Tuesday, April 6, 2010

35 is the New Awesome!!

Yesterday was my 35th birthday.  I typically coordinate my own birthday party (totally the way to go - you are guaranteed to get to do exactly what you want!!), and have named it "Drunken Dancing".  I started that tradition on my 29th birthday, and have had one each year.  With the numerous changes being made in this life of mine, I didn't think an all-out drunken mess of a night was what I wanted to do this year.  Instead, my friends asked what I wanted to do - and I had only one thing in mind: go out for dinner at Carbone's.  I have had Carbone's on the brain since the potato-chip-in-four-bites session at FC.  During that class, we had to visualize eating our favorite food - and mine was Carbone's pizza.  I hadn't had pizza in 6+ weeks.  That may not seem like much to many of you, but let me assure you - it is an amazing record for me, and by about 5 weeks!  I ate my pizza with non-stop permagrin.  My friends, sisters and parents were kind enough to join me.  Eating pizza while enjoying the NCAA national championship game (OMG - that game was amazing!) = a great birthday!

I am certain the people at FC, or anyone else that has been educated in helping people lose weight, would tell you that using food as a reward or focusing on food as the major part of a celebration is not what you should do.  I understand that I shouldn't.  I also feel like the number of the times where food is the focus for me has decreased drastically!  I haven't gone completely off the wagon since starting FC.  I have made, what I believe to be, very controlled choices with food - even when out to eat.  I wanted pizza for my birthday.  I adjusted my food intake for the day to allow a little extra wiggle room (I am certain it probably wasn't enough to completely make up for the pizza I ate - but I made an effort.).  One of the ladies at the DFC said that changing one thing you would normally do, is progress.  I did that, and to me - that makes it OK.  And the shocker?  I didn't wake up thinking "well - I went off the program last night, so I might as well have another blow-out for breakfast!  If I am going to blow it, it might as well all be at the same time!" - which is typically what I have done in the past.  One bad meal turned into 2, and two turned into 10, and that turned into 2 years of sitting around, and eating like crap. 

It seems completely bizarre to me that my outlook on things, the way my brain processes my options, the way I respond to situations, can change so much in 6 weeks - but they have all changed!  And I am shocked each time I look at a situation, and am able to make better decisions.  It is so unlike me!  Or, rather, it is so unlike the old me.  I'll have to work on coming up with a name for my former personality (my self-destructive personality)! =)  

 I had another shocker yesterday at the gym.  I went to do some stretching after my weight session with Stephanie, and decided to give sitting cross-legged (I think we used to refer to it as "Indian Style" when I was younger - but I am guessing that has gone away with the dawn of the PC revolution?) like the lady at the left (without the black belt in Karate) - and I could do it!!!  I know I was in fat pants (sweat pants) - so I am not sure I could do it in unforgiving/restrictive jeans, but I DID IT!!  Sitting that way kind of hurt my knees a bit - but it was worth it!!  I haven't been able to do that in..... like a hundred years?!?!  I know it is completely impossible to understand if you have never been so big you couldn't do these things - but each time I can do something new I want to do a victory dance (shout out to everyone who has had to witness that before)!


All-in-all, it was a great birthday!  35 is the new awesome, and it is off to a great start.  Thank you everyone who helped me celebrate!

Do you have any name ideas for my previous personality?  I think it would be nice if she had a name.

7 comments:

  1. This will be tough. It's hard to come up with an old name, because we loved the old Natalie too. But this new one is so inspiring!!!! I'll try and think on the subject.

    Shout out to sitting cross-legged! Hip Hip hooray!

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  2. I like the "old" Natalie too..how about we just come up with a new nickname...

    something like Sensational and Natalie

    Sensatalie!

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  3. Hmmm..I really lovethe Old Natalie too..how about a a name for the new and improved Natalie..

    Something like Sensational+Natalie=Sensatalie!

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  4. Love to hear about the "Cross Legged" sitting. I can understand(I also have a few years on you). Keep up the good work!!! :)

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  5. congrats on your mucho progress!!
    a vote here for Schmatalie! that is both hilarious and apt. i want a dramatic life change now, just so i can start using Schmarcie as a nickname for my former self :)

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  6. Well, just yesterday, Jorey's classroom was asked to name their new fish. Jorey, my creative little adventurer, chose the name Squiggles and it won...but Brianna chose the name sassypants and it made me laugh out loud. I thought our family was the only one that used that. So, I love Sensatalie, but also love Sassypants...ha. You know, mine is Emily and luckily she's stayed a closet personality for a while, but she's still there...just waiting for a great drunken adventure to go too far. You don't need a name for your former self. You're still Natalie, but with a lot of bells and whistles you didn't have before - like an souped-up version. So, maybe you could be Natalie LTD or Natalie2.

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