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Sister Skinny is rockin’ the sixes

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It’s time for another installment of “One Fit Mommy”!

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Please meet Katie, one of two sisters from the infamous blog, Sister Skinny. Katie is a busy mom who blogged about her journey to her goal pair of size six jeans. Her story was one that I followed everyday and I teared up when I watched her finale video. She reached her goal and hung up her blogging shoes but fear not gang, I tracked her down to make sure she still has on her workout shoes!

Here are a few things I learned from Katie:

  • blanching broccoli is not as difficult as it sounds!
  • meal planning is key.
  • she ate peanut butter and honey sandwiches…on white bread?
  • prioritize fitness and set a goal for yourself
  • not only is taking your kids to the grocery store possible but is also a great opportunity for teaching them about nutrition

I really am in awe of Katie for all that she has accomplished, she looks amazing in her size 6 jeans. Congratulations Katie for reaching your goals and please stop by often to tell us all about maintenance!

Read on for more…..

Q: How many kids do you have and how old are they?

I have three boys: 6, 4, and 18 months. They’re pretty tame, they just sit around doing homework and help me out with housework. (hey. I can dream, right?)

Q: Have you always been fit? What inspired you to live a fit lifestyle?

Always been fit? Not always. Active? Definitely! From kick-the-can when I was really young to playing a little volleyball and basketball in high school (I definitely have a competitive streak when it comes to sports…it’s buried deep deep inside… only board games bring it out these days…). Exercising has always been about games, not about losing weight.
Fast forward a bunch of years to about 9 months after the birth of my first child. I was packing around an extra 35-40 pounds and it wasn’t just “coming off” with the occasional run…or walk…or from sitting around. I realized I needed some sort of plan. That’s when I first tried Body for Life and have used it (in some form) to lose the baby weight after all three children. It just clicked: eating really well helped me lose weight, but my day-to-day energy skyrocketed. (and please. I need all I can get.) Although I’ve been active for a long time, I just didn’t know how much eating the right foods could help me truly feel that much better.
Q: What advice do you have for parents out here who claim they do not have time for exercise?
I’d say go talk to my neighbor who I see out in the mornings jogging occasionally. She has eleven children. ELEVEN.
-or-
I’d say switch out the word “time” for “priority”.
Q: What is your favorite exercise/workout and your least favorite and why?
My favorite exercise is running (close second would be lifting weights). But some days I just don’t want to do didly-squat. And on those days I hate running, even thought the day before I was ready to marry it.
My least favorite workouts (because I am really bad at all of these things): racquetball, swimming, pilates, hip hop dancing (it’s a love-hate relationship), and yoga (again with the love-hate thing). Oh…that question was singular wasn’t it?
Q: For you personally, what was more challenging—-adding exercise to your day or changing your diet? (for me, it’s the diet. I can run until the cows come home, but then I get home and eat like a cow myself!)

Changing my diet was (and continues to be) the biggest challenge for me. On a very basic level, exercise is me-time; even on my crappy days, everything I do at the gym or on the trail is for moi. I love having that time to think, to “reset.” I feel like I sometimes get more done mentally in that hour than I do actually being around the kids- I don’t have to split my brain so many ways. When I go running, I love being in nature without having to tie shoes or dig through a backpack to find a sippy cup. Even at the gym, I enjoy being around adults even if I don’t talk to a single one.

Also, when I stop exercising for an extended period of time, I get depressed. I’m not sure if it’s chemical, hormonal, psychological, biological, or a combination of some of those elements, but I know that working out really does help me deal with life. That hour I take for me seems to multiply my abilities in the form of energy and being able to just roll with what comes (a vital skill in my household).

My diet over the long haul produces the same effects. I feel better and seem to have more confidence in my abilities; it just doesn’t have the same immediate payoff that exercise seems to have for me.
Q: You recently ran a 10k, do you have plans for another race?

I’m planning on doing a half-marathon in August but I pulled a hamstring a couple of weeks ago and so have been swimming instead of running. It’s feeling a lot better but I don’t want to take any chances. I’ll hopefully start running again soon!

Q: Does your husband/family exercise with you?
My kids will occasionally join in when they see me doing weights or push ups. My six year old is at the point where he can ride his bike along side me when I run. But other than that, I prefer going solo. As for my husband, he’s the one who actually got me into running. He trained for and ran a few races during my last pregnancy. I watched where he started from and then watched as he ran longer and longer distances. He was definitely not the “runner” type before he started running, but is now definitely a “runner.” Watching him gave me hope that if I just started out slow enough and had a little patience, I could do the same thing. We rarely will run together though (see aforementioned competitive streak).
Q: I’m always impressed by the healthy creations you come up with and the fact that you leave out blanched broccoli for you and your kids to eat! Has healthy eating changed the way you feel?

Healthy eating has definitely changed the way I feel. It’s not just the actual food, it’s also the satisfaction that comes from successfully fueling my body. I feel empowered to have lots of meals at my disposal that taste good and fill me up. The key for me with my meals is to plan. Even if I can just have a list of options near the fridge for that week, I am so much more likely to skip the leftovers on the high chair, or just grab a graham cracker from the cupboard when I’m hungry. If I can “see” my next meal in my head, there’s a much higher likelihood that that is what I’ll actually eat.

(And don’t be too impressed…On the days I actually blanch the broccoli and leave it out, at least 50% of the household turns their nose up.)
( at some point did your blog become more than just fitting into the skinny jeans?)

When Molly and I first started Sister Skinny, we had originally said, “two sisters, one mission: a size 8.” Then I was like, “What the heck, we’ve never been a size 6, let’s just see if we can do it.” She just shrugged her shoulders and laughed, “Sure! Why not?” So really, as soon as I reached my pre-pregnancy weight, it really did become more about healthy eating and fitness goals. But then those last couple of months really were about trying to get down to a smaller size, I knew I would be ending the blog and really wanted to reach my goal of a size six before I closed shop. And although the primary focus for ENDING the blog was getting smaller, it certainly wasn’t the focus the entire time. I was just as proud of my other victories.
Q: You documented all of your ups and downs on your blog for everyone to see. Was it sometimes tough to come online and “confess”? What advice do you have for those who are struggling and might not feel like they can achieve their own success?

I know how they feel. I’m just an ordinary person. There was a part of me that didn’t believe I could actually lose weight. For sure. And ok, if I did lose some weight, I’d always have that nagging 5 or 10 pounds right?I kind of had just accepted it as part of motherhood. After all I had just done this incredible thing. I now have another human being in my care who is 100% dependent on me for all of his needs. My focus in life had suddenly been readjusted. Who cares what I weigh? But the truth is, walking around 35 pounds heavier, while not as important as my child or my role as a mother, still really affected me. I didn’t have any clothes to wear. I didn’t have any money for new clothes. I didn’t feel good about myself. And what was my temporary fix? Pumpkin chocolate chip bread, honey nut cheerios, and peanut butter and honey sandwiches…on white bread. I think many of us go through times when we struggle and doubt our abilities. I remember feeling so overwhelmed. (“I’m supposed to exercise and plan meals? On top of X, Y and Z?” Haha. That was with ONE child).

But it really is within reach!
In a nutshell, what I would say is: It’s up to you!
Q: You have three little boys. How do you ever get ANYTHING done, much less exercise?!

HA! I don’t get anything done.

As far as exercise goes, I just get up early and go to the gym before my husband leaves. Some days he works from home and can watch the boys while I go for a run. Some days I have to do weights at home (and find myself with three very bossy personal trainers). Some days I just try to squeak in a walk to the park with them. As for everything else, whether it’s cooking or laundry or grocery shopping, I tend to just pack them all up and have them just be right alongside me. It takes longer, it’s more of a hassle, but they learn while they’re with me and it’s actually easier to talk with them while we’re busy doing something together. Plus, while it may seems like a pain in the rear (ok, it IS a pain in the rear), to be at the grocery store with three little boys, it always presents great opportunities to talk about nutrition (among other things). And who doesn’t love teenage boys who know how to do laundry? 😉
(and of course, while I have always been busy 24/7, stopping the blog has really helped in that I have one less “child” that needs my attention.)
Q: Random question: You can go anywhere in the world for a week. Where do you go?
That is an impossible question. I’d go a thousand different places. We’ll start with New York
and would you leave your kids at home? 🙂

Is that a trick question?

of course they’d stay home!

(provided they were at Aunt Molly’s of course)

Q: how are those skinny jeans feelin’?

A little too good. I’ve caught the bug and want 10 more pair. I can’t stop trying on jeans!

I don’t blame you Katie, you deserve it!

Thank you for allowing me to feature you as “One Fit Mommy”!

Comments

  2. Yay Katie! Love the point about priority vs. time.

    Sagan’s last blog post..Devouring Books

  4. Wow, this is a very cool interview. I found it so inspirational! And thank you Workout Mommy for introducing me to their blog… I’ve been digging through their archives and it’s amazing. I found myself tearing up looking at all the before and after photos of different people on their blog.

    Just amazing! Thanks for that boost today.

    Julie’s last blog post..Useful Website of the Week – Dumb Little Man

  5. Awww, I LOVE katieo! I didn’t realize our boys are all exactly the same age! Now I love her even more:) Plus she played kick the can. Awesome.

    I started with Body For Life too and loved it:)

    charlotte’s last blog post..Sabotage!

  6. Oh, thanks for the interview and allowing me another Katieo fix! 🙂

    Susan’s last blog post..There’s More to Losing Weight Than the Numbers on Your Scale

  7. Thanks for the comment. Thanks for interviewing sister skinny, I really enjoyed reading about all her hard work. You are all an inspiration and reading these blogs has helped me keep on moving forward. Thanks again.

  11. A friend of mine got me to reading Sister Skinny months ago and when it ended — I was so happy for Katie but so sad to lose track of her life! Funny how you can feel you know someone across the country. I enjoy getting to know all of these about women everywhere. We really do battle the same things. For me, it’s been a motivator to exercise more – make it a part of my daily life – a routine…and not something I have to do or am expected to do. I have really admired how Katie juggled it all; I am single now but plan to have a family in my future and I am already worried about baby-weight, finding a time to take care of me, etc…katie proves it really is possible – and it’s all up to the individual. Congrats Katie! You earned every bit of your happiness!