Healthy Eating Highlight #1

Hope you are all having a fantastic weekend! I am definitely glad fall temperatures have finally arrived in Texas!

I’m please to present to you our very first Healthy Eating Highlight! Denise has a very inspirational weight loss story done the right way! And she has some great advice to get you started on a healthy lifestyle. I hope you love her story as much as I do! Be sure to stop by her blog and check out her out on social media! If you’d like to be featured on an upcoming Healthy Eating Highlight, leave me a comment….I’d love to tell your story! Also be sure to check out our new Everyday FITspiration Facebook page for daily health and fitness motivation whether you’re a beginner or seasoned athlete.

Tell us a little about yourself. My name is Denise Laird. I’m a 41 year old stay at home mom to a six year old son named Chase and wife to my husband of eight years, Troy. I lost 110 pounds through being active every day, eating cleaner, and running. I have maintained a 100+ pound weight loss for over a year.
What do you consider to be a healthy lifestyle? A lifestyle that has a balance of eating healthy, whole foods with regular exercise. I enjoy walking and within the past year, found a love of distance running.
What does your typical day look like? First, I walk my son to school. Then my typical activities vary. I go to the grocery store 3-4 times a week, volunteer at the school – in my son’s class or with their running club, clean house, put a healthy soup or meal in the slow cooker, go for a run either outside or at the gym, and participate in my Facebook fitness groups. I walk back to school to pick him up and we either go to his activity (he plays soccer and basketball, depending on season) or go to the gym together as a family (my husband comes too). We run on treadmills next to each other and do weights. Our son plays in their huge supervised kids club, lots of running around and active playing). We eat dinner together at the table (not in front of the tv – that’s one of the reasons I gained weight in the first place, mindless eating) and we both do his bath and nighttime routine.
What is your biggest challenge to living a healthy lifestyle? My biggest challenge was making this a true lifestyle change for our family. We ate a lot of heavily processed, chemical laden convenience foods and ate at restaurants frequently. It was so hard for my husband and I both at first. Taking small steps was what got us through. Eating one less meal out a week, making food at home when we really wanted take out. When we stopped eating those foods and began eating the real food we made ourselves at home, we no longer craved the “bad”, unhealthy stuff. We still eat out but do it once a week and choose restaurants with healthier options.
What motivates you to choose a healthy lifestyle? My son. I gained 70 pounds during my pregnancy, partly due to being on bed rest with Preeclampsia. I struggled with my own weight because of my poor food choices for myself, but I wanted him to know healthy eating from the beginning. I made all of his baby food from fresh meat, fruits, and veggies in my blender and food processor. Because of that, he still loves to eat fresh, whole foods. I also wanted to be a more active mom for him and be able to run around and play, go down slides at the park, etc. All things I couldn’t do well (or at all!) when I was over 200 lbs.
What advice would you offer to someone struggling to get started? Make small steps. At first, the only thing I did was eat a bite or two less of dinner. Eventually I was able to get my portion sizes down to reasonable, healthy sizes. If I was still hungry, I would eat sliced veggies like cucumbers and red bell peppers or have a banana and drink water. Don’t eat until you’re uncomfortably full. If you feel like you want seconds, wait 5 minutes to find out if you’re really still hungry or if having more food is giving in to emotional eating. Make your own food at home. Restaurant meals often have hidden calories and a lot of sodium which will taste great but leave you feeling bloated and tired afterward. Choose foods that will energize you instead.
How can readers contact you? My friend Michelle and I blog about our weight loss and running at www.twomomsontherun.com Our Facebook page is www.facebook.com/twomomsontherun We are also on Twitter and Instagram as @Twomomsontherun and Pinterest as www.pinterest.com/Twomomsontherun