Where do I go from here?

So much and so little has happened since my last update post. Professionally, the hospital has opened and is humming along! There's a mountain of work that needs to be done but we're feeding patients, staff members and guests. That's a daily victory for me.

Personally, not much has happened on the weight loss front. I'm happy to report that I haven't gained weight but I'm nowhere near accomplishing my Push Goal. The 100+ hours a week have reduced to about 70 to 80 which, truthfully, is like heaven to me! I am continuing to work on reducing my hours and focusing on me. I have to become a priority and can no longer sacrifice my well-being. What's the point of having a successful career only to be too tired and sluggish to enjoy the benefits?!?

During a walk-through the hospital, I stumbled across a staff lounge that has two treadmills and an elliptical! My plan is to make use of this equipment before heading home in the evening. My goal is 3x/week for 30 to 45 minutes. In the move from AZ back to CA, I am no longer able to freely jump around while working out at home. This second floor living is for the birds! In an effort to 'make it work', I am considering bringing my laptop to work and firing up Turbo Fire in a staff lounge. I will likely be embarrassed if someone walks in on me but I have to get over that. As I said above, right now it's all about me!

On the eating front, I am going to bring back raw. While eating a high raw diet, I felt energized, was losing weight consistently and the IBS was controlled. Why would I not want to head down that road again? My Facebook pics were a motivating factor in helping me decide to return to raw. My meals looked delicious :) Being back in Cali is motivating as well. So much more access to fresh and organic produce! Here are some pics of my most recent food haul (I've already eaten some of it):

Romaine and Radish

Red Leaf, Cherries, Green Onion

Fruit Stash

Thanks to everyone for your patience with my infrequent blog posts. I appreciate your support.

- Kareen, RD

Health Naturally - Blog Series Collab with Naturaleza

I was pleasantly surprised and honoured when Tasha from Naturaleza approached me about collaborating on a series about the benefits of a healthy diet on hair health. 

Please check out part one of Healthy Naturally - Water, Rejuvenate You! We both look forward to your feedback either here or on Tasha's blog.

Hope you're all doing well!

- Kareen, RD

Just a Quickie

Yikes! One month since my last blog update! I don't have positive news to report in the weight loss front but I'm eternally positive that I will conquer as long as I keep moving forward.

Being part of opening a new hospital is much more than I expected. My work days are averaging 16 hours and truthfully, it's been wreaking havoc on my good intentions. Not sure about where my weight is right now as I've fluctuated from 162 to 167 and then back over the past week. Lack of sleep, inconsistent water and food intake are the key culprits. Of course that's not news to any of you!

There's still a lot to do to prepare my department for opening and once the hospital is open, I will likely be working seven days/week ensuring that our processes are being followed and that our patients needs are being met. I have to be realistic about the plans I can implement. My focus will be on walking and food prep. My meals won't be fancy but they will meet my needs.

I see the light at the end of the tunnel and I know normalcy will be mine one day :)

- Kareen, RD

Week 8 Weigh-in

Yikers! Several good-bye parties this week and I made healthy choices in the beginning but I will admit by the third meal out, I caved. My weight gain doesn't entirely reflect an intake of an extra 10,500 calories this week. I ate more than usual but I didn't go buck wild. Part of the issue was the increased sodium and decreased water intake. I expect that I'll be back to 160 this coming week. Yep, that's a bold prediction!

Packing. Moving. New job Monday. Gotta make a plan then work that plan.

The GOAL and PROGRESS

Height: 5'1-1/2"

Starting Weight: 168 (11/2010 - weight before beginning my high raw diet journey; lost 6lbs then regained 2+lbs over the holidays)
Goal Weight: A STRONG 110

W1: 164.6 (01/01/11)
W2: 163.4 (01/08/11) -1.2
W3: 164.0 (01/15/11) +0.6
W4: 160.0 (01/21/11) -4 WAAAAHOOOOOO!!
W5:  battery died (01/29/11)
W6: 162.0 (02/05/11) +2
W7: 160.4 (02/12/11) -1.6
W8: 163.2 (02/19/11) +3.2

- Kareen, RD

Week 7 Weigh-In + Brief Update

We are in the middle of moving from Arizona back to Southern Cali (yay!) so my updates will be a little sparse until we're all settled. I'll give more deets in another post but I'm excited to be starting a new position! There's just a lot to do in the next couple of weeks. Packing counts as a workout, right?

The GOAL and PROGRESS

Height: 5'1-1/2"

Starting Weight: 168 (11/2010 - weight before beginning my high raw diet journey; lost 6lbs then regained 2+lbs over the holidays)
Goal Weight: A STRONG 110

W1: 164.6 (01/01/11)
W2: 163.4 (01/08/11) -1.2
W3: 164.0 (01/15/11) +0.6
W4: 160.0 (01/21/11) -4 WAAAAHOOOOOO!!
W5:  battery died (01/29/11)
W6: 162.0 (02/05/11) +2
W7: 160.4 (02/12/11) -1.6

My goal of being in bed by 9p is not going well and will likely not until the move is complete. I am going to continue to focus on increasing water intake and of course, keeping up with the workouts. The part I love about Turbo Fire are the quick (yet, super-intense) workouts.

Hope you're off and running towards a great week. Happy Valentine's Day! Don't forget to look in the mirror and appreciate how beautiful you are!

- Kareen, RD

Week 6 Weigh-In

Okay, weekly weigh-ins are humbling but also motivating so I gotta keep plugging away. The results won't always be positive but I do need a place to remain accountable. My blog is that place.


Here we go!


The GOAL and PROGRESS 

Height: 5'1-1/2"

Starting Weight: 168 (11/2010 - weight before beginning my high raw diet journey; lost 6lbs then regained 2+lbs over the holidays)
Goal Weight: A STRONG 110

W1: 164.6 (01/01/11) 
W2: 163.4 (01/08/11) -1.2  
W3: 164.0 (01/15/11) +0.6 
W4: 160.0 (01/21/11) -4 WAAAAHOOOOOO!!
W5:  battery died (01/29/11)
W6: 162.0 (02/05/11) +2


My focus this week is water and sleep. My eating has certainly not been the greatest but even with spot-on intake, I need exercise. Truth be told, I'm not into exercise when I'm tired. I'm about pressing the snooze button to get it all in. The benefits of water are well-known and I've just got to increase, increase!


Bed calls! Have a good night!


- Kareen, RD 

Still Here!

I'm still here and still plugging away. Weekly weigh-in and what I'm eating to return this week! Weigh-in wasn't that great this week but gotta be accountable. New week. . . new opportunities!

Quick peek: Raw Pad Thai!

Carpe diem!

- kareen