Welcome to Dinner in Gym Clothes

When I started posting a picture here and there of what I was eating for breakfast or had made my family for dinner on my Facebook page, I never expected to get the response that followed. That response is what inspired me to begin "Dinner in Gym Clothes." I hope to show you that eating in a healthy, nutritious way doesn't have to be hard, time consuming, or bland. And likewise, the gym does not have to be tedious, painful or boring. In my personal experience, making the time for both of these in your life will change more than your pant size. Although I would be lying if I said weight loss was not a major motivator in this journey toward a healthier life.

 Here is a little back ground: I have never been a particularly thin person. As a child I always remember being the "big" girl. Although I was athletic and kept busy with softball and bike riding, I more than made up for it in brownie eating and Dr. Pepper drinking. By junior high, I knew I wanted to make a change, but I didn't know how. It was so difficult, as a 13 year old, to be so proud to have made the cheerleading squad only to realize the very real fear that there may not be a uniform to fit me. I never felt the stinging words of bullies, but I did feel the shame of watching my mother sit behind a sewing machine trying to figure out how to move buttons and alter uniforms to get them to fit. I spent my junior high years always on the bottom of the pyramid but I was on the squad and that was what was most important to me.

In high school I lost weight and was finally happy with my body. What I failed to learn during that time of weight loss was how to lose weight in a healthy way. I ate a severely calorie restricted diet often consisting of one small bowl of cereal for breakfast, half a sandwich for lunch, and a can of green beans for dinner all while keeping up a hectic schedule of high school softball practice and games, cheerleading practice and games, and daily trips to the gym. I think I always knew I needed to be eating more, but I was constantly scared more food would mean I would once again become the "big" girl. If only I had known then what I know now, right?

After high school, I fully indulged in college life and loved every minute of it. I was able to keep my weight under control despite living in a sorority house with a cook whose favorite meals always included gravy. Hello, Chicken Strip Tuesday! Thankfully, I made good use of the university's gym facilities and long walks across campus to my classes.

The real problem began after I got married and became what many folks call "fat and happy." Except I was far from happy. I told myself I was being a good wife by putting three course meals on the table every night and making pancakes every weekend, but the truth is I wasn't doing either of us any favors. I had let my weight get to a point where I could no longer button my “fat-day” jeans. I couldn’t go on telling myself the pants in my closet were fresh-out- o-the-dryer-tight...these jeans were just too small. My husband and I went on the South Beach Diet, which was huge at the time, and quickly lost weight. It worked, but living la vida low-carb was tough and it wasn't a permanent solution for us. We both gained a few pounds back but we were both happy enough with our weight to try to go back to "normal" eating, whatever that is.

Fast forward four years to the birth of our first daughter. I gained 60+lbs by eating a steady diet of burgers and fries, cookies and my favorite custard ice cream filled with Oreos and heath bars. Was it delicious?...of course! Was it incredibly hard to lose?...absolutely.  I was able to keep my weight gain down with our second baby, gaining under 30lbs. Losing the weight the second time wasn't any easier, but with 30 less pounds to lose than the first pregnancy, it didn't seem as daunting.

Seven months after my second baby I had lost my pregnancy weight, but it was abundantly clear that my body needed a tune up. I had been back to the gym since the baby was 8 weeks old, but I wasn't putting much effort into my workouts. I would climb on a cardio machine, Kindle in hand, and do the minimum it took to break a sweat then go home and make a convenient dinner. These meals weren't completely devoid of nutrition, but we were eating far too much pasta, boxed/processed meals and fried restaurant dinners.  I was tired, stressed, hungry and worst of all, not getting the results I wanted.

The holidays and my birthday had the scale creeping back up but I refused to let it ruin the holidays. I did what so many of us do and vowed to make a change...after New Year’s, of course. I've made plenty of resolutions in my life, but this time I vowed to keep it…and you know what? I did.

That brings us to today. In the past months I have developed a passion for working out and a new love of cooking.  My number one goal is to raise a happy and healthy family, but I fully believe you cannot take care of the ones you love if you are not taking care of yourself. That has to include getting your body moving, but like I talked about before: getting a workout is important, but no amount of working out will take care of a bad diet. Eating Clean does require some effort, but the rewards are amazing. I rarely, if ever, need ibuprofen or Tylenol now which is a big change for me. I have far more energy which allows me to push harder in my workouts. I feel like I can handle stress better. And lastly, the little fact I am most proud of…I have lost 20+ pounds since January 1^st. I truly feel that changing my food intake has been the catalyst for all these changes and that motivates me to stick with it.

Now, the disclaimer: Am I a nutritionist? No. Am I a personal trainer? No. What I will share with you in this blog is simply what is working for me and my family right now. Will it change and evolve? I hope so. That being said, let’s be realistic. I am a mom of two little ones. Life can be crazy. It can get hectic. Kids get sick and I may eat an entire bag of Cadbury mini eggs. Life goes on. I start each day striving to do my best, but realize balance is the key. While I’ll try to give you the best advice I can, there will still be Easy Mac in my pantry and I’m sure there is a pizza somewhere in my near future.  Eating well and working out is something I strive to do, but it is not more important than being the best mom, wife, sister and daughter that I can be. This is my journey to living a healthy, happy life.  I hope you enjoy reading it. Welcome to Dinner in Gym Clothes.