Living With Someone Who's Not So Healthy

This post is doing exactly what I hoped to do way back when I started this thing, answer questions! For the last three years, MANY people have asked how I maintain the healthy eating when I live with someone who is the complete opposite, my mom. The answer is quite simple, actually. We have to have separate cupboards and sections in the fridge or freezer. If I see the snack cakes or the ice cream, I'm going to want it. "But Katie, isn't that hard?" Absolutely. I think the hardest part is grocery shopping. Since I'm living there rent free, I do all the shopping. If it were up to me, I would buy fruits, veggies and protein. Nothing else. I wouldn't look at cookies, ice cream, bread or anything else fun. But I do then I'm more tempted to buy something bad for myself and, I hope this doesn't hurt her feelings, but I get embarrassed sometimes when I run into people who know me or even at the checkout lanes because I've got my healthy stuff and her bad stuff. I feel like some stuck up snob in front of me is judging me by the cookies I put on the belt and automatically assuming that they're for me. Wrong. The other hard part, which isn't even me being worried anymore, it's me being annoyed, is that she's had a lot of health issues but she doesn't want to change. Not even after watching me go through this physical and mental transformation. It's upsetting that she just seems to have given up but the more I push her, the more insulted she feels. So I give up. I do always use ground turkey or grass fed beef on occasion when I make dinner for both of us and I don't eat whatever she's having on the side. I eat veggies instead of french fries, A salad with greens instead of mac & cheese and so on. I make my healthy swaps, yes, it is more work, but worth it for me. She eats ice cream.. That is by far the biggest challenge for me, if you read my first or second blog, you know that I'm fully capable of eating a gallon or two of the good stuff. So, I leave and walk the dog when she pulls that out of the freezer. I keep Angies Boom Chicka Pop and frozen berries close if I need something or on a rare occasion, a greek yogurt. When you decide to take control of your health, there are always going to be people who question you, make fun of how much you post about it and try and tempt you, but be stronger than them in every single way! It's going to be hard and annoying, but always remember how you felt before starting, keep a picture close, have a goal and look at it every day. Then, those people won't matter and it'll go in one ear and out the other. As far as them making fun of you for posting on facebook, twitter and insta. They don't have to follow you, if they don't like it, there's a button they can click, right!? Hope that answers that question for you! I end with this amazing salad that I had last weekend in Stillwater, checkout the Dock Cafe if you're ever there. It's right on the river and delicious! This salad had apples, pecans, butternut squash and more tossed in an apple vinaigrette. YUM!

356 Will Not Be My Number

A question I've been getting a lot over the past two years is "what made you start to change your ways and want to get healthy?" 

The left is me at my largest, 5 years ago!

It's funny, I actually remember the very moment when I decided that I wasn't going to live my life eating out of a bucket of ice cream alone on the couch on a Saturday night any more.

I was 24 and doing just that. I was sitting on my moms couch watching Saturday Night Live with her and she could barely walk to go to bed. 

I was watching her struggle as I was eating my bucket (yes, I'm talking bucket of Kemps strawberry swirl ice cream,) and I was disgusted by myself. Why was I doing that? 

I had absolutely no reason to be eating all of that, and I did it multiple times a week, so why? No idea. But I decided that if I kept going like that, I was well on my way to not being able to walk up to my bed without needing a break. 

That Monday at work, I received an email asking if I was interested in a gym membership to a new group fitness facility in Minneapolis. Now, I'm not a big "sign from God" kind of person, but come on!

I, like all of us who are starting this journey, cancelled my first visit with Jake, the owner of Kosama in Minneapolis. But I went the next day, terrified. 

I will never forget how I felt during that first workout. I was doing push ups standing up against a wall, I puked in the car on my way home, it was terrifying! 

I got home that day and threw out all my ice cream and started researching what I should be eating and how, the rest is history. 

Here I am, down just over 130lbs and a completely new person all because I decided I was no longer wanting to feel like I did on the couch that night! 

We can all go on and on about how we don't have time or how we just don't like to workout and we like to eat bread and chocolate, but the thing is, I promise you, once you actually decide "this is it. I want to change my life. I don't want to feel this way anymore." Those excuses go out the window. 

If you still have excuses, you're not 100% ready to take it on and if you're not ready, you'll get discouraged by excuses or even the smallest budge of the scale. I know. 

I hope this answered the question, it makes sense in my twisty mind, but if it doesn't answer it, please ask. 

Have you had "the moment?" What was it? 

 

And before I go off on another job searching adventure, thanks to everyone for all the love for my first post. Like I said, it's a work in progress and that's okay. 

Next post? Maybe a Bachelor reaction and after that, what keeps me motivated!