It's just different....

Maybe it's the fact that I've been sick. Maybe it's the fact that this cold/stomach virus/persistent headache has had me lying around a lot sleeping, dozing, and lying on the couch drinking tea with honey and watching endless episodes of Gilmore Girls (yes, I cried during the Luke & Lorelai breakup episode in season 5. If you don't, you might want to have your tear ducts examined.)

Anyhow, I've had some time to reflect, and something about this year just feels different. I don't feel like I'm always a person who has a lot of willpower. I tend to sort of start things, and get super excited about them, and then quickly lose interest when something else shiny comes along. Like card making for example. I got super interested in it a year ago because my mother in law does it, and then I quickly lost interest (there's a tiny rubbermaid bin full of rubber stamps and ink pads in my closet to prove it).

But something about this year just feels a little different. Kevin and I ended out 2011 with a mutual decision to eat healthier and get into shape. I decided I'd like to lose about 25 pounds. To be honest, I was a little worried about myself. I was worried that I would hop enthusiastically on to the eating-healthier-losing-weight bandwagon, and then promptly hop off when beckoned by my dear friends Ben & Jerry. But so far I haven't!

Maybe it's the whole foods type diet we've been sticking to. Maybe it's the fact that I've broken the carb addiction cycle, or the fact that I've entirely substituted soda with water and tea. Maybe it's the exercise I've been getting in physical therapy. Either way, I've started to notice big differences when I get on the scale in the morning, and little differences when I look in the mirror. Overall I'm just feeling motivated. I've been using an iPhone app called "LoseIt", which is really keeping me motivated. Supposedly, I'll reach my weight loss goal by the beginning of April! Hooray! And I've decided my excellent reward for my weight-loss goal will be a sweet new swimsuit. I'm not 100% sure where I'll wear it, though. We don't have a pool, or go to pools. Maybe I'll get a cute new little black dress instead. Either way, it's going really well so far!

I'll keep you posted (and by you, I mean whoever reads this....if anybody reads this besides my husband, cause he already knows all of this).

xo

Diana

Healthy Livin'

Eaten anything healthy lately? I have.

There comes a point in some people's lives when they decide enough is enough. Not to say that I ever really considered myself fat, but there did come a day not so long ago when I stepped on the scale and thought "well, it might be time to change some things".

Maybe it was just a desire to look fantastic in a swimsuit come summer. Or maybe it's the beginning of healthier eating that will really contribute to long-term health. Maybe it's the result of reading a few interesting things, and watching a few interesting things:

• "Why We Get Fat, and What To Do About It" by Gary Taubes (a great book - I'm only about halfway through, but already I'm implementing the very low-carb focused eating habits that his research highlights, and already I'm seeing results)
• "Forks over Knives" by Lee Fulkerson - a great documentary highlighting the health benefits of a whole-foods fruit and vegetables diet

So far from loading up the fridge with healthy fruits and veggies, to really stepping up my intake of dark leafy greens, cutting down (pretty much eliminating) my intake of breads, sweets...pretty much anything you would find in the aisles of your friendly neighborhood grocery store. We've been sticking to the deli section, stocking up on lean deli meats and cheeses, buying nice fresh fish, and enjoying lots of leafy green spinach, crunchy kale, sweet green, red, orange, and yellow peppers, tomatoes, and sweet green peas. 

It's interesting. I've always loved food. I've always loved cake, and pie, and cookies, and it's no mystery that I love ICE CREAM. Giving up on Ben & Jerry has been like having a friend call and leave repeated messages, and just ignoring it and trying not to notice when they keep calling. Poor guys. What will they do with all that Peanut Brittle ice cream? There might be a surplus crowding the shelves of your local grocery store. Just so all of you know...

But despite my love of food, I've been surprised with how good I've been feeling since starting to eat differently, and think differently. I've actually found myself enjoying coming up with creative ways to turn fish, red peppers, and half of an avocado into a really tasty meal (something that doesn't make me miss cheeseburgers). 

Ultimately, healthier living is the goal, but at the end of the day, the weight loss has been nice, too. I'm hoping in a few months there will be about 25-30 pounds less of me blogging on here, and I've decided to get myself a cute new swimsuit for summer if I reach my goal. One thing that's really been helping is an app that Kevin turned me on to. It's called "Lose It" and it helps you set your goals. First you enter your current weight, then you move on to outline what you want your "goal weight" to be. It will then ask you a couple questions to help ascertain what your ideal daily caloric intake will be (since I'm not super active, and spend a lot of my day at a desk, I went on the lower end of the scale). Next it tells you by what date you can expect to reach your goal weight. Ultimately I like the app because it's so easy to use, plus its interface makes it really easy to stay motivated. I like that it also sends you little encouraging emails for the little milestones you reach. So far I've lost about 5-6 pounds, and in some ways, I feel like they've been falling off. It's the incredible shrinking Diana!

I'll definitely keep anyone who reads this blog updated on my progress (or our progress, I should say! Kevin got me started on all this, and he's doing great, too! Ruby's even been switched to a higher protein lower carb diet, and thanks to some extra exercise she got at Kevin's parents house over the Thanksgiving holidays, she's looking a little leaner, too!)

xoxo

Diana

Smoooooth...

Ever had a green smoothie? No? Until recently, neither had I, and MAN I was missing out!

I thought green smoothies would be the equivalent of a mushy salad thrown in a blender. It's really not. It's delicious. It LOOKS like a salad thrown in a blender, but it TASTES delicious and fruity. Basically you're taking lots of goodness, and throwing it all together. Your mouth tastes yummy yummy fruit, but this smoothie is half-Ninja, because it sneaks healthy veggies into your tummy.

See? Cucumber. Delicious. I threw them in my smoothie with a teaspoon of fiber supplement (gotta keep things moving...I'm just sayin').

Next I like to throw in some chia seeds. They're fantastic! They're full of all kinds of good things. Don't worry, they don't taste like anything, they just add a little texture to your smoothie....

Want to add a little protein powder to it? Go ahead! Doing a cleanse? I am! I just twisted the capsules open and dumped the stuff inside into my smoothie. Go for it. You could even throw in some vitamin C powder if you're feeling crazy!

So what else did I add to mine?:

• Kale! Two big handfuls of chopped up kale. I'm starting to buy big bags of chopped up kale from the store, and keeping it in giant ziplock bags in the freezer (making sure to press all the air out) so I can just grab it and stick it in my smoothies
• cucumber (pictured above!) makes things taste fresh and summery!
• orange juice (a little liquid makes things smooth and pour-able. You could also add coconut milk, regular milk, or any other kind of juice you wanted! 
• frozen cherries (just a couple, to make things sweet, and make it taste a little less green)
• frozen peach slices (because peaches make everything taste better!)
• frozen strawberries (delicious!)
• frozen RHUBARB. I'm not kidding. It makes it YUMMY!
• more kale (because why not?)

The end result? Delish! And healthy. Grab a straw, and drink it up! If you're lucky like me, your local grocery store carries a wide variety of frozen fruits. AND if you're lucky like me, your mom gave you a stick blender for Christmas, so you can just throw all your stuff into your smoothie cup, blend it all up, and throw on the lid! Awesome.

Happy New Year!

Hello Friends!

2011 was a good year, and I'm hoping 2012 will be even better! It's hard to imagine how this year could top last. It was so full of good things. Here's a little snapshot I took of a tasty cupcake that I saved for New Year's morning for breakfast. Not a good start for my resolutions. Boo.

What are my resolutions, you ask?

1) eat better. Way better. I'm strongly considering doing some kind of low carb high veggie protein diet. Still trying to work it out
2) stop overcommitting to things. There have been years in my past where saying "yes" more has been to my benefit. I think this year, saying "no" more often will be key for me. Not saying "no" to everything. Just being more intentional about what I do.
3) read through the Bible in a year. There's so much in there that I've never read before. It's time to get into it up to my elbows!
4) do everything I possibly can to be the best possible wife to my husband, and the best possible mommy to my doggie.

Happy New Year!