It's been a long time, but I haven't forgotten the journey, it continues...

This morning I referred someone to look at my blog, then I went back and realized I haven't posted since January, SMH.  I realize that while the beginning Dec. 2011 story might be inspiring, it's like an unfinished story.  So I don't know how much I can back track today but I can at least tell you where I am and share some pictures :).

Today I got on the scale and finally! after a loooooong time, got under my last weight.  I lost 1.6 pounds and landed exactly on 202.0!  I still haven't broken 200, but I am 2 pounds away, and for some reason while at 203.6 and 203.4 going back and forth I didn't think I would ever break it, this one little pound has made all the difference.  Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not a scale obsessive as it may sound, but when you get so close to a round number like 200, and when you've never been under 200 in your adult live, then it gets a bit exciting.

I have a confession... I left MyFitnessPal for awhile, got tired of MediFast and decided that I just wanted to eat like a "normal person."  Now the question is, what the hell does that mean?  Normal eating is not the same for everyone.  My definition became, eat whatever the hell I want to eat.  No good.  I gained 6 pounds, was nearing 210, and I said to myself, "Natalie, you need to chill out, you can't live in your definition of "normal person" because obviously it's bringing you down that downward spiral path again, and you said you'd never go back."  So I started reaching out to my fitness enthusiasts like Natalie Maddox http://www.reebok.com/nataliemaddox Crossfit extraordinaire and body competitors (whom I went to Undergrad with).  We had an inspiring phone call, and she reminded me who I was, how far I'd come and that it takes a village to reach your fitness and health goals.  I said I'm going to going to get back into Take Shape for Life (TSFL)/Medifast and try to get back down to where I was, and pass the 200 mark, then I was going to try something else.  I love TSFL but it's a bit pricy and is a tool to get you to your goals, but cannot be used for the rest of your life.

I'm happy to say I feel like I'm back on the road to glory.  I shopped in my BFF's closet through her 14s and dare I say 12s!  I gave up my LaneBryant card, except for the occasional bra (but even those are about to not fit either).  I still haven't Unsubscribed from the AshleyStewart email listserve, but I no longer open them because there are no options for me there.  I go in the department stores to shop for clothes, and often pause at the plus size section then remind myself that it no longer represents my home base.  It's weird, and great all at the same time.

Here are a few pics I've taken, starting with the beginning...

 December 2011 and April 2013

 October 2011 and January 2013

 Somewhere between February and May 2013

 

July 2013

Ok that's all for now.

Woke up after sleeplessness

And still got in my morning workout. Me demonstrating to myself that I can power through excuses says that this week will be a successful week for weight loss. I might just get over this slump I'm in. I'm aiming for three days of double whammy workouts with insanity in the morning and bikram in the afternoon. After this week work is going to pick up so I will no longer have this midday workout luxury, so I must make the most out of it while I can.

Sleepless Nights

Since I can't sleep given I made the wise decision to have expresso after 5pm yesterday, I decided to post a thought.

Sleep, is a great weight loss tool.  Not only do you burn calories in your sleep, it allows your body to rejuvenate and prepare  for your workout the following day.  I may have said this before, but the earlier you sleep. , the less you eat.  The less you eat, the more weight you lose.

Ok, it's 3:42am and I'm going to go try to lose more weight by gaining some zzz's!

It ain't easy... but I gotta do it for me

73 pounds down

That was the hardest 7 pounds I ever lost.  I'll tell you, weight loss does not get easier as you lose, it gets harder.  You have to outsmart your body, keep changing and most of all... stay motivated!

The Medifast program, some days I feel, is starting to wear off in terms of its effect on my body, and/or my ability to stay perfectly stuck to the diet plan.  It still works, I am just failing to work it how I did for the first 20-30 pounds down.  Therefore its time to switch, supplement, and overcome this slow pace of progress. 

I've tried to maintain my Medifast plan as close as possible, while not denying myself of the types of foods I want to eat, and upped my exercise in supplement.  I also have returned to www.myfitnesspal.com to get a true calculation of my calories in, calories out.  Additionally, I've started wearing my heart rate monitor daily again, and most times all day, so I can measure my actual calorie burn throughout while exercising and resting. 

In terms of exercise, I've started Insanity again.  Yes, I know I always tell people beware of injury since its such a banging on the joints, but I am being very careful, listening to my body, and modifying the moves wherever necessary. 

Today, since I still have some work flexibility, I added a Bikram Yoga class midday.  It helped me recover from the Insanity banging I did early in the morning.  And it totalled more than 1300 calorie burn combined with the two workouts.  I created such a calorie deficit, that I can eat almost anything and still stay under my allotted daily number.  But the goal is, NOT to do that.  I am trying to eat how I normally eat everyday, around 1200 calories so it will be like, I ate nothing at all for the entire day since I already burned more than 1200.  It's just a numbers game really.  If I am able to do this even two or three days this week, I will definitely drop 2-3 pounds this week alone.  Maybe more if I'm extra diligent about my diet. 

Some days I have cravings for things that once were a regular part of my life, greasy foods, high sugar substances.  Some days I give in to those cravings, however I have found a way to modify my "cheating."  For my chocolate addiction, I no longer feed it with milk chocolate, or ice cream.  I stick to trader joe's dark chocolate, my favorite is the one with Toffee in it, and I keep it to half a serving or one serving in a day, a couple times per week.  That doesn't stop my weight loss, and it isn't as bad as having chocolate cake.  But it fills my urge.  When I walked by the pizza shop on the way back from yoga, I smelled it, and had a brief urge to go get something greasy, but I had just sweated so much, that the thought quickly slipped away, because I wasn't going to ruin a perfectly good burn day to indulge in a short lived greasy sensation.  Sometimes when I have a craving during the day, I look at the clock and make myself wait 30 minutes, then busy myself with something else.  If the craving is still there, I'll find some way to indulge with modifications, if it isn't I give myself a pat on the back and say I never needed it in the first place.

It's all about trade-offs, sacrifice, and balance.  Sometimes we can give in, sometimes we don't really need to.  All the time we should continue to strive for the goal, forward is the motion!