hi, friends!
grab a cup of coffee & sit with me for a bit. i want to share an update on my weight loss journey with you!
earlier this year, when my grandpa passed away, i felt a sudden shift in my habits & in my thinking. my grandpa lived life to the fullest & up until his diagnosis, he lived an incredibly healthy life. for the first time, after his death, i was struck with just how short our lives truly are & the weight of our every day choices. it was during this time that i recognized a great need to make a big, lasting change.
last year i shared my whole30 journey & my 20 lb. weight loss {you can read my blog post here}. i was able to maintain this weight loss up until october, just before the holiday season when bread & dairy became too great a temptation, but then throughout the months, i gained it all back.
i absolutely loved how i felt on whole30, but it was not a sustainable lifestyle for our family. during our european travels this summer, we discovered just how much we truly enjoy the culture of good bread & fine cheeses. after our return from europe, luke began baking artisanal bread & i knew this would soon become part of our family’s food culture.
throughout the summer months once we returned from our travels, i started recording my meals & calorie intake on the app, my fitness pal. i ate in moderation, not eliminating any food group entirely, & chose my indulgences carefully. i also continued to exercise 4-5 times per week. slowly, the weight began to come off once again.
inspired by our european travels, i picked up the book, french women don’t get fat, & read it cover to cover. this book helped me seek out the balance of eating well & living well.
dear ones, if i am being completely honest, weight loss is by far the most challenging area of my life. i use food as a way to cope when life gets busy or i am unable to control my surroundings.
each day is an opportunity for growth, but i am thankful to share that i have lost 23 lb. i have also joined the weight watchers program & attend their weekly meetings for support. i have about 17 more pounds to lose before i feel like i have met my first goal.
like i’ve shared, this story is not finished. it’s full of ups & downs, valleys & hills. it’s a well-worn path full of wrong turns & it’s by far the most challenging journey i’ve experienced yet. i’ll continue sharing bits of my weight loss journey on instagram at #nataliegetsfit if you’d like to follow along!
i’d love to know how you’re making your health a priority right now. please share your weight loss journey or any healthy habits in the comments below!
thank you so much for reading. i hope this serves as a bit of encouragement to you & a reminder that you are indeed not alone. xo.
love,
natalie
if you’ve been around here for just a bit, you know i am a gift giver. i love surprising friends, family & neighbors with little gifts throughout the year. so naturally, christmas is one of my favorite times to love on others with a thoughtful gift or two!
more than the act of gifting a present, i love wrapping it. every christmas i turn on holiday tunes, make a warm mug of hot cocoa & wrap my gifts at the kitchen table. this year i thought it might be fun to take advantage of my love for wrapping & pull together a cute wrapping station for my home studio.
today i thought it would be fun to share a little peek inside my wrapping station!
i always snatch up wooden crates when i find them for $5 or less while shopping second-hand. they’re perfect for organizing & extra storage.
i gathered all of my supplies & placed them in each hole of the crate. i used small mason jars & bins for extra organization.
supplies include: scissors, tape, twine, ribbons, mini trees, candy canes, pens, tags, gift bags & cards.
you can pick up most of these supplies from target, hobby lobby, walmart or etsy.
{my custom gift tags & golden scissors are from shindig paperie. the greeting cards are designed by pen + paint & gingiber.}
i also have a small galvanized bucket full of wrapping paper. i love tj maxx’s inexpensive selection of wraps!
i gathered my crate of supplies & bucket of wraps & placed them in a little corner of my studio. as i purchase gifts, i wrap them at my cute & simple station. it makes wrapping presents so much easier & more enjoyable!
do you have a wrapping station? please share!
love,
natalie
p.s. happy cyber monday! you can still take advantage of my holiday weekend sale with code “HOLIDAY20” at checkout (purchases must be $10 or more)! you can shop HERE.
y’all the natalie creates shop weekend sale starts THIS morning!
more than anything, my hope is that our shop sales make purchasing small & handmade possible for your budgets this year.
thanks so much & HAPPY FRIDAY!
love,
natalie