I Like Big Books & I Cannot Lie!

Somehow this week I ended up with four library books, all due back in two weeks.  I don't know who I  think I am.  The last book I read was a 200 page YA novel & it still took me like 2 months to read.  I can't even read one book in two weeks, let alone four.  The book that you can't see is the ebook on my Kindle, I Want My MTV by Rob Tannenbaum.

Using the Nashville Public Library is new to me.  Clearly.  My friend Jenn told me about their app, which lets you check out books on your iPhone or Ipad & then choose which library branch to pick it up from.  They email you when it's there & they email you when it's due.  So easy!  And free!

So I went through & got on the waitlist for some books I've been wanting to read & they all came in at the same time.  Of course they did.  I think the ebook I actually have to read in two weeks, but everything else I can renew for extra time if needed.

I started reading Let's Pretend This Never Happened first & should finish it today, then I'll start my ebook since it's due back next week.  Then I'll tackle the other two.  I'm also still on the waitlist for Michael Pollan's new book, Cooked, but there are 30+ people ahead of me so surely I can finish these before I get that one.  Surely.

Books!

Weekend Wrap Up: I Cut Off My Hair Edition

I accidentally didn't cut my hair for two years & then this happened on Friday.  It was fun having long hair & y'all know how much I loved my top knot, but I was bored with it.  This new cut is going to be a lot of fun.

Cut & color by Jordan at Salon Nfuse.

Saturday = brick practice.  We (me, Dawn & Heidi) rode 10 miles, then immediately ran 2 miles.  The same distance as our tri this weekend.  Afterwards, we went to Barista Parlor for coffee & breakfast.  Loving Barista's new sign!

Later I hit the mall with Jaime to cash in some birthday month coupons.  Can we talk about the witchery that takes place at Soma?  Every time I go in there, I walk out $100 poorer.  Every time!  Witchery, I tell you.  Straight up, bra witchery.

Yesterday, John & I spent the day with my family for Mother's Day.  I hilariously realized that my seven year old niece & I have the exact same haircut, so...  that's awesome.  By the way, check out this picture of me & my parents from 1977.  I was 17 months old.  And yes, I was a baby model.  Not really.  But I totally could have been.

Tiffany's Baby Shower Wrap Up

Last weekend, Lauren & I hosted a baby shower for our friend Tiffany.  This was my second time hosting a baby shower.  I hosted my first one for my friend Jessica last year, & I'm happy to report that this time I did not send anyone into labor.  Also, this time I had a co-host.  Hosting with someone else is definitely the way to go.

Lauren & I started by creating a secret board on Pinterest (we've since made it a public board).  Tiff made deciding on what to eat easy.  She's been pinning all these crazy pregnancy foods, so we just re-pinned them to our secret board.  When it was time to decide on the menu for the shower, most of our choices were foods she had pinned.

Similar to what I did for Jessica, I got Tiffany's baby shower invite on Etsy.  I'm a huge fan of this process.  You pick out a design, email the designer the text, take the file to Kinko's & then grab some cute envelopes at Paper Source.  It's so easy!  And way cheaper than traditional invitations.  I used this invite from Splash Of Silver.  Highly recommend her!

Photo credit:  Jenn

A few months back, my friend Jenn posted a pic of a baby shower her sister-in-law hosted & I fell in love with the layout & decor.  So I decided to make a banner for Tiff's shower.  To know me is to know that I am utterly incapable of making crafts.  But I had a roll of Kraft paper & John had twine, so I was halfway there & I figured it can't be that hard.  Can it?

It should surprise no one that it took me two weeks to make this banner.  It's really hard to be un-crafty in a house where the only other occupant is an Eagle Scout.  John had to precisely measure everything & cut it out with an x-acto knife.  Then I messed up the letters because I traced them onto the pink scrapbook paper backwards.  But it turned out okay, especially since you were looking at it from afar.

Back to food.  Here is what we served (recipes hyperlinked):

Egg casserole
Cinnamon roll cupcakes
Cucumber slices with herbed cream cheese
Fruit kebabs
Hashbrown casserole
Mini ham & biscuits
Coffee, OJ, water & mimosas with Trader Joe's Italian Blood Orange Soda

Our baby shower was a brunch (11am - 1pm), so we decided on donuts in lieu of a cake.  Lauren went to her favorite bakery in Murfreesboro, Julia's HomeStyle Bakery, & ordered these donuts with white & pink glaze.  They were the best donuts I've ever had.  I probably ate 5 of them.  And by 5, I mean 10.

We didn't have to buy flowers because Lauren is a master gardener & just picked things from her yard. She also had delicious smelling candles burning all over her house.  Lauren is a natural hostess & has the perfect house for entertaining.

Tiff & Chris,

It was so great to see you!  Thank you for letting us do this for you.  We love you & can't wait to meet Baby Girl Kurtz!

XOXO,
Kim & Lauren

Full photostream here.

My Fitness Foe, Part Three

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Y'all.  Can I just say that even I'm starting to lose track of how many of these posts I've written.  Oy.

*Disclaimer:  I am not a medical professional, nor am I in a position to give medical advice.  This post is based solely on my experiences.  Please consult with a doctor before embarking on a training or meal plan.

In my last post, I was struggling with my daily calorie goal.  MyFitnessPal was giving me 1400 calories a day, but I was starving all the time (I believe my exact word was "hangry").  So I did some hard math & decided with all the exercise I do, I should be closer to 2000 calories a day.  I've been at 2000 calories a day for about a month & in news that will shock no one, I didn't lose weight.

Last week I finally bit the bullet & saw Mari-Etta Parrish, a board certified Registered Dietitian, Exercise Physiologist, & endurance athlete.  Mari-Etta is the only board certified sports specialist dietitian in Nashville.  She works with a large group of my friends, the same friends who have been trying to get me to go see her for oh, about 6 months.

Well, Mari-Etta blew my mind & probably changed my life.  In an effort to not spend the next two hours writing this post, I'm going to highlight the two biggest things I learned from my appointment:  1) I'm eating too much & 2) this way of life is not a punishment.

1.  I'm Eating Too Much

Mari-Etta said that in order for me to lose 1 lb a week, I do need to be at 1400 calories a day.  And yes, that is with all of my exercise.  We went through my road blocks (hello, binge snacking) & she gave me the most useful advice anyone has ever given me on emotional eating & breaking habits.  We even talked about my addiction to Sonic Blasts.  Contrary to what I was told in November, I am not carbohydrate deficient (I knew it!), I'm just a regular 'ole broad who thinks working out a lot begets the occasional 10oz cup of candy ice cream.  Apparently this is common in triathletes.

I've got to work on a couple of things.  I need to quit thinking of food as a reward.  And I've got to quit thinking that merely making it through the day means I can come home & eat Triscuits for two hours.  And THEN eat dinner.

During our meeting, I was resistant to going from 2000 to 1400 calories a day.  I was really resistant.  Mari-Etta turned on the tough love & told me I'm not ready to go down to 1400 a day.  She pointed out that contrary to how hard my work-outs & training are, I'm not ready to work that hard at losing weight.  Well, that stung.  But she's totally right.  I do want to eat whatever I want & magically still lose weight. Of course I do!

So instead of dropping down to 1400 calories a day, I'm at 1700.  She said that I'm not going to be happy with my results & that I'm going to get frustrated with how slow my progress is, & that when I'm ready to put the work in, I can drop down to 1400 a day.  This leads right into my second point, this way of life is not a punishment.

2.  This Way Of Life Is Not A Punishment

This is the most poignant thing anyone has ever said to me.  Until she said it, I didn't realize that I thought of this way of life as punishment, but I totally do!  I don't believe I think of working-out as punishment, but I do think of counting calories as punishment & I definitely think of not being able to eat whatever I want as punishment.  Granted, not being able to eat a Sonic Blast every day is common sense, but going to Porta Via with your friends & ordering the salmon, hold the pasta & double the veggies instead of the wood fired pizza FEELS LIKE PUNISHMENT.

I'm going to go out on a limb here & say that Mari-Etta knew I was trying not to cry.  She told me that I'm doing 90% of things right, mainly that I'm working out like a boss & that I'm tracking what I eat, including the things I know I shouldn't be eating.  I'm simply consuming too many calories a day.  She said that this isn't a diet, it's a way of life & furthermore, it's a way of life that most adults lead, regardless of weight or size.  It's not my punishment for being overweight, it's my responsibility as a healthy, functioning adult who wants to be alive.

I'm a week into this & I still feel like it's punishment, even though I'm trying to re-train my brain.  I know it'll switch at some point, but it hasn't yet.  I think we do each other a disservice by pretending that weight loss is easy.  People my size look at thin, single-digit-size people & think they've got it all figured out.  They can work-out, eat whatever they want & stay skinny.  They don't have to count calories or not order what they want at restaurants.  They get to live this magical, care-free life, where as I, on the other hand, am being punished for being overweight.  Because for whatever reason, I can't get a handle on this, I have to work-out harder, restrict my calories, track everything I eat, all to lose 15-20 pounds, which is STILL a good 30 pounds more than they weigh.

Sorry, that sounds like I'm mad at skinny people.  I'm not.  I'm mad at myself for failing to be skinny.  Oh, self love, you win again.  Who knew someone with such narcissistic tendencies could have such low self esteem?  It's a work in progress.

So that's it.  I'm currently at 1700 calories a day.  After my triathlon next week, I'm going to drop down to 1400.  If all goes to plan, I'll be invisible by fall.  Kidding, kidding.  Actually, my goal is Fabulous By Forty, which is three (gulp) years away.  So mark your calendars for my smoking hot Fabulous At Forty debut on May 20, 2016.

Mari-Etta, thank you.  I'm pretty sure you just changed my life, probably even more so as all of this continues to sink in.

More info on Mari-Etta Parrish & her Be A Healthlete! program here.

Weekend Wrap Up: Baby Shower Edition

On Friday night, my friend Lana treated me to an early birthday present:  tickets to The Black Keys.  Because all concerts in Nashville sell out in the same second they go on sale, Lana was only able to get "limited sight" seats.  We were pleasantly surprised when we sat down & could actually see the stage.  Apparently the backstage passes I'M SURE my friend Dan Auerbach secured for me got lost in the mail.

The Flaming Lips opened for The Black Keys, & as much as it pains me to say this, they were the highlight of the night.  Wayne Coyne BLEW MY MIND.  Obviously, I love The Black Keys, but their show paled in comparison to The Flaming Lips.  Something was wrong with The Black Keys live mix & we couldn't hear Dan's vocals, & Patrick's beat always seemed to be too fast.  We had a blast, but we were both a little disappointed with The Black Keys.  Tear...

On Saturday, Lauren & I hosted a baby shower for Tiffany & Chris, who drove down from New York for the weekend.  Tiffany's family from West Tennessee came & all of our friends & family came.  It was a great day.  Tiff & Chris made out like bandits on gifts from their registry & that's not even including all the loot they got later from Essex!

Tiff & Chris under the banner it took me 2 weeks to make.  Baby girl Kurtz is due in late June & I can't wait to meet the world's tallest, blue-est eyed baby!  Full baby shower photostream on Facebook & Flickr.

No rest for the wicked.  I wrapped up the baby shower, threw on some jeggings (because I ate ONE HUNDRED DONUTS) & headed to Brentwood for Melanie & Troy's Quatro de Mayo party.  I may have had a margarita & a bushwhacker, at the same time...

From left to right:  Lana, Jessica, moi & Melanie.

My triathlon is in like 5 minutes & I've only ridden my bike once.  BECAUSE IT'S RAINED EVERY DAY FOR THE PAST TWO WEEKS.  Ugh.  Lana & I decided we were riding yesterday come hell or high water, literally on the high water part.  The greenways are all flooded, so we rode to the stadium & back & around Shelby until we hit 8 miles, then we hopped off & ran about 1.5 miles.  Lawd, I forgot how hard bricks are.

It wouldn't be a work-out unless I immediately consumed the same amount (or more) of calories that I just burned.  Hello, Barista Parlor!  I wish I could quit you, moto biscuit.

Back at home, I laid down on the couch & watched Skyfall.  I liked it, but I'm still processing Javier Bardem's weird character.  I'm so confused about his ethnicity!  I was supposed to go to a friend's birthday party last night, but John had to work & I fell asleep on the couch & never woke up.  I'm sorry!

Weekend Wrap Up: Straight Up Selfie Edition

Awkward selfie alert.  I just wanted y'all to see how long my hair is.  I have an appointment next week to cut it.  Every time I tell someone that, they lose their mind.  People, it's just hair.  It'll grow back.  I will mourn the loss of my top knot though.  Sigh...

This is with Mary Katherine at Corsair Distillery on Saturday night.  Our friends Brian & Melissa are moving to Asheville & their going away party was on Saturday night.  *Tear.

Afterwards, we all headed east for dinner at Lockeland Table.  I tasted most of the appetizers:  crab & corn fritter, tater tots & the pork belly pizza.  I ordered the bone-in pork loin & John ordered the NY strip.  My pork was delish, but John's steak wins the prize.  We also sampled two desserts:  the peanut butter empanadas & the donuts.  Everything was so good!.  It was pricey, but delicious.

On Sunday morning, I met Jaime & Lana for a run at Shelby.  It was touch & go with the weather, but we got 3 miles in.  Then, OF COURSE, we treated ourselves to Barista Parlor.  Hello, cold brew!

Weekend Wrap Up: Baldwin Family Bike Ride Edition

 

On Friday night, I went to a birthday dinner for my friend Dawn.  Dawn & I met in Seventh Grade & were best friends & roommates until I moved to NYC & she moved to Japan in 2000.  We eventually fell out of touch with each other, but became reunited last year & now live down the street from each other.  Of course we do.

On Saturday, I did my first two-a-day with Heidi.  We ran 3 miles, then swam for 30 minutes, which was apparently enough to reawaken the sugar devil.  I made these chocolate chunk cookies from my favorite food blog, Crepes of Wrath, & they were delicious!

If you follow me on Instagram, then you already know about this new $10 Pulaski chair.  While the cookies were baking, I re-worked the furniture in our living room.  I took the orange chair out & put the $10 chair in.  I'm worried the chevron chair & red ottoman don't go with the bar cart & $10 chair, but I don't have anywhere else to put them.  And I like them.

The living room has become a catch-all for all of my favorite finds, but is that a bad thing?  Also, this picture reminds me that I need to replace the Ikea rug & coffee table we bought 4 years ago as temporary pieces & never replaced.  Oy.

While I was Donna Reed-ing it up at home, John went to Grimey's to celebrate Record Store Day.  This has been a very good year for John Baldwin Mastering.  While the big project he's been working on all year isn't out yet, everything else is & was for sale on Saturday.  He had a blast.

Yesterday was the first time in the 9 year history of Kim & John that we exercised together.  Now that I have my own bike, John has his back, so we can ride together.  We met our friends Katie & Rollum at Wave Country to ride to the Percy Priest dam & back.  I padded up like I was going to ride the Tour de France, but John just went in his every day clothes, including the BLAZER he brought in case he needed it.  Ya'll.

I didn't think to bring two bottles of water, so halfway through the ride, we stopped at Target for John to get something to drink.  Naturally, he got a Coke.  And yes, he put it in his water bottle cage & rode with it.  But seriously, he did great.  For someone who hasn't worked out, possible ever, he rode over 16 miles yesterday, IN JEANS.  Respect.

Oh, & P.S. - my new bike is awesome!  OMG, it's such a huge difference riding a road bike after riding John's 100 lb mountain bike all last year.  And I can shift it!  I love my bike!