leanKitchen.com's Nedah

First of all, welcome to LeanKitchen.com!

I’m Nedah, a divorced mother of two small children, and I write leanKitchen.com.  Not only do I wear the “Mom hat” (which is a full-time job in and of itself), but I also work full-time in education, attend school half-time to acquire my secondary education licensure, and volunteer at an animal shelter.  This past February, my employer enrolled us in a Workplace Wellness Program, and in an attempt to better my personal wellness, have some “me time,” as well as change my post-baby body, I began attending Ben’s Bootcamp in Derby, Vermont.  There I learned that in addition to the intense, fat blasting workouts, I should also be eating a supportive diet to enhance my results.  I had already lost a lot of my post-baby weight (I gained 70+ lbs. with my daughter), so I just wanted to “tone up.”  I was at a healthy weight ( 5 feet 1.5 inches tall and 124 pounds on day 1 of bootcamp), a size 8 pant (I could SQUEEZE into a 6, but if I ate or drank I was uncomfortable), and a size medium shirt.   Dropping pounds wasn’t my goal.

So how’d I do?  Well, in less than six months, I went down to a size zero. My body shape has changed completely, I have lost several inches and body fat percentages, when most people told me I “had barely anything to lose”.  As I said, I didn’t even think I needed to lose much to begin with, so my results floored me.  To me, going to a 3 times per week, 45 minute-long class, well, it’s a no brainer; who wouldn’t be incredibly pleased with not having to spend hours in the gym to achieve such results?  I know I was.

But here’s the thing:  I wasn’t losing WEIGHT…I was losing FAT.  By eating supportively, and using Ben’s program, I was losing INCHES off of my entire body.  Most noticable?  My belly, arms, and thighs.

Oh yeah, and for you habitual scale-hoppers?  After losing all those inches and sizes, guess how much I weigh now?  Well, the day I started this website, I was measured both with inches and calipers, as well as jumped on the scale.  I weighed 125.  So I have lost tons of inches and sizes and GAINED a pound.  Muscle truly weighs more than fat, and I am living proof of that.   I NOW wear between a size 0 and size 2 (depending on the store), and a size small shirt (or extra small, depending on the store).  Wow. 

Implementing Ben’s supportive eating method into my life was working, but I needed to tweak parts to make it work for a busy person like me.   In order for me to stay proactive with my nutrition, I needed to cut some corners as far as time and let’s face it, with one income, money went; but I wasn’t willing to sacrifice taste or quality.

Before I move forward, I have a confession: my kids eat vegetables. Yeah, I know.  I’m one of the lucky ones.  Part of what I’m doing here is to also make food exciting, fun, colorful, and flavorful so even your kids (and husbands/wives/partners) will want to get in on the action and, consequently, get in on the enjoyment of eating supportively.

As I talked to more and more of my fellow bootcampers though, I realized a lot of us WANT to eat better, feel better, and LOOK better; but many of us were asking the same questions:  Where do we begin?  What do we eat?  Do you have a recipe?  What should I eat for breakfast?

I LOVE TO COOK.  I am a certified “foodie,” and my idea of a life-long dream vacation was going to NYC  a few months ago to visit FoodNetwork’s studio atop the Chelsea Market.  I’ve been sharing my recipes, supportive or otherwise, with my coworkers and families for years.  People are constantly asking me what I had for dinner the previous night, how I made it, and to give them ideas…so this platform to share them seemed perfect.

My goals in starting leankitchen.com are to help other busy people like me eat supportively (for our health, and for the health of our families) economically (because let’s face it, everyone likes to pinch a penny), and family-friendly (I know I don’t have the time, or the will, to make personalized meals for everyone in my household).  Lately, after watching movies like Food, Inc., and talking to my friends over at the Market Cafe, I’ve decided to eat locally as much as possible, as well.

I would be happy answer any questions you have to help you get your supportive meal on the table fast, so that you achieve your fat loss goals even faster!

From my leanKitchen to yours,

Nedah