the piano by ear, and I have sometimes felt like the geeky overachiever!

Thank you so much for sharing your story Khara.  You are beautifully resilient and most definitely a Girl Hero!

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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Sabrina is a Registered Dietician and blogs about passion for real food nutrition at Plum.  She is a a Project Director for a research study on bone health in army soldiers.  They are studying whether online coaching about nutrition and exercise makes a difference in weight and bone density after a year of deployment.  She works from an Army Medical Center but is lucky enought to get to work from home half the time since the base is a 90 minute drive from her house.

Sabrina has been married to husband , Marc, for 10 years.  They live in Pacific Northwest where, aside from going to college in Southern CA, she has resided most of her life.  They love to travel (they went to Greece and Japan last year), work on their house, garden and just hang out at home together with their chickens!   Sabrina also enjoys cooking, travel, reading, both fiction and books on nutrition (still slogging through Good Calories, Bad Calories!), singing, theater, movies, and Crossfit.

Today, Sabrina talk about her path to becoming a Registered Dietician, how she put fitness back in her life, and her chickens!

Meet Girl Hero Sabrina!

You are registered dietitian with a “passion for real food nutrition”.  I LOVE that!!!!  Can you expand on that?

I believe people should eat food, not processed food-like substances.  It scares me some of the stuff people eat and think is healthy.  I get obnoxious junk mail every day trying to convince me to recommend these fake food products to my patients.  People are so afraid of real food— convinced meat, butter, even fruit sometimes is going to kill them and yet they think eating processed vegetable oil fortified with tree bark fiber is good for them!  Don’t get me started.  Food grows from the ground—if it requires machinery and a team of factory workers it just isn’t food.

What made you want to become a registered dietitian?

Believe it or not, when I was in college thinking about becoming an actress I read “Enter the Zone” by Barry Sears because some famous actress was on the diet.  It was the first time I’d ever been exposed to biochemistry—learning how and why food worked in the body lit me up like few things ever have—I was utterly fascinated. Cutting out all the refined crap I was eating and focusing on protein and produce revolutionized my life.  My favorite acting teacher used to tell us that if there was anything else we thought we could be happy doing besides acting, we should do that instead because show business is rough.  I hated Los Angeles and wanted to come home to Seattle, so I dropped out of the theater major, finished my degree in Philosophy and moved home to study nutrition.  I’m glad I did—I wasn’t a very good actress!

What the schooling hard?  Did you come across any obstacles?

There was NOTHING easy about getting here—I have friends that got PhDs in less time than it took me to do my Masters. The main problem is I had gone out of my way to avoid real science classes in college—I took biology for non-majors and astronomy.  To be a dietitian you have to take years of chemistry.  I even considered becoming a Nurse Practitioner for awhile, just because I was so intimidated by all the chemistry, but ultimately nutrition is my passion and my love so I went for it.  I was working full time and taking prerequisites one at a time at night—it took me two and a half years to finish all of them, then another two years in the Master’s Program and one more year as an intern.  It was definitely the hardest thing I have ever done.  I don’t naturally have a brain that is science oriented—I was always really good at English and Humanities, but not so much math and science so I had to work really, really hard to learn all that chemistry (my husband can attest that every semester I had at least one crazy melt down).  My two years at Bastyr (getting my Masters) were simultaneously some of the best and worst times of my life—it was incredibly hard, and I was working 3 part-time jobs and volunteering in addition to my studies (internships are so competitive you have to do a lot more than just show up for class to get in), but I also made some dear friends and for the first time really felt like I was among people who *got* me and my weird nutrition obsession.    My internship year was so hard—I spent half the year living with my friend’s mom during the week because my clinical site was so far from my house.  I was spending all day every day learning about tube feeding and the food pyramid and missing my husband.  Definitely not the best year of my life.

When I took (and passed) my RD exam last summer, the last step in this long process, I literally cried the entire way home—I was just so relieved to finally have jumped through all the hoops!

Any advice for aspiring RDs??

If you know as an undergrad you want to do this, or if you at least study chemistry in college it would help—I did it the hardest way possible I think.  There are definitely pros and cons, I wrote a whole blog post on becoming a Paleo dietician—I don’t want to do too much ADA bashing here—there are definitely some issues in the organization, but they are necessary for those magic RD letters after your name, so sometimes you have to play the game and memorize stuff you don’t believe.  I will say that there are a lot of enlightened RDs out there who believe in whole foods—the Greater Seattle Dietetic Association is full of young passionate RDs who believe in real food and are getting that message out there.  Maybe eventually that enthusiasm will work its way to the top of the organization.

Being an RD, do people ever give you a hard time about your food?  (In other words, do you feel any pressure from others?)

Sometimes people apologize about their food choices to me in social settings, as if I’m the food police.  Even if I thought you were literally killing yourself putting it in your mouth I would not say a word! (Unless you were my husband or my parents—they get a hard time from me sometimes).  But mostly people tend to be very interested in what I’m eating (in my office people gather around to see what I’m eating for lunch! I think because I seem to be the only one who makes something to bring instead of getting something from the cafeteria or eating a Lean Cuisine.)  I’m sure my family thinks I’m totally weird since every couple years I modify my food philosophy—they were really relieved when I stopped being a vegetarian! (So was I!) But they do mostly listen to me which is nice. My parents just started experimenting with paleo which THRILLS me.  Before I was an RD I worked in a couple offices where people would make fun of my big salads and broccoli, but I think it’s just because it made them feel guilty about the crap they were eating.

You wrote a goodbye letter to sugar.  Has it been hard to “say goodbye”?

Sugar is not my friend.  We have had a life-long destructive relationship—it’s like those faux girlfriends in Mean Girls—pretends to be your friend and then stabs you in the back.  Since I switched to a paleo diet I really haven’t had problems staying away from it, and can eat a couple squares of dark chocolate and put the bar away—it’s crazy.  When I first went off gluten three years ago I filled the void with tons of processed sugary gluten-free stuff.  It took a long time to let that stuff go, but I feel so much better without it.

You are currently doing Crossfit.  How long have you been doing that? How is that going?  What kind of results are you seeing?

I am a total Crossfit novice—I did it for a couple months two years ago, but I didn’t have time during my internship so I gave it up and didn’t get back to it until recently.  When I finished the Onramp (beginner) course I felt like my stamina had increased dramatically—every time I go I get a bit better, but I still have a big learning curve—lots of times I’m lifting just the 11 pound bar working on form when people next to me are lifting 100+ pounds.  I’ve had some knee issues lately that have been holding me back too, which is frustrating.

Did you have a fitness regime prior to Crossfit?  (I’d love to hear you talk about your time after undergrad when you got out of shape and then got fit again!)

When I was an undergrad I was a compulsive exerciser—I did weights and hours of cardio, plus I walked miles every day.  After graduation I was never as consistent, but I’ve always done some weight lifting (since high school), or hopped on the elliptical for a bit (I hate running!) I was on the swim team in high school and I often go back to swimming as kind of a meditation—it’s very relaxing, which is funny because when I was really little I was terrified of the water and wouldn’t get in for my swim lessons.

I’ve had times of great fitness and times of not very fit—it tends to depend on what else is going on in my life.  I went through a hot yoga phase in grad school which I have kind of a love/hate relationship with.  Crossfit is awesome because for once I don’t have to try figure out what I’m going to do when I get to the gym and I have a class full of “team mates” to keep me company and a coach that makes sure I’m doing it right.  I was honestly so physically and emotionally burned out after finishing my education that I don’t think I was ready for a workout as tough as Crossfit until now.

This may sound silly but I want to know about your chickens!  How long have you been raising them?  Are they hard to raise?  Are they good “layers”?

Our chickens are two years old this month!  They are hilarious—they all have their own funny personalities.  We got them when they were tiny baby chicks and raised them in the house in a big box until they were a few months old (there was a very messy incident where they escaped in the house and that was the end of indoor chickens!) They are pretty low maintenance—we have feeders Marc made that last about two weeks, and we let them out to free range the yard when we are at home, and they generally put themselves to bed when it starts getting dark.  They just need their house cleaned out now and then and eggs collected.  We have six different kinds (7 total chickens) and a few of them are great layers and some of them are terrible layers, which is fine because we still get way more eggs than we can eat anyway (except in the Winter when they don’t lay many at all).  We have lucky neighbors since we give away a lot of eggs!

Anything else?

I have a lot of education in the science of nutrition, but I feel like I always have more to learn.  Even though paleo is working really well for me, I am hesitant to say that one “diet” works best for everyone—even amongst the paleo community there is a lot of variation.  As long as you are eating real food, I think there’s plenty of room to experiment with what works best for you.

Thank you Sabrina for sharing your inspiring story!  You are truly a Girl Hero!!!

Remember to check out Sabrina’s blog Plum!

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

A few years ago, Jennifer was a smoker, barely making more than minimum wage despite being college educated, and was more than 50 pounds overweight.

But then….

Jennifer quit smoking, lost 50 pounds,  got a master’s degree in counseling and psychology and became a therapist.

She recently got married and moved to New York with her husband. She made Lemonade from Life, the name of her blog.  Her blog recounts her journey of perseverance regarding her weight loss and her life “redesign”.  It is a treasure box of motivation, honesty, and practical advice. I’m honored to share part of her story with you today!

Meet Girl Hero Jennifer!!!

What caused you to make your lifestyle change?  Was there a moment you just knew you had to change your habits?  Was it a major change?

I didn’t have an “a-ha” moment like many other women who begin their weight loss journey. For me, it was a gradual realization that if I didn’t change my habits, I’d spend the rest of my life feeling uncomfortable in my own skin. I think one reason weight loss is hard is because people focus on the short-term difficulty and forget that a few years of work and dedication towards changing a lifestyle is much less difficult than spending a lifetime being overweight and dealing with all the physical and emotional challenges that come with it. One thing to remember is that if you change nothing now, then a year from now you’ll be at the same weight or even heavier. I just got to the point where the daily “treats” and time in front of the T.V. wasn’t worth a lifetime of being overweight. I started with what I was willing to do – which was to reduce my calories and keep a food log on Sparkpeople and to walk for an hour and a half, five days a week.

I’m sure you had frustrations along the way.  How did you deal with the frustrations?

During my first few stabs at losing weight – I looked at the process as form of punishment. I was completely focused on the unfairness of it all. Like, why can Jackie eat fries and be skinny? My issue was not changing my routine – I did well with that. I actually loved planning a new change and then executing it. It was always the follow-through that I struggled with. I’d lose 25 pounds and then think that all of a sudden I’d be able to magically eat whatever I wanted again. So I’d fall back into old habits and regain the weight. I felt like I was always dieting, but never getting anywhere. I just keep losing and re-gaining the same 25 pounds. Once I changed my mind set, it was lack of progress reflected on the scale that was my biggest frustration.

You have a great story on your blog about when you were trying to lose weight for your upcoming wedding and your ring needing to be resized.  You say,  “…despite what the scale was saying, my hard work was paying off.”  This is so true.  How do you feel about the scale?  I’d love to hear more about your story and perseverance despite the “uncooperative” scale.

The scale and I are not very close. I always find it amusing when people get frustrated when hitting a plateau. They’re like “I lost two pounds every week for three months and now, nothing…I’m so depressed.” During my process I would have loved to hit a plateau one week, because it would have meant the scale was actually reflecting weekly losses in the first place!

This is one reason I started my blog, because I know there are people out there who give up on weight loss because despite a tremendous amount of effort, they see no difference on the scale. This is absolutely the case for me. For some reason, my body handles weight loss strangely. I don’t know if it’s because of muscle weight or water weight or the way my system processes fat – I’m really quite ignorant about it. But after the first month – in which I lost eight pounds – my pattern was to lose nothing for months on end. Then every third month – boom – out of nowhere I’d lose five pounds. This was the case regardless of my eating/fitness routine. It stayed the same whether I ate 1,400 calories and walked for an hour and a half five days a week or ate 1,600 calories and did six to eight hours in the gym in the form of boot camps, weight training, running and elliptical. No matter what the effort or eating plan, this was my pattern.

I used to look at it like a curse – I mean I couldn’t even modify my eating or exercise plan for maximum losses, because I had no idea what was or wasn’t working. My body didn’t react to the pizza I had or didn’t have one week or the extra two hours or lack thereof in the gym that week. The scale didn’t reflect a loss or gain on a weekly or even monthly basis. Luckily, I had my mother cheering me on. I visited my parents about once a month, and she could see the results even though the scale wasn’t reflecting them. Her encouragement was enough to keep me going.

Now, I look at my situation with gratitude. Yes, there are times I still get frustrated with the scale. But I realize that my slow and quirky weight loss actually allowed me the time to change my lifestyle, not just my diet and exercise routine. Some people may roll their eyes at this term that every diet and fitness guru seems to throw around. But until you truly get what a lifestyle change means, you’ll always just be on a “diet” and struggling with your weight. The good news is that it’s a process. I didn’t start out understanding what a lifestyle change was – I grew into the knowledge.

Do you like to exercise?  If so has it always been that way?  If not, how do keep motivated to keep working out?  What is your favorite form of exercise?

I loved it growing up. I was involved in gymnastics, ice skating and cheerleading. But after I gained the weight and had settled into a sedentary lifestyle, I hated exercising. But as my fitness level increased (which only happens if you keep challenging yourself) my love for exercise blossomed again. It feels good to get a great workout. I love boot camp style classes because of the challenge and the results. But to really integrate exercise into your life, it has to be something you enjoy. Forcing yourself to keep doing an activity you hate usually ends up in abandoning exercise altogether.

Motivation is a tricky beast – sometimes you have to chase it hard. Even though I thoroughly enjoy exercise now, this is still a challenge occasionally. I found that having new goals or challenges such as training for a 5K helps. I also love to use events like weddings and beach vacations as motivation. If an event is six months away and it’s important to me, I can stay motivated the entire time.

Mainly, I love exercising for the benefits – inside and out. Now, if I don’t exercise for a few days, my mood drops and my back starts to ache.

What is your “approach to food”?  In other words, what works for you to maintain your weight?

My approach to food is all about eating what you love – not cramming canned tuna down your throat for lunch three times a week! Some experts out there encourage people to think of food as fuel, and that’s it. And if that works for you, that’s great. But personally, I think that’s denying what a big part of our culture food actually is. We grow up with food being the centerpiece for holidays and most celebrations. We never have Thanksgiving without a turkey or a birthday without cake.

I do try to eat as “clean” as possible by cutting out refined sugar and most packaged products. Most things in a box or a bottle aren’t even real food by the standard definition! The key, for me, has been to modify my favorite dishes into healthier versions and to experiment with new and fresh foods. I honestly don’t feel deprived, because I love what I eat. I also allow myself a weekly splurge – whether it’s a dinner with my husband or a girl’s night out. I think if you never have a cupcake or glass of wine – you’re not really living. If more than 80% of your choices are healthy ones – then you’ll maintain your weight loss.

Education is also key. And I still research so I can have what I crave once in awhile, but do minimal damage. I love pancakes and French toast, but the 2,494 calories in Cheesecake Factory’s French toast with a side of bacon isn’t worth gaining almost a pound over! Instead I’d choose Perkins platter of 3 pancakes for 423 calories plus an extra 200 calories for syrup. I mean 623 calories for breakfast is still steep – but it’s no comparison to 2,494! If you’re smart you can have your pancakes and your weight loss, too.

You used to be a smoker but you quit! Congratulations!  Can you share some about that experience?  How did you quit?

Thanks! Yes, I smoked for 14 years. I told myself that I’d quit smoking by age 30. It seemed to me that if I was still smoking at that age, then I’d be a life-long smoker. And the thought of dealing with lung cancer or emphysema was frightening to me. Well, 30 came and went. All of a sudden, I was 32. I knew I had to do something.

I’d tried cutting down before, but that hadn’t worked. Meanwhile, I was pursuing my master’s degree in counseling and psychology. I was learning valuable tools and about how powerful our thought-processes are. I also learned that doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. I harnessed my power and quit cold turkey by changing my thought process from “I can’t imagine not smoking” and “smoking just one won’t hurt” to giving myself no option. I literally stopped smoking by telling myself it wasn’t a choice. There was no “if” involved. If you leave that door open, sooner or later, you’ll walk through it. People might think I’m over simplifying when they ask me how I quit and I say “I stopped buying cigarettes.” But really, it’s as simple as choosing not to buy them, not putting them between your fingers and not lighting them up.

I’ve been a non-smoker for five years now. The biggest key to overcoming a bad habit is believing that you can. If I had believed the hype about it being impossible to quit (which is really saying I’m not strong enough to quit) then I wouldn’t have been able to do any of what I’ve done. Another key to success is not believing that because you’ve tried something a few times – like weight loss or quitting a habit – and haven’t been successful that it means you’ve failed. It just means you haven’t found what works for you. One of my favorite quotes is “I haven’t failed, I found 10,000 ways that don’t work” by Thomas Edison.

You have already achieved so many goals!  What are your current goals? Any goal setting advice?

My new goal is to take what I’ve learned to help others create the life they want. I’m combining my backgrounds in journalism and psychology to write a book on attaining happiness. I feel like I have secrets to share!

Goal setting advice – now that’s a big question! I actually did a five-part series on Achieving Unrealistic Dreams because during my journey to redesign my life, people told me it was unrealistic. I personally believe that if you can dream it, you can do it. The only person that limits you, is you!

Is her optimism not contagious!!!

Jennifer, thank you so much for sharing your story.  You are most definitely a Girl Hero!

If you haven’t checked out Jennifer’s blog yet.  Go now! It is chock full of encouragement and motivation!  I especially love her 5 Step series documenting her weight loss.

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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Meet Girl Hero Helen.  Helen set out to weigh less than 180 pounds by her 50th birthday but along the way discovered the real lessons of weight loss are not found in a scale. Helen is married and has a 31 year old daughter and a 29 year old stepson.  Helen works as an assistant to the CEO of a group of companies.   She loves to cook and develop recipes and, like many bloggers, Helen is passionate about running!  In fact, she has a group of friends who refer to her as “Crazy Running Woman”.  Interestingly, she is a late in life runner and didn’t start until she was 42 years old.  Along with running she does Muay Thai with her husband. Helen also has hypothyroid which slows her metabolism way down but, despite this challenge she “keeps on keeping on” working toward her goals and hopes to inspire other hypothyroid patients to not give up.  A true Girl Hero!  She chronicles her journey at her blog, Doing a 180 .

You were a “late in life runner”. What made you start running?

I started because I was trying to stay off blood pressure meds.  Unfortunately my BP issues are genetic but by the time my doc decided I still had to take a low dose pill, I was enjoying the running so I kept it up.  Just a few miles a few times a week.

After I had run on my own for about a year, I found out about a local six week training program for a 3.5 mile race that benefited the neonatal unit at our local hospital.  I was terrified but I signed up and did the 6 weeks of training with the group.  On race day, I was dressed all wrong:  no cute running/wicking wear, just a cotton t-shirt and some crazy sweat pants, a pair of bad/cheap running shoes, and both legs taped from ankle to knee because I had such bad shin splints.  But when I crossed that finish line, I experienced a thrill like I’d never experienced in my whole entire life and was hooked.  I’ve never looked back.

50th Birthday!

You started your blog Doing a 180 with the intention to weigh less than 180 pounds by your 50^th birthday.  What happened in those 180 days?

In reference to my weight, not very much.  It went up, down, and all around but kept settling back around 180.  Very frustrating.  So I had to work on keeping a positive mental attitude so that I wouldn’t give up in discouragement.  When I run distance races my mantra, as my brain starts telling me to stop running, is “Just Keep Running.”  During those 180 days, I developed a new mantra for my life as it relates to weight loss: “Keep on keeping on.”

Before

Almost to goal!

Did you learn before anything unexpected during those 180 days?

As the date got closer, I discovered that if I turned 50 and wasn’t below 180 it wasn’t going to be the end of my world.  That deadline was one I had imposed on myself.  But, in real life, you have to take however long you need to take.  In the long run, I found out that though I would like to weigh less, what I really want is to make peace with my body.  I actually changed the “About Me” section on the blog to reflect that.

I found out that I enjoyed blogging more than I ever thought I would.  I have made some great friends who are as ‘real’ to me as friends I interact with in real life.

What are some of your favorite blog posts?

What I find interesting is that my favorite blog posts have nothing to do with weight loss!  They’re about the loves of my life, my daughter and my husband, and I wrote the three part one on request from several followers.

Do You See What I See?

This Season of Love (in three parts)

This Season of Love, Part 2

This Season of Love, The Finale

How long ago since you passed your 180 day goal?  How does you lifestyle now compare to your lifestyle then?

Well, I’m 51 now so it’s been a year and some.  I have gone from a ‘dieting’ mentality to wanting to be my best self and live healthfully.  Sometimes no matter what you do the scale won’t budge.  When that happens it’s easy to want to freak out and do a crazy diet.  Really, the best thing is to keep eating healthfully and get some exercise.  I found out I cannot be consumed by weight loss.  I have a wonderful, vivid life that I need to live and enjoy!  Not to say that I don’t pay attention but rather to say I’m not fixated on it and hope that weight loss will happen as a bonus of trying to live my best life.

What is hypothroid and how do you manage it?   Any advice for others?

The thyroid controls the body’s metabolism.  When someone is hypothyroid, basically their metabolism slows way, way down.  I was diagnosed at age 45 so in my case, not only was I being hit with mid-life hormonal changes and metabolism slow down, which is challenging enough, but I also got the thyroid diagnosis.  By the time the doctor figured it out from January to August, I had gained 55 pounds – 30 of that over the course of a summer while training for a half marathon.

It took about 2 years of messing around with medications before I was somewhat balanced and was allowed to try to lose some of that weight.  In 2007-2008 I lost 45 pounds and then my thyroid went a bit nuts again and I gained 30 back.

This is the weight I’ve been trying to lose ever since, so going on 3 years now.  This tells you, I’m still trying to manage it.  But I don’t give up and I keep trying new things.  I hope one day I can actually get the weight off and inspire other thyroid patients!

My best advice to others is educating yourself!  When you know better, you can do better.  For example, soy products interact with thyroid medications.  Many protein bars and other things have soy in them.  Also, calcium and antacids can completely negate the affect of meds.  So it’s very important to take meds on a completely empty stomach about an hour before you eat.  Things like that will make all the difference in how your body responds to the medical side of things.

Tell us about Muay Thai?  When did you start?  How do you like it?  Has it made an impact on your life in anyway?  Are you planning to get your black belt?

My husband has been involved with Martial Arts for 8 years and is a second-degree black belt (testing for 3^rd in December of this year).  He is very talented and just before he got his 1^st degree, the dojo owners asked him to work for them part time. At the time they were strictly Shorin-Ryu Karate but soon enough started introducing various mixed martial arts.  When they introduced Muay Thai he started coming home and telling me he thought I’d love it.  But Muay Thai is a martial art.  It’s not just cardio kickboxing so I was intimidated and wouldn’t go.

But, I hate gyms.  And I hate strength training and I knew deep in my heart that I needed to find something, even if it was body weight functional fitness to balance out all the running I was doing.  So, in 2009, after him asking me for several years I gave in and agreed to go try it out.

I liked it so much better than I thought I would!  Plus I started seeing physical benefits related to strength from all the squats, pushups, sprawls, cherry pickers, punching and kicking.  There’s nothing like being able to punch a bag at the end of a stressful day.  At first, I signed up only for year because I wanted to make sure I would want to stick with it.  At the end of that year, I committed to getting my black belt.  If I stay on track, I should be getting that in 2012.  And, it has turned out to be the perfect compliment to running.

In general, what motivates you to take care of your body on a day to day basis?

Definitely health.  There are some genetic issues in my family that I would like to stave off if at all possible.  There is rampant heart disease on my mother’s side of the family.  In fact, I had an aunt (passed away now) who was actually a heart transplant recipient.  Not to mention cholesterol and blood pressure issues.  I want to be healthy enough to live on my own well into old age!

If you could…is there a particular day in your life that was so wonderful you would want to live it over and over again?

In 2002, My husband and I were finally getting a long put off honeymoon.  When we got married in 1992 it was a second marriage for both of us and we were starting with kids.  No money = no honeymoon.

Ten years later we’d gotten the kids raised and one graduated from college so we decided to take a trip.  We chose St. Martin, in the French West Indies.  Because the trip was in May of 2002 (right after the horrific events of 9/11) we got a great deal.

We arrived at the resort only to be told that the room we had reserved (a beach front efficiency room with a kitchenette) was not available.  My husband, who is usually the picture of cool, started to lose it.  He told the check-in agent that the only thing his wife wanted was a beach front room and that they couldn’t deny us that.  Didn’t they understand this was our long put off honeymoon?  She just calmly said to him, “Oh sir, you’ll get beachfront and I’m sure you will like the accommodation and it will be at the same price.”  Sort of in that laid back Caribbean way.  She called a porter to come and take our luggage to the unit.  As we followed the guy walking down the sidewalk my husband was fuming the whole way.  We walked all the way to the end of one of the buildings and the porter opened the door and told us to step inside.

She had upgraded us to a 2 bedroom/2 bathroom townhouse style unit with a living room and full kitchen!  Outside the sliders was a private patio.  There was a spiral staircase leading up to the bedrooms where the master bedroom had a balcony overlooking the gorgeous Caribbean Sea.  In that split second we went from economy to luxury. It was so beautiful and so much more than we ever could have dreamed of… and to this day, we still relish that memory and St. Martin continues to be our Happy Place.

I would want to relive that day over and over again too!  Thank you so much for sharing your story with us.  I know your determination and positive attitude despite the challenges you face are already inspiring people!  You are a Girl Hero!

Don’t forget to check out Helen’s blog!

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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Girl Hero Shelley  has been on a journey to fit since May 2008.  Since then, she has lost over 110 pounds, ran races, and has experienced things she never thought she would experience!  She enjoys running, reading, writing, Sudoku, crossword puzzles, and shopping!  On her blog, My Journey To Fit, Shelley shares the ups and downs of her journey. It’s an honor to share a glimpse of her story with you!

Tell us a little bit about your family?

I’ve been married to Jeff for 26 years and have two grown sons (I feel way too young to be able to write that!), Sam and Max, who are away attending college.  We are originally from California but have lived in Texas for the past 18 years.  Our family also consists of our crazy pets, including Paco the Wonder Dog, who constantly shows up in pictures on my blog.

How does your lifestyle now compare to your lifestyle then?

I had a lot of overweight years where I sat on the sidelines and watched – I didn’t join in.  If my kids went swimming, I sat in the shade.  Too fat to put on a swimsuit, much less get in the pool.  Go for a walk?  I’ll be waiting for you when you come back.  Basically I didn’t do much if involved any kind of physical activity.  Now, I’m the one out there doing things!  I run races.  I ride my bike.  I don’t think anything of going for a long walk.  Heck, I even went ziplining a few months ago on a family vacation in Maui!  I’ve done things I never, ever thought I’d do – it’s amazing how much bigger my world became once my body got smaller.

How did you get started?  Did you follow a specific program?

I started with a mostly liquid, high-protein diet that was prescribed by my doctor – I had hoped to lose a large chunk of weight fairly quickly, in order to give me momentum to keep going.  I ended up staying with that for about three months before I transitioned myself to counting calories – and as I lost weight and became more aware of “clean eating” my food choices changed from eating prepackaged frozen diet meals to lean meats, fresh fruit and veggies, whole grains and Greek yogurt.

What have been your biggest roadblocks and more importantly how do you get past them?

Most of my roadblocks have been mental, like when I was on a plateau that lasted six weeks – knowing that I was doing what I was supposed to, and not getting any results on the scale made it hard to keep going.  Honestly, what helped with that was going clothes shopping – just trying on things in smaller sizes helped me to see that yes, I was getting results, even if the blasted scale wasn’t showing it.  Exercise was a big deal for me – I worked out with a small group of women and a couple of trainers three times a week, and I was afraid to miss any days because I worried that I would get into the habit of skipping workouts.  Then I had gallbladder issues, and had to have surgery to have it removed and could not exercise at all for a few weeks.  That was tough, feeling like I was losing the progress I’d made with the workouts.  I worried I’d slip back to my old ways of laziness, but I made myself return as soon as I got the OK from my doctor.

You mention how helpful “the support” you received from the weight loss blogging community was for you on your weight loss journey.  Can you elaborate on that?  How did blogging help you reach your goals?

I have a terrible memory, and knew that I would eventually forget both the struggles and accomplishments along the way, so blogging became my way of keeping track of my journey. I had no idea that I would not only find a wealth of other weight-loss bloggers out there who not only inspired me, but showed me that it was possible to lose 100 pounds or more – and keep it off…which was something I really hadn’t thought about.  Getting comments on my posts made me feel like I had people in my corner – people who really understood all the crazy things that we go through as we make such a huge life change.  And over time friendships with other bloggers went from leaving comments to more personal emails, complete with advice and even more support.

Any advice for new bloggers who are just starting out on their weight loss journey?

Find the bloggers who you can relate to and read them for inspiration and motivation.  Go back in their archives and read from the beginning – I remember finding a couple of bloggers who had lost over 100 pounds, and knowing that I needed to do that myself, went back and read how they got started and their struggles and triumphs.  Sometimes when you only see someone who has achieved their goal, you don’t realize that it took them a lot of time to get there.  Don’t put a time limit on yourself to hit your goal weight; instead, make this a lifestyle change so you won’t have to lose this weight ever again.

You ran your first mile at age 46 and have since run many races!  Did you discover anything about yourself after that first 1 mile run?

Hmmm, that it was both easier and harder than I realized.  Easier because I actually did it – me, who never even ran when it was popular in the 70s, and harder because it turns out that for me, running is almost as much a mental challenge to keep going as it is a physical challenge to actually do it.  But the most amazing thing I discovered is that I was a runner.  Never expected that phrase to be attached to my name!

What is that you like about running?  Do you do any sort of other exercise other than running?

Because I have been concentrating on training for half marathons (my first was in November), I’ve just been running for the last five months.  I wish I had kept up with my upper body workouts – I got pretty lazy about them, and only just recently have picked up the weights again.  I forgot how much I like the feeling of making my arm muscles burn a little, and I love seeing my muscles becoming more defined again.

You recently discovered you had an injury with the Austin marathon less than a month a away.  How are you coping with the news?

One day I will be wildly optimistic and the next day very pessimistic a little more grounded in reality.  But overall, I can’t let go of the thought that I will be able to run Austin.  Which may not be the smartest thing to do, considering I have another half marathon just two weeks later that is in my hometown – I know that if I’m not at 100%, I run the risk of hurting my ankle so much that I won’t be able to run any races.  This truly has been as much of a mental challenge as a physical one for me.

What motivates you?  Do you need to set goals?  If so what goals are you working towards?

I’d like to say that my health motivates me, but really?  It’s new clothes.  I still get such a thrill whenever I go shopping and these small sizes – single digit, mind you – fit ME!!!  That alone is enough to keep me eating right – I want to keep wearing (and buying) my smaller clothes.  OK, I will say that being healthy is a secondary motivator (shallow, I know – but hey, this is me being honest) – since I’ve lost over 100 pounds, I don’t have high blood pressure or acid reflux anymore, and hopefully I’ve avoided anything worse that stems from obesity.

As for goals, I never used to set goals.  I don’t push myself in the traditional way that a lot of people do – I don’t run every race trying to beat my previous time; I don’t have a specific number on the scale that I need to see…I guess no one could every accuse me of being an overachiever, haha!  But I do like the way I look in (most) clothes now, so being able to keep fitting into my new, smaller clothes definitely motivates me.

And for fun, what’s the story behind your pink bike???

My bike is an Electra Hawaiian Cruiser – and it is the first new bike I’ve had since my 6^th birthday!  It might be a little crazy for a grown woman to choose such a pink, flowery bike, but it makes me happy every time I see it.  The bike represents my commitment to exercise.  When I first started my diet, it was all I could do to ride my bike a couple of laps around my circle…half a mile, while not seeming like much now, was a lot for me.  I gradually increased the distance and amount of time I spent riding, and I consider the bike my gateway to fitness.

Thank you Shelley for sharing a piece of your journey with us!  You are no doubt an inspiration and Girl Hero!

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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Marissa is a wife, mother, and do-er.   Like many moms (ahem), she found herself having gained more than she would have liked during pregnancy and a year after her daughter’s birth decided she wanted her body back.   Not only did she want her body back she wanted to take her training to a new level.  She always admired bodybuilders and figure competitors and one day she decided she, too, could be standing up on a stage in the best shape of her life.  And she did!  Not only did Marissa lose over 45 lbs she learned  valuable lessons in the process.  Marissa shows off her “muskles” and inspires other women to do the same over at Mucsklemom.

Girl Hero Marissa

What caused you to make your lifestyle change?

I have two amazing children. After my first I learned I have hypothyroidism (under active thyroid). It makes you tired, depressed, gain weight. I was too tired to do fun activities with my children and I was so uncomfortable with myself that it reflected negatively to my children. I want to be a role model for them in every way possible and I want them to know how to live healthy lives.

What was your fitness and food habits like before?

I have been pretty good about my health and fitness since college. I did Body for Life and lost a lot of weight, but when my life changed with children and finances that one very important part of me slipped through the cracks. For the almost 4 years building up to my real transformation I was eating whatever was easy and put in front of me. LOTS of junk, carbs, sweets, etc. I look back now and think to myself  “you knew better!”.

On your health journey have you had any super low moments? Moments that just made you want to throw in the towel.  Did you learn something from that experience?

Yes, there were/are a lot of ups and downs to changing my lifestyle. Especially when those closest to me aren’t ready to make that same change. I spent a lot of time at the gym and because my meals at the time were planned I would sometimes miss eating with my family. I was cranky at times because I wanted to revert back to the unhealthy lifestyle that my body had become addicted to, but I didn’t!

Everything in life requires sacrifices of some sort. I couldn’t change what was happening with me as far as my crankiness and food driven mood swings. I know now that is just part of the body detoxing. I did however learn that my time with my family is precious, even something as simple as sitting down with them for our family dinner. So now I am not as “strict” as I was during my contest prep and if I have to wait another 30 minutes to sit with my family, then I will. Afterall, they are one of the reasons I went through this transformation in the first place!

Is PMS a struggle for you?  Does exercise and diet help?  Any tips you can share that might help other women who deal with PMS?

When I was in college I was diagnosed with PMDD. I have noticed that when I was eating poorly it was HORRIBLE. Once my clean eating was established, it went away. Like so many other health issues in life we suffer with, it seems once you remove the toxic items from your diet and give your body the exercise it needs, they go away. So NO MORE PMDD for me!

You’ve competed in a figure competition.  Was it a positive experience?  How did you balance family life and competition prep?  What did you learn from the experience?

It was a positive experience. For me, I need deadlines. So it was exactly what I needed to get to where I needed to be with my personal health. It took a lot of self-discipline and dedication. I learned I had a LOT of support both online friends and my in person friends. I learned you can gain a lot of attention from doing something like a figure competition which can be good and bad. I overcame the bad which has brought me closer to my husband and the good has been great! I get emails from women telling me I inspire them, which to me is the best compliment anyone can give. I was able to do it and therefore I believe anyone can do it. I was someone with no will power and am by nature an emotional eater. By learning these things about myself I am able to overcome obstacles with myself. I will admit it is tough balancing a family life along with prepping for a competition.  I have thought I would do more, but I really don’t foresee any future shows for me. Things can change but as of right now, that’s how I feel. I walked on stage that day already feeling like I won first place. I didn’t care what any judge was going to say. I accomplished the goals I set for me and seeing my husband in the audience with proud tears in his eyes was all I needed for me to feel like a winner. I took a lot of education out of the experience and that I will hold dear to me for the rest of my life.

Does your husband share your lifestyle?

Not really. I would like to get him more active and  involved. He actually just recently committed to doing a duathlon with me this summer. So I am writing his workouts and his meal plan. I would love more than anything for him to share the passion that I feel for fitness and health.

How does being a mom affect your lifestyle?

They give me motivation and inspiration each and every day. I love being a mom. I love teaching them about healthy living and eating. They have made this transformation easier because they encourage me each day to do better!

How have your friends reacted to your transformation?

I think they are proud of me. I was told by a few that I have inspired them to reach their own personal goals. All my good close friends were very supportive and still are to this day. They listened when I needed to complain about my food or workouts and kept me up on my toes! It’s very important to keep those friends who want the best for you very close and those who criticize you during a transformation like this are the ones you, unfortunately, have to tune out.

What does a typical day look like for you in regards to meals?

I have been reading more and getting into more of a Primal (paleo) style of living. I eat a lot of protein, veggies, nuts,  & berries. I eat 5-6 meals a day. A typical day for me would be similar to this:

M1: 4 egg whites and  1 piece of Ezekiel bread ( I won’t give up my Ezekiel bread!!) topped with coconut oil and cinnamon

M2: protein shake

M3: salmon patties (my new favorite) with a salad

M4: lean protein (chicken or turkey) with veggies

M5: lean protein with veggies

M6: protein shake (I usually make this my dessert.)

Do you get cravings?  If so how do you deal with them???

I do get cravings BAD. Especially with the holidays.  I do allow myself a couple of times to give in.  However, for the most part  I will be very sick following the “cheat” so I get reminded quickly that those foods are not good for my body. I have been experimenting with recipes to make sweet foods healthy. For example, black bean brownies (not paleo), protein powder cookies, smoothies, etc. Or even just a cup of greek yogurt with cocoa powder will do the trick.

How often do you exercise?

I like to exercise 5-6 days a week.

What is your favorite exercise?  Why?

I LOVE working out my back. It is probably the strongest body part and I love the way a sculpted back looks!

What motivates you?

I set new goals for myself each time I achieve one. So I stay motivated with new adventures! Also my children and just the feeling of feeling fit and healthy!!

What goals have you reached and what are you working towards?

My figure competition was my first big one! This year I am working on training for a duathlon! I’d love to learn more about crossfit as well as getting back into boxing.

What is your most irrational fear?

I’m a very protective mother. I guess I fear something happening to my babies! But don’t most moms have that fear?  ;-) Oh and the fear of drowning! (which is why I won’t do a triathlon!)

Anything else you would like to share???

My advice is for anyone who wants to reach fitness goals or any other goals. Just put your mind to it and start toward that goal! Anyone can be what they want to be. I know it all sounds cliché but it’s so true. There is a lot of support out there and once you put yourself out there people are so willing to lend a helping hand!

Love the positivity!!!  Thank you Marissa for sharing your story.  You are a Girl Hero!

Don’t forget to check out Marissa’s blog Musklemom!

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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“Beauty is a radiance that originates from within and comes from inner security and strong character.” – Jane Seymor

There are few things quite as lovely as inner beauty and spend some time on Lori’ blog, Finding Radiance, you’ll quickly see she posseses an abundance of it.  Lori has taken quite the journey and her determination to lose 115 pounds is nothing short of inspirational. Lori has been married to her husband, John, for 14 years and they have a 4-legged child. She works from home as a medical transcriptionist. Lori loves to garden and during the summer she updates her readers weekly with what has been blooming.  A woman of a million hobbies, Lori makes soap, roasts her own coffee, and is learning classical guitar.

Girl Hero Lori

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What was your catalyst for change?  Was there a defining moment or was it a gradual change?

I think that when you are overweight, you always are thinking about weight and weight loss.  At least I did.  I was always so conscious of being overweight for most of my life.  You just can’t hide an extra 100 pounds, no matter which way you turn for pictures or how baggy your shirts are.  When I actually saw 250 on the scale, it scared me.  I could just envision the scale going up and up and never stopping.  While that was a defining moment for me, it did take me a while to actually make much progress.

How does your lifestyle before compare to your lifestyle now?

My lifestyle is really different.  I never would have thought I would enjoy running (ever!!!) and I eat brussel sprouts now.  Sometimes I wonder who this lady is. My husband and I plan physical activities on Saturdays now, which usually is a really long bike ride (and we often reward ourselves with a cupcake).  It’s funny because way back, I would never have envisioned that this would be a lifestyle that I would enjoy.

You’ve tried a few different weight loss programs?  Are there any that come to mind that were particularly useful or you learned something particularly valuable?

I have done a lot of programs.  I don’t think there is anyone who is/was very overweight who hasn’t tried them all!  LOL!  I did Weight Watchers for a long time, but then hit a looooooong plateau (months).  It was because I wasn’t eating enough.  I also did Nutrisystem.  I know a lot of people knock programs like that, but I needed to stop thinking about food for a while and just eat what I was supposed to.  Losing a lot of weight is an exhausting process mentally and the same tools that worked at first may not work 6 months later.  So, I did NS for 6 months.  One thing that I really picked out from that program was that every meal and snack included protein.  That is a very satisfying way to eat.  That is something that I pretty much do to this day.

I read on your blog that you don’t eat much sugar.  Why not?  Was it hard to come to that place?

Well, I do eat sugar.  What I don’t eat are processed sugars for the most part.  When I want something sweet, I want it to be a good cupcake or good chocolate and not some 100-calorie snack pack that is very unmemorable.

About 5 years ago, I read a book (when I hit 250 pounds) called “The Sugar Addict’s Recovery Program” and realized that I was addicted to white things and sugar.  Not kidding.  It really is an addiction.  I slowly eliminated processed foods and actually went totally no sugar for a bit, including a pumpkin pie made without sweetener (which we will never mention again).  The hardest thing for me was removing the sugar from my coffee.  I always had that sweetened.   That took a lot of getting used to.

The benefit to doing this was that I learned what real food tastes like.  My tongue was so numbed by sugar and processed foods that I really didn’t notice what went into my mouth.  I learned that milk has a natural sweetness to it and fruit makes an amazing dessert.  I also was able to discriminate the different natural flavors of varietal coffees and have learned to appreciate those.  These are things that I would have scoffed at in the past.

I began adding more things back into my diet as treats and learned what my tolerance level is for having sugar without it setting off huge cravings or binges for me.  Not that I don’t cross that line from time to time (hello holidays), but I do so knowingly.  I still do not sweeten my coffee or lattes.

You say this on your blog “about” page, “I feel like I now have the complete puzzle put together on the best type of eating for me! I can eat this way for the rest of my life, and have learned that if I really want something – I should make room for it. I definitely don’t like feeling deprived and would eat it anyway, so why not plan for it and really, really enjoy it?” I love this and couldn’t agree more!  Any advice for planning?  Or how do you do it?

Eating for me has become so habitual.  I think advice for planning is to practice.  Yes, it takes time at first and it will feel like a real chore.  Maybe just start with planning your breakfasts for the week and really getting those down.  Then start planning lunches, too.  It helps when you have certain staple meals that you can rotate in for those days when you don’t want to think too hard.

What is one of your favorite “go to” recipes?

Well…I will give you 2 of my very favorite recipes.  I love my protein pancake/waffle recipe.

I also love custard style oats, which I give a tutorial on here:

Can you tell breakfast is my favorite meal of the day?

What part did exercise play in your weight loss?

Exercise played an enormous role in weight loss, but even more in maintaining the loss.  I like to eat.  So, I need to exercise to help offset some of that.  I also learned that I could eat more by building more muscle!

Have you always loved being active or was it something that you learned to love?

I do love the exercise that I do now.  I used to dislike any exercise a lot.  Being very overweight, it just was hard to do.  I used to think that I had to go all out for exercise (like go from nothing to running miles).  It wasn’t until I realized that I could actually start slow and progress that I finally found things I like to do.  With that said, I don’t love all exercise, though.   I found some things that I just don’t enjoy – yoga and kickboxing come to mind.  I thought I had to do those things and kept trying them, but really, what’s the point if you aren’t enjoying it?

What does a typical week of exercise look like for you?

I strength train full body 3 days a week.  I do cardio on other days, either running or biking.  I try to take 1 or 2 days off each week for rest days.

I know you’ve run races.  How many?

Officially, I have done 1 triathlon, 1 duathlon, 1 metric century bike ride, and 14 5Ks since I started running in 2008.  My husband and I also created a couple of our own events that we did (a 100-mile bike ride and a home duathlon).

What was it like to do a triathalon?  How long did you train?  Any advice for those who might be interested but don’t know where to start?

The triathlon was really amazing to me.  I cried when I finished, which surprised the heck out of me (and my husband!) It was never something that I thought I would want to do, so it was such a strange idea to have pop into my head.  I was already biking and running, so the swim was just something to practice.  There are many training programs out there for triathlons.  You basically just need to work on each event at least once a week.  Swimming was my very weakest area (and still is).  So, I spent more time with that.

One tip for training for something like this is to practice the transitions.  It feels really, really weird to hop off the bike and start running.  The more you practice that, the more used to that feeling you get.

I have learned that I just don’t like swimming that much, so I definitely prefer the duathlon format, which is run/bike/run!

How long have you been blogging?

I have blogged off and on since 2005, but kind of left the blog for a bit, then came back the last few years with really regular blogging.  It has evolved a lot.  I used to have several blogs, one for weight loss, one for fitness, and one for food.  Then I had the brilliant idea to combine them into one, saving myself a lot of time LOL!

What’s the story behind the title of your blog “Finding Radiance”?

There was a phrase in the Sugar Addict’s Recovery book about the 7 steps involved in giving up sugar and getting your life back.  The last step was something about finding radiance.  I just loved that turn of phrase because it really means loving yourself and finding the joy in life that shines through from the inside out.  Getting thin won’t make you happy.  Running marathons won’t make you happy.  You have to be happy inside and speak kindly to yourself and that will radiate outwards and make the rest of your life that much more enjoyable.  That’s how I want to live my life.

Beautiful!  Thank you so much, Lori, for sharing a part of your life with us.  You are clearly a Girl Hero!

If you haven’t already, please go check out Lori’s blog, Finding Radiance.

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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It’s an honor to feature Jen from Making Messes as the first Girl Hero of the new year.

Jen is a committed wife, mother, friend and, as she puts it, has lost one Backstreet Boy in weight.  More than once I might add.  She has also run races and left her life in the city to experience life in the mountains.  Jen is as honest as she is inspirational.  Oh and she’s funny. Her blog is truly a gift to read.

Meet Girl Hero Jen

How long have you and Ed been married.

Ed and I have been married for 10 years. We met when we were 18, got hitched at 22. So, by all accounts, we should be growing apart and resenting each other. It’s been the opposite. For that, I’m so very grateful!

You’re a SAHM right?

I dabble in doula work from time to time, but I’m 99% SAHM. I was a latch key kid, raised by working parents. So being a SAHM was a shift in my view of home life and the average day to day. It’s far more challenging than I expected, but I wouldn’t trade these moments for the world. I told Ed we need to keep a “Therapy Jar” around and every time we screw up, throw some cash in there for when the kids are older. These days, therapy is more important than college, no?

Hobbies?

I enjoy knitting, but only make gloves and hats, as my attention span can wane and my 2 year old has a passion for unraveling my pieces when I accidentally leave them hanging around. I read a lot. Much more than I did in college. I’m all over the place as far as topic. Self help, spiritual, fitness, fiction, young adult fiction, fitness, whatever. I enjoy learning new things. Many life times ago I was a painter in art school. As I’ve grown, I’ve transferred my creative energy into all the things I love. Sounds cliche, but living your life as a work of art is much easier than living it perfectly.

How does your “before” lifestyle compare to your “after” lifestyle?

My “before” lifestyle involved a lot of anger towards inward. I was not at peace with myself or really trusted myself to take care of me. I was through and through an emotional overeater. I believed food brought me comfort, freedom and love. But all I ended up feeling was emptiness and self hatred. In 2006, I was 9 months pregnant with my second child and reached 230 lbs. I felt trapped in my body. In my mind, pregnancy felt safe to binge over and over again. It was then that I stumbled upon my first weight loss blog which was Roni’s Weigh blog (at the time called WeightWatchen). She inspired me to start a blog after my daughter was born to document and help keep me accountable for weight loss.

What was your basic food and fitness routine like when you were losing weight?

I joined Weight Watchers at 6 weeks post partum. I followed their nursing mother’s plan to the T. And I ate everyone of my Flex points every single week! Every Monday evening I went to the meetings. Even if I had a bad week, I promised myself I’d still show up for every single meeting. It really helped me focus. My leader was very inspirational and motivating, which was really key for me. The weight came off at roughly 3 lbs a week. In less than a year, I reached my goal weight was 139 lbs. Ironically, I didn’t integrate fitness into my daily routine until I reached my goal. I wanted to get more points!! So I became motivated to earn Activity Points. I started the Couch25k program and registered for a race to keep me accountable. Over time, I eventually began going to classes at my YMCA. That’s when I fell in love with Bootcamp style classes. Fitness brought a new sense of purpose for me. Gave me a confidence that losing weight alone couldn’t. When I felt strong, I felt more at peace with my body- no matter what shape it was.

You were/are a doula and you birthed three children so I think your are a good person to ask for advice about being kind to yourself and your body after birthing babies. So any advice? Or how were you kind to yourself?

I was a doula before I had children. For years, I encouraged and guided women through the pregnancy and childbirthing process. I became pregnant in 2003 with my first child. On October 25, 2003 (my birthday), I found myself with the flu, going through a very complicated, long, painful foceps delivery after planning a gentle home birth.

In addition, the next 4 months were filled with breastfeeding issues and multiple bouts of mastitis that almost landed me in the hospital. I loved my son so much, but I was suffering from PPD and really needed help. My first act of kindness toward myself was admitting I needed help. I saw a psychiatrist and found the right medication that helped me get my head above water and enjoy my sweet son. That experience left a bruise on my heart. So much of my hopes of birth and motherhood were lost. After my son was old enough, I started attending births again. Every time I witnessed a gentle birth, I’d almost wince. As happy and proud I was of my client, it was painful for me to witness. I was mad that my body seemed to abandon me. So, when I gave birth to my second child in 2006, I went the opposite extreme. I wanted to be numb. I was induced and asked for every drug in the book. My fear of repeating my last experience was too painful to bear. And I had a very comfortable, satisfying birth with my daughter. And for that moment, it was the right thing, so I suppose it was an act of kindness. By the time I was pregnant with my third child in 2008, I had been doing a lot of emotional work and took a wonderful Birthing Again class with my husband that really focused on fears and the emotional side of birth and motherhood. Our mind-body connection is so powerful!

On Dec 5, 2008 I had an empowering, beautiful, gentle waterbirth. It was the birth that redeemed me from my past. It gave me a gift that I so desperately needed. Looking back on all my births, I’m grateful for each experience. It showed me what I could go through and come out of. It also made me a better doula. It taught me how to love myself and how vital it is that our inner dialogue reflect kindness towards ourselves. It appears to me to be one of life’s most valuable tools. But then again, I’m only 32. I have a lot to learn.

You got a tummy tuck in 2009. What was that like? Painful? Were you scared? Would you do it again?

Painful? Yes. But I’d do it again in a heart beat. My body’s idea of pregnancy is excessive amniotic fluid and large babies. From 6 month pregnant and on, it’s not unusual for me to be asked if I’m carrying twins at least once a day. I gain roughly 65 lbs with each one. And my tummy juts out like a shelf where I can barely fit my own arms around my stomach. Needless to say, when I lost all the weight I was left with deflated skin that hung over on top of itself. It made me really uncomfortable and was always on my mind. For me, it was reconstructive surgery, not plastic. I had a fantastic surgeon and care team in place. The first few days were rough, but as long as I took my medicine, I was great. By 2 weeks I felt back to normal, other than feeling like I had done 1000 crunches. I had muscle restoration with my tummy tuck, so I gained a lot of core strength which was an unexpected bonus. I had been so focused on the excess skin that I hadn’t thought about my nagging back pain and strong, but separated abs. I wore a bikini for the first time in 15 years this past summer. That was the best!  (You can see Jen’s post and pictures on her blog here.)

How do you define balance?

Balance is all about forgiveness for me. If you can forgive yourself, you can strike a balance. A person that practices forgiveness and kindness will automatically have balance in their life. Balance is that moment in your day when things are piling up on your shoulders and you take that deep breath and tell yourself it’s going to be okay. No matter if you do it once or 100 times in one day, at least you’re doing. And it counts.

You say you exercise to keep your sanity. Can you elaborate on that? What does life look like when you don’t exercise?

Well, as I’ve shared, I’ve struggled with depression and anxiety for most of my adult life. I’m convinced daily exercise is one of the key ways I’ve been able to successfully manage a healthy balance in my brain. If I miss it, I can tell. My husband can tell. He used to hand me a glass of wine during the witching hour with the kids. Now he tells me to go for a run. For a person that struggles with anxiety, giving your brain all those fabulous endorphins is so important. Losing that extra hour of sleep in the morning to prioritize my workouts is an easy price to pay for some state of the art chemical balance!

You’ve done some races. What were those like? Do you plan to do any more?

I registered for a race before I ever started running. That’s how I roll. Jump, then think. I could not run a 1⁄4 mile when I started. I used the Couch to 5k program to get myself to 3 miles. Then it came easier. I’m an incredibly slow runner. Some people can walk faster. I won’t share my mile time because you will seriously laugh at me. But, I’m not about speed. I’m about finishing. I’ve done 5 k’s, 10 k’s and trained for a marathon that I never got to run because I injured my toe right before. Nothing like spending 6 months training and working up to that mileage, only to not run the race. But, as all marathoners know, the training is an accomplishment in and of itself. I really want to run a marathon at least once for my bucket list. These days I stick to easy runs in the 2-4 mile range. Anything beyond that is just unneeded torture, unless I’m training for something. I’m more of a “get in and get out” girl with workouts these days.

Back in Atlanta you started a bootcamp for women in your neighborhood. What motivated you to do that and did you enjoy the experience?

Oh just thinking about it makes me smile! I miss those girls so much!! The average bootcamp in Atlanta is roughly $350/month. I saw an interest and need and figured I’d start it for free. That way I’d get my workout in and others would too and we’d all save some cash. One positive side of my sometimes stubborn personality is that I often find myself saying: “Oh I can do that!” And so that’s exactly what happened. I had been taking bootcamp classes for years and just started planning the routines. We met every weekday morning at 6am sharp in the tennis courts in our neighborhood. And even though I was torturing them, we all had a lot of fun. Those ladies made getting up at the crack of dawn easy for me. I’d encourage anyone to get some friends together and do it.

In November you left Atlanta and move up to a remote mountain town (without a Starbucks!). How has that moved affected your fitness routine?

Well, I was a slug for a week or two! After just a few days of being here, I joined a gym and attended a few classes. Then we got snow dumped on us, which turned our 1⁄2 mile driveway into an Olympic bob sled slope. And my beloved gym I just joined was closed on and off for weeks. I accidentally left my weights in Atlanta in my garage when we moved, so I had none on hand. But I knew I had to take action or else I would go into hibernation along with the bears. And would more than likely come out looking like a bear in the Spring. So on one of the better days, I braved the driveway and made it to Wal-Mart where I loaded up on some 5,8, and 10-lb dumbbells and a 35 lbs kettlebell. I started out working out with the kids around or even participating. But, I don’t know what it is, but workouts are sort of sacred moments for me. It’s my recharge time. And I just prefer and enjoy them more alone or in a class setting. And preferably not little monkies clinging to me and asking for a snack. So I started setting my alarm again for 6am. And that’s my weekday workout time. When you live in a town with harsh winters, you start wishing for Spring in November. In the mean time though, you gotta make it work!

Speaking of that move how is it going? What is it like to pack up leaving the city and head to the mountains?

It’s been a culture shock. I knew it would be, but the reality sinks in and you have to adjust your lens a little bit. In a way it’s been a great exercise for me staying present. In a big city, you can easily distract yourself at any given time of the day. In the mountains, you are embedded in nature and once the “retreat” feel of it wears away, you have to learn a new way of seeing things and being. I’m an extrovert, so I miss my friends dearly. For me, that’s the most challenging part of all this. But I really believe there’s a plan for me and this was all part of the plan. And when you feel peace about a big decision, it makes all the adjustments easier to swallow. My kids are really enjoying discovering the outdoors, even in the snow! They often leave the back door looking like Ralphie and his brother from the Christmas Story, but they will play in the snow for hours. We’re all growing and learning our new way of life. And I dearly miss Starbucks and my old local coffee shop Octane. There are no drive through coffee houses here. That alone, took some major adjustment!! You moms with small, multiple kids get what I mean. And snow? Forget about it! I need Starbucks delivery.

If you were to write a book what would it be about?

It would be about how to write a book when you can’t think of what it should be about.

If you were to decided to go on a roadtrip right now where would you go and why? And what is a song you would play?

New York City! I have some dear friends there that I miss and would love to see. That and I just love walking, crowds, food, laughter and late nights. All of which comes in high doses there. And, ironically, I’d probably play The Suburbs by Arcade Fire.

Thank you Jen for sharing a glimpse of your struggles and successes.  Your perseverance, willingness to breath in the moment, and strength to speak what is on your heart is inspirational.  You are a Girl Hero.

Don’t forget to check out Jen’s blog, Making Messes and be sure to read one of my favorites posts of hers ever titled Is Your Diet Your Religion? So funny.  So true.

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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