What’s up Goal Crushers
I was once told that finding great weight loss blogs were like finding three needles in a hay stack.That’s because words like “weight loss,” “lose weight,” and “weight loss journey” has become the new buzz word for marketers to push their products down your throat. I decided remedy the task of looking for needles in the proverbial haystack and introduce you to some great bloggers in the weight loss/ healthy living niche. My aim is to spotlight great bloggers who are inspirational, motivational, and informational. Furthermore, I want to give you a taste of who the blogger is and what they stand for…. In today’s blogger spotlight, I would like to introduce to you, the Bariatric Foodie, Nikki Massie.
Nikki, tell us a little about yourself?
My name is Nikki Massie. I’m 38 years old and I’m a professional writer who lives and works in Baltimore, MD. I have two daughters (13 and 15), one dog (a Bassett Hound) and a black cat.
What moment or event started your weight loss journey?
I would say my journey began when I made the decision to research weight loss surgery. Before then I had never tried in earnest to lose weight. I was 330 lbs. the day I had gastric bypass surgery on January 8, 2008.
Never do exercise you don’t like.
-Nikki Massie
What was your starting weight? What weight are you at now?
I was 330 lbs. on the day of my surgery. I go between 200-210 pounds now.
What would you say is the most important factor in your weight loss? Changed eating habits? Exercise? Changed thinking? Something else?
I think the biggest thing for me was not giving up. Weight loss surgery gives you a boost. Maintaining weight loss is up to the individual. And maintaining takes commitment. It’s not about never messing up. It’s about pulling yourself back together and starting over as many times as you need to, trying as many things as you need to, until something works and is sustainable.
The first time I went to boot camp I thought I would die but it was so much fun.
-Nikki Massie
Fitness
What is your current fitness or exercise goal?
Right now honestly it is to consistently exercise! I have a pretty busy life and sometimes I let that get in the way of my ME time (my exercise time). So right now I’d like to get back in the habit of working out five days out of seven. I enjoy Body Pump so I periodically adjust my weight lifting goals from there as well.
Are there any obstacles you had to overcome to begin exercising / keep exercising?
My schedule! I have a full-time job, my blog is my part-time job, I have the two-kids, I go to grad school and I’m heavily involved at church, in the blogger and weight loss surgery communities. I can be easy to let scheduling overtake your life. What I’ve learned in the past year is I am not so crucial to any process that I have to be at this meeting or that. It will happen without me. But without taking my me time to exercise, I will start to gain weight and lose ground with my fitness!
How do you deal with boredom in your exercise/running program?
I belong to the Y and there’s a plethora of classes. When I get bored I try a new class. They are usually tough! The first time I went to boot camp I thought I would die but it was so much fun. I also am a competitive person so doing challenges (ab challenge, etc.) motivates me. I don’t look to beat others, I look to beat my personal best.
Food
Describe the diet or healthy eating plan you’re following.
By virtue of my weight-loss surgery I have to follow a high protein, low carbohydrate diet. I have to limit the amount of sugar (natural or otherwise) I eat because it makes me sick. Fried foods also make me feel terrible so I tend to avoid those. Otherwise, I’m a big fan of fresh foods. I try to eat food as close to how it came into nature as possible.
What is one cardinal rule of nutrition you have learned that you always follow or never break?
For me it’s a rule of weight loss surgery eating that “non-ops” (people who have not had surgery) find strange: no eating and drinking at the same time! It can wash food out of my “pouch” (modified stomach) too quickly and make me become hungry sooner than I should. I always wait at least 30 minutes after eating to drink anything.
What about supplements? Which if any supplements do you add to your diet?
Based on the recommendations of the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, I take: Two adult-formula multi-vitamins, a combination of calcium/vitamin D, a combination of iron/vitamin C, a B-complex vitamin and a B12 supplement every day.
Is eating healthy expensive for you? How much do you spend on food in a given week / month?
Not really. One big change is that I stopped bulk shopping. I usually shop only for one week. I go to the farmers market and buy one or two onions, one pepper, etc. Shopping this way shakes out to be less than my bulk shopping trips. In the beginning my kids thought it was a pain to make everything from scratch but now they are used to it. When I’m on top of my game I cook ahead for the week on the weekends. Because I blog I spend a bit extra on food but the food that is used in my blog recipes is paid for by my blog.
Blogging
How did you first become interested in blogging and can you tell us a little bit about your blog?
I sort of fell into blogging. When you have weight loss surgery, knowing what to eat (especially at first) is stressful! When you’ve had your digestive system operated on you can get sick very easily from foods you used to eat all the time, even healthy foods. In the beginning there was about seven foods that didn’t make me violently ill. Naturally, I got bored eating those same foods the same ways over and over so I began to “play with my food” (as my tagline says). When I had success I’d post my recipe and a picture on my little blog. Then I decided to start doing demonstrations at surgery center support groups and I referred folks back to my blog for the recipes I showed them. It sort of ballooned from there.
What can a new visitor expect to find from your blog?
You’ll get a sense of me, the person. I not only give you recipes, but the story behind my recipes. Every recipe has a story! I also tell you when a recipe has gone wrong. Many times a reader asks me to try to “healthy-fy” a food and I will be honest if I didn’t care for it too much. You’ll also find fun tutorials about foods (for example, one post entitled “What the HELL is jicama?”) and survival guides to help folks get through tricky food situations. I also like to do challenges and contests. The biggest one of the year is called The Bariatric Foodie Pledge and encourages folks to make and keep healthy goals, week-by-week, for the month of February. I’m also big into thinking about the mindset it takes to be healthy so you’ll find a few of my manifestos on my blog as well. But bottom line: there’s lots of food! If you’ve craved it, chances are there’s a recipe for it on Bariatric Foodie.
What are your top 5 favorite weight loss/fitness blogs?
(You mean besides “300lbs and Running” of course…): Desperately Seeking Slender (desperatelyseekingslender.com), The World According to Eggface (www.theworldaccordingtoeggface.com), Waning Woman (www.waningwoman.com). That’s only three. Sorry! I don’t have a lot of time to read other folks blogs but I do mean to!
Inspiration
Do you have any favorite sayings, quotes, or mantra that inspires you to be better, train harder or be more diligent with your eating?
My all-time favorite quote is “Unto whom much is given, much is required.” That drives me. I was given a new lease on life through weight loss surgery and I want to pay it forward as much as possible.
Share a song that gets you fired up for your workouts/run.
“Shots” by LMFAO. I am incapable of staying still when I hear that song.
If you were to give advice to anyone considering starting a weight loss journey, what would you say?
One step at a time. I always tell people don’t worry about the work out and whether you’ll be able to do it. Don’t worry about how much you have to lose or the long road ahead of you. Put ALL your energy into showing up. For some that’s putting on your workout clothes and physically getting to the gym. For others it’s making the time to work out at home. Showing up is always the hardest part! Once you show up things tend to do what they do. So don’t think about the long road, think about the first step. A body in motion stays in motion, after all.
Gear
Name one product that changed the game for you in your journey and why?
Probably my BodyMedia Fit. It was the first calorie/activity tracker I used. I’m going to get a Fit Bit but I give credit to the BodyMedia Fit for being my first. 😉
Do you use a fitness tracker? If so which one do you use?
Dedicated LiveStrong devotee here! My name on LiveStrong is nmassie if you want to friend me.
Could you suggest a book that has been helpful for you throughout your journey?
“Women, Food and God” by Geneen Roth. It helped me understand my food addiction and that there was hope.”
Closing Remarks
What is one parting piece of advice you’d like to with the goal crushers?
Never do exercise you don’t like. Life is short. Even if it’s dancing in your underwear, dance hard! You’ll stick with what you enjoy!
How can we get in touch with you?
I’m always around on my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/bariatricfoodie) or you can catch my via email at [email protected].
I want to thank Nikki for participating in today’s blogger spotlight be sure to check her out on the interwebs. Stay tuned for the next blogger spotlight.
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