Here’s our latest skinny wisdom interview as we seek to learn from those who are on their way to mastering their health.
If you’d like to be considered for an interview, drop me a note and we can chat about specifics.
Emily
“It’s way easier to stay on track then to get on track. Establish good habits early so that you desire the good stuff.” ~Emily
OVERVIEW
How old are you (and spouse if applicable, plus how long you’ve been married)?
I am 42. I married at 21, so coming up on half my life!
Do you have kids/family (if so, how old are they)?
We have five kids aged 20 down to 6. Three boys and two girls. That is a lot of baby weight gained and lost!
What area of the country do you live in (and urban or rural)?
I live in the suburbs of a large midwestern city.
What do you do for a living?
I am a stay-at-home mom most of the time. I am also the children’s ministry director at my church. Prior to kids, I was a project manager for a software company. I’ve also spent time coaching kids’ swimming and helping triathletes improve their swimming. I spend a lot of time helping moms make their family and home lives more efficient so that they can focus on their own health and fitness, so maybe I should make that my actual job here in the near future!
What is your current weight and height?
5’8”, 138. I weighed 128 when I married, so it was a *major* accomplishment to get back down to within ten pounds of that. As many moms will attest, the weight is not in the same place as it was back then,
FOOD
Describe what you eat in the course of a typical day. Please be specific! How do you eat differently on the weekends or special occasions?
About four years ago, I started experimenting with protein shakes for breakfast that I would actually enjoy drinking AND would keep me full until lunchtime. I don’t use anything fancy — just a store-brand protein powder. My favorites are any combination of raspberries, protein powder, almond milk, a spoon of almond butter, and a spoon of dark cocoa powder. It tastes like brownie batter. I am always open to new smoothie recipes. I have teenage boys and sometimes copy what they make.
Lunch is my least favorite meal and I keep it light because heavy lunches make me tired. I’ll either have a salad or leftovers from dinner the night before. I use Greenridge farms deli meat to add protein to a salad, or sprinkle nuts on top to make it more filling.
For dinner, I only have a rotation of about four meals because we have five kids and it gets time-consuming. Go-to dinners for us are baked pasta with Caesar salad, grilled salmon salad, and any kind of tacos with all the fixings. In the summer my husband grills out for us almost every night (bless him!) — burgers, chicken, salmon, shrimp. If I am going out on a weekend night, I skip lunch so I am more hungry for dinner and can enjoy it more!
What are your food rules, if any?
I don’t have many strict rules, but I do avoid sugar and baked goods as much as I can.
What food(s) will you not eat, specifically because it will derail your health or weight, and why?
If I get going on quality cupcakes and frosting, I will not stop. So I try to avoid those!
What is a food you cannot resist? How do you handle this food when you encounter it?
Definitely Graeter’s ice cream. I can enjoy it in small quantities, though. I’m good at limiting myself. If I eat a lot of dairy fat, it gives me a stomachache, so that is good motivation to eat a few spoonfuls and call it a night!
Do you take any vitamins or supplements?
Vitamin D in the winter. I took pre-natal vitamins when they told me to. I don’t have time to research supplements right now!
How do you emotionally think about food? Is it a large part of your life?
I try to be grateful for food, consider it a gift, consume it with joy, and not let it overwhelm me. That sounds super-idealistic. We aren’t all awesome at that all the time, but as parents I think we should set the example of receiving food as a gift and not complaining about it.
Have you ever gained weight (10 lbs or more); if so, what were the circumstances?
When I first entered puberty, I gained 10 or 15 pounds really quickly. That was the beginning of my interest in working out. Other than that, I gained nearly 50 pounds with each pregnancy!
Did you lose the weight and if so, how did you accomplish this? How long did it take?
Between babies one and two, I lost all but ten pounds. That is actually not great because I was young — I could have lost it all. I did not try hard enough.
Between two and three I had more years, and I lost it all and got my core into better shape than it had been before. I improved my strength training in those years (more on that below).
After baby three, we had a stint in an urban area where I walked a ton. Sometimes four to five miles a day.
Between babies four and five, I lost most of it, but had slowly crept up to probably 20 pounds heavier than pre-baby. I hovered around 150 most of that time.
With baby five born when I was 37, I gained so much. I was really swollen looking when he was born: 195 pounds.
If you had a baby, what was the process like after childbirth to lose any baby weight?
The process of losing baby weight is long. I’ve heard doctors say the length of the pregnancy. It gets longer as you get older, and I’ve found I have to vary what I do in terms of exercise. More on that below.
How would your friends describe you and your relationship to food?
I think (hope!) they would say I don’t stress over it and that I give out good advice regarding it!
FITNESS
Do you exercise or do any physical activity and why?
Absolutely. It is critical to my energy level and attitude as a mom. By critical, I mean I will be yelling at people and lethargic by 10 a.m. if I don’t start the day with exercise!
I swim, run, and lift weights (not all on the same days). Intermittently over the years I have used a website called Fitness Blender. I think it is hands-down the most efficient, effective way to workout at home. If I had to credit one thing with restoring my core strength and balance post-baby #5, it would be Fitness Blender.
If you exercise, how often and how consistent are you? Do you take time off?
I exercise five to six times a week. I usually take Sundays off, but “off” could mean spending 20 or 30 minutes stretching. I don’t spend enough time stretching.
How do you emotionally think about exercise? Is it a chore, a stress outlet, positive, negative, etc.?
It is absolutely my sanity-saver. I love it. It’s a stress outlet and I love to evangelize to other people about it because I think it is critical that moms of young children exercise.
YOUTH
Growing up, how did you think about food and what, if anything, changed over time?
I don’t know that I thought about it before puberty. In about eighth grade I realized that subsisting on cinnamon rolls and pie was not going to cut it!
Was there a specific event in your childhood, either positive or negative, that you remember even to this day?
My dad died when I was very young, which was (obviously) a major trauma.
What were meals like in your family growing up?
My mom and I mostly sat down to eat. In high school, as with many families, there wasn’t always time to sit down, but there was always something served for dinner.
How did your family or those around you influence you about food when you were young?
I think it was probably a good thing that I didn’t have a lot of restrictions. I remember some kids who had tons of rules who would just go nuts around the “forbidden” items. Actually, I have a lot of people comment now on how my kids constantly ask my permission to eat things. I think that might be because the answer is always, “Yes, go ahead”. I remember some years back saying to a child of mine, “If you want fruit, the answer is always yes! I love you; please don’t ask about the apples again. Just eat”.
Who influences or teaches you about food today, if anyone? Or…”I never think about it”?
I don’t have a lot of hours in a week to learn more about food. I wish I had more new sources to recommend! A college friend of mine just started a nutrition and fitness blog from which I’ve gleaned new nutrition knowledge in a short period of time. It’s called FUELosophy by Molly. Another friend just starting a food blog called Mae’s Menu — I haven’t had a chance to try any of her recipes\, but it looks soooo yummy and healthy.
PHILOSOPHY
What would you teach your children (or others) about food for them to have a healthy slender body?
Hopefully I am teaching them to enjoy it and not be ruled over by it, and to stick to lots of fruits and veggies and don’t feel guilty about the occasional sweet indulgences. Just enjoy it. And like in many other areas of life, the good begets the good. It’s way easier to stay on track then to get on track. Establish good habits early so that you desire the good stuff.
What is your best piece of advice to the readers of this blog about how to live a healthy slender life?
Hands down, you have to establish habits that are repeatable. The best exercise program for you is the one you will adhere to. There are so many options — but none will work if you don’t like it enough to do it every day! Find something you enjoy that you can fit into the rest of life and get to it.
~Emily
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