I can’t believe it’s been four weeks, you guys.

Four weeks ago, enough was enough. It wasn’t New Years Day. It wasn’t even a Monday. (It was actually a random Tuesday, because I refuse to conform). I woke up and decided to change my lifestyle. I decided to put myself first. (GASP.)

Let’s rewind a bit.

Four weeks and one day ago I was a mom of three who couldn’t keep her head above water. I work hard on my blog/brand/business, I have three children to stay on top of, a home to manage, and a marriage to be an active participant in. All of those roles are important, yet I felt them all suffering. While I knew there was essentially nothing I could do about the amount on my plate (it is what it is- I’m a busy mother and entrepreneur just like others), there HAD to be something I could do about the way I was dealing with life. I’m already on antidepressants, but every day was an uphill climb.

I’ve felt for some time that my well being was falling farther and farther to the wayside. Physically, I enjoy being athletic. In the past, I was committed to exercise, running, fitness education, and nutrition. It’s something I have knowledge of. It’s not a foreign arena.

So, WHY had I fallen so far off the wagon?

Who knows. Three babies, a million moves, a million jobs, happiness and heartbreak and happiness again? Who cares, though, actually. It just mattered that I flip the script. No. More. Excuses. I have a supportive husband, I know how to eat right, I can afford a $15/month gym membership, and I have 30 minutes in my day to spare on a workout.

I started at my heaviest and most out of control. I wasn’t eating a large pizza and drink a gallon of Coke per meal or anything made for a good TV show, but was most certainly careless with my choices. I was pretty much living off of flour and sugar, since most convenience foods came in that format. I decided to start with a ketogenic diet to kick the sugar addiction and dull the cravings. I was lethargic and foggy and slowly gaining weight, no matter how “generally” active I was.I realized that I hadn’t done any high intensity exercise in over two years. (Where did the time go?)

With that, I began.

From here, I will fill you in on more of a Q&A type format.

What was your starting weight/sizes and how tall are you?

The last time I weighed myself was at a spa in Napa in December with my friends. The scale read 228. I am about 5’8. I was in a size 16 jeans at Old Navy for reference. I did not take initial measurements because I can’t find my stupid tape measure.

What type of diet are you following right now?

I am still eating mostly keto. I will probably phase into variations of paleo sometime soon, but for now keto is working for me and helping me keep sugar cravings at bay. HERE is a great article about what a ketogenic diet is.  I have started compiling a board of great recipes etc. on Pinterest.

Do you cheat at all?

I have cheated, yes. I ate pizza one night and it was fabulous. Ha! Also, I have had little snacks here and there that are not keto technically, but I didn’t feel bad. (Like popcorn or carrots and hummus.)

Has keto affected your milk supply?

Nope! My calories are still high and I consume a lot of fat and protein.

What is your workout schedule/routine?

On a normal day, I go to my gym and do elliptical work, some weight lifting, and the rowing machine. I rotate those and push myself pretty hard for up to an hour, depending on how much time I have. I am also enjoying trying new group classes here and there to mix it up, too. I did a Barry’s Bootcamp Full Body class that almost killed me, and I LOVE spin classes, too. I try to get at least FOUR high intensity workouts in per week.

How do you make time?

I commit to 20 minutes in the gym. My gym is 5 minutes away. I chose that gym on purpose, so that I wouldn’t have the excuse of not wanting to drive. My husband is very supportive and I usually leave for the gym as soon as he gets home from work and am back within an hour. I tell myself that I wasted an hour on a LOT of other things before now. You just have to make the time. Even if you can only make it on the weekend days, that’s better than nothing. I am not someone who can be motivated to workout at home, so the gym was crucial for me. ALSO. If you are a mom. Look at it as free time away from your kids. That helps me so much. I think to myself- ok, this is the only way to get away and dial in to good music, and burn off all the frustration of motherhood.

How are you tracking your meals and exercise?

I use MyFitnessPal and my FitBit apps.

What has surprised you about the last four weeks?

I honestly thought this would be harder and I would want to give up more often. I was afraid that if I saw no scale change, etc. that I would feel like a failure, but I haven’t. The scale hasn’t really moved in about a week, but I am not discouraged. The happiness I have gained from simply taking time to work on myself and towards a goal has been worth everything and more.

What has been the hardest thing to make yourself do?

Drink water! I have had to be very conscious about forcing the water. I am so busy I forget to stay hydrated all the time. In another post I will get into more detail about this.

What “Non-Scale Victories” have you noticed so far?

SKIN: From the hydration and lack of sugar, my skin is WAY better. I can’t believe how different my skin is. MOOD: I am much happier and more energetic during the day. I attribute this LARGELY to the fact that I am actually taking care of myself and rebuilding self-love. STAMINA: I’m amazed at how fast my lungs and heart have adapted to hard workouts. I always forget how easy that is to get back when you work hard. MY CORE: I have Diastasis Recti, and had pretty much accepted the fate of a doomed core forever. There are so many ab exercises I can’t do because of it, so I have been truly surprised at how small changes are giving me strength in my midsection (which equals less back pain). On day one I could hold a plank for MAYBE three seconds. Today I held a plank for 30 seconds. JOINTS: My knees are not great. A combination of three pregnancies, my past life as a runner, and the weight I have gained. The collagen I take every day in my coffee has significantly reduced my knee pain and “crunching” noises.

What do you feel was the key to sticking to it and not giving up?

Making VERY small goals. I committed to one hour at a time. “I will make good choices from 2-3” etc. I erased expectations, and I truly have loved the reward of just feeling SO MUCH BETTER about myself. There’s something about living up to your potential that is the greatest high.

What is your four week progress?

I have lost 11 pounds. But. More than that. My body is transforming and my mind is renewed.

If you take anything from this post, know this:

1. You CAN find time.
2. You ARE in control.
3. The scale is irrelevant.

Follow my journey on Instagram at @takecarekatie.

Because I’m a glutton for punishment, I enjoy launching myself outside my comfort zones. Today- it sounds pretty simple, but it was a big deal to me. I wore a tank top to the gym. I didn’t hide under baggy shirts. I really wanted to wear my cute sports bra and slouchy knotted JoyLab (@target) tank. I felt nervous and even asked my friends “am I too fat to wear a tank to the gym?” Of course they said to do it and I did. And ya know what? It was awesome and I felt amazing and I’m not letting those kind of rules govern my life. You shouldn’t either. 👊🏻

A post shared by Katie (@takecarekatie) on Feb 14, 2018 at 4:32pm PST