Holiday Baking

December 14, 2015December 14, 2015 / ktbuchs87

I’ve said time and time again, I am not a baker. I’m more of a create things on the fly, see if this flavor works with that one, throw a little more of this in there, wibbly-wobbly home cook.

You can’t be a wibbly-wobbly baker. Holiday Baking | Life Healthfully Lived

Baking is a science and if you put too much of one thing or not enough of the other, you end up with a pile of inedible mush. Trust me. I know from experience.

But something about Christmas time makes me put on my big girl baking pants and bust out baked good after baked good. I usually pick one day and spend the whole day making cookies, candies, bars, cakes, and even a few pies. My kitchen is a disaster afterwards, but I end up with quite the mountain of sweet treats. Which leads me to my question for the day:

What do you do with all of those baked goods? Holiday Baking | Life Healthfully Lived

The fat kid in me wants to shove them all in my mouth at once and wash it down with a big ol’ glass of eggnog. Dairy-free of course. Come on, I’m not an unhealthy beast. I can almost justify this gluttony with the fact that I make “healthy” treats. I don’t use refined sugar, I try to use real food ingredients where I can, and most of my baking is done without dairy.

But they are still treats. Desserts. Sweet things. Holiday Baking | Life Healthfully Lived

And you can overdo it even with “healthy” treats. Eating one cookie can lead to eating five cookies, can lead to eating all the desserts. Again, trust me. I know from experience. I’ve also gone to the other extreme and completely refrained from eating any treats at all. That is almost as damaging because you feel like you’re missing out and overeat on everything else.

Plus, what fun are the holidays without some Christmas cookies?

So, in my household, I try to strike a good balance. I still go on my big Christmas bake-a-thon, and I still eat a few of my favorites, but then I share the wealth. I send some with Adam to take to work. I give some to friends and family. The building supervisor and neighbors get a tin of treats and I bring some along to family gatherings. That way I’m not tempted to turn into the Christmas cookie monster and I still get to enjoy the fun of holiday baking. Holiday Baking | Life Healthfully Lived

I also make sure that the rest of my diet is in balance during this time of year. I try to get as much water as I can, eat plenty of vegetables, and keep up with my normal fitness routine.

Because Christmas doesn’t have to be an all or nothing time of year. You don’t have to feel guilty about eating a cookie and you don’t have to feel the shame of eating all the cookies. Find a balance that works for you and just enjoy the season! Holiday Baking | Life Healthfully Lived

How do you handle your sweet treats this time of year?

Secret Confession Of A Health And Food Blogger

November 16, 2015November 16, 2015 / ktbuchs87

Friday night. The weekend is finally here and I’ve finished dinner and I’m vegging on the couch watching Netflix. I know, I’m pretty much a wild and crazy party animal. I’m not quite ready to go to bed yet, I stay up like an hour past my bedtime on the weekends which is usually 9:30. Again, party animal.

And it happens.

That little nagging voice in the back of my head. You want to eat something, Katie. You want to munch on something salty, crunchy, sweet, whatever you can get your hands on. You want to keep reaching your hand into the bowl or bag or whatever large vessel you can fill. You want to keep eating even though you’re not really hungry, you’re just bored.

Every weekend is the same routine. I know it’s coming. I know exactly what will happen. I’ll pretend like I can’t hear that annoying little voice, but I know I will eventually give in. Because I don’t have any control over this situation. I have no power here. I’m stuck and always will be.

Right?

Nope. That is so not true. I’ve tricked myself into thinking that I can’t beat this habit. That it is somehow a part of my being, the way I am put together, and there is no fighting it. It is so much easier to stay stuck and feign that I’m weak against that little voice. That voice that is really just me.

I’ve gotten into the habit of telling others that they have the motivation and willpower they need to overcome situations like this when it comes to their health. But I’ve somehow convinced myself it doesn’t apply to me. Pot calling the kettle black much?

I can say no. I have total control over my own thoughts and feelings and emotions. I know this because I have done it before. There are days when I lack the motivation to go for a run or workout just because I’m lazy. But I’m able to power through those roadblocks and do what I know is best for me. So I know this isn’t a problem of not being able to exert control over my bad habits.

It’s me being a whiny baby and not WANTING to change. Some weird part of me finds comfort in those late night binges. It’s a way to be that person I was so many years ago when my whole day was a binge of unhealthy food.

I’ve talked before about how change is scary and hard for me, but it’s something I should embrace. I’ve talked about how motivation is something that has to be renewed every day. Well, it’s time to stop just talking about it and actually do it. Because I’m tired of letting a little voice control a part of me. A bad habit doesn’t get to dictate what I do.

So there it is out in the open. My little secret, my stuck-in-a-rut problem for everyone to see. Sure, it’s a little nerve-wracking to share it with the whole internet, but I know I’m not the only one who struggles with things like this. I’m human and even though health and food and all that is “my thing” I still have setbacks and things to work on. I probably always will, but it’s better to face them with the help and support of others rather than alone late at night.

Maybe this post can spark something in one of you. Maybe it can help change the habit you know is a problem that you’ve told yourself you can’t fix.

You can. Of course you can. I can too.

Ready?

Birthday Recap and Some Thoughts

November 9, 2015November 9, 2015 / ktbuchs87 / 3 Comments

Happy Monday everyone! I hope that you had an awesome weekend and are enjoying your fall thus far!

I thought I would do a little recap of my birthday last weekend because it was actually really awesome and I could not have asked for a better day. The one thing I told Adam that I wanted was for him to plan the day. I didn’t want to make any decisions or schedule anything, I wanted it done for me. It’s nice every once in awhile to have someone do all the decision making for you.

So Halloween morning after we both woke up and did a quick Fitness Blender workout, we headed out to breakfast. I had been wanting to try a place called Yolk for awhile so that’s where we went. It was delicious! They had amazing coffee that tasted almost like chocolate and the food was great. Adam decided to try a little bit of everything and I had an awesome California omelet complete with avocado.

After breakfast, we headed to the farmers market because it was the last day that it was going to be outdoors. It was kind of pouring rain right when we got there, so we only did a quick lap through, got Adam a donut, and then moved on. From there, Adam took me downtown and told me that we were going to go clothes shopping for me. I have been needing new fall/winter clothes for a long time, so this was a really nice surprise. Plus, how many husbands take their wife out on a shopping spree?!

Birthday Recap and Some Thoughts | Life Healthfully Lived

Almond Milk Latte of my dreams…

We hit up a few stores on State Street where I bought all the flannel and found some awesome new boots. You can never have too many boots, right? After a few hours of shopping both our energies were dropping so we decided to take a break and get some coffee. We found a Peet’s Coffee around the corner and I decided to try an almond milk latte because my sister is always raving about them. Good choice because it was awesome. After we were caffeinated we shopped for a little longer and then decided to head home and chill for the rest of the day.

These tacos were amazing… still working on that tortilla recipe, so look for that soon!

Once we took the world’s longest bus ride home (rain and Halloween apparently make for lots of traffic) we hung out, watched some movies, and ate homemade tacos. It was pretty much the best way to end my birthday. Oh, and I decided to be “crazy” and dyed my hair a reddish-brownish-slightly purplish color. It’s awesome and I love it.

During…

After!

As I was looking back over my birthday extravaganza, I realized I was really happy. Not because I had an awesome day or got cool clothes and shoes or ate delicious food but because I was really and truly happy. I am content with where I am in life and confident in the things I am doing to go the places I want in the future. I want for nothing, I have an amazing support system in my family and my husband, and I am blessed beyond belief.

Birthday kisses from Dot

Maybe it was turning 28 or maybe it was knowing that things change and I don’t have to feel stuck or down in whatever situation I face. Either way, I’m in a very good place both physically and mentally and I am going to enjoy it!

Health Feature: Meghan Siwecki

November 2, 2015November 2, 2015 / ktbuchs87

Happy November and Happy Health Feature Day! I’m slightly late with October’s feature, but I was a little busy celebrating my birthday. Which, by the way, was an awesome day! I’ll be sure to share it with you next week. 🙂 Now onto the health feature!

Last month, we met Jamika and heard about her amazing story. This month, I would like to introduce you to Meghan Siwecki. Meghan and I actually went to high school together and were in the same section in marching band. She was a year older than me and she really welcomed me into the section and made me feel comfortable. We became fast friends and some of my best memories in band include her.

After she graduated, she went to college at Southern Illinois and we drifted apart. Through facebook, I was able to see what she was up to and in the past few months I noticed a big transformation in her health. She made some awesome changes and she told me that she really wanted to help inspire others to turn their health around. When you read her story and see all the hard work she has put in, I’m sure she’ll inspire a lot of you!

Name and Age: Meghan Siwecki, 28

What did you weigh before and how much weight have you lost?

When I started my weight loss journey, I weighed around 180-185 pounds. Honestly, I do not like stepping on a scale which is why I don’t know the exact beginning weight. Currently, I weigh around 135 pounds.

What made you want to turn your health around?

I decided to change my lifestyle because of how I truly felt about myself- the outside didn’t match the inside. I wasn’t confident in myself at all and that needed to change. I chose to change my weight to help with my confidence. I hated going to the store and looking all the way at the bottom for a shirt size or not being able to go to certain stores because they didn’t carry my size. When I started this transformation, I was a size 14 and in my head that wasn’t bad considering I was a size 18 when I graduated high school. I was the “fat friend” and struggled to do things that should be easy for a woman in her 20’s. It was hard for me to walk more than a mile without being out of breath or sweating like a pig. Also, being a teacher it was hard to hear what middle school students would say every day and it made me flashback to being in school myself and getting bullied because of my weight. I decided to not be sad about it all the time but do something to make myself feel better about who I am.

What did a typical day (food/exercise-wise) look like before you changed?

Before I went on my health journey, there was little to no exercise. Sometimes my friend and I would go walking but that would be less than a mile and it was a slow speed walk. I would eat whatever I wanted to eat! Fast food, tons of chocolate, ice cream, greasy food.. basically anything I wanted to eat. I will say I always drank milk and ate fruit, even before the health journey. Whenever I would be bored at home, I would eat something just because I didn’t have anything else to do at the time.

What was your goal when you first started?

My goal when I first started was to honestly lose about 10 pounds and just be healthy. I knew I wasn’t a healthy eater so I wanted to work on that too. By no means did I anticipate to lose the amount of weight I did.

What did you do to change your diet and lifestyle?

I went through a lot of different ways to help me lose weight and become healthier. At first my friends and I at school all wanted to lose weight so we started The Biggest Loser competition. At that time, I started watching what I ate but didn’t truly try to lose weight. Then my friend told me about the Couch to 5K program and after looking at it I decided to give it a try especially since school was out and I had summer to work on it. I completed the program and it was not easy by any means! There were some days I was crying while running, and I might have only been running for 2 minutes! But it was so difficult because I was that out of shape. However, I didn’t give up. Also, at this time someone I knew started talking about these protein shakes, which helped with weight management. They aren’t weight loss shakes because I know what that does to your body. I decided to give the shakes a try and drank one for breakfast every day, since I was never a breakfast eater anyway. The combination of working out and those protein shakes made me realize that I could do this! I need to get my life back and this was going to be hard work, but it would happen.

After I completed the Couch to 5K program, I ran my first 5K and it sucked! It was in Chicago which was great and my dad ran it with me. At one point, I remember my dad telling me, “Meghan, why don’t you just stop running. You can walk along with these people.” I thought about walking it, but I’m not a quitter. I continued to run and I won’t lie, I walked some of it, but I ran across that finish line! My goal was to finish in less than 45 minutes and I finished within 43 minutes. Looking back, that was a long time to run 3 miles. That was the starting point to my journey.

After that, I decided that I need to do something besides run because it was going to be winter and I didn’t want to go to the gym. I bought a workout DVD from the store, “The Biggest Loser”, and started doing that at home. I worked on that DVD for about a year or so, and I also had another DVD I threw in there at the time. While I was being conscious about my workout regime, I was also careful about what I ate. I continued to drink my protein shakes, eat healthy lunches, healthy snacks, and a well-planned dinner. I didn’t go out to dinner anymore unless it was for Subway. Soon, I felt the need to change my workout routine because I was getting bored and felt like the workout wasn’t doing anything for me. I heard about the program T-25, which, fortunately my sister had and gave that a whirl. Man! I thought I was somewhat in shape after running and my other DVD, but nothing compared to what T-25 had in store. My first day trying it I remember turning it off after 10 minutes because I didn’t think I could do it anymore. I tried it again the next day and took a lot of breaks but got through it. I did T-25 five days a week. I did this program for about a year and a couple months. Then again like before, I got bored and needed something new! I knew I wanted to keep my workout somewhat short and so I found Insanity Max 30. I was so pumped for that and knew it was going to be the true test to see how much I had improved over time. Again, just like T-25 I was dying after the first 10 minutes. I did not turn it off, though… I fought through! That was a 60-day program, but I continued and still workout with Insanity Max 30 because it truly tests every muscle in your body.

My lifestyle changed throughout this time because I wasn’t always thinking about food. I occupied myself with other things in life and thought about what my workout was going to be like instead of where I was going to get dinner that night. I slowly became a happier person and once I saw that, I knew I couldn’t stop the journey. My whole outlook on life changed after I lost some weight that was noticeable.

What does a typical day (food/exercise-wise) look like now?

For me now, I still drink my protein shake for breakfast. I’m weird when it comes to food and food in the morning makes me feel sick. I eat a lot of fruits, protein, salads, and I do throw in the occasional sweet treat. I have a huge sweet tooth so that’s something I couldn’t give up. I just had to change what I ate and how much. I still workout to Insanity Max 30 every day and recently got a new DVD, Cize and have been trying that 3 days a week as well.

Who has been your biggest support?

My biggest supporters have been my family, hands down. They have been there for me the whole journey and have been supportive in both words and making better food choices at home for when I visit them.

What was the hardest thing to change?

The hardest thing for me to change were my eating habits. Food was always a comfort for me when I was frustrated, upset, bored, happy… any emotion really. I still struggle with what I eat some days, but it’s a work in progress. Nothing is ever perfect.

Who or what is your motivation?

My motivation is myself. I look at pictures of myself 5 years ago or even in high school. I realize that I don’t want to go back to who I was then both emotionally and physically.

How do you stay motivated every day?

I stay motivated by thinking about my next fitness goal. I know that I have to work hard to achieve that goal and if I don’t keep with my workout and eating routine then I could fall back into what I used to be. I also think about others who have told me they want to change their lifestyle after looking at my pictures. Life motivates me! Being happy motivates me!

What is your biggest struggle now?

My biggest struggle is what I eat and making sure I keep on track. There are days where I eat cereal for dinner because I don’t want to cook anything. Or when I’m at school I eat chocolate because I’m stressed, but this struggle isn’t going to stop me from achieving my goal.

What are your goals now?

My main goal now is to tighten my body and gain more muscle. I honestly don’t want to lose any more weight because I’m at a stage where I’m comfortable. I just need to work even harder to make my body what I envision it to look like.

What is one thing you can do now that you never thought you would be able to do?

One thing physically I can do now that I never thought I could do is a burpee and lots of them! I know that sounds silly but I remember having to do them in high school and I just pretended because I couldn’t do it. Not only can I do a burpee but I can do a one-legged burpee and a one-armed burpee. When I did my first real burpee I had tears in my eyes because I knew that I was finally getting to where I need to be physically. Even though burpees suck sometimes, there is nothing like the feeling of actually doing 10 in a row when 10 years ago I couldn’t even kick my feet back and hold myself up.

Emotionally I can walk with my head held high and be proud of who I am and who I have become. When people look at me and say you’re beautiful I actually believe them now because I feel beautiful. It has taken me years to get to this point, but it is something that’s worth waiting for.

What is your advice to those who are just starting to lose weight?

If you are just starting your journey, don’t give up! There are days when you are going to want to sit and eat your food of guilty pleasure; whether it’s ice cream, a cheeseburger, or chocolate, but don’t give up! Each day is its own adventure, take it one day at a time. Encourage yourself by rewarding yourself with certain things you have wanted when you reach milestones. Be proud of making the change and altering your lifestyle. It doesn’t matter if you only did 5 jumping jacks or ran 2 blocks; at least you aren’t sitting on the couch eating chips. This is about YOUR body and well being. Always believe in yourself. Have faith.

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I love that Meghan kept at her health and fitness even when she wanted to give up. She knew it was hard, but still worth it. I also like how she kept changing things when she got bored. That helped her stick with her fitness routine and keep up her good eating habits. Thank you so much, Meghan, for sharing your story and keep up the amazing work!

If you or someone you know wants to be featured in one of my transformation posts, let me know! You can contact me on my Facebook page, Twitter, or email me at lifehealthfullylived@gmail.com!

Change When You Don’t Want To

October 26, 2015October 26, 2015 / ktbuchs87

Have you ever faced a situation where you KNOW that you have to change something in order to get where you want to be, but you just can’t muster up the willpower to make the change?

Sure you do.

I would say that most of the time when you are faced with a problem or something that you need to overcome, you have a fairly good idea what needs to be done to address those issues. But there is a factor of fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of being uncomfortable, fear of a different routine, fear of a million different things.

Or maybe there is a factor of laziness. Knowing that the change you need to make takes a lot of work and you just don’t want to put in the hours or manpower.

Perhaps there is a factor of the impossible. There is no way you can make the change because to you it is utterly impossible. You can’t see a way around it, so why even try?

I’ve been there plenty of times. I’ve been afraid of making a change, don’t want to make a change, and felt like change is absolutely impossible. I’ve been stubborn and stuck to my trusty routine and done nothing. And you know what that got me?

Nowhere.

Sure, change is painful, difficult, and scary. But change also is wonderful, enlivening, and moves you forward. If you want to be or do something different, if you want to reach your goals, you’re going to have to change. My high school band director used to tell us all the time, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” That has always stuck with me.

So how do you change when you don’t want to? Here are a few things that I do when I know that I need to change but it isn’t coming easy.

Figure out why

Why don’t I want to change? Once I know the motive for staying where I am, then I can come up with a plan to counteract that motive. Most often for me, it’s the fact that I’ve become comfortable with where I am.

Make a list of ideas

I love lists. They keep me organized, help to see what I still have to do and what I’ve already finished. Once you’ve figured out your why, make a list of a few things that you can do to change your habits or routine to start moving in a different direction.

Choose one

Pick one thing to work on, just one. You don’t have to take on the whole list. That can be a little daunting. Choose a small change that you can make and work on that until it becomes your new habit, then move on to the next thing on your list.

Don’t beat yourself up

You’re going to fail at some point. That sounds harsh, but it’s completely realistic and totally alright. We all fail and if we were perfect, life wouldn’t be any fun at all. The important thing to remember when you do fail is to not beat yourself up. You are trying and that is the most you can ask of yourself. Trying and failing is better than never doing anything at all. Pick yourself up and get right back at it.

Taking that first step and admitting that you have to change is a difficult one. It can take you awhile to get to that point, but the important thing is that you get to that point. Writing this post is just as much for me as it is for you. Sometimes I need a little push in the right direction to start making the changes in my life that I know will lead me to my goals.

Yup, change is scary and trust me I resist it as much as the next person. But when it comes to my health and happiness as well as yours, isn’t being a little scared yet still taking that leap of faith worth it in the end?

I think so.