About

**These posts also offer some more insight about me:
Discovery of Clean Eating
Who Am I?
Words From Alumni

I also have my guest post that I did over at Jen’s blog.**

My name is Alaina and I currently live just outside of Boston, Massachusetts with my husband, David and sister in law, Grace. For the better part of 2011, David was stationed in Afghanistan, but he came home early, just before Christmas! We also just recently bought a house in central Massachusetts, so our time will be spent rebuilding and decorating our new place!

 I started a blog back in June (Blissful Running) to document the journey to my first marathon – The Maine Marathon. But I really thought it may be fun to venture to start a blog about something that no one else (as far as I know) has. I love to jog/run and I love my job as a hotel concierge. Here is the history of both:

Jogging
I’ve only recently started to blog, but my weight loss journey started back in 2006, just after I graduated college. My weight fluctuated throughout my 4 years at college but it reached it’s peak when I graduated. I’m 5’4″ and I weighed about 160 lbs. I would get discouraged about how I look and start eating very little. When I started losing the tiniest bit of weight, I would get excited but end up going right back to my old habits.

The College Years

In October of ’06, I remember sitting in the office in my parents house, with my mom. I was wearing a pair of sweat pants and they seemed rather snug. I said something about it and my mom gave me that oh-so-motherly look and made a comment that she noticed it as well. I went to weigh myself and was not happy with the number. I vowed then and there to take control of my weight. I got rid of all the junk food in the house and I signed up for 3 months of weight watchers online. Within those 3 months I lost 20 lbs and my work uniform went from a 10 to a 6. I had also taken up running, since my dad had started running as well as my then-boyfriend, now husband. I also couldn’t afford a good gym membership but I could afford a nice pair of running sneakers. I started running 5k’s and half marathons.

20 Pounds Lost

For a while I was really happy at how far I came with my weight loss. But I wanted to be stronger than I was. This past January my husband decided to buy the P90X program so that we could work out at home. After doing that for about 2 months or so, I saw a huge difference in my body tone and my endurance and strength. I also joined up with weight watchers at work to lose the last 10 lbs. With both programs I successfully lost the last 10 (down to 130lbs) and I have definition in my legs and abs that I never thought I could have!

The Payoff

In terms of my new diet lifestyle, I am all about balance and all natural. I don’t really know the moment that I decided to try clean eating. I think it came in stages: I first started to shop at Trader Joe’s and I loved their variety. I also started to think Does this food fill or fuel my body? It was then that I wanted to try and eat more foods that had ingredients that I could pronounce and that were actually beneficial for my body. So I really try my best at eating as clean and least processed as possible. But I also enjoy some pizza and ice cream every now and then. I’ve been able to keep off the 30 lbs for almost 7 months now and I can’t tell you how much my confidence has sky-rocketed.

And with those “treats” comes the concierge part of my blog!

Concierge

I currently work at a 4 star hotel in Downtown Boston and as part of my job, I attend concierge dinners at least 2 to 4 times a month. On top of that, my husband and I enjoy going out to the city and seeing what the culinary city has to offer.

Tips

• I definitely enjoy a drink or two, but I either have a glass or two of wine or a diet soda with rum (I love rum ). And depending on the venue, a nice crisp beer.
• I sample everything. But that means each sample is small. I make sure to use my bread plate to try a sample of appetizers; I’m lucky to have a husband at home that will gladly eat whatever I bring him home so I make sure to box up half of my meal; and I take that same small plate to sample some decadent desserts.
• For me, the dinners are more than just for the meal. It’s a chance to meet up with fellow concierges from around the city and to get to know the managers of the restaurant we’re trying. That is the main reason for the dinners (at least to me); the food comes second.
• On the morning of the dinners, I make sure to get in a good workout. That will at least relieve some guilt for having eating so decadently.
• I eat all day before the dinner.

So now begins the journey of The Jogging Concierge.