Health + Fitness Update: What’s Changed
I haven’t blogged about fitness in a while so I thought it was time for an update! 🙂 In my last few fitness posts (read them here + here), the take away was that I was working out at Orangetheory consistently 4 or 5 times per week but falling short on the nutrition/ eating part. I’m so excited to introduce you to my friend Cara Clark who is an amazing nutritionist in Orange County and helped turn around my unhealthy eating habits. You can check out her Instagram here! Scroll down to read the post. 🙂
{photos by Vanessa Lentine}
sports bra | leggings (wearing a size 0, longer length here) | sneakers | baseball cap | necklace
About six months ago, I tried Whole30 and made it until week 3. I was too busy to meal prep and had an emergency where I was out longer than expected without food or snacks and in a panic. I ran into a Starbucks thinking I could grab a compliant snack, but they were out of EVERYTHING I could eat (I swear!). I ordered the egg white bites (SO good btw), and it went downhill from there. hehe. In retrospect I should have continued on Whole30 after my slip-up, but I used it as an excuse to give up. I have an all or nothing mentality.
I finally hit a breaking point where something had to change. I was dragging myself out of bed every morning at 5:30 a.m. to work out but not doing the important part of eating right so the results weren’t what they should be. One weekend after a particularly tough class at Orangetheory, I was feeling especially down and frustrated. I got in my car and texted my friend Cara Clark. If you live in Orange County, you probably have heard of her! We met in person for a one on one nutrition assessment. Just after talking to Cara, I realized a few things.
One, I didn’t eat as healthy as I thought. I knew I wasn’t eating perfect, but overall I thought it was pretty good. Until Cara had me walk her through a typical day of my eating. It’s funny how you don’t even realize how unhealthy you may be eating until say it out loud. Or by writing it down yourself in a food diary. It came down to I wasn’t eating enough “colors” (fruits and veggies), the right combination of food, and enough food in general.
Two, I didn’t realize that how tired I felt wasn’t normal. I thought I was experiencing normal #momlife tiredness, and I was SHOCKED when Cara told me she never really feels tired or complains of being tired. And this girl has 4 kids (FOUR) and a full-time job!
K this next part is going to make me sound bad, but I am going to be honest and put it out there as I am sure many women can relate.
During the assessment Cara asked me what my goal was, and it was:
LOSE 5 POUNDS.
Cara’s response: What if you weighed the same weight you are now, but your clothes fit better and you had more energy. Would you be satisfied?”
My answer: No.
haha.
At the end of our meeting, Cara expressed she was primarily concerned with my low energy levels and bloating. She also mentioned that I seemed a little down and should possibly talk to someone. We agreed on a cleanse so that I could remove any foods potentially causing bloating and fatigue, and she started me on a bunch of supplements. At the time I wasn’t taking anything, not even a multi-vitamin.
Because of my past experience (or failure) with Whole30 because of limited time to meal plan and prep, I ordered meals from a Whole30/ Paleo food delivery service called Model Meals (not sponsored). This helped set me up for success. And let me tell you I have tried a TON of meal delivery services and despite this one being the healthiest/ cleanest it is also the BEST. For sure there have been some meals I haven’t liked, but overall they are pretty good. And filling. If you guys have questions on the Model Meals please leave in comments below- like which meals are best, how many you order, etc. Model meals is available mostly in California but also in Phoenix so double check if it’s available in your city. Oh and also it has nothing to do with eating like a model or trying to model. The creator of Model Meals was a former plus size model.
It’s been about two months since I met with Cara, and things are SO different! I look back and feel relieved that I am no longer in that weird headspace that all that mattered was my weight and losing 5 pounds. I don’t weigh myself often or ever, but I probably lost A pound. 😉 With that said, my skinny jeans fit comfortably. I am stronger than I ever have been before. I broke a six minute mile at Orangetheory, and that felt so good. I am running faster and lifting heavier weights than ever before.
And while I am still tired, I feel much better. I got my latest shipment of Model Meals delivered yesterday, and I signed up for the Orangetheory dri-tri which is their version of an indoor triathlon, and I’m excited to break more of my personal records.
I think we can all get so caught up with the scale, and I’ll be honest since I have worked out at Orangetheory, I have never weighed so much in my life. But I know that it’s muscle because I’ve lost inches and can tell from the way my clothes fit. Meeting with Cara with such a breath of fresh air because she shifted my mindset from trying to lose weight just to hit a number on the scale to feeling good and being healthy.
Feel free to comment below with any questions or feedback or you can follow me on Instagram here and DM me with your questions. You can follow my amazing friend Cara on Instagram here! She shares lots of great tips and yummy recipes!
Thanks for reading! 🙂
