Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.

My Weight Loss Journey: Maintenance

Kerri — Tue, 10 May 2011 13:51:39 +0000

As I said in my previous post, I did not reach my goal weight by the date of my wedding. Since returning from our Mexican honeymoon (where the endless chips and guacamole no doubt did some damage), I have still not reached my ultimate goal weight; this is mainly because I have little incentive/motivation. Well, I suppose there is incentive (I’d love to go down a size or too and work on some trouble zones, and really, losing weight is always an incentive since you usually end up looking and feeling better), but ultimately, there isn’t a looming event date that keeps me motivated.

So, if I have no motivation and lack some focus, how have I maintained my weight? To be honest, I have gained a few pounds since the wedding, but nothing too major. For the first few weeks of marriage, I realized I did enjoy eating what I wanted and not having to count calories anymore, but I also knew that gaining the weight back was absolutely not an option. So we joined the local gym (less than a mile from our house, which is awesome), and I now work out 4-5 times a week. I’d like to say I also eat whatever I want, but to be honest, my diet will never be what it was before, since my stomach has shrunk since last year and I don’t require as much to feel full. But, I am definitely a little more lax with my diet.

While I’d love this blog to be full of my sage advice and suggestions on how to best maintain your weight loss, all I really can offer you at this point is my current plan: work out. a lot. If you want to eat whatever you want (within reason) then you need to put in the time at the gym to burn those calories. However, I realize this is not ideal for most people. With my schedule, I’m able to make it to the gym this frequently, but some people are not. So, here’s what I can suggest:

1) Start every day with a fresh perspective – realize that everyday is a new day, a chance to start over. Remember that just because you may have eaten a bit too much the day before, today is a chance to eat a bit less and get back on track.
2) Don’t let the scale be your guide. Sure, you may have put on one or two extra pounds one week, but if your jeans feel fine, then you’re doing ok. I always judge how I’m doing by how my clothes fit. Once the jeans get too tight, then I know I need to do some extra work.
3) Plan ahead for big events. If you know you’re going to a wedding this weekend and want to eat/drink more than normal, be sure to squeeze an extra workout in somewhere. Or, eat a little less the day before
4) When I was dieting, I had one cheat day a week. I was really good for 5-6 days, then I would cheat a bit on the other days. This keeps you from binge eating, because you know that you can eventually have what you are craving. The fact is, the “bad” foods we want to eat everyday are so much more enjoyable and tasty when we eat the on occasion – we appreciate and savor them more that way.
5) If working out five days a week (or even one day a week) sounds unreasonable, then consider how you can fit a workout in during the work day. Take the stairs. Walk around the parking lot on your lunch break. If it’s rainy/cold, get up and walk around the office. There are definitely ways to fit in exercise if you’re willing to restructure your day a bit.

Most of you are probably not new to these ideas/suggestions. And maybe I’m writing this blog for my own benefit more than anyone else’s – because I know that one day, I won’t be able to work out five days a week. One day, I may have kids who keep me insanely busy and don’t allow frequent exercise or help with normal eating habits. But, for now, I do have time to maintain this weight and to work towards developing good, healthy habits. I’d love to lose ten pounds before I get pregnant. It might happen, it might not. So today, I focus on what I have accomplished: 30 pounds of weight loss that I intend to keep off for as long as I possibly can.

If you’re in the same boat as me, what are your suggestions for maintaining weight loss? How do you get back on track when you’ve steered off in the wrong direction?

As I’ve said before – it’s all about the journey. This is a lifelong struggle, and everyday presents new challenges – it’s all about how you handle them.

My Weight Loss Journey: Getting Motivated

Kerri — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 19:05:04 +0000

To those who do not know me that well, it may seem that I just started dieting last year, but my weight loss journey is one that I started many, many years ago. I have struggled with my weight since the age of 8, and I first started dieting in middle school. Most of my crash diets worked, but once I went off the diet, I ended up gaining even more weight.

In the spring of 2002 at the end of my 11th grade year, my mom took me to Weight Watchers. When I stepped on the scale for the first time and realized I had reached my highest weight of 194 pounds, I could not believe it. I had always struggled with overeating, and I knew I had put on some weight, but I could not believe how much I had gained since my last diet. So, after 8 months on WW, I had lost 54 pounds. I was ecstatic and so proud of myself. Though I was not yet at my goal weight of 135, I knew I had accomplished something great. I was even more thrilled at how I looked in my prom dress. I was determined to keep the weight off…and then, I started college.

College was tough on my weight for many reasons. I was no longer counting WW points. I didn’t have a car to drive to WW meetings so I could stay on track, nor could I afford to pay for the membership. I had an unlimited meal plan at school, so food was always readily available. And as we all know, socializing in college involves a lot of eating (and drinking, for some, but that definitely was not my problem – i did not drink excessive amounts of alcohol in college); and large amounts of stress usually lead to more eating, as well.

I gradually gained weight over the first three and a half years of college. By fall of senior year, I was probably in the 170s. And then, for reasons I will not mention, I became depressed. And I couldn’t eat. Usually, depression pushed me towards food; but now, most days began with nausea, and I didn’t want anything to do with food. So, I lost weight. A lot of weight. Probably close to 30 pounds. But I looked healthier, and most people who did not realize I was depressed commended me for my weight loss. I enjoyed the compliments, but deep down I knew the truth – I did not lose the weight in a healthy way. And though I was happy to be skinnier, and hoped it would last, I knew that the happier I became, the heavier I would become. And I knew weight gain was inevitable.

The weight really piled on when I started dating Andrew in March of 2008. At this point, I weighed about 150 lbs, and I felt good. I wasn’t really eating healthier or exercising, but I was happy now, and I was eating regularly. And I was eating a lot. (Some may call it the “fat and happy” syndrome – when you’re happy, you tend to eat more.)

In less than two years, I had gained close to 30 lbs. When Andrew proposed to me in November of 2009, I weighed 179 pounds. Overall, I was happy with my life – I had fallen in love and was about to marry an amazing man (who, by the way, did not even notice I had gained weight since we started dating – one of the many reasons I love him:p). But even though I was generally happy, I was not content. I was often irritable, I was usually tired, and I was sick of buying clothes in bigger sizes.

In January of 2010, I went wedding dress shopping. Most dresses I tried on were in the 14-16 range, and most fit ok – I was pleased to find a size 14 dress that fit me well, and overall, looked nice on me. But there was still a small part of me that knew that if there was a time to lose weight, then now was the time. Afterall, what bride doesn’t want to look her best on her wedding day?

The final clincher was a new dress that I found a few weeks later and loved. My mom and I had gone to a different bridal shop and I tried on a dress in a size 14 that did not zip. It was a fitted type of dress, which I never thought I could pull off, but if we ordered it in a bigger size, I knew it could be altered to fit me well. So, since the dress was discontinued, we ordered the only size they had left – a size 18. I was relieved, since I knew there was no chance an 18 would be tight on me. Imagine my surprise when I picked up the dress, tried it on, and it was SNUG. A size 18 was snug on me. I was shocked. Angry. Sad. Depressed. I was not happy when I tried on my dress and did not feel like a beautiful bride. My mom assured me we could make it work, but I knew I would not feel the way I wanted to feel in that dress until I lost some weight.

Size 14 dress in February 2010

So, in March of 2010, I jump started my weight loss with the Scarsdale Medical Diet, one that a friend and I tried in high school that I knew worked. After two weeks, I lost 3.5 lbs, and I was ecstatic . But I knew I didn’t want to do this diet forever, since it wasn’t practical nor easy. I needed something that allowed me to eat pretty much whatever I wanted, but in moderation.

I stumbled across the website www.livestrong.com/myplate, a place to track my daily caloric intake. I set my goal and started tracking. I worked out 4-5 days a week – usually walking outside for 40 min and/or using Jillian Michael’s 30-day Shred workout. And gradually, the weight came off; usually only 1-2 lbs a week, which is the healthy expectation, but I did get a bit impatient at times. Fortunately, I had seven months to lose the weight; but I was doubtful I would get to my ultimate goal weight of 140. And I didn’t.

On my wedding day, I didn’t care that I hadn’t reach my goal weight. Because on my wedding day, I weighed about 151 lbs and I felt amazing. I had lost nearly 30 lbs in 7 months. My size 18 dress hung on me like a bag before I had it altered to fit my now size 10 body. The size 14 I originally tried on at the dress shop now zipped up and fit me like a glove. Had I known I would have lost the weight, I would’ve bought the size 14 to begin with (which my sister originally suggested). But, I knew I didn’t want to take that risk, and I’m glad I didn’t (mainly because this one was still a bit snug in the midsection and would’ve had to be taken out, anyway).

Size 14 dress after weight loss - October 2010

If you’re starting a weight loss journey, ask yourself – what is your motivation? For me, it was my wedding day. It was that size 18 dress that was a bit too tight. It was a challenge that, once I began, made me feel good about myself, my body, and my life. My mood improved, and my overall outlook on life was drastically enhanced.

Ask yourself: What is pushing you to lose weight? What confronts you everyday, stares you in the face, and taunts you about your weight? If you don’t know why you’re losing the weight, then chances are, you are not going to stick with your diet plan.

In my next entry, I’ll write more about how to stay motivated, and tips for maintaining weight loss. Remember, weight loss/maintenance is a journey – a lifelong one.

it’s been awhile…

Kerri — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 13:47:26 +0000

so, i did not post one blog at all in 2010. which is quite interesting, considering it was quite a big year for me.
i married andrew on october 10, 2010. it was a beautiful and perfect day and i could not have asked for anything more.

we are now enjoying married life, and i have to say, it’s pretty darn awesome:)

i have debated where i want to take this blog/what i want to focus on posting about. i’ve considered doing recipes again, but mainly healthy ones, since i’ve been on a weight loss journey since march 2010. i think my next entry will be about dieting tips and tricks. stay tuned….

Julie & Julia: A Book Review

Kerri — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:56:12 +0000

As most of you have heard by now, there is a new movie in theaters, “Julie and Julia”, based on the book written by Julie Powell. I had not heard of the book until seeing the movie preview, and immediately decided to read it. Being a food blogger myself (albeit a sporadic and quite inexperienced one), I had an inkling that a book like this would be right up my alley. So, after obtaining my large type copy from the library (the normal size type copies were all checked out. guess i wasn’t the only one intrigued by this story), I set out to read about Julie’s quest in the kitchen. Unfortunately, I was not all that impressed. It could have been Julie’s crassness and frequent vulgarity (ie: constant use of the F word, which may have been used to show her true personality, but was not really all that necessary, and will definitely not appear to the more reserved, conservative reader group), but the story itself was a bit hard to follow, since she often jumped back and forth between present and past events. In some ways, I could relate to her – a young woman looking for purpose in life. But mostly, I was not all that inspired by her story. There were a few gems of promise here and there, and while a quick read, it wasn’t necessarily a book I found myself looking forward to reading every evening. I do have quite a bit of admiration for her stamina, though, and her endurance. I once vowed to make every recipe in my cookie cookbook, The Cookie Bible (I have made several recipes, but am nowhere near done!) but let’s face it, cookies and French cooking are two very different animals. The fact that Julie stuck it out til the end AND blogged in detail about it is quite a feat in itself. Ok, so in truth, maybe it did inspire me a little bit. I know that it definitely made me want to bake and blog more. But it also made me want to see the movie. I’m pretty sure it will be better than the book, or at least more entertaining. I’m wondering whether readers will also find the movie better than the book. Has anyone else read the book first and is hoping the movie will be better?

Colorado

Kerri — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:50:07 +0000

grief and loss

Kerri — Fri, 29 May 2009 15:20:58 +0000

on saturday, may 23, my boyfriend’s good friend Bobby died in a motorcycle accident. when i heard the news, i was in total shock. Bobby was not only Andrew’s good friend, but he was my friend, too. he was like a big brother to all of our friends. he was the ringleader of our group and kept us all together. he was truly a unique, special and genuine person. he will be, and already is, greatly missed.

this is the first time in my life i have experienced such sudden loss. it’s hard. it’s excruciating at times. it’s confusing. in times like this, i am reminded that our human minds are not able to fully comprehend the tragedies and complexities of this world. and as much as i want to understand why this happened, i find peace knowing that Bobby is with the Lord in heaven and yes, one day, i will see him again. praise God for that.

Bobby and me, February 2008

Awakening
by: Mae

When I close my eyes to this paradox place
I’ll fly away, far away from here
I’ll get away and dream, dream of you

When it’s all said and done
And the night has come
I’ll disappear, take flight on the wind of wishing you were here
Fading light, like a star whose life has been gone for years

And I’ll fly, fly across the sky
And I’ll leave, I’ll leave it all behind
If you’ll be here, here with me tonight
I’ll be fine, I’ll be fine
I’ll be fine

*Bobby Rambo//8.21.84-5.23.09*

Spring has sprung…finally!

Kerri — Sat, 09 May 2009 04:10:54 +0000

After a cold and damp April that never seemed to end, May is finally here, and today, I woke up to a glorious burst of sunshine brightening my bedroom. It has rained here for the past 5 or 6 days, so to wake up to sunlight was a beautiful thing.

My baking posts have been lacking as of late, partially due to laziness, and the rest due to my attempts to eat healtier and avoid those decadent baked goods that make dieting even more difficult than it already is. The sad thing is, I cannot even remember the last thing I baked! But, I assure you that I will eventually come up with something to post – I’ll be sure to make it a good one, since my baking posts are not so frequent as of late.

All in all, my life has come to this – I’m ready for an adventure. Who’s with me?

Good Friday

Kerri — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 01:22:49 +0000

“Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake.”

-Victor Hugo

Recipe #14: Cheesecakes and Anniversaries

Kerri — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 01:03:24 +0000

A few weeks ago marked the one year anniversary of my relationship with my boyfriend Andrew. I’m not usually a fan of making a big deal out of anniversaries and such, but since neither one of us had been in a relationship that had lasted longer than 3 months, it was a pretty big deal. Needless to say, I figured a nice thing to do for him would of course involve baking something. Now, somehow I found me a man that does not have a huge obsession with chocolate and desserts as I do. How this happened, I do not know. I guess it’s a good thing, since I won’t be pressured to constantly bake things for him that I myself will end up eating large amounts of; but, at the same time, it’s kind of a downer since I LOVE to bake, and I love to share my baked goods with the people that I love. To his credit, Andrew does always enjoy what I bake, and gladly eats it, just not as often as I would like. He’s not a big chocolate person, but he does like cheesecake and he likes key lime pie. I was going to just go with making him the key lime pie, since I had never made one before, but then I found the recipe for lime cheesecake and decided it was the perfect compromise. Or, so I thought…

The moment I told him, all excitedly, that I made him a lime cheesecake, he looked at me kinda strange as if I had made something no one had ever heard of or eaten. Admittedly, lime cheesecake is not a popular dessert, but it’s definitely been done before. I reassured him that he would definitely like it. He didn’t. OK, he said he did, but I still don’t believe him. He didn’t even eat a whole piece, he just tasted mine. His argument was that he couldn’t taste the cheesecake because the lime flavor was so strong. Huh? I have no idea what that means. All that matters is, I thought it was delicious. My dad did, too, since he ate the rest of it pretty much singlehandedly.

Long story short: if you like lime and you like cheescake, you will most defintely like this recipe. Unless, of course, your name is Andrew and you’ve been dating me for the last year:)

I have to brag about the aesthetics of my cheesecake. Notice how the top is not cracked? That’s because I followed this simple little trick: Fill a shallow pan with hot water and place on the rack under the cheesecake while it’s baking. It totally works!

Lime Cheesecake
recipe from allrecipes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

6 tablespoons butter, melted

24 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

3 eggs

1 tablespoon grated lime zest

2/3 cup key lime juice

Directions:

1.	Combine cookie or graham cracker crumbs with butter or margarine. Press into bottom and partially up sides of 9 inch springform pan. Refrigerate.
2.	In a large bowl, beat with an electric mixer the cream cheese, sugar, lime peel, and cornstarch until smooth and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, blending just until smooth. Add key lime juice with mixer on low. Finish mixing by hand. Do not overbeat, or cake will crack during baking. Pour batter into prepared crust.
3.	Bake at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 55 to 65 minutes, or until set. To minimize cracking, place a shallow pan half full of hot water on lower rack during baking.
4.	Turn oven off, and let cheesecake stand in oven 30 minutes with the door open at least 4 inches. Remove from oven. Refrigerate cake overnight, and up to three days.

Recipes #12 & 13: Cookies & French Toast

Kerri — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 00:27:31 +0000

It’s been awhile, I know – I apologize for the hiatus! not that many people follow this blog religiously, but if you are one of the chosen few who do check this blog often – i’m sorry for only updating every couple of weeks. as much as I wish I was a dedicated food blogger, I’m just not!

I don’t have any specific recipes for you, but some pictures of previous experiments. First, due to some complaints that the chocolate cookies I made a few posts ago were “too rich” or “too chocolately” (seriously??), I decided to bake a batch with a little less chocolate. I used a basic Nestle Toll House cookie rccipe, but I added the same three kinds of chocolate chips that I used for the chocolate cookies. I highly recommend using Ghiradelli chips – they really are worth it.

Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

A few Saturdays ago, I had planned to make blueberry pancakes for breakfast, but when I realized how expensive blueberries were, I bought some strawberries instead. With some cream cheese and Texas toast, my mom and I made some delicious stuffed French toast. You definitely need to use a thick bread for this – Texas toast is perfect. Simply cut it halfway down the middle, and stuff it with a large spoonful of cream cheese mixed with strawberries. Dip these in eggs, milk, cinnamon, and sugar, and cook on the griddle. Top with powdered sugar and whipped cream. Quite indulgent, I know, but perfect for brunch, or a special breakfast for two:)

Stuffed French Toast with Strawberries