A few months back, I entered and won a contest for a ticket to the FitBloggin' 13 conference. I entered because I saw it was not only put on by Roni Noone (+greenlitebites), who I had been inspired by on my health journey, but ALSO in Portland, OR. The contest was put on by Grow Soul Beautiful, who do the #YogaADay challenge I participated in for a bit on instagram.

Here's the description:

The FitBloggin' Conference is for anyone who blogs about fitness, wellness, good food and a healthy lifestyle-regardless of where they are in their journey. Our attendees are a melting pot of fit-minded people. Some of us are on a mission to lose weight. Others are training for triathlons. We have gym rats and folks learning to run. We welcome vegetarians, vegans, and convenience food junkies alike. We may all be in different stage of fitness, but we all share one passion: To live a happy, healthy balanced life.

More than just another blogging conference, FitBloggin' is all about the desire to use technology, blogging and social media to motivate, inspire and foster a culture of health and wellness. We strive to bring together bloggers from all walks of life to create a tightly connected group of men and women who care deeply about and are committed to spreading this passion for fitness.

fitblogger. I will never be a fitness blogger. a healthy blogger, sure. a super blogger, I am CSS-goddess, hear me roar. I've certainly got the blogging background: hello, I've had a blog since 2000, and did tech support for a blogging company! But FIT? I can't see myself ever being considered a fitness buff. it's still hard to imagine I would be called fit. healthy, happy, mindful kristine. I can do that. a few friends described me as having sass recently. I might even be able to do that. but fit? :)

I know at this point: I want to inspire health. Let that sink in for a second. I KNOW that, and I've already been striving to better document what health looks like to me. It's kinda like this was a sign: winning this contest, happening so close to the end of the weight loss phase of my new life, happening alongside my continued discovery into Take Shape For Life. What if I can really make inspiring health a reality?

The even cooler part about this is that a lot of the health bloggers I have grown to respect during my journey are attending. I can meet some people and thank them for their inspiration in person! I am going to go to as many FitBloggin' events as my body will allow, and try to take many notes to share. I am going to absorb all the inspirational goodness I can find, and share my smile with as many as I can.

If you will be there, please say hi to this newbie to all-things-fit! :)

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In the last few weeks, I've been recapping my healthy journey. I started with an intro, talked about my meals, put in some exercise time, and mulled over the mental part. So let's pull it all together today, and assess where I am at right now. Here it is, the big reveal:

mindful kristine, over 7 months

Over the course of a little over 7 months, I have lost 56 pounds. That is over 25% of my original body weight,and I haven't been this weight since 2001! More than that, I've lost inches, clothing sizes, and medicines. My energy level and endurance have gone up. I've learned even more about cooking healthy and how I can apply that to my life. I am quite pleased, and very proud of my success.

What is next? I am beginning the transition phase, where I slowly reintroduce the foods that are higher carbohydrate, like starchy veggies, fruit, grains, and dairy. Once that is complete, I will move into maintenance and balance what the right combination of protein, carbs, and fats are right for my body. I will continue cooking lean and light and moving towards as much unprocessed food as I can for my health.

I still will be challenged with my fibromyalgia symptoms, I believe that there is no amount of weight loss that will cancel that out. I aim towards keeping my symptoms in check with the least amount of meds as I can.

A little more weight loss would get me to my healthy BMI. Truthfully, it felt *right* to reach this stopping place. We will see how the transition period goes, and keep working towards health rather than just a number on the scale.

The support I've received during my journey has been amazing, and it makes me want to give support back to more people who are journeying on their road to health. I know that I want to blog more about these topics: the meals and recipes I plan, tips for keeping moving, and pointing towards other supportive blogs/sites. I won a ticket to a health blogging conference at the end of the month and plan to share what I learn there. It makes me happy to inspire others, be it in health, knitting, blogging, or any of my myriad of interests!

My life will be touched by this experience forever, I know that.

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previously, on kadyellebee: intro to mindful Kristine, food, and exercise posts...

There is a big part of a healthy journey that relies in changing the brain, not just the body. I wasn't prepared for this! In my head, I assumed that because of all my health complications, I wouldn't even be able to loose the weight, and was just trying this last ditch effort in case it helped take off 10 pounds or so. So even though I was working the health plan to a T, I wasn't expected to see much of a difference. And then to FEEL different was even more unexpected.

What feels different, mentally?

• the sense of pride I feel for accomplishment.
• the happiness that bubbles out of me more often.
• the mental relief of less pain.
• the openness to new experiences.

Taking intentional, or mindful, steps to a goal is really one of the best feelings. For me, those steps were baby steps, as my brain (and body) take a bit of time to adjust to any change. Watching myself change on a spreadsheet week by week is a bit of a rush.

What changes in your life caught you off guard mentally and made you change your thinking?

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I introduced a series on my blog about how I'm getting healthy. I talked about my eating plan already, and now I'd like to share info on my physical fitness routine.

A little background: Exercise has always been a challenge for me. I was the little girl who was happier reading or playing with dolls, or even on occasion, bringing the book or dolls outside - but not really doing much exercise. I had an ankle problem that kept me from walking much, which was one more excuse. And then with multiple chronic illnesses over the last 10+ years, I have had to be extra careful to not overdo it, adding new things slowly with baby steps!

So in a struggle to get healthy, I knew I should add intentional movements to my routine. That intentional part has been key for me, making it a routine or integrating it into a current routine so it's harder to just skip because I don't feel like it! For Medifast, they suggest waiting until you've completed the first few weeks of the program before exercising, I believe this allows your system to stabilize a bit and get used to the low-calorie intake.

What am I doing? Walking on the weekend with my husband. Riding my exercise bike, and upping the time and difficulty as I can. I took a set of restorative yoga classes, and now do yoga-inspired stretching at home. Ballet-inspired movements like pliés. Floor aerobics for abs and core strengthening. Cooking and cleaning and general housework. All of these things combined in small portions throughout the day enable me to burn a few more calories. Between my small meal schedule and my exercise schedule and my rest needs, it's a full time activity!

When I am acting intentionally, I dress in clothes that I will be able to move in. Something form fitting so I'm not tripping over the too-big-jammies that still fill my closets. When I am planning intentionally, I think of how I can add an exercise to something that is already routine. One of my mini-meals is best when eaten a half-hour after prepping, so I go put it in the freezer and then spend the time on my exercise bike. When I am moving intentionally, I turn on pop music that lends itself to be danced to. It puts a spring in my step!

In the future, I want to add a little weight training with my teeny tiny weights, and walk more on a regular basis, as well as getting more yoga training. I think all of these things will combine to make me a healthier version of where I was a year ago, and the strength I gain will make it easier to accomplish my goals.

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In my mindful Kristine is getting healthy post last week, I said I would tell you what I have been doing as a health plan...

A little background: diets have not worked, until this one. With the meds I take to fight the symptoms of fibromyalgia, it makes loosing weight difficult. I attempted to eat healthier, and healthier. I tried Weight Watchers. I ate healthier still. And then this last year's amount of bed-bound days increased, which added more weight.

My sister approached me with the idea of starting Take Shape For Life (TSFL) with Medifast along with her. TSFL is the health coach side of Medifast. Medifast is a meal replacement diet plan that uses low-level ketosis to burn the fat while eating a balance of high protein, low calories, and controlled carbs. I ate 5 meal replacements and one Lean and Green (L&G) meal a day, plus a lot of water and gentle exercising. I was very tentative about a meal plan that includes meal replacements. I prefer the idea of eating lots of fruits, veggies, whole grains, and basically the concept of less processed foods to get healthy.

My thought was that if I could get to a slightly healthier weight, then it would be easier to exercise and then I could take a more traditional approach to dieting. I was hoping for 10lbs, maybe if I were lucky, 20lbs. (I'll talk more about my results in another post.)

I started in November, thinking I'd give it a month. I immediately started a list of thanksgiving food I would still be able to eat... we were in WA for thanksgiving this year, and I love my family and dad's thanksgiving menu. There wasn't much on that list, but I kept pressing forward. Then when I started seeing results, I committed to another month. This coincided with a road trip to CA for Christmas, which was quite the challenge! At one point, there were at least 30 different options of treats/desserts/candies on my in-law's buffet counter to resist! And I pressed on. And on, and on... May was month seven on plan.