Hey there, I’m Ali and I’m the mom behind Champagne & Coffee Stains, a place where I share my family’s favorite (mostly) healthy recipes, toddler activities, and workout tips.
After I graduated from college I struggled with my weight. I was working full-time in retail and my lunch breaks were filled with unhealthy trips to the food court. The tipping point for me was when I went on my first vacation and got home and realized I didn’t take a single photo of myself because of how embarrassed I was about my weight.
Something had to change.
I joined a gym and started working out with a personal trainer, but quickly got discouraged when the scale just wouldn’t budge. After a few months of no progress I complained to my trainer, Josh, and he said the sentence that would change my life.
“You can’t out exercise a bad diet”
I had been so focused on the working out part of being healthy that I completely neglected the nutrition side.
I joined Weight Watchers in 2013 and lost 50lbs within 3 months. I was feeling my best and finally felt like I actually knew how to properly fuel my body and eat the right way. I was able to maintain that weight loss for nearly 5 years until I had my baby in 2018.
After I had my daughter I quickly realized losing weight postpartum was so different than before. I didn’t have the time to go to the gym, meal plan and even the Weight Watchers nutrition plans were all different! It was frustrating but I was determined to make it work.
It took a lot of work (and a few failed attempts) but after 6 months I was able to get back to my postpartum weight. I had to learn new ways of working out and how to fit them in around my daughter’s nap time, as well as new ways to work the ever-changing Weight Watchers program.
Once I had my second daughter, however, things had changed so much on Weight Watchers (and my lifestyle had changed with 2 kids!) that I needed something else. I began counting macros and it completely changed my life. I no longer felt trapped with Weight Watchers and the ever-changing algorithms but instead I actually understood nutrition and how to properly fuel my body.
This also inspired me to learn more about nutrition so I took Precision Nutrition's PN1 Nutrition Coaching course and became a certified coach.
I created Champagne & Coffee Stains 3 years ago as a place where I can share my family’s favorite healthy(ish) recipes, my workout tips (I’m Peloton obsessed!), running tips, baby and toddler activities, and more.
Featured In
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About Me
I’m a Minneapolis based blogger and mom to 2 kids. In addition to Champagne and Coffee Stains, I also blog about baby showers at EverythingBabyShowers.com
When I’m not blogging, I love running, baking, playing board games, catching up on reality tv, and eating all the s’mores!
Contact
You can contact me by e-mailing me at Ali@champagneandcoffeestains.com
Please note: I am not accepting guest posts at this time