Hey there mom friends, my name is Kate Rockland and I am on a mission to lose 15 pounds in 8 weeks, just in time for bikini season! (OK, the bikini part is a lie. I am totally wearing a one-piece.) The point is, I woke up one morning truly missing my size 8 clothes, all hung up neatly in my closet since I gave birth to two boys in two years. I am determined, with the help of Heidi Klum's personal trainer David Kirsch__, to drop the baby weight once and for all through healthy recipes, new workouts, and a hell of a lot of moxie. I hope you'll join me on my journey, and feel free to try this at home!
Current Weight: 136 pounds
I'm feeling a little frustrated with myself this week: Basically, for the last five weeks, I've had no problem saying "no" to foods I knew were bad. But this week I've been eating like I'm pregnant with quintuplets. Hence, I've managed to do my three 3-mile runs, but only lost 1 pound. Enchiladas dripping with cheese? Ate 'em. Birthday cake at my friend's son's party? Had two slices. I seem to be in some kind of rebellious state. When pinpointing what went wrong this week, I turned to my husband, who is currently wrestling with quitting smoking. Having quit once two years ago, he admits he started up again when we were having difficulty with fertility, before our sons were born. "I was stressed out, you were stressed out, I started smoking again," he says simply. Startled, I realized I'd had a fight with my parents this week. I've been mulling the fight over and over again in my head, and when I'm upset I don't make good eating choices. Realizing I might be an emotional eater was helpful; I feel like going forward I'll still allow a small treat if I've had a bad day, but not pig out. I also realize I need to be kind to myself—I've lost 9 pounds, and that's pretty great!
Motivational quote I used to get me through: "Without leaps of imagination or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning." –Gloria Steinem
Workout Song: "Wake Up" by Arcade Fire
Snacks: Hummus and whole wheat Ritz crackers; homemade trail mix
Meals: So I know everyone likes to hate on Gwyneth, but I am not ashamed to admit how much I love her Goop newsletter, which my mother introduced me to. Her "Make" section has a lot of great recipes. This week I cooked up her Spinach and Black Bean Burrito (actually I emailed the recipe to my husband and begged him to make it for me), which was fresh and so rich I didn't miss the cheese of a traditional burrito.
Exercises: Since I only ran for workouts this week, I decided to switch things up and call David for some tips for bathing-suit season. (I refuse to call it bikini season, given my supreme love of old-school one-pieces that make me feel like I'm on the Olympic team.) Here are David's Top 10 Tips. I give you permission, if you follow them, to splurge on a new suit!
David's 10 Tips for Bathing-Suit Season
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A month prior to bathing suit season, kick-start your countdown by following the ABCs—no Alcohol, Bread or processed Carbs.
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Incorporate a circuit workout into your routine. Aim to incorporate moves that target all of the areas that will be on display in your bathing suit—so, pretty much everything: abs, shoulders, chest, glutes, arms, legs and hamstrings. You should aim to do 15 to 20 reps of each move, and repeat for a total of three full cycles through the circuit.
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If you've only got a day to look bathing suit-ready, avoid all fruit and dairy and stick with water-based foods like cucumbers and asparagus, a natural diuretic.
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Load up on protein—like an egg white and vegetable scramble—on beach day to keep you full without causing bloat.
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If you are wearing a two-piece and feeling anxious about showing your stomach, add in some focused ab exercises like stability ball hand-offs, scissors and planks. Many people also swear by drinking green tea to blast belly fat.
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Commit to a full-body strength-training program at least three times a week to burn calories during the workout, boost your metabolism's calorie-burning power for 24 to 48 hours after, and develop lean muscles that look and feel better than flab. Perform exercises that use more than one muscle group such as squats, pushups, rows and lunges in a circuit to make your workouts most efficient. Tip: Try working out in the morning to get your metabolism revved up for the rest of the day.
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Your glutes (butt muscles) are the biggest muscles in your body, so working them out is one of the best ways to burn calories—and prevent a saggy bikini-bottomed butt. Try my signature Sumo Lunge and Platypus Walk to work your butt and legs.
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The best way to rid yourself of excess water weight is to flush your body with water, so go ahead and drink up. Skimping on water can also reduce the effectiveness of your workouts, because even mild dehydration can affect your performance and fat-burning potential.
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If you're used to having a glass of wine or pint of beer every night, try cutting back to two or three nights a week. You'll reduce your total calorie intake and set yourself up for a better night's sleep to energize you for your workout the next day.
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Go out there and rock your bathing suit—you're ready.
