It's exercise AND diet. Celery with dates, almonds, and Parmesan

Before I became pregnant, I never really thought about my size. I guess that's a privilege of being small. I knew I felt good when I exercised and I didn't really have to really pay attention to what I ate as far as calories go. I craved fresh fruits and veggies. I could eat a spoonful of ice cream and be satisfied. I enjoyed drinking water.

Enter pregnancy:

I didn't want fruits or vegetables. I didn't want to eat at all. Then I realized I was starving and I ate whatever I could get my paws on. I ate bowls of ice cream every day. I didn't workout.

I justified my lifestyle by thinking that it didn't matter how big I got, I could work it off after my baby was born. 

Clearly, that's not working out so well for me. Three months in, and I'm still feeling very blimp-like. I don't feel like buying ANOTHER wardrobe. (Blazer, yes. Wardrobe, no.) So I started going to this class, which stirred something strange in me: A desire for salad. For fresh fruits. For water.

Here's something ABSOLUTELY delicious that isn't 900 calories:

Celery salad with dates, almonds, and Parmesan.

Thank you, Bon Appetite!

Evidently there are dishes out these involving celery that I actually want to eat!

Here's the deal:

1/2 cup raw almonds

8 celery stalks, thinly sliced on a diagonal, leaves separated (yeah, it uses the leaves! I feel so grown up.)

6 dates, pitted, coarsely chopped

3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

2oz. Parmesan, shaved (which I did not have. I used Parrano because I am obsessed with it and it's what I had. It never disappoints)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Crushed red pepper flakes

Toast almonds in oven at 350 degrees on a rimmed baking pan for 8-10 minutes. (Toasted nuts are my new favorite thing because of their deeper flavor.) Once cool, coarsely chop.

Toss almonds, dates, celery, celery leaves with salt and pepper. Add Parmesan and oil. Mix. Season with red pepper flakes. Enjoy!

I put leftovers in the refrigerator and a happy to report that, 24 hours later, it still tastes just as good as it did the first time and is still crunchy (no soggy nuts!).

The journey back to my old pants, part 1.

I'm not sure what I was thinking when I became pregnant and gained 70 pounds. SEVENTY POUNDS!

It may be the craziest thing I've ever done: My knees hate me, my clothes don't fit, I'm wearing stretchy pants forever, and I've decided to start weighing myself in stone. 70 pounds is 5 stone, which sounds less bad. We should start a thing.

Confession: I went from a size 4 to a 14 plus. I say plus because I refused to try on larger pants in the month after my son was born; I felt like a walking potato. And, never having been big-ish, I had (still have) NO idea how to dress myself! I don't know how to hide my hips and belly. The Georgia weather does nothing to help me because I turn into a sweat monster within ten seconds of walking out the door, so layers are out.

Three months into this motherhood gig, and the weight is coming off. 

Verrrrrry slowwwwwwwly.

So I decided to give it a little shove.

Enter Takeela. 

An energetic sprite (who is probably a bodybuilder),  Takeela teaches "Butts N' Guts" at the hole in the wall gym near my parents' house. And Oh. Myyyyyy.

I took her Monday night class a week ago. I think I recovered by about 5pm Thursday. My everything hurt. Like I've just started boot camp hurt. Only now instead of laying in bed or floating in the pool, I'm carting a kid. Up and down stairs. I die.

I'm totally going back.