Tina Haupert - Carrots n Cake: Healthy Living One Carrot and Cupcake at a Time

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Haupert, Tina.
Carrots N cake : healthy living one carrot and cupcake at a time / Tina Haupert.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-4027-7824-7 (pb-with flaps : alk. paper) 1. Nutrition.
2. Diet. 3. Physical fitness. 4. Cookbooks. I. Title.
TX355.H417 2011
613.2--dc22

2010039033

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Published by Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.
387 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016
2011 by Tina Haupert

All rights reserved

Sterling ISBN 978-1-4027-7824-7

Sterling eBook ISBN: 978-1-4027-8963-2

For information about custom editions, special sales, premium and corporate purchases, please contact Sterling Special Sales Department at 800-805-5489 or specialsales@sterlingpublishing.com.

Designed by Barbara Balch

TO MY MOM

Its all about the cake.

C O N T E N T S

E very person is different. Your body mass, your metabolism, your endurance, etc. And everyones eating habits are different as well. This book is a very personal book, and as such, the exercise routines and recipes worked for me, in finding a happy goal weight and exercise lifestyle. You should not take on any exercise recommendations without at least discussing it with your doctor first. The recipes and workout routines in this book reflect my personal lifestyle, and I came to them by way of local, trained personal trainers, and by trial and error by way of food. The conditioning exercises and the recipes have not been vetted by a registered dietitian or a medical doctor.

I t all started as a countdown to my wedding. I wasnt necessarily overweight, but I wanted to tone up and be in great shape by the time the big day arrivednineteen months down the road. I had been using an online calorie and exercise tracker to keep myself accountable, and reading food blogs helped me to develop my own program.

When people ask me why I started blogging, I think they expect me to tell them that I wanted to save the world or inspire people to live a healthy lifestyle. I sometimes think theyre a little disappointed when I explain that I started blogging for personal reasons and I really had no intention of people ever reading what I wrote.

Carrots N Cake is a journal of my daily eats and workouts. For me, it is a creative extension of the online calorie and exercise tracker that I had been using prior to starting the blog.

I had been reading food blogs for a few months before I finally decided to take the leap to my own postings. Self magazines Eat Like Me was the very first blog of its kind that I regularly read. A registered dietitian living in Boston documented her meals every day as an example of a healthy and balanced way to eat. The comments on her posts soon led me to the blog that I credit as the influence and motivation to start my own: Kath Eats Real Food. Kath documented her daily meals as she lost weight, but her blog posts were much more detailed than just a list of what she ate. She divulged her personal and home life, shared delicious recipes, reviewed products, and talked about the importance of incorporating fitness into her life. She really pulled me in. Soon, I was reading her blog three times a day! My mini-obsession with Kaths life eventually inspired me to start my own blog.

Kath leads a very healthy lifestyle. All of her meals are full of fresh produce, high-quality grains, and low-fat protein. She knows how to create a well-balanced meal and present it in such a way that inspired me to eat well myself. I wanted to eat as healthfully as Kath, but I knew that I couldnt give up some of my favorite foods, like cookies, cake, nachos, and wine. Id be miserable if I couldnt have them. So, when I was thinking about what to call my blog and what angle I would write it from, I couldnt help but think about how to incorporate dessert into a balanced diet. I knew it could be done! It was all about balancing the good foods (carrots) with the bad foods (cake).

I thought having a blog that was devoted to achieving this balance of all kinds of food would distinguish my blog from Kaths. I loved her blog, but I knew that I had something different to offer. Basically, I thought, If this woman can lose thirty pounds by recording her efforts on a blog, I bet I will have success doing the same thing. I had nothing to lose by signing up for a free blog and giving it a try. Plus, at the time, I was looking for a hobby, so blogging fit right into my ample downtime.

I knowa hobby. Youd think I had enough to do, what with working full-time and planning a wedding, right? The truth is, I like to keep busy and Im a good planner, so I took care of most of the tough stuff for the wedding in the early months of my engagement. I was never a stressed-out bridezilla. Mal, my fiance, had an active fantasy football team and liked to spend his downtime playing video games. I had lots of interestsI liked running, baking, and photography but Im easily bored, so I was looking for something to fill the extra hours. Blogging looked like a great hobby.

Typically, coming up with a name for a blog is somewhat difficult. Ive heard of potential bloggers wracking their brains for weeks trying to think of a catchy, witty blog name that people will rememberand then it just comes to them while theyre commuting to work or in the shower. Carrots N Cake came to me while sitting in bedjust seconds after I decided that Id start a blog. The name sort of signified that I was meant to blog. It was just so easy. Carrots N Cake was just meant to be!

Even so, when I started to blog, I was sort of embarrassed about it. I didnt even tell Mal what I was doing for a few weeks! Is this too weird? I thought, Taking photos of everything I eat and then writing about it? Would people think I was strangely obsessed with food? I didnt think soat least I hoped not. And once I got started, I found blogging to be fun and really motivating: I liked to see my progress on my blog, and, just like every other new blogger, I started with zero readers, so what other people thought quickly became less of a concern.

At first I didnt want anyone to read the blog. But the more I wrote, the more I wanted to share with the world. And then all of a sudden I had readers! Complete strangers started to post comments and ask questions. People were looking to me for answers, and I was happy to help. I loved sharing my experiences and advice with others, especially when it came to two of my biggest passions: food and fitness.

Carrots N Cake was born on February 3, 2008. Back then, my posts showed that I was more interested in counting calories than eating wholesome, nutritious foods. In my early posts, I counted every single calorie in all of my meals. I even included calories-burned estimates from my workouts. Boy, how things have changed!