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 :)

Clean eating and squat challenge!

30 day clean eating and squat challenge starting this Monday 4/14. You will be provided clean eating grocery list, meal ideas, daily squat goal and you will have the support of other women taking the challenge.  ITS FREE :) To join the women only fitness group on Facebook message me at www.fb.com/kristenslosingit and I'll add you. 

Homemade larabars

If you like a sweet treat without the guilt, than these are for you!  I love larabars and still buy them from time to time, but they can be a little expensive.  So when I found the recipe by blogger the herbivoress to make my own and save money, I ran to Whole Foods to get my supplies.  These bars are raw, vegan, gluten free and SCD legal!  I made the coconut cream bars and will make the gingersnap bars when these run out. You can really dress these puppies up too, add different nuts and dried fruits to create your own masterpiece. They are so good, even my husband will eat them and he refuses to eat dates (the main ingredient in these babies).

CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE

Crohn's Diagnosis

Yesterday was my follow up appointment with GI to go over test results and discuss treatment options.  I was advised I do have Crohn's disease and that since my symptoms are not improving with prednisone I should also start Imuran and continue prednisone at 40MG instead of starting to taper down.  As hard as it was to hear I have  chronic illness it was a relief to finally know what has been making me sick on and off for years.  I am looking into alternative treatments and hope to figure out a diet that helps to prevent flair ups in the future.  Something that has been mentioned to me by numerous friends and online is the Specific Carbohydrate Diet or SCD.  It was created by a woman who has a daughter with Ulcerative Colitis another form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).  Anyone ever tried it?  I would love to know your experiences with it good or bad.

Motivation

How fun are these wings on my running shoes? A bit ridiculous? Yes, but I love them!  Sometimes when I'm having trouble with my motivation to workout finding something fun and exercise related can give me a little boost.  I also like to buy workout clothes a couple sizes smaller to motivate myself to keep losing weight so I can fit in them.  Do you have a secret weapon you use when you aren't feeling motivated?

Workout drought

Today is 4 days without a workout :( I have been tired lately and unmotivated.  I think my stress from work is also messing up my energy level.  Going to take today as a rest day since I worked 16 hours yesterday and tomorrow I'm going to do a Turbo fire workout and recommit to my previous workout schedule of 4-5x a week!  What do you do to stay motivated with your workouts?  What challenges do you face when it comes to finding time to workout?

Hey Oscar get your own salad!

Made a salad so delicious even my dog Oscar wanted some! Mixed greens, feta, tomato, cucumber, walnuts, and homemade honey mustard dressing. I really enjoy salads because you can have a huge salad and it's guilt free ( as long as you don't load it up with sugary dressing).

Ch- ch- changes!

It's happening....I'm changing.  The person I used to be is disappearing.  Let me tell you about the old me.  She was morbidly obese.  She ate her feelings.  She was depressed and felt hopeless a lot.  She didn't think she deserved to be healthy and fit.  She wanted to change but didn't know where to start. I get emotional just thinking about what a difference the past 6 months have made.  Did I have set backs? YES!  Did I fail? Hell yes!  Did I keep getting up and pushing harder? Yes.  Here I am today a new me, a better version of myself.  I am happy, I have more energy, and I'm proud of the person I am becoming.  I'm posting this to reach out to you.  If you can relate to this I'm telling you it doesn't have to be this way.  You can change, you can be happy, you can get healthy.  I want to help!  If you want to change your life but don't know where to start add me on Facebook. I will add you to our women's only accountability and support group.    www.facebook.com/kristencarparellirobertson

Healthier indulgence :)

I'm not going to lie and tell you I don't crave the garbage I used to eat before committing to get healthy.  I have noticed a significant decrease in the number of cravings, but when I get one I make sure to bust out my secret weapon!  People of the interwebs I give you cookie dough superfood protein shake!  What you need: Vanilla Shakeology 1 scoop -you can substitute a different vanilla protein powder but I'm not sure it will taste as good or have the superfoods ShakeO has, 1/4 cup chai tea concentrate, 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 1 cup cold water,1 frozen banana, 2 tbsp whipped cream (I like Cabot because it doesn't have corn syrup in it and I'm a Vermonter).  Add all ingredients except whipped cream into a blender, blend until smooth, add whipped cream and a colorful straw, ENJOY!  Now this is not an everyday shake because there is more sugar than I normally like to have in a meal, but to squash a craving for sweets it's a much better choice than the pint of Cherry Garcia I used to inhale!

Weight loss update :)

So in the past 2 weeks I have lost 8.6 lbs.  Eating right and working out consistently have brought me here and I haven't felt this good in a long time.  I have also recently quit drinking diet soda.  I drink water like its my job.  Have you quit soda or another unhealthy habit?  What helped you push through cravings?

Non scale victory (NSV)!!!!

I bought this sweatshirt yesterday and was very excited when I fit into a LARGE!!!!  When I started my weight loss journey in January 2013 I wore an XXL and it was a snug fit!  Sometimes when I haven't had a big loss it helps to have an NSV like this. 

Truth

I was unhappy for a long time about my weight and health.  It took me awhile to get to the point where I knew I had to change something.  I used to eat take out for almost every meal and sit on the couch on my days off.  I was close to 240lbs and absolutely miserable.  I have had many low points and struggles when it comes to dealing with my weight, but this year I finally got serious about the food I was using to fuel my body and my lack of physical activity.  The weight is coming off slowly but I have never felt better!  I have more energy, my chronic back pain is almost completely gone, and my stomach issues ( I'll explain more in a later post) are gone.  I was unhappy with my weight so I changed my eating and workout habits.  You are in charge of your own happiness, make a change if you need to, take that leap of faith, live the life you deserve.

So this just happened...

Day 2 of Turbofire/ LMPump hybrid!  I know I don't look like  a fitness model when I workout, but I'm working hard to get to that point!  It's ok if you can't do all the moves just right! The fact that you are moving and trying is better than sitting on the couch frustrated because you feel like you can't do it.  Keep at it and in time you will surprise yourself with how far you've come and how much better you are at the moves.

Snack ATTACK!

Coconut Greek yogurt with fresh sliced up strawberries, this was delicious and refreshing.  Mixing Greek yogurt with fruit, nuts, granola or using it as a sour cream substitute I can't get enough of it.  Chobani has recently been pushing out a bunch of new flavors and coconut and the key lime flip are my favorites so far.  What's your favorite way to eat Greek yogurt? Your favorite flavor?

I go nuts for almond butter!

Does anyone else get excited when they find a delicious healthy food item??? I love Justin's Maple Almond Butter and when I saw this sitting on the shelf at the health food store I had to contain my excitement so I wouldn't startle the shopper next to me with my shriek of delight....I'm not exaggerating....not even a little.  Almond and vanilla, two of my favorite flavors combined in one heavenly nut butter.  Its almost too good to be true!  I like to spread almond butter on a slice of Ezekiel bread.  It is delicious and filling.  What is one of your favorite healthy food finds???

Summer (tea) lovin'

                          

Who doesn't love a cold refreshing beverage on a hot summer day?  My current go to is iced tea <3. I recently bought this iced tea maker from Teavana.  You put the loose leaf tea in the top to steep for 8-10 min then turn the top and it filters the tea concentrate through a mesh filter into the ice water below! Super quick and no calories.  I'll sometimes add a couple packets of Truvia for a sweet treat. 

Meal prep

                        

Made zucchini spaghetti with buffalo chicken for lunch this week.  Meal prep is so important to staying on track for me.  If I have it ready in the refrigerator then I have no excuse that there is nothing to eat.  I prep meals and snacks for the entire work week and make a quick shake in the morning to save time.  What are some meals you like to prepare ahead of time? 

Quick, easy, healthy lunch

                         

Super quick and easy to make! Toast the bread for added crunch! Loaded with protein, some healthy fat and carbs. What is a quick and healthy lunch you like to make?

Welcome

Welcome to my site! I am just your average 28 year old who is looking to improve my life and meet my goal weight by the end of 2013!

I will be posting progress pics, recipes, my thoughts and updates on weight loss and workouts.

Lets connect on Instagram! 

I will also be posting videos on YouTube under the name Kristenslosingit