Natalie Moxey had gained a lot of weight while she was pregnant and was never able to lose it. He and her husband ate take-out food many nights out of the week, so much so that their favorite Indian restaurant even sent them a Christmas card! That was the final straw for her.
“It is quite a scary thing to think you order enough food from a take-away company that they send a Christmas card,” Natalie said. Natalie had always struggled with obesity, and at her heaviest she weighed 261 pounds. She knew that her eating habits were really bad, but she would just make excuses of why she would eat so poorly.
“During the day, I wasn’t that bad, but at night, I’d come home and just sit and eat,” Natalie said. “It was never just a takeaway either – it’d be followed by ice cream, or chocolate, or popcorn. I’d snack constantly and blame it on being tired.”
But it was time for a change, so Natalie made the first change and gave up greasy take-out food and replaced it with fresh, home-cooked meals. It was hard for Natalie to exercise because of her weight, but the more weight she lost, the easier it became! She was able to go from taking short walks to eventually running marathons! Because of all this hard work, Natalie was able to lose almost 100 pounds in just 2 years! So, what are her secrets to success? This is what she says:
1. Take pictures. Throughout her weight-loss journey, Natalie took photos so she could visually track her progress. Even when they were unflattering, the old photos served as a visual reminder of how far she’d come. “It is an amazing motivation to push yourself to keep going,” she said.
2. Enjoy your food. Many dieters, including herself, think they have to give up their favorite foods like pasta, pizza and all the other good things in life. But they don’t; they just have to use a little will power and learn to control their portions. “It is just no way to live to basically be living with your stomach rumbling,” she said.
3. Reward yourself for meeting goals. When you’ve lost the 5 or 10 lb. goal you set for the month, and you can fit into those size 10 pants that you haven’t been able to wear since college (but held onto anyway), go celebrate. Celebrate again at each milestone you set for yourself. “If you do hit these mini goals, go and buy yourself new dress or go out to the cinema to celebrate,” Natalie advised. “You have to be kind to yourself or you just won’t get there.”
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