I'm Nadine, a 23 year old fat girl on the journey to a healthier lifestyle (and a hot body) through diet, and exercise. I am a recent-ish college graduate residing in Minneapolis, with a passion for fitness, food, and drinking. Unfortunately it's proven rather difficult to lose weight while binge drinking and eating, but I will never give up trying!
This blog serves as an outlet for me to rant and rave about the frustrations of losing weight, divulge tips that I have picked up along the way, and share all of those little aha moments that take place on my journey to a hot bod.
I have spent most of my life denying my size and justifying my unhealthy behaviors. Almost every photo that had been taken of me in the last 4 years was just taken at a bad angle. I didn't really have a double chin, I was just tilting my head the wrong way. Yeah, that is what we call a major case of denial.
Here is one of those bad pictures of me. I was not obese, just sitting in a way that exposed all of my fat...
I had an excuse for everything, including my eating. I was always thinking about food, except when I was actually eating it. I was very good at mindlessly and carelessly shoving heaps of food into my mouth without feeling regret or remorse. I justified this behavior because all of my friends were eating this way. If they could eat a whole frozen pizza covered in ranch, I could too! If I studied hard and aced an exam, I earned the right to eat a plate full of deep fried tater tots and a mug full of beer. But let's face it, if I didn't study hard and failed an exam, I still ate that plate of tater tots.
Once I graduated college I got a job, and moved out of my typical college (frat like, 6 random roommates, rodent/mold infested, Hell hole) house and in to a real, grown-up apartment. I no longer had school as an excuse not to work out. I was no longer too busy, I had plenty of time to fit a work out into my schedule. So after 2 months of thinking "tomorrow I will get a gym membership," I finally saw a picture of myself that gave me
I saw this picture and I finally had my aha moment. It was like everything that I had been ignoring finally snapped into place. The denial was gone. The justifications were gone. I was finally struck with the clarity that I needed to change my life. I was obese and I was ready to face the music.
My aha moment took place on October 31st, 2011 and that day I went to my local YWCA, got a membership and vowed to clean up my eating.
To this day I struggle with my unhealthy obsession with food. Some days I eat flawlessly and I feel very in control of my eating. Other days I fall off the wagon, binge, gorge, and shovel in all the junk food that I can find. But the difference now is that when I have a bad day, I wake up the next morning, wipe the slate clean and start over. I do not keep binge eating for a week straight. I have finally broken the unhealthy eating pattern that once used to consume my life.
Two weeks after I joined the YWCA I finally decided to step onto a scale. And the number I saw almost crippled me with shame and remorse. I was starring at a number so high that I am still in disbelief. I was 246 pounds. Two hundred and forty-six pounds. That's 4 pounds away from 250. What? How did I ever allow that to happen?
I strongly debated whether or not to share this number on my blog. No one ever wants to admit to being that big, but it's been over a year and I am positive that I am never going to be that heavy ever again. I have moved past that number, I am no longer defined by that number and I now use that number to keep me motivated every single day.
Oh what a difference a year of hard work and dedication can make.
October 31, 2011: 246lbs
October 31, 2012: 192lbs
I have tried a lot of methods in trying to clean up my eating. I first just 'watched' what I was eating, and that did not work. Go figure. What I was perceiving to be a tablespoon and what is actually a tablespoon was very different. Then I counted calories, allowing myself between 1200-1300 but I always felt deprived, and I found myself avoiding fruit that had calories, like bananas. Out of frustration I tried Weight Watchers in April 2012, and that was the best decision I have made thus far. WW is a manageable, life-changing program, that really works for me.
As far as fitness, I mostly attend classes. Going to a fitness class is just a better option for me. Cardio and weight lifting classes motivate me and push me harder than I tend to push myself. Here is a rundown of what my week usually looks like:
Mondays: HIIT (high intensity interval training) & Circuit (90 second intervals between cardio and weights)
Tuesdays: Cardio Kick
Wednesdays: Step class & Chisel class (weight lifting)
Thursdays: I attempt to run, but if I fail, the elliptical machine
Fridays: Either Body Pump or I take the day off
Saturdays: If I am not hungover, a Step class & Body Pump (weightlifting)
Sundays: If I am hungover, I stay home. If not, I try running.
So there you have it. My diet and fitness life in a nut shell. And if you have actually made it this far in reading about me, and still want to read more about my life while I was fat (because why wouldn't you), here are some additional posts:
And here is a more current before/after picture:
Holiday Party 2011: 240lbs
Holiday Party 2012: 187lbs
Hi, Nadine...I am Nadine too :) Not too often I run into someone with the same name so I have to follow you! Congrats on all your weight loss thus far. I too am trying to slim down...ugh!
ReplyDeleteI have actually never met someone with the name Nadine!
DeleteWeight loss is probably one of the hardest things that I have ever struggled with, so I love getting to connect with someone else who knows how hard those struggles can be!