How it All Began…Five Years Later

February 20, 2013 by 5 Comments

Happy Birthday to my blog!

Today marks the 5th anniversary of this little blog of mine.


If you’re new to my blog, and have wondered what the title was about, well let me tell you: A long, long time ago, in a land far away (Brooklyn) I hosted an online talk show for Elastic Waist, a blog owned by Condé Nast, and in conjunction with SELF Magazine. Well, being completely passive-aggressive in my career plans, I wanted to be seen as more than a video personality—I wanted them to notice me as a writer, but I didn’t have any clips to show them, so I started a blog based on The SELF Challenge. A three-month diet plan run by SELF. Hence the name The KIM Challenge.

My plan worked, I was offered a daily blog column (until Elastic Waist fell victim to the economy and the magazine pulled the plug)and this blog has lived on while I pursued various writing pursuits; writing for magazines, fitness and entertainment blogs, and eventually a book (Due out July 23, 2013).

And, that, my friends is why the name of my blog is The Kim Challenge.

When my initial stint with diet blogging started I expected it to last about as long as the diet. When my three months of magazine dieting were up I stopped writing, but two things happened to change my mind: the first was that people started reaching out to me to say that they really appreciated seeing what “normal” people ate on a regular basis, as opposed to the many extreme suggestions out there. The other, was that I really enjoyed blogging. I enjoyed the community blogging creates, hearing from people all over the world, and over the years getting to know them in the comment section.

Over the years I’ve become friends with many of you; I’ve visited you when I travelled or you’ve visited me on trips to New York, I’ve gone to bachelorette parties, stalked pictures of your adorable offspring on Facebook, or simply thought of you from time to time because you’ve shared stories about yourselves. All of that makes looking like a total creeper, taking photos of everything I eat in some seriously awkward social scenarios, worth it.

Thank you for reading my blog. Whether you’ve been here for five years or five minutes, you’ve made a difference in my life.

Okay, no more sap (but I’m a sappy kinda gal). Recently I’ve been giving some thought to the way I blog. Mainly the timing of my blogs. Back in my single days I had no problem curling up in front of the TV at night and doing a daily recap, these days my nights are usually spent doing some sort of organized activity, or falling asleep on The Fella‘s lap in front of the TV. I keep forgetting to blog. So, I’m going back to my roots, when TKC first started I wrote small blogs multiple times a day. Based on the fact that my days are much more free than my nights, I’m going to give that a shot.

To start, here’s a look at the ole breakfast:

Breakfast


I have discovered how to make the most perfect almond milk latte on Earth. I recently came to own a Breville Electric Milk Frother. In goes the almond milk, which is then heated and frothed. I like to add a bit of sugar-free vanilla syrup, which not only sweetens the coffee but the whole thing tastes like a big batch of whipped cream!
So, I add two shots of Nespresso to a cup of heated and frothed almond milk and my life has never been better.

Seriously, I will never be in a bad mood again. Ever.

I got the idea for today’s breakfast on our cruise (which I’ll write about later). Roasted tomatoes and scrambled egg/whites.

Now, I’m going to let the food settle into a nice cozy part of my colon and head out for a run.

See you later!

Kim

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Uptown Girl In the Making

July 20, 2012 by 4 Comments

We have a lease.

But, and there’s always a but…it’s not for the apartment I wrote about last week. It’s for the apartment directly above the apartment I wrote about last week. Shortly after our application was approved the landlord casually mentioned that we would have to move out after a year because he’s planning to convert the first two floors of the building to a townhouse.

ONLY IN NYC!

He did, however, mention that he had a similar apartment one floor up that wouldn’t be affected by the renovation. The apartment is a little bit smaller, but also slightly more modern. It’s also $100 cheaper a month. The Fella and I agreed that we want to be somewhere for a few years, probably until we have a kid. That was a very grown up conversation to have, I’m super-duper proud of myself for not laughing and then taking an extra birth control pill just to be safe. It’s a good thing Roy is an actual adult.

That, my friends, is that. We have a home for the foreseeable future.

The next most pressing issue is to pick a gym in the area. Equinox is the closest gym, but it’s super pricy. There’s a Crunch seven blocks away, and a New York Sports Club nine blocks. So many choices. I think I may make the rounds and ask for trial weeks at each of them to help make my decision.

In the meantime I don’t even remember what a gym looks like. With my book deadline quickly approaching I’m spending less time in the weight room and more time at the library typing away.

At least I’m keeping my food intake on the healthy side…

Breakfast


Egg whites with spinach and hot sauce in a flax roll-up

Snack


Pineapple

Lunch

Salad with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion, olives, eggs, feta and lemon juice


Dinner


Roasted cauliflower, brown rice and Trader Joe’s Chana Masala

Kim

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Vegan for the Weekend

June 18, 2012 by 1 Comment

Confession: I probably own more vegan cookbooks than any meat-eater on the planet. For some yet to take the plunge reason, the animal-free culture fascinates me.

In keeping with my ironic obsession with all things vegan, The Fella and I hit up The Seed: Vegan Experience Expo this weekend in SoHo to scope out what’s new and nutritious in the plant-based-diet loving world.

The Seed was filled with some of New York City’s most vegan friendly restaurants, vegan clothing designers, and oodles of sports nutrition companies. There was actually a t-shirt vendor there that I planned on buying a super cute shirt from, but she got very insulting when I said I wasn’t Vegan (she asked, I didn’t go around telling everyone I met that I wasn’t vegan), so I skipped the shirt. Can’t we all just get along?

There were also screenings of movies like Forks Over Knives; Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead; and Vegucation. I had already seen those films (see obsessed, I’m so weird), so I stuck with listening in on some of their lectures. One was by Kathy Freston who wrote Veganist and The Lean. Obviously her discussion was about weight loss.

I had borrowed Veganist from the library when it first came out, but decided to buy my very own copy…and then chat with Kathy.

So, she’s kind of a gorgeous glowy Amazon in person. I think Roy has a crush on her.
I think I have a crush on her.

Afterward we sat in on a discussion about plant-based performance nutrition with vegan Iron-Man champion and ultra-marathoner Brendan Brazier.

I upped my meat eating when I started seriously strength training, and it was nice to hear from a professional athlete that that isn’t necessary for proper muscle repair.

Who knows, maybe one day I’ll stop being chicken (really, no pun intended) and give vegan living a shot. In the meantime I’ll continue reading my vegan cookbooks, blogs and books in secret.

Mmmm, looks good.

Kim

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June Resolutions

June 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment


Photo Credit

Oh. My. God. It’s June.

Excuse me while I hyperventilate into this paper bag.

[heeeeeee, hooooooo, heeeeee, hooooo, heeeeee, hooooooo]

Okay, that’s better.

This June I am resolving to work really, really, really hard, and be kind, and maybe do my best about not eating junk food and getting to the gym regularly. But mostly, I’m just going to focus on working really, really, really hard.

I have two months to finish the first draft of my manuscript, a task that has been much harder than I originally anticipated.

Uh, next time I decide I want to write a book, someone remind me to not write one about myself!

I do apologize that my blog has become somewhat sporadic in posting lately and mostly consists of me having a nervous breakdown, but that’ll be over soon enough, and I can go on about my daily business figuring out how to be healthy and happy and not a maniac.

So, here are my resolutions for June:

  • Write at least 1500 words a day. My manuscript is about half done, which sounds cool, except for the fact that I only have two months to spew out the other half. I spent a good portion of the past four months writing and re-writing the same sections. I totally spiraled down a rabbit hole of rewriting and now I have get out and get finished.
  • Keep getting up at 6am. Operation morning exercise has been going well, and it has definitely added a feeling of accomplishment to my days. I may not be able to go as hardcore at the gym as I like, but if I can get there four days a week I’ll be happy.
  • Balanced eating. I’m not putting any crazy restrictions on my diet. Gluten, sugar, dairy, meat, etc will come and go, but right now all I care about is fueling my body and mind efficiently, without over fueling so I feel all bloated and gross while sitting at my computer ALL DAY.
  • FINALLY PAY OFF MY CREDIT CARDS! Contract signed and my signing bonus is on its way, which means after months and months of serious budgeting and lamenting about my credit card balance I can pay off my debt and live within my means again. Yay means. Count that New Year’s Resolution accomplished.
  • Blog more. The reason I haven’t been blogging much lately is twofold: for starters I’m insanely boring. There is literally nothing going on in my life that is not staring endlessly at my computer. Secondly, I keep running out of words by the end of the day. I’m going to try, really try, to not spew boring things out into the Internet, but to blog more nonetheless.

That’s about all I can handle. What are you resolving for June?

Kim

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April 2012 Resolutions

April 1, 2012 by 2 Comments

 

Photo Credit:WeHeartIt.com

 

Can you believe it’s April already? We’re a quarter of the way through 2012!

Here in New York we’re fluctuating between summer-esque sun and winter weather. It appears that Mother Nature still hasn’t quite figured out what kind of spring she’d like us to have, and I have subsequently been dressed completely inappropriately for weeks now. It’s cold. It’s hot. It’s cold. It’s hot, but it’s raining. Hey look, it’s snowing. To be honest, the weather isn’t such a big deal to me—until early Fall I’ll be behind my desk typing. I’ve chalked 2012 up to The Year of the Recluse.

My life has certainly taken quite a turn this year, and while I feel unbelievably fulfilled on so many levels—I’m also going through a lot emotionally. Some of it has to do with book writing, and some is of a completely different personal nature. Balancing the really amazingly good with the heart-wrenchingly bad has had a significant effect on me. I certainly don’t mean for my blog to become “heavy central,” but I guess I am feeling a bit heavy these days, and because of that I have one very simple (or, not very simple at all) goal for April:

Honor my limits. For the majority of my life I have completely ignored any indicator that I cannot be any and everything I want to be—usually all at once. This moderately delusional behavior has led to quite a few accomplishments, but also a lot of tears, sleepless nights, and general anxiety. While I have come to accept my all-or-nothing personality, I’ve also realized very recently that there are limits to what I can handle. I’m not entirely sure I know what it means to honor my limits just yet (having never done it before), but I’m making it my goal this month to find out.

This is not the kind of resolution I can cross off of my to-do list and call it a day. There are steps though, and so this month I will make an effort to take them.

  • Sleep. I don’t get much sleep these days. In part because I’ve been dosing myself with enough caffeine and energy drinks to keep me awake well into retirement, and also because the sleep I do get is generally riddled with nightmares. In order to get said sleep, I think I’ve got to:
    • Nix the energy drinks. They’re so not good for you, and nothing I would recommend to the masses. It’s not in my character to take (or abuse) such things to begin with, but I’ve been pretty out of character in general lately. Caffeine sensitivity varies from person to person, and has a lot to do with body size and weight, and developed tolerance (much like alcohol, the more you drink of it the more you need to have an altering affect). Having said that, too much caffeine can be detrimental to calcium absorption—something that’s especially important as a woman. I’m not sure I’ll look back on this time in my life 30 years from now and think that my daily word count is worth osteoporosis. High doses of caffeine can also have deleterious effects on nerve impulses (hence jitters). Coffee does have some health benefits, and it’s my secret lover, so I’m not giving it up. But I think I can ditch the 5-Hour Energy Drink binges.
    • Chill the F-dge Out. Meaning actively partake in relaxing activities before bed. That means turning off the computer an hour before bed and doing things like meditate or journal.
  • Exercise. Fitness has always been a part of my life, and while I love to measure it by physical accomplishment (weight plates, reps, and miles), these days I need it solely for stress relief. I don’t necessarily have the same time every day to dedicate to exercise that I used to. Spending 2.5 hours to go to the gym, workout, and come back is a luxury I can’t afford these days. I can afford an hour. I need an hour a day to take care of my body. Plus, being accountable to my body has a contagious effect—when I exercise daily I tend to take more care of myself in other aspects of my life.
  • Eat for energy. To be honest, my appetite these days is almost non-existent. Every few hours I eat something because I’m pretty sure that’s a required activity. You’d think not having hunger pangs would mean I would focus primarily on healthy stuff, but lately I’ve just been eating what’s quickest to whip up, and getting back to work. This includes far more takeout and fast food than I have EVER eaten before. Methinks meal planning may be in order to both make sure I’m eating enough and eating food that will keep me focused and energized in this relatively stressful period. The good news, a good portion of this month is taken up by the Jewish holiday of Passover, which means that a lot of processed food is off limits to me anyway.
  • Sit still. Perhaps this is a lesson that others learn much earlier than I, but it’s not an easy lesson. There are things that need doing at times, that cannot be done in the present. I have heard (no, really, people have actually had to sit me down and tell me this) that life is long. The second part of this lecture usually contains some business about things having a way of becoming clear when it’s time for them to. I don’t know that I necessarily trust this whole life being long theory (because I’ve also heard that it’s short), but I do know that there are things in my life that seem completely outside my skill set. I’m hoping that trusting this whole time thing will help make things a bit clearer.

These resolutions have nothing to do with gluten, bike-riding, or word counts. But, they are the resolutions I need at this moment in my life. April is the Month of Limits, and I’m going with it. What are you resolving for April?

Kim

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Encyclopedia Kimtanica

January 24, 2012 by 1 Comment

What we have here is the North American Kimberly.  She is by observation a nomadic creature; oft seen carrying the entirety of her personal possessions with her from one location (usually Brooklyn) to another (the Upper West Side of Manhattan).

While it would appear that her natural habitat is anywhere that serves coffee and has free wi-fi, she has been seen of late taking conference calls in her boyfriend’s bathtub, the feminine products aisle of Duane Reade, in the gym locker room, and in the lobby of random office buildings.

Thrice daily this confusing specimen will stop to ingest some sort of overpriced food item, and will oft come forth with what can only be deemed a baby computer: a contraption she appears to be able to babble nonsensically into for hours–perhaps this is some sort of tribal ritual.

It can be concluded that the North American Kimberly runs around the wilds of New York City like vagabond crazypants in search of food, Internet, and a place to make a phone call.

The North American Kimberly is very tired and would like a nap.

Here is what she ate:

Breakfast

Her very favorite UWS diner happens to have amazing egg white  and vegetable omelets, Internet, and very patient waitresses who will let her sit there until it gets super crowded and they need to turn the table.

Lunch

The cashier at a prime lunch-time cafe apologized to her for ‘not remembering her name’ for her order.  It has become evident that she eats there far too often.

Dinner

At 10:30 pm it was brought to the creature’s attention that she had yet to eat dinner.  Faux ice cream seemed like as nutritious a meal as any.  This particular flavor: Snickers

Exercise: 45-minute Bosu bootcamp, 30-minute stairmill

Kim

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Bread, Butter, and the Meaning of Life

October 4, 2011 by 1 Comment

And now, an ode to bread and butter:

I met up with a group of writing friends tonight. Not only was dinner fun and inspiring (nothing like hanging out with a bunch of super talented writers to make you want to go home and write), but it was delicious.

It was delicious because there was bread, and there was butter. When the waitress brought the bread basket over I realized that I haven’t been greeted by warm buttery bread in a long time (I guess I haven’t been going to the right kinds of restaurants). Then I wondered if my cohorts would think it was weird if I caressed the bread and whispered sweet nothings to the butter.

I didn’t do it, but I thought about it. I also thought about putting the whole basket in my purse. When my lustful ways subsided, my philosophical ones kicked it; I started pondering the reasons why bread and butter is so good.  Seriously, it’s the least exciting food there is, it’s so simple.  But I think it’s because it’s simple that it’s so good, as are most of the good things in life.

Whether it be food, fitness, or just good old fashioned fun, it’s the simple things that make me (and I’m going to guess a lot of us) the happiest. A sweet crispy apple, a relaxing walk around the neighborhood, a warm blanket on a cool day–it seems like the simpler it is, the more comforting it is.

Simple often seems like an offensive adjective, but I think it’s time we reclaim the word. There’s beauty in simplicity and comfort in the little things. I’m not one to turn down an elaborate meal or a trendy new fitness class. I love me some extravagant vacations, and fancy clothes, but between you and me those things are best when consumed in moderation. I’ll take a run over the newest boot camp, and jeans over sequins any day.

What’s your favorite “simple” thing (food, fitness, fun, friends, Friday nights?)

Breakfast


Brown rice tortilla, egg whites, tomato and hot sauce

Snack


Strawberry kefir

Lunch


Butternut squash, turkey meatloaf and ketchup

Dinner


You know in old prison movies how prisoners only got to eat bread and butter?
I never got why that was a bad thing.


Salad with grilled chicken and vinaigrette

Exercise: Cardio day: 30-minutes stair mill; 30-minutes elliptical

Kim

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Beggars can be choosers

August 11, 2011 by 1 Comment

Confession: I’m the lamest sports fan ever.

It’s not that I don’t like sports. I like sports. I just have no particular team loyalties. I can pretty much go to any game and enjoy the game for game’s sake, and I do. This seems to totally baffle most sports fans, but I just can’t bring myself to take sides. The Polyanna in me just wants everyone to win. The one thing I can form an opinion on is the blatantly horrific food choices that stadiums supply.

I know that over-priced beer and French fries are a part of the experience, but I have to say, I’ve never really had food at a sporting or music event that I would call “good.” Instead, I basically just try to find something that’s not going to contribute to a coronary embolism anytime in the near future. Usually that means soft pretzels, but thanks to New York’s commitment to calorie counting, today I learned that those wee salty pretzels are 468 calories!

Dudes, a pretzel is a snack, not a meal—I snack should not be 500 calories. Well, at least not for me, I’m not exactly what one might call Amazonian in proportion. Tonight, as I smiled for the Padres and pitied the Mets, I noshed down on the healthiest (albeit completely tasteless) stadium fare I’ve ever had. Citifield Stadium actually has a Lighter Bites menu, which includes: veggie burger, tofu pup, and frozen yogurt.

Not exactly an endless array, but I’m grateful for what I can get. I decided on the veggie burger. It was kind of cold, and mostly tasteless, but there were actual vegetables in it. I saw them with my own two eyes. The menu board said it was pretty reasonable in the calorie department as well, coming in at 170 calories. I think it was actually closer to 300 based on my post game research, but that’s still fewer calories and more nutritional value than a salted pretzel.

It’s a good start. Now, if only they could actually find a way to pack the stands with healthy food that also tastes good I might be persuaded to favor the home team.

PS. The Padres won 9 to 5.

 

Breakfast


Egg white omelet with mushrooms, spinach, and mozzarella
Strawberries

Lunch


Greek yogurt with banana, honey and walnuts

Dinner


Not my most brilliant photograph, but you get the idea.
Veggie burger. Pickles also count as a vegetable, right?

 

Exercise: 30-minute stairmill, 30-minute elliptical, abs

Kim

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Chew, chew, chew your food…

August 8, 2011 by 4 Comments

My favorite lil munchkin turned one today. She’s awesome.

My craptacular blogging schedule has been due in part to my poor appetite, but also to my schedule. I spent the last week-and-a-half in magazineland. Office work coupled with my two weekly classes and subsequent class work may have been a wee bit more hectic that I had planned on. When it comes to scheduling my eyes are bigger than my proverbial stomach, I’m always biting off more than I can chew.

But, speaking of chewing, I’m starting to do more of it. I was out and about all day, but I definitely ate more than I have been in the last few weeks. I wouldn’t say my stomach is totally back to normal, but I’ve really got to start eating more. Since my appetite’s magical disappearance I’ve seriously cut back on my gym hours logged; instead of my normal mix of cardio and strength training, I’ve been relying on low impact stuff like Pilates and yoga. I love Pilates and yoga, but they get boring after a while. There’s only so much rolling-like-a-ball you can do.

Now that I’m back to working at home I’m going to try to up my actual chewing time again, so I can get back to the gym. I miss spin class.

I made a good start today…

Breakfast

Soy latte, banana, sparkling water

Lunch


Warm chickpea salad with tahini dressing

Dinner


Vegetable soup, banana, seltzer

Apparently I’m really into bananas and bubbly water.

Kim

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Juice, juice baby

July 25, 2011 by 1 Comment

Hey homies, happy Monday!

So, here’s the deal: I don’t think I’m going to show off all the pictures of my daily eats until whatever summer induced food-hating thing I’ve got going on passes. I don’t like the idea of inadvertently promoting a lifestyle, or caloric intake, that I deem unhealthy and lately anything that’s not made of smoothie isn’t particularly interesting to me—not exactly a balanced diet. I’m getting creative with my blending though, adding things like chai seeds, wheat germ, and ground flax to keep my drinkable meals chocked full of nutrient goodness.

In the meantime, know that I’m drinking a lot of blended stuff.

I am, however, super-duper psyched that my new juicer arrived in the mail today along with a non-cookbook: The Big Book of Juices.

Until further notice, I’m considering this my boyfriend

I put in a grandiose order for produce to be delivered on Wednesday. Once my produce bins are sufficiently stocked I’ll start reporting my progress. For the record: Only buying fruits and vegetables is really friggin expensive. Personally, I think that anything that’s grown from the earth should be free (or at least moderately affordable), and all that crap that’s made in factories should be the pricey stuff. I mean the ground does most of the work, right? When you eat processed foods you have to pay for all of the ingredients and the salaries of the folks that mix them all together until they look like food. There are certain things about the world that I just don’t understand.

If I were at all capable of keeping things alive/interested in playing in the dirt, I would totally take up gardening in my backyard. Perhaps I should join a CSA. Do any of you belong to a community supported agricultural group?

Kim

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