Kristin Steede Blog

One year ago tomorrow my season of the Biggest Loser premiered.  WOW…what a year it has been.  I sort of fell off the face of the earth for a while.  I was not posting blogs as often, not logging on to Facebook as frequently and I have been getting many questions about how I am doing.  I figured there was no better way to answer that question then in blog.

Life has pretty much been turned upside down.  As many of you may know, my Husband Nick and I received the amazing news that we were expecting our first child.  We were over come with joy.  Everything in life changes when you are expecting a child.    Things you once desired are no longer a priority and you start looking at life with a realistic perspective.

A little over two weeks after finding out we had our first child on the way my husband worked his last day of work.  The company he worked for the last 11+ years decided to close down their Appleton, WI facility.  Unfortunately this is an all too common occurrence in todays economy.  The only problem is Nick carried our health insurance and with me being self employed I do not have the option of taking over that responsibility.  So we figured…OK…we will have to take advantage of COBRA until Nick finds another job.  Well, when the paperwork came in and I took a look at the COBRA payment my jaw hit the floor.  I cannot believe how expensive it is.  That combined with the fact that it is not very easy to find a good job today has added a lot of stress.

As if being pregnant and my husband losing his job was not enough my business partners sat down with me on a Monday and pretty much told me that they felt it would be best for all of us if I dissolved my ownership in the business on the first of the year (which just happened to be that Friday). Although since I have returned from the show we have talked about this situation, I just did not expect the timing.  I felt blind sided and hurt yet there is a small part of me that understands their side.  Being on the show has put a huge toll on the business.  I was gone for 5 months while filming the show and I was borderline useless for about 3 months following that (this was the time between coming home from the show but before finale).  I could go on about this forever.

I am hopeful that everything will work out.  Nick and I are both diligently working to make sure we can bring our child into a stable and secure environment.  In terms of health, fitness and weight loss…that is an entirely different blog for another day.

WOW….WOW WOW WOW.  I can hardly believe it.   We are going to have a baby!   Do you know what it is like to want something so bad for so long it almost feels as if it’s never going to happen?  Nick and I started dating when I was 15 and he was 16 years old.  We have been married for over 5 years.  I truly believe with all of my heart that my weight was the one thing that prevented us from starting our family sooner.  I also believe that if it were not for the Biggest Loser I would not be experiencing this miracle today.

I have taken three home pregnancy tests.  After the third positive test and squeezing my sore tender breast about a million times it finally sunk in that this was real.  It’s funny because before I even knew I was pregnant I was talking to Nick and I said “it would be so neat if we found out we were having a baby and we told everyone at Christmas”  When I showed Nick the positive test he said to me “Now you can do your Christmas thing” Keep in mind this was on Friday November 27th.  The day after Thanksgiving.  My response to him was “Um….yeah”.  By Saturday morning I was like “Nick, it’s been 24 hours and I do not think I am going to make it until Christmas”.  He laughed.  Sunday goes by and I still haven’t told a soul.  Monday is hear.  I have to meet my mother after work for a radio remote and we sit and talk for over an hour and I do not say a word!  It was killing me.  My mother has been asking Nick and I when we were going to have kids for years and here I am pregnant and I haven’t said anything.  Finally I came home from work Tuesday night, Nick was on the phone and I mouthed to him “We are doing it tonight”  (meaning we are telling our families now because I will never make it to Christmas)

Nick and I head out to my mothers house in Shiocton.  I had called my sister Karri and tried to get her to moms house with out giving it away but finally had to tell her over the phone to make sure she was at moms house in time.  Nick and I walked in the front door, my mom, John, Jake and Stephanie are all sitting down eating dinner and my mom looks a little confused.  She is trying to figure out why we were there in the middle of the week.   I had a gift wrapped box in my hand and inside the box was a helium baby balloon that would pop out as soon as she opened it.  I told her I had an early Christmas present for her.  She shakes the box a little and starts tearing into it and as soon as she seen it she started screaming, jumping up and down and bawling.  It was one the cutest most memorable moments of my life.

I couldn’t tell you the number of times I have had someone come up to me and tell me a story about a loved one.  “Kristin, I have a mother/father/sister/brother/friend who really needs help.  He/she is such an amazing, kind, fun person but I think his/her weight is really holding him/her back from true happiness.  He/She has tried to lose weight many times but never seems to stick to it very long.  Now it has gotten to the point that I am scared for his/her health.  I don’t know what to do?”

How do you tell a loved one they need to change?  YOU TELL THEM.  You just tell them.  Tell them the truth.  Straight forward.  No sugar coating.  If your intentions are in the right place how could it hurt.  Just know full well going into the conversation that the person is either going to acknowledge what you just told them and change, acknowledge what you just told them and not change or just flat out get mad at you because the truth hurts.  Regardless of the outcome at least you do not need to sit back and torture yourself with the situation any longer.  At least you know you did what you felt you needed to do.

Now, you may be thinking “but is it really my place to say anything?”  I am telling you sometimes we need to be told.  I knew I was overweight.  I knew I needed to change but I always managed to ignore it.  I always managed to sweep the problem under the rug.  Sometimes we need people in our lives to remind us about what we need to do.

I am sooooo excited today!  I along with my mom, my sister Stephanie and my sister Karri started (what I like to call) the Lunch Exchange Program.  Each one of us made a healthy meal and exchanged a serving with each other.  I think the key to staying on track with your weight loss is to plan ahead and be prepared.  I now have a weeks worth of healthy lunches packed and ready to go in my fridge.  All the recipes are different, homemade and I know the calorie count.

In the past I would often find myself in a food rut.  I would put the same old meals on a rotation and keep eating them over and over again.  Since the Biggest Loser I have been getting very adventurous with my food and this has helped in adding a good variety into my rotation.  I also think that tasting other peoples recipes helps A LOT!  Within the last 2 months or so I have added 3 new meals into my rotation due solely to tasting someone elses cooking.

Give it a taste!  Try exchanging healthy meals with your family and friends.  You may be surprised at how much it can help you stay on track.

When I came home from the Biggest Loser ranch I had no idea what I was going to do. I was coming back to an old life as a new person. I knew I had a live finale to prepare for and I had to figure out a way to mesh these two lives together.

I started working with two local trainers who just happened to own the fitness franchise Ellipse Fitness (http://www.ellipsefitness.com/).  After 5 months on the Biggest Loser ranch I though I had done nearly every type of exercise known to man but guess what…I was wrong!  Lisa and Shana came up with creative fun ways to help me prepare for finale.    Besides the innovated exercise routines the knowledge I gained was priceless.  I learned more than I ever expected on the ranch and that did not stop once I got home.  To this day I constantly find myself quoting things I have learned from Lisa and Shana to  other people I talk to.

I believe one of the most powerful weapons to fight the battle of the bulge is knowledge.  If you are frustrated, lost, and desperate for change I would urge anyone to reach out to a professional for help.  I know you may be thinking “but a trainer is so expensive”.  I am telling you the cost of a trainer for a few sessions will fail in comparison to what you could be paying in doctor bills and prescriptions due to weight related diseases.

If you are looking to make a change in your life but don’t know where to turn I want you to go into your bathroom, look yourself in the mirror and say “I NEED HELP”.  Now I want you to go out and find it!  You will be so happy you did!

Life has been just crazy lately.  I feel like I am going in a different direction all the time.  I am sure you can relate.  I found that when life gets super crazy it becomes more important than ever to plan in advance.  I have been trying desperately to get organized.  I have been taking small steps. The other day I bought a shoe rack to go by the garage door and today I bought a magnetic dry erase board for my kitchen.  I wrote a “To Do” list and I got them all done.  Although these things are so small and minor it really has helped A LOT and I want to keep the momentum going!

I have been pre-making food for the week.  I have learned that If I do not pre-pack a lunch or have something quick, easy and healthy to grab I am more likely to eat out.  Although there are plenty of healthy options for eating out it is still best to eat your own food.  Not only is it more cost effective but when you make your own food you know exactly how it was made and what went into it.  This allows you to keep better track of your calories.

One other issue that I seem to be having is packing my gym bag in advance.  I have learned that I have to get my primary workout done in the morning.  I work full time for my mortgage company and I have to be in the office.  If I fail to pre-pack my gym back in the morning then I am losing precious time in the gym.

What other planning tips do you use (or wish you would use!) in your daily routine that could help with maintaining an active busy lifestyle?  POST THEM HERE!

If you are a friend of mine on Facebook then you may have noticed that I have a tendency to post some pretty random things.  Some of my favorite postings have been:

Does anyone keep the extra button that come with the shirt when you buy it?

or

Do you open up and smell the fabric softener before putting it in your cart?

One question that I have always wondered is…do you have a shower routine and what is the last thing you do before getting out of the shower?  For whatever reason the very last thing I do before shutting off the water is wash my hands!  Every single time I do it.  So weird!

For pure entertainment purposes (and in the interest of thought provoking reading) I want to know your random thoughts and questions.  What is something you have always thought about but never really bothered to ask?  Post those thoughts and questions here!

The new blog regarding this weeks episode of the Biggest Loser is up!  Check it out at: http://www.nbc.com/the-biggest-loser/kristin-steede/

Years ago I was sitting on my couch watching a movie.  In this movie there was a wedding scene.  At the wedding someone had a video camera and asked this elderly couple “How did you do it?  The two of you have been married for over 50 years.  How did you manage to stay together for so long?”  Their response was “We never fell out of love at the same time”.

How genius is that?  Seriously.  This phrase has stuck with me for years.  I think it was one of the most real and honest statements about relationships that I have ever heard.

I have very recently applied this same advice to the relationship one has with themselves.  The relationship with your body and your mind.  There are times when you are “in love” with yourself.  You are eating right, your clothes are fitting great, you look wonderful and you feel even better.  Then something happens.  You “fall out of love” with yourself.  The relationship between your mind and body is not as strong.  Your eating habits are off, your clothes are tight and you are not feeling so great.

If for some reason you are at the later part of this description I want to encourage you to fall back in love with yourself!  I don‘t care how you decide to seduce yourself…just do it.  Maybe take yourself out on a date to a book store, buy yourself a new pair of running shoes or maybe a new exercise DVD.  Do something to make that relationship with your mind and your body stronger.  I can tell you from first hand experience, when I am “in love” with myself I tend to take better care of myself.

If you find that you have “fallen out of love” with yourself and decide to make a change…let me know how the relationship is going!!

Ever hear of the saying that “old habits are hard to break”?  Boy isn’t that the truth.  If any of you out there in the world wide web are consistent readers of my blog then you know that it has been lacking in substance.  When I started blogging I found it very therapeutic.  It helped me process things in life.  I can honestly say that I have felt the toll of my missed “self therapy” sessions.

This past month has been a hard one for me.  I have been extremely busy.  I let things in my life get out of balance.  I over extended myself.  I was juggling so many different balls and if I did not drop one of them they all would drop.  It was hard for me to say NO.  It was hard for me to say I CANNOT DO IT.  That is not me.  I am a people pleaser.  It was hard for me to put myself first.

How can you be anything to someone else when you are nothing to yourself?  You need to take care of yourself before you can take care of others.  I think all to often we do it the other way around.  We take care of everything and everyone else and then put ourselves last.  Why is that?  Why do we do that to ourselves?   Are we avoiding ourselves?  Is it a stall tactic?  Is it something that we do so we do not have to focus on the real problem?

Does the mother/father not know that by leaving the children for 1 hour to work out they are giving that child additional years of their life due to their improved health and fitness.  Does the husband/wife not know that rushing home after work to cook & eat dinner is not as important as he/she thinks it is?  Does he/she not realize that the more they take care of themselves the more they will love themselves and the more they love themselves the more their husband/wife will love them too?  Does the overweight single person who feels all alone not recognize that the one thing they think makes them happy just happens to be the same thing that is keeping them from their happiness?

I don’t know why we do what we do to ourselves but what I do know is that we are the only ones that can help ourselves.  If we do not put ourselves first, who will?  If we do not take care of ourselves, who will?  We all know this.  This is not something new.  Why do we tend to forget it?