Kath Eats Real Food

I Like Food. Real Food.

My family likes food. And we like to eat it together. We like celebrating with a good meal and think cocktail hour is the best time of day. We don’t really eat junk food – we aren’t the Big Mac types – but we just like the process of eating. And we talk about food a lot. But we also have always talked about nutrition and ways to balance our love for consuming good food. Thankfully, my family also loves to exercise. In fact, I would say my family talks about food as much as we talk about nutrition and exercise, which must be the reason none of us is obese (or really even a little overweight).

The Gain

I maintained my weight around 130 throughout high school and my early years in college, thanks to a love for running and varsity soccer. I used exercise to keep my weight down, but much to my inconvenience, a birth defect in my left foot became symptomatic during my sophomore year of high school and got much worse in college. I had to limit my workouts to the elliptical and bike for my last 2 years of college. The less-intense workouts combined with large portion sizes and too many glasses of wine put a good 20 pounds on my small frame. During my senior year of college, and topped the scales at 151 pounds. I remember looking at myself in the mirror just after Christmas and thought: “I am more than just a little overweight.” I also remember sitting in my classes wondering what backside looked like in the chair. And of course, every photo that taken of me was just “a bad picture.”

The following spring, my senior year, I had foot surgery to un-fuse the sub-talar joint in my foot and was on crutches for a month. After the surgery, I decided I wanted to turn my life around.

A New Outlook

I graduated from Davidson College a few months after my surgery and was finally able to cook for myself, avoid restaurants and late college nights. I was excited to be able to take control of my weight with a new lifestyle. I gradually started exercising again, and went to tons and tons of spinning classes, which were easy on my recovering foot. I was finally able to beginning running again in October of 2005. My goal when I started was to lose 20 pounds – to get from 151 down to 130. And I hit that goal 9 months later.

Progress

When I hit 130 in the spring of 2006, I realized I felt fabulous but still had weight to lose. I decided to keep my focus on eating healthy and being active and wherever my weight ended up was fine with me. I was shocked when I hit 129. A year before, you couldn’t have paid me a million dollars to convince me I’d ever be in the 120s. But I just kept exercising, cooking healthy meals with my husband, and chugging along.

Goal: 120

It’s now been over two years since my foot surgery and I’m down 31 pounds to my goal weight of 120. I have never been happier with my body image and lifestyle. I feel radiant every day, and shopping for clothes has a whole new meaning. And photos are almost always flattering!

During the week, my alarm goes off at 4:50 a.m. and I’m at the gym by 5:30 (after checking email and a snack, of course ) I spend over an hour there each day, switching up my workouts from the Stairmaster, elliptical, stationary bike, spinning classes, and weight lifting. I love my morning workouts. A workout is the best reason to get out of bed, and the best way to start the day. On the weekends, I run 4-6 miles and am so glad I was able to add my passion back to my routine. Nothing clears the mind and body like a good run.

I eat as many Superfoods as I can and log my meals and exercise in an online food dairy called CalorieKing.com. My focus is on eating whole foods and balance my day with all of the food groups. I honestly find eating healthy so fun!

A Happier Life

When I decided to lose weight, I had no idea I would be so successful. I’m smaller now than I was in high school! I have never felt better about myself or been happier about where I am in life, and I believe that all stems from a boost in self confidence. I got married on June 2, 2007 and know the day wouldn’t have been as wonderful if I were 30 pounds heavier, but instead I had people telling me all evening how tiny my waist looked in my dress!

The bottom line is, you can get to your happy weight if you want to. Make the choice. There’s no secret. Move more, eat healthy. If you put your health first, weight loss comes naturally.

My Best Advice

• Exercise a lot so you can eat more and never feel deprived. This is the number one reason I’ve been successful. I try to walk whenever I can and get as much movement as my day allows. And of course, I rarely miss a morning at the gym.

• Plan, plan, plan. I always pack my lunch and snacks for the day the night before as I’m making dinner. While I have the cutting board and ingredients out, it’s much easier to put together a lunch than during the morning rush. I also spend my Sunday afternoons cooking or pre-packing things for the week. I will often roast a batch of root vegetables or a big spaghetti squash on Sunday afternoon. Or cook lentils or make tuna salad so I just have to grab it in the morning. It’s so much easier to prepare healthy food when you have time rather than rushing to pack healthy foods in the morning or going through life relying on packaged food.

• Mix up your exercise. I run, do the Stairmaster, lift weights, bike, do spinning classes, yoga on Sundays, athletic conditioning on Wednesdays, jump rope. I’m always trying to challenge my muscles. There’s nothing like the tired feeling after a hard workout!

• Eat whole foods. Especially ones that are low in calorie but high in weight and volume. Yogurt and apples make great lunch side dishes. Yogurt is heavy and fills up your stomach; apples are crunchy and take a long time to eat when sliced on a plate and sprinkled with cinnamon. Plain oatmeal is one of my favorite foods. A half portion topped with cinnamon makes the PERFECT snack. I have it many days at 4 p.m. to tide my hunger before dinner. I also love spinach salads as a easy vegetable side to lunch and vegetables to add bulk to dinner recipes.

• Walk whenever you can. I walk for 30-40 minutes during my lunch hour everyday. It’s a great way to sneak in 100 extra burned calories while chatting on the phone to my mom or reading a magazine (yes, I read and walk at the same time!)

• Drink water. Chug water. It sounds cliche, but water works. I get “hungry” about 2 hours after a meal, but I have found that a glass of water (or a distraction!) takes that “hunger” away. Sparkling water keeps you hydrated and keeps your mouth busy with all the fizz, yet it doesn’t have the artificial sweeteners of diet soda.

Recommended Reading

These books helped me tremendously along the way. They really changed the way I think about food, nutrition and eating. I highly recommend them and wish I’d read them sooner!

Fit From Within

by Victoria Moran

Link to Fit From Within on Amazon

SuperFoods HealthStyle

by Dr. Steven Pratt and Kathy Matthews

Link to SuperFoods HealthStyle on Amazon