CRISSY PAGE, Blogger and Digital Influencer, the only thing you need to know is that SHE IS AWESOME! Boasting over 156k followers on Pinterest and 71k followers on Twitter, you could say she is kind of a big deal in the digital world. She is the Founder of websites Dear Crissy and Parent Pretty. Ohio based and Mom of two, she is a girl after my own heart.
Crissy and I connected on Facebook earlier this year, and I had the pleasure of getting to know her better when she joined my FREE 5 DAY CLEAN EATING CHALLENGE.
As of July 10th, she's 8 weeks into her Clean Eating journey and has LOST a whopping 24.8 LBS!
Plus, she posts daily pics of what's she's eating, which is how I've been able to see her daily and weekly progress since the Challenge. If you want to be inspired, be sure to check out her Instagram account. Her photos are gorgeous! I personally cannot get enough of them.
As I have followed her journey, I continue to be amazed, which is what prompted me to reach out for this interview.
I like to imagine me sitting across from her, asking these questions, each of us with a cup of tea in our hands. A serene picture, which I know is kind of glamorous given the reality we both have as busy working moms, but at least you know the setting intended. Lol. I could go on and on BUT I know you're all waiting to hear directly from her, so without further ado, here we go:
Q. Your bio says you’ve been publishing content online since 1996. What got you started and what was that first post?
I was sixteen when my father purchased our first PC, and the internet felt like a wildly-creative new frontier for me. I created my own websites from scratch where I shared my photography, diary entries and art. I'm sure I would be terribly embarrassed to go back and read those first posts, but I'm sure they rang of teenage angst!
Q. If you were describing your work and what you’re passionate about to a bunch of kindergartners, what would you tell them?
I would tell them that writing is my first love and that I'm very blessed to be able to do that for a living. While my job as a blogger/influencer involves many different types of work, I still feel like storytelling is at its heart.
Q. What started your Clean Eating journey?
Clean eating wasn't on my radar until I happened to see your post on Facebook about a 5-day clean eating challenge. I was really struggling with my health and I knew I wanted to make a change, so I joined the challenge.
I didn't have much confidence in myself at that moment that I would be able to complete the challenge. It just goes to show you how important it is to take that first step.
Q. What did your life look like before clean eating compared to now?
Honestly, my health was really dire. I was heavier than I had ever been, and every day I struggled with overeating and remorse. I was addicted to sugar and food definitely was a source of comfort for me. I looked bad and I felt much worse.
I was eating mostly processed foods and fast food. I was rarely cooking, and I was eating excessive amounts of refined sugar. I felt powerless to make a change.
Q. How did you educate yourself on what clean eating was and what it would mean for you?
Around the same time I joined your 5-day clean eating challenge I also watched the movie FED UP. The film terrified me and really opened my eyes. It reinforced the fact that I was eating too much sugar and my biggest takeaway was that I needed to eat real food and start cooking more for myself and for my family.
I wasn't an expert on what clean eating means when I started clean eating and eight weeks later I'm still not an expert. I'm also not a chef or a food expert. Every day I'm learning more and I have a long way to go.
Q. What’s the creative process look like when you’re coming up with your dishes? (Both in preparing/cooking and plating them to be photographed)
One of the most amazing revelations that I've made during my clean eating journey has been that I can cook without recipes. I do browse the internet for recipe ideas, but once I have a general idea of the ingredients I sort of just throw them together and see what I can come up with.
It's liberating to just rely on fresh ingredients and seasoning to do the work. It's so much easier to cook without recipes when you're cooking real food because there are fewer ingredients that require precise measurement. No cans of condensed soup, etc.
I have to admit that taking photos of my food and posting them to my Instagram account have made this whole process much more motivating and fun for me. It forces me to take more care with my meals because I want the finished product to be pretty. It may seem like an extraneous step, but I love sharing my food accomplishments (every healthy meal is an accomplishment for me) with others who may be on the same path or want to get started.
If you want to start taking photos of your food (it's really fun!) my biggest tip would be to find a nice clean background like a cutting board or pastry board and to use natural light. Just putting your food in front of a window works. No fancy camera needed, I shoot all of my food photos for my Instagram feed with my iPhone 6+. I edit my photos using the VSCO app.
Q. What are the staples on your grocery shopping list?
My clean-eating must-haves include: Chicken breast tenderloins, eggs, quinoa, hummus, Greek yogurt (I get the full fat), avocado, raw almonds, chia seeds, every kind of fruit (I eat smoothies almost every morning), every kind of veggie but particularly kale, spinach, sweet potatoes, broccoli and zucchini.
Q. What tips can you recommend about your journey that you’d only share with a close friend?
It does require effort on your part to plan and prep meals, and yes, you will be cooking a lot.
I have the luxury of working from home, so even with my busy schedule and caring for my kids, I know I still have more time than most to cook for myself. That said, it's definitely VERY doable to begin clean eating!
It's not as easy as popping a frozen meal in the microwave or driving through McDonalds, but wow, the payoff of clean eating makes up for the extra time you'll spend in the kitchen.
Q. What are three things you’ve told yourself that kept you going when it got hard?
I wish I had three things to tell myself! It does get hard at times, especially when the rest of my family is enjoying a food that I want to avoid or when I feel down and I know that a donut would give me that momentary fix. I really just have one thing that I tell myself and it's just to keep pressing forward, forward, forward. The only way to regain control of my health and my happiness is to keep pressing forward and making the best decisions I can day by day.
Q. What is your ultimate goal? How far have you come?
My ultimate goal is to lose 50 lbs. and I've lost 24.8 so far.
As much confidence as I've gained through this process, 50 lbs. still seems like a scary goal to me.
That's the thing about losing weight, those negative thoughts can be so destructive. In the past, I fell prey to thinking 50 lbs. was so huge that I need not even bother trying.
I'd have so far to go! Think of the work, the time, the sacrifices!
You really have to shift your mindset to one pound at a time and one week at a time. The first couple weeks require some faith and then before you know it, those pounds begin to snowball. From where I'm standing eight weeks into my clean eating shift, my 24.8 lb. snowball looks pretty good!
Q. What are you most proud of?
As far as this journey, I'm most proud of just getting started. Getting started is the hardest part and requires action. I woke up every morning for a year planning to eat healthy and lost weight and every day I failed because I didn't take action.
Your 5-day clean eating challenge gave me the platform to take my first real action toward getting healthy and that action was going to the grocery store the night before the challenge.
I went to the grocery store, and I bought a TON of clean, whole foods. I knew my kids wouldn't eat half of the foods I bought, but I did it anyway, for myself. I finally got started.
Q. What does a day in the life look like for Crissy Page?
I think like any parent, my days are pretty crazy! I run my business from home as well as take care of my kids, ages 3 and 5. I'm usually trying to balance business calls, writing posts and doing photo shoots with making lunches, playing dress-up and breaking up squabbles.
I haven't had any alone-time in 6 years, so when BOTH of my kids begin school in the fall it's going to be a whole new world for me!
********************************************************
Wow, isn't she AMAZING?! Love you Crissy Page!
Thank you so much for sharing your story. Hearing about your progress and your journey is the whole REASON WHY I Coach.
If you are struggling with your own journey and do not know where to start, feel free to reach out to me.
If you would like to PARTICIPATE in the same FREE 5 DAY CLEAN EATING CHALLENGE that kick-started Crissy's own journey, SIGN-UP HERE to be invited to my NEXT ONLINE GROUP.
Crissy and I connected on Facebook earlier this year, and I had the pleasure of getting to know her better when she joined my FREE 5 DAY CLEAN EATING CHALLENGE.
As of July 10th, she's 8 weeks into her Clean Eating journey and has LOST a whopping 24.8 LBS!
Plus, she posts daily pics of what's she's eating, which is how I've been able to see her daily and weekly progress since the Challenge. If you want to be inspired, be sure to check out her Instagram account. Her photos are gorgeous! I personally cannot get enough of them.
As I have followed her journey, I continue to be amazed, which is what prompted me to reach out for this interview.
I like to imagine me sitting across from her, asking these questions, each of us with a cup of tea in our hands. A serene picture, which I know is kind of glamorous given the reality we both have as busy working moms, but at least you know the setting intended. Lol. I could go on and on BUT I know you're all waiting to hear directly from her, so without further ado, here we go:
Q. Your bio says you’ve been publishing content online since 1996. What got you started and what was that first post?
I was sixteen when my father purchased our first PC, and the internet felt like a wildly-creative new frontier for me. I created my own websites from scratch where I shared my photography, diary entries and art. I'm sure I would be terribly embarrassed to go back and read those first posts, but I'm sure they rang of teenage angst!
Q. If you were describing your work and what you’re passionate about to a bunch of kindergartners, what would you tell them?
I would tell them that writing is my first love and that I'm very blessed to be able to do that for a living. While my job as a blogger/influencer involves many different types of work, I still feel like storytelling is at its heart.
Q. What started your Clean Eating journey?
Clean eating wasn't on my radar until I happened to see your post on Facebook about a 5-day clean eating challenge. I was really struggling with my health and I knew I wanted to make a change, so I joined the challenge.
I didn't have much confidence in myself at that moment that I would be able to complete the challenge. It just goes to show you how important it is to take that first step.
Q. What did your life look like before clean eating compared to now?
Honestly, my health was really dire. I was heavier than I had ever been, and every day I struggled with overeating and remorse. I was addicted to sugar and food definitely was a source of comfort for me. I looked bad and I felt much worse.
I was eating mostly processed foods and fast food. I was rarely cooking, and I was eating excessive amounts of refined sugar. I felt powerless to make a change.
Q. How did you educate yourself on what clean eating was and what it would mean for you?
Around the same time I joined your 5-day clean eating challenge I also watched the movie FED UP. The film terrified me and really opened my eyes. It reinforced the fact that I was eating too much sugar and my biggest takeaway was that I needed to eat real food and start cooking more for myself and for my family.
I wasn't an expert on what clean eating means when I started clean eating and eight weeks later I'm still not an expert. I'm also not a chef or a food expert. Every day I'm learning more and I have a long way to go.
Q. What’s the creative process look like when you’re coming up with your dishes? (Both in preparing/cooking and plating them to be photographed)
One of the most amazing revelations that I've made during my clean eating journey has been that I can cook without recipes. I do browse the internet for recipe ideas, but once I have a general idea of the ingredients I sort of just throw them together and see what I can come up with.
It's liberating to just rely on fresh ingredients and seasoning to do the work. It's so much easier to cook without recipes when you're cooking real food because there are fewer ingredients that require precise measurement. No cans of condensed soup, etc.
I have to admit that taking photos of my food and posting them to my Instagram account have made this whole process much more motivating and fun for me. It forces me to take more care with my meals because I want the finished product to be pretty. It may seem like an extraneous step, but I love sharing my food accomplishments (every healthy meal is an accomplishment for me) with others who may be on the same path or want to get started.
If you want to start taking photos of your food (it's really fun!) my biggest tip would be to find a nice clean background like a cutting board or pastry board and to use natural light. Just putting your food in front of a window works. No fancy camera needed, I shoot all of my food photos for my Instagram feed with my iPhone 6+. I edit my photos using the VSCO app.
Q. What are the staples on your grocery shopping list?
My clean-eating must-haves include: Chicken breast tenderloins, eggs, quinoa, hummus, Greek yogurt (I get the full fat), avocado, raw almonds, chia seeds, every kind of fruit (I eat smoothies almost every morning), every kind of veggie but particularly kale, spinach, sweet potatoes, broccoli and zucchini.
Q. What tips can you recommend about your journey that you’d only share with a close friend?
It does require effort on your part to plan and prep meals, and yes, you will be cooking a lot.
I have the luxury of working from home, so even with my busy schedule and caring for my kids, I know I still have more time than most to cook for myself. That said, it's definitely VERY doable to begin clean eating!
It's not as easy as popping a frozen meal in the microwave or driving through McDonalds, but wow, the payoff of clean eating makes up for the extra time you'll spend in the kitchen.
Q. What are three things you’ve told yourself that kept you going when it got hard?
I wish I had three things to tell myself! It does get hard at times, especially when the rest of my family is enjoying a food that I want to avoid or when I feel down and I know that a donut would give me that momentary fix. I really just have one thing that I tell myself and it's just to keep pressing forward, forward, forward. The only way to regain control of my health and my happiness is to keep pressing forward and making the best decisions I can day by day.
Q. What is your ultimate goal? How far have you come?
My ultimate goal is to lose 50 lbs. and I've lost 24.8 so far.
As much confidence as I've gained through this process, 50 lbs. still seems like a scary goal to me.
That's the thing about losing weight, those negative thoughts can be so destructive. In the past, I fell prey to thinking 50 lbs. was so huge that I need not even bother trying.
I'd have so far to go! Think of the work, the time, the sacrifices!
You really have to shift your mindset to one pound at a time and one week at a time. The first couple weeks require some faith and then before you know it, those pounds begin to snowball. From where I'm standing eight weeks into my clean eating shift, my 24.8 lb. snowball looks pretty good!
Q. What are you most proud of?
As far as this journey, I'm most proud of just getting started. Getting started is the hardest part and requires action. I woke up every morning for a year planning to eat healthy and lost weight and every day I failed because I didn't take action.
Your 5-day clean eating challenge gave me the platform to take my first real action toward getting healthy and that action was going to the grocery store the night before the challenge.
I went to the grocery store, and I bought a TON of clean, whole foods. I knew my kids wouldn't eat half of the foods I bought, but I did it anyway, for myself. I finally got started.
Q. What does a day in the life look like for Crissy Page?
I think like any parent, my days are pretty crazy! I run my business from home as well as take care of my kids, ages 3 and 5. I'm usually trying to balance business calls, writing posts and doing photo shoots with making lunches, playing dress-up and breaking up squabbles.
I haven't had any alone-time in 6 years, so when BOTH of my kids begin school in the fall it's going to be a whole new world for me!
********************************************************
Wow, isn't she AMAZING?! Love you Crissy Page!
Thank you so much for sharing your story. Hearing about your progress and your journey is the whole REASON WHY I Coach.
If you are struggling with your own journey and do not know where to start, feel free to reach out to me.
If you would like to PARTICIPATE in the same FREE 5 DAY CLEAN EATING CHALLENGE that kick-started Crissy's own journey, SIGN-UP HERE to be invited to my NEXT ONLINE GROUP.
