A Dairing Life

08/28/2026

SAVE these 5 things I NEVER do, to maintain 140 lbs down 👇

1.) Raw dog highly palatable or processed foods. I'm not saying I don't eat them, I just know better than to try to eat just one bite and walk away. I used to stand in my pantry sampling all the snack foods to cope with the difficulties of motherhood. Now, I weigh out a portion, put it in a bowl or plate and enjoy it mindfully.

2.) Skip meals. I used to be really into intermittent fasting. And it has a place for some, but I realized especially after becoming a mom, that I ended up hangry, and unorganized in my thoughts and actions. I also don't skip a meal to save up for an indulgent one. I make sure my body is nourished with protein and fiber in other parts of my day so that I can actually *enjoy* special meals without feeling like I'm starving.

3.) Drink alcohol. Honestly, I was never a big drinker. During my health journey after having kids, I learned what alcohol does to your metabolic system. I stopped even occasional drinking and haven't had any since.

4.) Say no to dessert. Life's too short. As long as you're not indulging constantly, enjoy that ice cream or cake at a party. I used to be insulin resistant, so obviously it's taken a lot to get to this point, but you CAN if you put in the work!

5.) Eat intuitively. This one might be controversial. But I've had to learn that my food intuition is that of a 5 year old child. That means looking at how much fiber, protein or nutrients I'm missing that day and saying no to the thing I really want, and saying yes to the thing I need. Obviously, I still indulge, but I don't automatically give in to cravings. Anyone who's struggled with problematic eating patterns can understand.

If you're looking for someone who knows how difficult it is to lose weight and find yourself after having kids, I'm your girl.

08/26/2026

Walking saved my life. And I want you to lace up your sneakers and join me.

When I was diagnosed with PCOS I was at my highest weight of 260. Class 5 obesity. Unlikely to get pregnant. I was in pain the moment my feet hit the floor. I was overwhelmed at the amount of weight I needed to lose.

My doctor advised me to not over do exercise. So I would walk our dog, Bella in the morning and the evening. "Only" 15-20 minutes. My hips ached, until they didn't.

Then after the birth of my youngest, I found myself creeping back up to my highest weight.

Adjusting to 2 under 2 was difficult. Their conflicting needs and nap schedules left very little time for me to focus on my health again.

Until I decided that if all I could do was push them in the stroller that day, that was enough.

So I kept pushing them. They got bigger, and I got smaller. Crazy fact: I pushed them both in our double stroller until my oldest was 5 🤪They loved it, it was our thing.

But even more than the physical benefits, the way walking has helped my mental health is remarkable. It's helped ease my anxiety, and has replaced food as my coping mechanism.

Now that our stroller days are behind us, our walks are a bit slower (except when I'm chasing them in on their bikes).

Now that school is ramping up, I'm ready for a new challenge. Ready for something just for me. And I want you to join me!

I created this Back to You Stepbet as a way for us to join together as a community and focus on our health, both physically and mentally. Sign ups are officially open!

Build an active lifestyle

08/25/2026

A little lore on me: one of my 1st heartbreaks when I was a little girl was when my parents wouldn't let me go to a Dolly Parton concert with them. Tears streamed down my round little cheeks. I just wanted to go see her so bad!

The older I got, the more I admired her. Not just for her talent, but for who she was as a person. She's inspired and motivated me so many times, especially as I became a mother.

So I'm not gonna lie, tears streamed down my face today as I watched the official video from her team about her passing.

There are very few people who are as good to their core, honest about who they are, generous, and genuine as Dolly Parton was. So today is a huge loss for us still here.

One thing is definitely still constant. "I will always love you" 🩷

08/22/2026

You don't stop being a person when you have kids 🩷

I'm working on something we can do together as a community. Stay tuned.

08/19/2026

SAVE THIS for your next McDonald's run! 👇

You don't need to skip the drive-thru to make progress. You just need a plan.

My exact McDonald's order:
🍔Deluxe quarter pounder with cheese, no mayo, no bun, add extra lettuce, tomatoes and pickles
🍏 Apple slices
🥤 Large Diet Coke
🧮 Macros: 360 calories, 24 g protein, 13 g carbs, 24 g fat

💡PRO TIP: have a few healthier go to orders pre-logged as meals in your tracking app (I use MyFitnessPal). Then when you hit the drive thru, you already know what to get, and you can easily log it without logging each individual item.

Drop your go-to order below, and let me know what you want to see next!

08/17/2026

The biggest shift wasn't the number on the scale...

When I started my 140 lb weight loss journey, I didn't know all that I'd lose. Turns out true self reinvention means losing more than weight.

I lost the belief that everything had to be perfect. I lost the need to constantly start over. I lost the idea that becoming a mom meant losing myself.

Maybe motherhood or a transformation journey isn't about getting back to the woman you were before.

Maybe it's about becoming someone even better.

I'm still becoming her. And I think that's the best part.

Save this post for a day you need this reminder, and drop a 🩷 below if you're on this journey with me.