Shrinking Natalie

The stories of Mischa Barton being hospitalized then committed to the psychiatric ward have been circulating around the internet for almost a week now. What's new is that according to People.com, a major contributing factor to whatever is troubling her was the scrutiny she f...

There is an interesting article in the Daily Mail today about Body Dysmorphic Disorder - when you can't see your body the way everyone else does. I would argue that everyone, to some extent, cannot see their body in a true light. But this article higlights the severe end of this disorder.

I think many of us struggle with this issue during the process to lose weight. That's why I...

We are all familiar with the scrutiny celebrities receive when they gain and lose weight. We are all probably guilty of reading these tabloid stories, and dissecting the accompanying photos. But is this obsession with celebrity weight a symptom of a larger social phenomenon known as weight discrimination - or weightism?

How do you snap yourself out of a negative mood?

It all started yesterday at work. I write grants. I received not one, not two, not three, but FOUR declinations (a fancy way of saying "no") from foundations I had sent grants.

Then the sky opened up, and unleashed holy hell on earth during my ...

I was on vacation in Maine at the end of last week for a friend's wedding. It was the first real vacation I have taken since being on the Weight Watcher program. Up until now, I just had short business trips and holidays with my parents. Well, vacation is a whole other beast, for sure. My whole schedule was shifted, not to mention that it was a wedding with old college friends, so drinking was priority numero uno on everyone's list.

I have been MIA from the blog - but with good reason! I ran my Half Marathon this past weekend, and while I did not make my stretch goal of 2 hours 15 minutes, I beat my initial goal of 2 hours and 24 minutes. I crossed the finish line (barely) in 2 hours 21 minutes!!!!

The race was much harder than I expected for several reasons. The course was extremely hilly. And it was a sli...

I am posting from my hotel room in New Orleans tonight. I have been here since Sunday for a work conference - hence my lack of posts.

And let me tell you - there is definitely a reason they call it the BIG Easy. Isn't it funny how life challenges you sometimes? I hit goal last week, and in my first week of maintenance I am thrown into a situation where I have little to no contro...

I have been kind of blue lately for several reasons. First and foremost, my husband has been traveling a lot for work. By a lot, I mean he was gone March 2nd-6th, then the 9th-12th, and now the 18th-20th. I am not one of those women who needs their husbands around 24-7; most of the time I enjoy his short business trips because it allows me to squeeze in some more exercise, run errands at night, and get some chores done so we can spend more time together on the week...

I have to remind myself that I am a size 6, and that means I am not fat. Why? Because everytime I look in the mirror all I see is my bubbly tummy. I mused out loud to my husband this weekend that maybe I need to lower my weight goal to 130 to get rid of my tummy. He proceeded to inform me that I was insane, and I am not allowed to go any lower. His belief is I should tone it up if I am unhappy, but I am at a healthy weight and I need to learn to maintain.

Sometimes the cravings, emotional rollercoaster, and intense workouts associated with weight loss are the easy part.  The hard part can be interacting with everyone around you. You have shifted your paradigm for life, and this in turn affects your relationships. And sometimes people just don't get it.

For a spot-on, funny take on this experience visit:

I gained 0.2 lbs this week and I am actually "ok" with this. Why? Because I was on-plan, as they say in Weight Watchers, all week. I tracked everything and ate healthy. Why did I gain then? Well, its only been 5 days, instead of 7 days, since my last weigh-in because of the holidays. Also, I did less cardio this week and more strength training. I need to tone up my body now that I am getting smaller, but this also might slow or stall my weight loss for awhile.

I haven't posted in awhile because I am still in Michigan at my in-laws. We have had a family emergency that has neccessitated us statying here until next week.

I am trying really hard to stay on-track, but its difficult with so much temptation food lying around and little room for exercise (its a full house here).

My husband and I made it home to Michigan in fairly good time (driving) on Saturday. We are here until next Saturday, then we are on to PIttsburgh to visit friends for a few days, then back home. As soon as we arrived at my in-laws, my wonderful mother-in-law showed me the healthy food she had, then had me make a list of additional stuff I would need and took me up to the grocery store. I really love her for being so supportive!

Well, at week 30 I was down 2.4 lbs for a total of 57.2 lbs. Just in time for Christmas, I broke into the 150s (159 lbs to be exact).  My BMI also dropped another point to 27! This is a great weigh-in that will help propel me through the tough holiday times.

And tough they will be. Our travel plans have changed because of a family emergency, and the husband & I will be leaving for Michigan tomorrow instead of Tuesda...

• Preparation: Planning your meals ahead of time
• Motivation: Staying focused and staying on plan, as we like to say

• A Smart One Breakfast Sandwich & Banana
• Subway Turkey Sub & ...