My FIRST weight loss VLOG!

Here it is, please comment any questions or recommendations for future videos :)

The Struggle Is Real

   Starting another round of 21 Day Fix this week.  I am down 6-8 lbs depending on the day my weight has been fluctuating.   I have been stuck at my current weight for a couple of weeks and I am ready to recommit to the program that helped me lose 9 lbs in 21 days the last time I did it.

   I have been up and down with my Crohn's symptoms and recently spoke with my Gastroenterologist about starting Remicade.  I am excited, scared, and hopeful that this in combination with my Imuran will improve my symptoms.

   I just placed my order for some new Erin Condren planner stickers from Etsy.  I will post pictures when they come in.  I will be using them to organize my daily life and Beachbody business.  

  I will be posting on my blog at least once a week to do updates on my weight loss progress.  If you are interested in home workouts and an accountability group full of positive strong women send me an email at kristenslosingit@gmail.com

Before and after from my first round :)

Week 1 weight loss results!

Week 1 of the 21 day fix DONE!!!  I lost 5.1 lbs and -8 inches! I am so full from all the food I have been eating throughout the day.  You really can eat more if you choose clean whole foods.  The portion control containers are great and take the guess work out of meal prep.  I also enjoy not counting calories.  The workouts are quick at 30 minutes but give you an excellent calorie burn.

I have included a collage of some of the meals I have been having while on the 21 Day Fix.  I have even saved money on groceries because I can buy everything at Trader Joe's.

If you are interested in joining our next challenge group starting the end if April leave your email below and I can send you more information.

SCD yogurt

(My Yogourmet yogurt maker, I found mine on Amazon)

I made my first batch of SCD yogurt over a week ago and have already dug into the second batch!  This yogurt is everything they say it is and more.  You have to make it at home as the fermentation process takes over 24 hours to ensure the lactose is completely removed.  The finished product is thick, creamy with a slight tangy flavor.  Its great with yogurt and nuts, even a little honey.  The best part 1 cup of SCD yogurt has over 700 billion cultures (those good bacteria you want to live in you intestines).  My Crohns symptoms have improved significantly with the addition of SCD yogurt to my diet.  I highly recommend you try it if you suffer from Crohns, Ulcerative Colitis, IBS or other digestive issues. The recipe I used can be found HERE.

(My finished SCD yogurt, isn't it beautiful?? )

Specific Carbohydrate Diet

One of my awesome Aunts sent me this book when I got my Crohns diagnosis.  For those who don't know the Specific Carbohydrate Diet or SCD is a very restrictive diet that through cutting out certain starches, grains, processed foods, dairy, and many other items is supposed to help heal many intestinal ailments.  You can find a list of "legal" and "illegal" foods on their website www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info

I have slowly been cutting out gluten and dairy.  Trips to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods to stock up on legal food items have become a 2-3x a week occurrence.  I recently discovered cashew cream, and have developed a full fledge addiction.  I love it on strawberries and found the most incredible recipe for key lime cashew cream pie with whipped coconut milk.  I'll post pictures of my finished product with a link to the recipe on Saturday this week.

My Crohns symptoms have been improving recently and I cannot wait to start tapering off this prednisone.  I have only gained 3-5 pounds depending on the day, but my clothing is tight from all the swelling :(  I'm hoping if its just water weight I'll be able to lose the bloat quickly as I finish my prednisone in a couple of weeks. 

I haven't worked out in almost a month and have put as a goal for next week to go to the gym at least 2x for 30 minutes.  I hope that with the iron infusions I'll be getting weekly for the next 8 weeks my energy level will increase and I can get back to my workout DVDs and maybe even some spinning classes.

Hope you're having a great week!

Finding time to workout

Recently a lot of people have been noticing my weight loss.  When they ask what I'm doing I tell them eating right and exercising a ton!  The response I've been getting is " I don't have time to exercise."  Well let me tell you, I used to make the same excuse.  I work at least 10 hour days and take an excessive amount of call as an operating room nurse.  I work on my feet all day often wearing 30lbs of lead and pick up heavy trays of instrumentation.  I would come home and just crash on the couch, often watching 2-3 hours of TV before bed.  When I finally got serious about my health goals I realized you don't have to find the time to workout, you need to make the time.  Schedule it into your day.  Make it your "me" time.  So i cut back on couch potato time and workout at home to save time that would be spent traveling to a gym. Two weeks into my workouts and now I crave the endorphin rush it gives me, I feel so accomplished even after a short workout. 15 minutes is all it took to burn 174 calories and get my heart rate up!  So make the time to workout. Aren't you worth it?