Life in the Lean Lane

Hey guys!  In my first blog I thought I’d go a little more in-depth about myself and my prior non-Leaner Living lifestyle.

Growing Up
I grew up in a small farm town in Indiana.  Life (food) as I knew it consisted of made-from-scratch everything.  Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans flavored with bacon, and applesauce would be an example of Sunday lunch- not to mention delicious pies and cake for dessert.  Portion control didn’t really exist, and after my brother and I got our first Nintendo two decades ago, forget about playing outside!  I would’ve called my activity level “sedentary.”  The extent of my sports career growing up was volleyball in 5th and 6th grade and I was on the swim team in 8th grade.  At 16, I started working at a grocery store in the nearest city 30 minutes away from my house, West Lafayette, IN.  I remember seeing spinach and wondering who really ate nasty stuff like that.  As it turns out- a lot of people do.  (A lot of people also ate cupcakes like me.)  I stopped being so closed minded about food at that point, but continued to indulge in my “comfort” foods.

College
In college, I struggled with portion control at the buffet-style dining halls.  I didn’t gain the “freshman 15,” but by the time I graduated, I did put on those 15 pounds over 4 years time.  After living in Indiana my whole life, I ended up starting my new nursing career in Virginia.  My first trip to the grocery store to stock my pantry was a success- or so I thought.  Mom had always stressed the importance of “balanced” meals, so I generally followed the Food Guide Pyramid.  However, when I first learned about Leaner Living, I realized I wasn’t doing the right things.  My healthy choices I thought I was making didn’t turn out to be so healthy and my “balanced” meals were slowly adding pounds of fat on to my 5’4” frame.  I also thought working out twice a week was enough.  I eventually stopped working out for a little while because I was frustrated that I wasn’t seeing the results I wanted.

Change
I ended up concentrating on Leaner Living by reading the website and asking Dr. Karl (“Lean Doc”) and Karl (soon to be “Lean Doc”) for advice on diet and exercise.  I almost told them to forget about the whole thing after they told me it would take a year to see the results I had envisioned for my body.  With the help of their website (and yummy meal replacements), as well as their vast knowledge and motivation, I stuck with it to get where I am today.  It definitely wasn’t easy, and there are still some days where my lack of motivation and self control get the best of me.  Before I know it, I’ve skipped the gym multiple days in a row and all the cupcakes in the break room at work were devoured by yours truly.

Let’s Change Together
In conclusion, let me be your go-to girl for comments and questions on starting your Leaner Living lifestyle.  I’ve been at the other end of the spectrum and know how hard it is to change eating and exercise habits.  It’s not easy, after all, if it were easy, everybody would do it!