Heavy does not mean hopeless: My fitness journey

                                      
   
     Girls(and even guys), we are beautiful no matter what our size. Today, I'm focusing in on all my curvy beauts. 

     
    One thing people get totally wrong is associating size with health. Just because you are on the slimmer side does not mean that you are healthy. There are those who eat nothing but junk foods and have a killer metabolism; which turns everything into energy and forgets that fat exists, but, that's a heart attack waiting to happen. Being on the pleasantly plump side of things does not connotate with unhealthiness. Some people are naturally curvaceous and have extra meat on their bones, which is perfectly fine, it's just more of you to love! I know personally, I probably eat less than half of what the slimmer females around me do and I'm still not model potential, which by the way, I'm perfectly fine with. I don't drink soda at all, no juice, no bread, I don't like meat, we don't have snacks, candy or sugary foods in the house and it's pretty much always been like that. "Then why are you not a size 0?" You may ask? Because for a long time, my metabolism decided to go on a vacation, but with constant activity over the summer I've managed to rev it up and lose 30 pounds, but I'll get into weight loss a little bit later. 

Here's a little bit about my journey in accepting my body:

    
    Let me start this out by saying that I am going to be completely honest with you, in minimal detail, in the next few paragraphs. I am in no way looking for your pity, your attention, sympathy or opinions. I am here to share my experiences with others, in order to let them know that they are not alone and that if I could learn to love myself, so can they. With that being said, here we go:  
    I've always been heavier and taller than the majority, until I hit high school. To be quite honest, when I look back, I really was not that heavy, but I was told constantly that I needed to lose weight from my family, my doctor, strangers and people at school, in not some of the nicest ways, which really didn't help the cause. In middle school I was about 120-130 pounds, while everyone else was about 90 but you have to take in consideration that I was about 5 inches taller than everyone else. I was also an emotional eater and had to deal with a lot back then, not just pertaining to weight (which I'll address in posts to come) up until the beginning of junior year. I've been called every name in the book, by "friends", strangers and even family. Last year, I was immensely stressed out, causing me to gain 30 pounds in about 5 months which is a very short amount of time to gain that much weight. I was unhappy with myself, overweight and full of absolutely no energy. Very rarely could the people around me detect the changes in my mood and behavior, I try not to let my problems hinder other people, but the people who lived with me noticed the drastic change. I was sporting a beer belly without the beer, sleeping way too much, highly irritable and highly unmotivated. I had always been on the heavier side but never had it actually affected my health until then. Little did I know, gaining that much weight in such a short amount of time was actually pretty dangerous. That was when i woke up and my metabolism floated on back from the deep jungles of Africa or wherever it was. That's when I started pushing myself to go to the gym, (which drastically improved my mood), changed my eating habits (primarily the fact that id come home, sleep all day and then eat all night)and changed my attitude towards myself and overall outlook on life. I stopped caring what everyone else thought of me and developed my own opinion. I started looking in the mirror more and giving myself complements. I went from "no one will ever love me" to "well maybe some day" to "you know what, I'm pretty cute" to " I love myself. I am beautiful and if my body is a barrier between me, and someone's ability to love me, then they were not for me in the first place. If someone can love me now they can love me later, at my best." I became genuinely happy when i stopped trying to please people and figured out what I wanted for myself,and took steps to attain that. 
So far, I've lost 30 pounds and I've taken a slight break from living at the gym because school occupies 99% of my time, but I'm still making sure I maintain my current weight until the summer, when I can focus in on working out again. I am again healthy now,and I'm still not a size zero. Quite frankly, nothing is wrong with being a size 0 but I don't think I ever want to nor will ever be. I'm naturally curvy and I LOVE IT. Yes, I am still choosing to lose more weight, but I'm still happy with who I am. I always say "I'm going to love the 'fat' until I can love the fit." What's the point in hating yourself? That's not going to change the way you look. However, loving yourself changes your perception of yourself, physically and mentally. Love yourself as you are now and work hard and keep loving yourself until you reach your preferred size. Someone once asked me, "What's the formula to happiness" and I replied with "A relationship with God, determination, positivity, confidence/Knowing your Self-worth and Doing what you love."

    If you're curvy and healthy, don't feel pressured to lose weight to fit the "norm", normal is boring. If dropping a couple pounds is what will make YOU happy, then by all means, go for it! I'll be right here cheering you on, every step of the way. If you need to lose weight for health reasons, don't view it as something forced and impossible, see it as a journey towards a new and improved you! Also, don't babysit the scale; It's a marathon, not a race. Even pound a week is still progress! Sometimes your body tones before it actually loses the weight, giving the illusion that you lost weight, but that's okay, at least you're seeing and feeling the change so you know all that sweat and sore muscles are worth it! I promise you, being sore is the best pain there is, it's the pain of champions.

    Your weight is just a number, your health is what matters. Someone who is 5'2" and 130 pounds will look drastically different than someone who is 5'8" and the same weight. Your weight does not determined your worth, happiness, beauty, success or how loveable you are. You and only you detriment those things. Beauty starts on the inside and works its way out. If you love yourself, people will catch on to that and will start loving you just the way you are; there is Nothing more beautiful than confidence and humbleness. 

" You've always been beautiful, now you're just choosing to be better, faster, fitter and stronger. Remember that."

~ Nathia

How to submit

                                   

    Hey guys! I want this blog to be as much yours as it is mine, therefore, I encourage you to send me questions, topic suggestions and your testimonies/stories of anything that you have encountered that as impacted you/your views in a  certain way. Let us share the Goodness of God with the world. 

Real-life story submissions:

    Stories do not need to be "dead-pan" serious, of course you can add humor to your experiences, I mean, laughter is the best way to move past a situation; by making light out of it. However, stories must not be fictional. They can range from anything like dealing with relationships issues, encounters with discrimination, stereotypes, body image, ANYTHING really, anything you can think of that has impacted you/ your views in any way, that you want to share. It is certainly not limited to what I mentioned above, those were just examples. All stories will remain anonymous. The point in these stories are to;

A: express yourself 

and 

B: show others that they are not alone when it comes to experiences,ways of thinking, etc. 

C: Share what God has done and or is doing in your life!

    Comments are allowed below the posts, in which others can reply to these stories, respectfully expressing opinions, advice, and or just letting the writer know that they too have experienced the same thing.

This is a completely judge-free zone in which anyone and everyone is prompted to feel free to be free.

 Question submissions: 

Questions are for people seeking advice or my views on a certain topic. When submitting a question, you also can send a topic suggestion which will be added to the following weeks poll (polls will start again back shortly). Questions can also be submitted anonymously.  

How to submit:

Stories, questions and or topic suggestions can be sent to: asknathia@gmail.com 

(Please, put "natvice" in the "subject" bar so I know to get to it right away.)

Questions and topic suggestions only can be sent to: http://www.ask.fm/natvice (not all questions asked will be featured on the blog).

Thanks so much, I can't wait to hear from you guys!

xo,

- Nathia

Universikillme

    Every time someone asks me what I want to major in, in college, my eyes automatically roll into the back of my head and down the street. Then I reply with some basic, rehearsed answer of "business" or "writing" when honestly, I have not the slightest clue what I want to do and I'm sort of running out of time. 

This one is for all of you who want to drop-kick the next person who asks you about university; I feel your pain.

  With all of the college letters, pamphlets, SAT tests and the new "Guide to the Best Colleges", 3-foot-thick book my mother moseyd on down to Barnes and Nobles and decided to gift me with today, being shoved down my throat, I can easily say, any talk of college feels like a fat lady siting on my chest; it's suffocating me. The fact that the world expects me... expects us, to figure out what we want to do with the rest of our lives at such a young age, when we can barely decide what we want for lunch sometimes, is absolutely ridiculous. I have only one college in mind and it's annual tuition is about the same price as a down payment on a house. We're so young and so unexposed to the world; even the most experienced of us have still yet to have found ourselves which then leads to constant changing of majors, prolonged time to attain your degree and a crap load of loans to pay off.

   Here are a few tips for when it comes to picking your major and dealing with the stress of "college talk":

- Do what you love. 

Remember, this is what you are going to be doing for the rest of your life so make sure it makes you happy. You only have one life to live and I'm sure you don't want to spend it waking up every morning, dreading another day. When pursuing a career where you're doing what you love, you are never truly working.

- Decipher between your passions and your hobbies.

This is crucial, there are many things we are good at but we need to be able to spot out the main things we are great at and develop them into something extraordinary. 

- Don't let other peoples discouragement dictate your career path.

I personally, am a very artsy person, I play piano, guitar, I write, draw, sing, compose etc. There is the stereotype that few artists ever make it and it's a waste of a major,  but I won't let it stop me. Someone has to do the job, right? So with a little hard work, that someone will be me; that someone will be you. If you do what you love, you'll work hard at it and meet nothing but success along the way.

- Go after your dreams but be rational.

Yes, you may have a love for music but if every time you open your mouth to sing, a sound that resembles that of a dying cat emerges, your occupation should not be to be the next Beyonce. Instead try doing something behind the scenes like directing, producing or composing. Apply this theory to whatever it is you would like to major in, music was just an example. 

- Visit potential colleges. 

Ask lots of questions, peruse around, explore the area, watch the people and how they interact. Leave with a good feel of the atmosphere in which you may be spending the next few years. 

- Let people know when they're coming on too strong.

It gets really overwhelming when people are constantly asking you about your future. Keep conversations short and sweet and if they persist to ask questions, politely change the topic to something less stressful.

- Take a mental vacation.

Make sure you give yourself some time to rest, not think or worry about anything and simply let your mind relax. A clear mind is a happy mind and makes more room for you to plan your way to success.

     Often times I find myself getting caught up in in future as weird as it sounds. It's a bad habit and doesn't really do much but add stress; that's when I take a breath and remind myself that everything is in God's hands and nobody has better plans for me than him. Everything is taken care of, I just need to let him do his work and carry out his plan instead of trying to figure it out myself.   Don't worry too much, all that is, is added burdens. Work hard and do what you love and I promise you, it'll all be absolutely fabulous.

Cheers to the successful future.

~ Nathia

Meet the blogger

Natvice Vow: I am here for whatever type of advice you need big or small, I answer them ALL. I will be the attentive ear when it seems like no one else is listening. This is a COMPLETELY judge free zone in which you are free to express yourself. All genders, ages, body types, races etc. are welcomed and accepted. Thanks for sharing. FEEL FREE TO BE FREE, MY LOVES.

    Well, I would start this out with a catchy slogan or a pet name for my readers but... I've got nothing so we'll work on that later. Welcome to Natvice! This blog is actually a "spinoff" of my tumblr blog, also named natvice which you are welcome to check out here: http://www.natvice.tumblr.com 

My original Natvice blog was intended to reach out to individuals struggling with depression, eating disorders, self harm, OCD, relationship and any other issues. On that blog my followers are prompted to contact me for any advice or just scroll through the uplifting posts. This blog however, Is much more faith-based and full of storytelling. Here, i will be sharing my own thoughts, experiences, creating documentaries and much more; overall, my goal is to share the love of God through example and make his goodness known while helping others get through their struggles. I guess you can say this this can also serve as a day to day survival blog where you all can submit your personal testimonies, experiences and so on as well, I want this blog to be as much yours as it is mine! I'll get to how you can submit a bit later. I will however, continue to touch upon the sensitive topics as listed above. I am convinced that God has placed me on this earth in order to make the lives of others easier, sharing my faith and experiences in order to place hope in the hearts of those who are struggling, to carry on.  I'll be posting my views and advice on various topics, doing giveaways and much more so stay tuned! 
     So a little about me: my name is Nathia (nuh-thee-uh). I felt compelled to put the pronunciation because my name is always being butchered; a substitute once called me nacho... Don't ask. I am a proud Christian, my faith is ultimately what shapes me, keeps me going and made me who i am today. Without God, I would be absolutely lost. *shoutout to all my Jesus freaks woot woot*. I'm 17 and I live in the suburbs were the most entertainment you'll find is the mall and everyone looks the same... Or at least strives to. That's where I ran into problems. I've always been an odd kid, quiet as a mouse, overgrown, quickly developed and my metabolism kind of decided to take a 15 year vacation until I finally decided to hit the gym a year ago.. But that's another story. I've never looked like everyone else, never thought like everyone else and never actually found someone I could really connect with until I hit high school, stopped worrying about what other people thought, and joined the volleyball team where I found out they're actually girls over 5'2". I'm 5'8" by the way. A lot of my experiences as a kid, caused me to grow up pretty fast, I guess you can say I'm a 17 year old with the mind of a 250 year old; I'm an old soul. I'm pretty artsy and probably the most disorganized, organized person you'll ever meet. 
     I've been told I give pretty good advice which is one thing that inspired me to create my advice blogs (hence the name natvice: nathia+advice = natvice, pretty innovative huh?) I have a passion for helping people and feel like it's my duty to do so, whether or not I know the person personally, I'm always here for anyone who needs it and I'm not too sure many people understand how genuinely I mean that. I try my best to keep people from making the same mistakes I have and making sure people know that they don't have to go through anything alone because I guess that's what I wish I had when I was younger. I hope you guys get to know not only me but yourselves and most of all, your creator, the Lord, God Almighty, better through this blog and how it is actually not me, but him helping you, though me. *holds up invisible champagne glass full of sparkling  water because I'm underage and we follow the rules over here* 

So this one is for all the outcasts. All the souls still searching, all the hopeless romantics, all the healing hearts, the ones misunderstood and all the lonely birds out there. This one is for all of us. 

To all of us.

~Nathia