It's about to get serious...

After having Keshlyn I read as much stuff as I could about health and fitness. It became my addiction. I actually lost too much weight as I look back at pictures. But, it wasn't because I didn't eat. Oh boy, do I eat. All day long. Around the clock. Of course it's just snacking and picking, which I will forever do because the thing is: I love food. I love to try new recipes multiple times a week. I love to eat and constantly have food in my mouth. Unfortunately I'm not one of those people who just eats to survive. I wish. Instead, food and I have a love/hate relationship. I think I finally understand the Eminem lyrics, "I love the way you lie!" I've never understood real life relationships where men and women stay together yet they're very destructive for each other's emotional and even physical well-being. But if you liken this relationship to food and human. Ahhh. *Epiphany*. The sky clears and it all makes sense to me now. Food lies to me all of the time. In my head anyway. "Eat me. It won't matter for one night. Eat 5 cookies. Go ahead." But this sucks when food talks to me every night at 9:00pm. I wonder if I'll ever be able to give up my late night snack? Nope. Nuh-uh. Not gonna happen. I love the way my food lies. I believe it every night. It's not going to matter. And then I feel the bloating and then I don't see the results from my work outs that I want. Shannon is my partner in crime. The nights I want to be strong, SOMEONE (cough, cough) needs a cookie, or cinnamon toast, or some other sweet goodness. Then, of course, I have to cave so that he's not alone. (don't you just love rationalization?) As hard as we work out, especially my Crossfittin' Maniac husband, you would think we would have an amazing 6-pack. But, sweet Shannon comforts me at our late night snack rendezvous with, "6-packs are over rated. I'd rather have a snack." HAHA. I heart him.



Pause food rant.



I just finished Insanity. If you've never heard of this crazy workout program, check 'er out here.

When I first started the program, I was 5 months post pregnancy. I was driven and READY to get that weight off. I started with the fit test as instructed and I felt pretty good about it. Then I began the program as outlined and I definitely cried the first few days of it. It was so difficult especially for someone that had just been exercising lightly for a few months since cleared to work out. I couldn't finish the exercises. I truly thought in my head that I would never be able to keep up with the workout. Then, something happened. Even just after 1 week I noticed I was getting stronger. As time went on, I was able to keep up and breathe through the whole work out! I started to feel accomplished. Then month 2 hit. It felt like I started over. That's how difficult it was again. Now it was longer and more insane. I felt defeated again. But as I kept going, I improved. I could do push-ups before I had Kyden, but not too many. With insanity, I became capable of doing many pushups! My arms began to be toned and have shape to them. My legs became strong and my obliques started to pop out. Check out how much I improved. I was so proud of myself for pushing myself as hard as I could. I really did dig deeper. See the difference between the first fit test and my last!

*********TMI Story Alert: While doing my last fit test, I was determined to beat my previous scores. I got to power jumps and I wanted to at least get 65 since I reached 60 last fit test. Power Jumps (you may need to use google) are a movement where you jump using the power from your gluts and legs to spring vertical in the air while tucking your knees into your chest. You slap your knees as you jump up. You do this jump as many times as possible in 60 seconds for the test. I was so determined to beat myself that I went hard! I noticed after a few seconds I felt a little dribble in my pants. Not totally uncommon since having babies. I was fine and powered through. Usually a "little dribble" is all that every occurs. But, as I continued to jump I felt my pants becoming warm and damp. For a moment I felt like a toddler learning to be potty trained who got sidetracked playing with a toy and didn't make it to the potty in time. I was so close to my goal that I pushed the embarrassing moment out of my head and physically pushed myself harder. I was so focused and in the zone that I reached 70 power jumps in 60 seconds! I was SO stoked. The bad news? I looked down panting with exhaustion and feeling of accomplishment, dripping with sweat...but wait, did I sweat that much? So much there would be a puddle on my carpet in the living room? And streams of wetness down both legs? And soaked bottoms? Hmmm...accomplishment turned into shame and the need for a quick pause to change my clothes. I had to laugh. What else could I do? Hi. My name is Keshia. I'm a grown woman. And I peed my big girl pants. Now THAT's INSANITY! *****************

Love that my body definitely got tighter. But it was quite discouraging that I didn't lose any weight. Not one pound. I tacked on 2 extra weeks to the normal 60 day program. And it wasn't until the extra 2 weeks that I added when I completely revamped my diet that I lost 2 pounds. I still have a few pounds to pre-baby weight but I'm thinking I'll just let that go. (That's the food talking again! :p) I took 1 day off (meaning I did a different workout) after I completed the program and It just wasn't the same...so therefore, I started over with Insanity. Here we go....



Food Rant. Press Play.


Let's just start by saying that it always cracks me up when I talk to people about food. People inquire so I tell them and then it's not uncommon for me to get this response, "But you're so skinny. Why do you care about food?" See this is where the world has ruined us....thin is the goal. Do I care about being thin? Of course I don't want my love handles or muffin top, but for me it's not just about that. I don't focus on changing my lifestyle with food because I want to be a crazy skinny girl. Here's what I care about... HEALTH! I know that might be hard to believe that someone could actually be genuinely interested in health and not some fad diet to lose weight fast, but it's true. Listen to me when I say this: "THIN DOES NOT EQUAL HEALTHY!" I hate when people equate the two. I have a great friend who looks so stinking good and eats chocolate and candy every day. She is blessed with some good genes. I'm not gonna lie. Sometimes I wish I could eat that way and look like her. (Amanda, you know I love you and your junk food addiction!)

But, I also want to feel good and prevent from poor health in the future due to my eating habits. I truly believe that the way we eat and what we put into our bodies can help prevent and even reverse symptoms of sickness and disease. If you've never seen "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dad" go watch it! Right now! It is inspiring and can absolutely change your perspective on food. For you Netflixers, it's on Instant Cue. How did it change my life? Well, we went out and bought a Vitamix. It's not a juicer like they use in the movie but we've always known we would get a Vitamix. We just weren't sure when. But, after watching that movie, we knew the time had come. Since we bought it 3 weeks ago, we have replaced every breakfast and lunch with a green smoothie. The rule of thumb is 60% vegetables and 40% fruit. Can you believe that I haven't bought a box of cereal in 3 weeks? Even though I would only eat Kashi or Fiber 1, I have cut it all out. Do you know that we used to go through 4 gallons of milk a week!? I haven't bought milk in 3 weeks either. Now we go through about 1 quart of Almond milk a week. HUGE difference. I feel lighter. I have more energy. You should see my refrigerator. It's pretty ridiculous how jam packed it is with produce. The majority of my grocery bill each week is produce. Did you know that in one week we went through 2.5 lbs of Spinach, 6 pounds of grapes, 1 pound of blackberries, 4 pounds of strawberries, 3 pounds of bananas, 3 pounds of broccoli, 2 lbs of carrots, 2 lbs of cauliflower, 1-2 cucumbers, kale, avocado, 15 apples, 3 peaches, a couple oranges, 1 bunch of celery etc... We are eating more vegetables than I've ever eaten in my life! I feel great! I've always loved vegetables and fruit but I've always had way more fruit than vegetables. But now, I'm eating a ton of veggies.


I actually have had a hard time when researching what is the best lifestyle of eating to encourage the best health. Isn't it confusing? Low fat, count calories, good fat, no carbs whatsoever, whole grains are good, no sugar, only fruit and natural sugars, no sugar including fruit sugar, zero-calorie sweeteners, absolutely no artificial sweeteners or artificial chemicals/preservatives. My head began to spin as I read so many conflicting articles and information. After much research I began to really believe and support the Paleo/Primal diet. I truly believe that we shouldn't eat processed foods and all of these ingredients in packaged foods that are chemically man-made. I also have learned about "crap" that can appear in dairy and meat products. Paleo cuts out all dairy but is very pro meat. I liked everything about Paleo except for the heavy reliance on meat and the absolute zero grain policy. I definitely think that we as a nation eat WAY too much grains and carbs. But is it really necessary to not have any ever? Some say yes. Paleo says never eat it. I had a hard time believing that a pure grain from the earth could be so detrimental. So, I began to think, "how did God intend it? He created this earth. He placed food here for us to eat. So I looked to the scriptures for guidance. Some would think this is silly. Me-I thought it necessary. Whatever "God's diet" is...sign me up! It will certainly be the best one for our bodies. :)

Those of you who have a testimony in modern revelation and believe in the Doctrine and Covenants- in section 89 it states, "12 Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly;


14 All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field..."

Meat is to be eaten more sparingly and grain is to be used as the staff of life! We're supposed to sustain ourselves predominately with vegetables, fruits, and grains. Hmmm... Verse 16: All grain is good for the food of man; as also the fruit of the vine; that which yieldeth fruit, whether in the ground or above the ground—

So I choose to do "paleo-style" eating 3-4 days a week and the rest of the week I allow myself to have some grains. Mostly though, my diet is made up of vegetables and fruits.

So with all of my research and new direction with eating, It's about to get serious!!! I have decided to embark on a detox through a juice fast. Shannon and I are starting on Sunday and will juice fruits and vegetables 5 times a day for 7 days. (Portions will vary depending on if it is a snack or meal) Nothing else. Who's with me? Anyone?

I will post each day to let you know how I feel and if I'm surviving. I already know it will be great. I've been replacing 2 meals with juice for the past 3 weeks and I'm loving it! You want to know how powerful a juice fast is? Watch "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead!"
P.S. It's 9:30pm and guess who did not have a late night snack!? That's right. This amazingly strong-willed gal! lol. Guess why I can do it so easily? That's right. Because my partner in crime is saving lives tonight. :)

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