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: 133 pounds
It seems that despite my rebellious eating last week, I still managed to drop 3 pounds, and am only another 3 away from my target weight of 130. I feel like 130 is perfect on my 5'4" frame. My husband likes me a little curvy, and I know I'll never be a size 4, like I was in high school, because in high school I was a girl, not the woman of two babies I am now. I'm also fine with still having little squiggly white lines running the length of my belly, with the smiley face of my C-section smiling up at me from below, as my stomach is much flatter than it was 7 weeks ago. I feel like there has to come a point where we stop bullying ourselves, wishing for different bodies, isolating our thighs, butts, shoulders, to whine about. Enough's enough. Also, I now fit into all my size 8 clothes. What a joy it's been to throw open the doors of my closet and wear all my old crap! Seeing dresses I haven't worn in three years was like greeting old friends. I can't wait to have a date night to take these tops, dresses and short skirts out on the town!
Motivational quote I used to get me through: "You have to let go of who you were to become who you will be." ―Candace Bushnell, Sex and the City
Workout Song: "Treasure" by Bruno Mars
Snacks: Salted pumpkin seeds; Quinoa scones
Meals: I asked David to email me his favorite summer salad. I can safely report back it was super yum, and at only 98 calories, guilt-free:
Cucumber Salad
1 cup thinly sliced seedless cucumbers
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
In a small bowl, combine the cucumber, onion, vinegar and pepper flakes
Toss to mix
Cover and refrigerate, or set aside at room temperature for two to three hours before serving to allow the flavors to blend.
Exercises: In addition to David's two moves of the week, while on vacation I took a yoga class on the beach at sunrise. It was perfect, as it forced me out of my routine; I hadn't done yoga since my mid-20s, and I'd forgotten how much I'd loved it. I even got halfway through training to become a yoga instructor before getting pregnant with my first son and dropping out. Just taking this one class awakened my desire to renew my practice. For me, there is nothing like excercising out of doors, whether it's yoga, bicycling, jogging, or anything else your heart desires. Here are two moves that don't require a gym membership:
1. Dumbbell Raises
Grab two 5-pound dumbbells. Keeping your left arm at your side and knees slightly bent, raise your right arm (palm down), holding the other dumbbell straight out in front of you.
Continue to slowly raise the arm, keeping it straight, until it is above your head. Now lower.
Repeat 15 to 20 times and switch to the left side, or alternate right and left for a total of 15 to 20 reps on each side.
2. Medicine Ball Squats
With legs slightly apart, raise medicine ball in front of you at level with your heart. Bend knees without overextending over toes, and squat. Rise slowly. Repeat 15 times.
Stay tuned next week to read Kate's final installment, and see if she reached her goal!
