Reaching Pre-Pregnancy Weight

As someone who was in pretty decent shape before getting pregnant, I have been extremely impatient with myself when it comes to exercising, my weight, and most of all my shape. I mean, I popped in the P90x DVDs when my daughter was two weeks old. And then a couple weeks ago, I attempted a Sugar Detox (as you may have read.) I operate in extremes. That is why things like minimalism and Paleo appeal to me. But as a breastfeeding mama, I have to remember that--even though her 41 weeks of incubation are in the past--I still share my body with my baby. I need to keep her in mind when making changes to my diet or routine. By trial and error, here are some things I've learned so far:

DON'T
- Be too hard on yourself. YOU JUST HAD A BABY! It took 9+ months to grow a human. Nobody expects you to lose all of the baby weight overnight. You shouldn't either.
- Make excuses. Although you should pace yourself, don't use your baby and lack of sleep and time to yourself as an excuse to neglect exercise or eat poorly.
- Make any extreme changes right away. You can't pretend like your pregnancy never happened. Give your body some time to adjust before jumping in. This is especially important if you are breastfeeding since any major changes in diet or activity can negatively affect your milk supply. (Kellymom.com has some great tips for lactating moms interested in dieting.) Most importantly, do not cut calories if you are breastfeeding. In fact, you should stay about 400-500 above your maintenance calorie intake. But, of course, that doesn't mean hitting up the drive thru on your way home from the post office.

DO
- Maintain flexibility. You may not get to the gym at the same time every day. You may not get to go as often as you'd like. And if you can't go at all, there are other ways to stay active when your day doesn't go the way you planned. (I'll expand on this in my next post.)
- Drink enough (not an excess of) fluids. Water and other healthy beverages will help get rid of initial post-partum swelling as well as keep you hydrated since you will lose a lot of fluids in the first few days. This is especially important if you are breastfeeding since dehydration can decrease your supply, but a good tip for overall health nonetheless.
- Continue to eat healthy. (I will elaborate on this in my next post as well.) Don't give up on your body! You will not be soft and puffy forever, but you may have to work a little harder to get to where you want to be. Throwing on some sweats any chowing down on a half-gallon of Edy's is not the way to do it. But you're not stupid. You already knew that. ;)
- Be patient and stick with it. Even with hard work, it may still take 9-12 months to lose all of the baby weight. Not only do you deserve the happiness that comes with a healthy and active lifestyle, but now you have a child that deserve a mommy that can keep up and (most important of all) set a good example!

Day 1 Results: Sugar - 1, Kiersten - 0

Anyone who doesn't believe you can be addicted to sugar, allow me to introduce myself. After just one day completely sugar free, I have started experiencing (very common) withdrawal symptoms like headache, fatigue, weakness, dizziness, and even the shakes. My body has become so dependent on sugar that it's only taken one day to feel like I am falling apart. Unfortunately, caring for a 3-month-old who is still nursing several times a night, I can't afford weakness, dizziness, or fatigue. I didn't realize my addiction had become so severe. So, the detox is on pause until my husband gets done with training and I can count on him to help out with the baby. I'm so disappointed that I can't just quit cold turkey, but instead I will continue to eat the food I've prepared for this week and allow myself more fruit. I'm going to need to wean myself from sugar, as sad as that sounds.

UPDATE: I was so exhausted and shaky when I woke up, I knew my blood sugar had plummeted, so I had a cookie with some coconut milk and fortunately my in-laws agreed to watch the little one for a couple hours while I "slept it off." New plan of action: baby steps.
Step 1: Cut out all the crap. No more sodas. (Not even diet.) No cookies, chips, ice cream, granola bars, or other processed/packaged foods.
Step 2: Cut out grains. No breads, rice, or pasta.
Step 3: Limit fruit.

I plan to stay on each step for a week. If I need more time, I'll take it. I wish I could just follow the original plan. (It's a great plan, and I'll review the eBook soon!) Unfortunately, I can't afford even one day of withdrawal with my husband so far away and not here to help with the baby in the middle of the night. I know my limits.

Sugar Detox - Day 1

Let the baking begin!

So thanks to a donation from an awesome friend, I have the official 21-Day Sugar Detox eBook! Today, I am pre-making my egg muffins and burgers which will be breakfast and lunch for the week. (Unfortunately, it's apparently really difficult to get bison on short notice here, so these burgers will be lean ground beef and ground turkey.) For snacks, I'll be baking up some kale chips and making some homemade applesauce in the crock pot. The number one "excuse" I have for not following through with this plan is that I don't have time to cook or make my meals. If I can get a week's worth of breakfast, lunch, and snacks done in one day, I'll be in good shape. The eBook has some really great recipes and meal ideas. I can't wait to try more!

I loosely followed the recipe from The Food Lovers Kitchen. I didn't have any broccoli or peppers, so I just sauteed some spinach. Next time, more veggies!

Minimal (love it!) clean up. I used a shaker bottle to scramble the eggs. Way easier than using a whisk and bowl.

Well, they're not pretty. Next time I will skip the liners and just coat the tin with some coconut oil. I will also lower the temp, because this is what they looked like at 15 minutes on 400. I'd say they were a success. I can definitely eat one of these for breakfast every morning, but I'd need to add something else to my meal in order to be satisfied.

Today is also my first day back to the gym in a week. I had a nasty ingrown toenail cut out last week (TMI? I know you want pics!) and it's still healing, so I'll be doing some lifting but keeping weight off of my foot, and then I'll be starting my 5/3/1 schedule over again on Monday. *sigh* Setbacks happen, people. You just have to keep trucking!

My Attempt at a Sugar Detox

My diet has been appalling. I'm not going to lie. And that makes me feel like such a hypocrite because I know what I'm eating is horrible for me. It's shameful, but I feel like I need to be honest. I've eaten two waffles with syrup and butter for breakfast every morning for the past three days. I've also polished off half a bag of Doritos. I'm staying with my parents for a few days because I have family visiting from out of state, so I'm out of my element. I obviously haven't done any grocery shopping, and since we have company, we've been eating "convenience foods" all weekend. Last night I had a peanut butter sandwich for dinner.

After my daughter was born, I lost about 15 lbs. right away. I haven't lost anything since then and I've actually gained weight. It needs to stop. This is pretty much a diet emergency, so it calls for an extreme fix. Right now, I am working on putting together a menu for a 21-day sugar detox. So far, I have breakfast figured out. I can eat the same thing every day (thanks to that "living uncomfortably" plan) so I will be eating egg muffins every morning. I'd love to get the official 21 Day Sugar Detox eBook, but I am working on not spending money, so I will put together my menu from this blog post instead. Then, when I make my next $21, that download is so happening. I'm thinking I will make ahead some of these Bison BLTs. If I can make breakfast and lunch for the week, I should be set.
I can make the following excuses:
I don't have time to shop or cook.
I have a baby to take care of.
I can't afford groceries.
I hurt my toe.

Don't ask about that last one, but these excuses are all true. Unfortunately, so are the following facts, if I continue to eat this way:
I will gain more weight.
I will feel sick and lethargic.
I will set myself up for long-term health problems like diabetes and heart disease.

So, I will take the same advice I offered a couple days ago because it applies to our dietary choices as well. It's time to act like a grown-up and make responsible decisions. It won't be fun or easy, but it's better than a future of immobility, pharmaceuticals, and insulin dependence. This starts now.

Breaking My Carb Addiction

According to the CDC, 35.7% of American adults are obese--not overweight, OBESE.

Look around your kitchen. How much of your food comes in a box? How much is frozen? How many items in your kitchen come in individual wrappers? If you're an average American, the answer is probably "most." Do you eat cereal, granola bars, donuts, or other processed foods for breakfast? According to the USDA, 63% of the Standard American Diet is comprised of processed foods. If you've been inside a grocery store in the past 30 years, that data shouldn't surprise you. But it should alarm you. Again, not that it takes a post-graduate degree to figure it out, but a diet high in processed foods and low (7-12%) in fresh vegetables leads to poor health and a host of deficiencies and diseases.
Let me start by saying that "being fat" is not a medical problem so much as the manifestation of a number of more serious issues. Again, I shouldn't need to tell you that obesity leads to diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and several types of cancer. What frustrates me the most is how little we are willing to do about it as a country. By no means am I standing on a soapbox right now. I am included in that "we" as I sit ten feet away from a pantry full of cookies, cereals, and snacks, a freezer full of "Weight Watchers" desserts, and a counter laden with several types of chips. I am angry that I have allowed myself to be surrounded and consumed by these industrial foods, while we ALL know what we should be eating instead. Say it with me, people: "Eat your vegetables!"

We know our diets are bad, but what is it that is doing the most damage?

• High-carb foods. Think vending machine garbage. The stuff you feel horrible about eating even while you are eating it. 
• Trans-fats. They come from hydrogenated and partially-hydrogenated vegetable oils and can be found in most processed foods. (If you don't care to follow the link, just know that your Lean Cuisines and Ramen Noodles are on that list, but chances are so are your cereals and salad dressings.)
• Sugar. ALL sugar. Even "raw" sugar, maple sugar, molasses, and honey. If you are using it to sweeten something that is not naturally sweet, it is probably contributing to your addiction to sweets (and carbs in general.)
• Refined (white) flour. Basically most breads and pastas. Remember that healthy diets contain a rainbow of foods and white is not a color. (With the exception of white fruits and veggies, of course.)

I am extremely confident in my views of nutrition, and I am more than happy to debate food choices with you. I look forward to posting about low-carb vs. low-fat diets. (If we should be following supposedly successful "low-fat" diets, why are we still so fat?)

Anyway, my research on the subject of nutrition has led me to a deep interest in Paleo and Primal lifestyles. I am very attracted to the idea of eating whole foods, being closer to nature, and getting back to the diets we had as healthy Americans before the industrial revolution flooded our dinner tables (and our poor, unfortunate digestive tracts) with grains like wheat and corn. Unfortunately, I have a problem most of us seem to have. I am addicted to carbohydrates.
Eating carbohydrates releases serotonin (a "feel good" chemical) which is why many carb-rich foods (mac 'n cheese, ice cream, mashed potatoes, etc.) are considered "comfort foods." The problem is that many people become dependent on this feeling, leading to a dependence on such foods. Ironically, carb addiction can also lead to serious problems like eating disorders and depression.
How many of you have tried to start a "low-carb" diet like Atkins? How many of you failed to follow through after the first week because you couldn't handle the cravings, or you were sick with headaches, nausea, and fatigue? Those are called withdrawal symptoms, folks. It is a real addiction, and it is nearly impossible to quit cold-turkey.
I am in a somewhat unique situation in which I do not have much control over the foods that come into this house, but I am going to attempt a 21-day sugar detox in order to reset my palate and hopefully make it easier to wean myself off of carb-rich foods and transition into a diet that is more in line with the Paleo lifestyle I admire so much. Will it be cheap? No. Will it be easy? Of course not. But, damn it, these foods are literally making us sick and I'm not going to sit back and let it happen anymore! Anyone care to join me?