Hello Again…I Have Missed You!

I can’t believe so much time has passed.  Have I really not posted since December 2013???  Wow.  Crazy.

Life has been good to me and my family.  In November of 2013 we closed on our house in Idaho and made the move from California to our new home.  We hosted Thanksgiving with our families from both sides in our new empty home and it was such a wonderful way to christen it.  The watercolor above is of one of my favorite farms in my neighborhood.

Since then we have been adjusting to life in our new state and I have to say it has been the best thing we have ever done as a family.  We have a much more active and outdoors kind of life now and I even have that big beautiful organic garden I have always dreamed of! My dad and I built the trellis below for my garden last summer.

While I have remained physically active, in the past year I have also reignited my passion for lifting weights.  Through lifting weights I stumbled upon Corina Nielsen’s blog, and she opened my eyes to the world of IIFYM aka “if it fits your macros.”  I promise to blog about what exactly IIFYM is in a detailed post soon, but suffice it to say, it has been life changing for me.

I began working with a nutrition coach (who I will be sure to interview for you all soon) and the results blew me away.  By simply prescribing me a diet of macros (macro-nutrients; carbs, fats, proteins) in gram amounts specific to my needs, I was able to lean down considerably and increase my strength in the gym.  Perhaps the best thing about IIFYM is that it is up to you how you chose to eat those macro-nutrients.  i.e. would you rather eat a pop tart or a sweet potato for your carbs, tofu or chicken for your protein, avocado or butter for your fats…obviously the healthier foods you choose, the more micro-nutrients (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants) your body will get.

Below is a before and after of the beginning of my IIFYM journey from mid October 2014 (LEFT) to 12 weeks later (RIGHT).  Apparently that is also the amount of time it takes to achieve an awesome pasty winter complexion!

You all know how I am an absolute nutrition geek, so this new lifestyle led me down the path of studying for yet another nutrition certification.

I am now a certified Specialist in Fitness Nutrition through the ISSA  (International Sports Sciences Association) and have been working with clients and loving it.  Not only am I able to work with clients in person, I can also work very successfully with clients online…in fact that is how I worked with my nutrition coach (and continue to do so).

For more information about my services click the FitQuest Nutrition Coaching tab above.  I would love to work with any and all MOTIVATED clients… As stated brilliantly by a coach I respect deeply, Sohee Walsh, “I am a coach, not a cheerleader” so please make sure you are truly motivated.

So what does all this mean for Veggie Grettie???  The blog will continue, but with a different spin.  There will be recipes (still gluten and dairy free…and yes…I do still eat meat…and no…there does not need to be any more discussion about that), there will be nutrition and fitness information, there will be reviews of products I LOVE, and as always my love of veggies lives on, though it is no longer the sole focus of this blog.  I am living a much more BALANCED life now and as thus, am transitioning to “Balanced Grettie.”

For those of you interested in following my day to day escapades, I am now on Instagram as fitquestmom.

I’m back.