Update 12/27/21: I have now lost 88lbs and am now maintaining it without intermittent fasting or supplements. Check out my blog post where I break down how to lose weight so you can stop giving up on your goal and lost the weight for good! Read updated blog here.

Seriously I can’t believe I’m showing this picture.

Hard to say, but I put on some weight after I got married.

Back in 2007, I joined Medifast and lost 66 lbs.

Since being married, I almost gained it all back.

And men really don’t make it any better.

My cousin said it looked like I “ate Natalie”… joking or not, that hurts 😦

Another cousin “Hey big girl” 😦

I couldn’t even get mad at them because I knew being this short and having that much weight on me wasn’t good.

My Health Scare in 2007:

Eleven years ago, I was back and forth in the doctor’s office. I became anemic… TMI: I bled so heavily, I soiled through clothes in less than 2 hours. I actually had to stop going to class because I couldn’t sit that long without leaving a mess. Unsuccessfully, they prescribed 3-4 birth control pills per day to try to control the bleeding. Pills weren’t 100% effective and the only thing that changed was I began to have migraines, tired and I felt like I wasn’t ‘here’ — I was merely existing. The doctors said the bleeding may have been my body’s way of trying to get rid of some of the weight. They said I gained so much weight in a short amount of time that my body was just trying to survive.

That’s when I made the decision to get healthier and dropped the weight by enrolling with Medifast. After I lost the weight, no more heavy bleeding.

When Did the Weight Start Coming Back:

I was doing good maintaining for years until I moved back home to Chicago, got an office job and met my now-husband.

I started to feel the weight coming back and began half-watching what I ate but not serious about working out — wondering why my new “health” routine wasn’t working and why the scale continued to climb??‍ Eventually, I just stopped wearing certain clothes. Stayed out of jeans. At one point, I even stopped looking in the mirror longer than I needed.

I felt like I let myself down. I knew that I needed to do better but I just couldn’t get my stuff together.

I started feeling sorry and sorry for myself.

BUT here I am today … I refuse to be a victim to my own BS. I know that I can do it but I had to stop hoping, wishing and praying that it would be easy and that it would happen overnight. I had to make a level of commitment to myself that I would not give up on myself.

I still have more to go but I’m in such a better place mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Instead of crash diets and the constant up and down, I decided to fall in love with the process of getting healthier. I wouldn’t put too much attention on the scale, mirror, or anything that would deter or discourage me in this journey. I had to fall in love with working towards becoming a better me.

Realizing I’m Losing Weight:

I was standing in the kitchen.

My husband walked in. His first response: DAMN!!! YOU ARE REALLY SHRINKING!!!

Not a ‘hello, ‘hi’, ‘honey, I’m home’, ‘nice to see you’, nothing 🙅🏽‍♀️

Now, he’s been commenting on my “shrinkage” almost every week. Almost like he’s surprised.

To be honest, I’m surprised!

Not that I’m not happy about it but in my mind, I’ve been saying I’m messing up.

I still eat whatever I want. This weekend, I had cake, mashed potatoes, mac-n-cheese and I’m pretty sure something else that most diets would frown upon 😂 No, I don’t eat like that everyday for those wondering 👀 but I don’t really have many limitations.

The only “good” things I’ve been doing are staying away from candy and learning about moderation. I’ve never been big into fried foods or a lot of salt (thank my mom for being a nurse).

Each day, I kept telling myself that “I’m going to get it together” because my lifestyle didn’t reflect a “good diet” and each day, I lied to myself and gave in to my temptation 🤦🏽‍♀️😂

I had to figure out how was I actually losing weight.

My Daily Routine (Accidental Intermittent Fasting):

– I drink water in the morning with my metabolism boost (around 8 – 9 a.m.)
– I start working (usually follow up with business leads and help team members) 👩🏽‍💻
– I exercise for at least 50 minutes 💪🏽💪🏽

* My “easy” days are Sundays and Wednesdays which are also the days I exfoliate. On these days, I do a 30-minute exercise video at home.

– By the time I’ve showered, it’s about 12 – 1 p.m.
– Eat lunch
– I continue working either following up with customers, creating content for blog or podcast, or beauty consultations
– I take my hunger block before my last meal (I eat before 6 p.m. on most days)
– Most of cravings are gone so I’m not snacking

Hunger Block

That’s it! I’m not counting calories or carbs (nothing wrong with that if you do, I’m just too inconsistent 🤷🏽‍♀️)

My results after three months with my new lifestyle change:

Of course, now knowing what I’ve been doing, I hop on over to my best friend Google and learned about intermittent fasting. Apparently, I’m doing the 16/8 but because I take the hunger block, I don’t eat many times in the window of eating and I’m not late night snacking either (which was my biggest downfall)..

I have NOT been looking at the scale.

My clothes are hanging or getting loose, I’ve been more energized AND my workouts are better. At one point, I needed to break after 8 minutes of Tae Bo. This week, I realized I could do a full 45-minute video without pausing 😱

Neck Gainz (LOL):

I had no idea my neck disappeared

Disclaimer: of course, before beginning any exercise or diet, make sure you contact a medical professional.

Why Do I Feel Intermittent Fasting is Working?

Before I began working from home, I had a very sedentary lifestyle running the marketing firm. It was an office job downtown so I’d usually grab a bite to eat and tons of snacks. We weren’t surrounded by many stores and I didn’t want to leave out during the day. I’d sit at my desk majority of the day, staring at the computer and snacking. I had to be up around 5:30 a.m. every morning and made it home around 4:30 p.m. By the time I made it home, I’d be too tired, mentally exhausted or lazy to work out. I’d watch some tv or take a nap and then it would be time for dinner. Now that I’m thinking about it, I may have been snacking and eating throughout the entire day.

While still in corporate, I made the decision to lose weight. I vowed to eat better and also began going back to the gym. I was very strict on my diet, almost to the point of 100% restriction. I saw some results and was very happy.

After they closed the business, I started working full-time from home and saw myself falling back into my corporate lifestyle. I didn’t wake up as early as 5:30 a.m. but I’d get up around 7 a.m. One perk of being in corporate and downtown Chicago was the fact that I took public transportation. I’d walk about 1 mile from the train station to the office so roughly 2 miles per day — usually at a VERY leisurely pace unless it was winter.

Now, I spend a lot of time in front of my tablet and without needing to leave the house, unless I have to meet a client, I have no reason to go outside. My puppy doesn’t like to walk much. If it’s too warm (above 70 degrees) or too cold (less than 50), he tries to spend the least amount of time outside as possible. We’ve walked for 5 minutes before he plants himself and refuses to move.

Needless to say, I fell back into the trap of no physical activity which is what I PERSONALLY need.  Not only does exercising boost your metabolism and help you tone but it puts me in a happier and more productive space. Without it, I was unhappy once again. I made the conscious decision to start working out. As I worked out, I realized I had more energy and then I came to the conclusion that I needed to focus on HOW I ate.

With diets, they were too restrictive. I don’t eat a bunch of fried foods or sugars but I couldn’t keep up with most diets because I still craved and yearned foods that aren’t usually “diet-approved”. I’d sneak a bite here and there and eventually what turned out as a one-time cheat turned into a binge and eventually, just knocked me out of my journey altogether. I no longer restrict myself and now I no longer overindulge.

How Did Intermittent Fasting Affect My Travel:

We recently went to Jamaica and the following week, went to a marriage retreat. The convenience of intermittent fasting is what really sold me. When traveling, I noticed I couldn’t make time to eat 5 – 6 small meals like I’d done previously with Medifast (and like most common diets suggest). Between the beach, water activities, tourist attractions, etc, I couldn’t just stop everyone and everything to eat every 2-3 hours. I also noticed my options were limited.  With most traditional diets, I wouldn’t have been able to truly embrace and experience their foods and culture.

Most of the time, I didn’t carry a purse so protein bars or snacks weren’t even that good of an option — I only carry totes which are just too big for fun. I didn’t have the time and/or resources to meal prep while traveling either. In the end, for me, dieting can really be a challenge when trying to live a regular lifestyle. It can be so inconvenient which is why many people just give up. With intermittent fasting, I don’t have to really put too much thought into what and when I’m going to eat. It really complements my lifestyle.

Meal replacement and on-the-go lifestyle

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