Click here for the CURRENT “About” page!
Here is the “About” page when I re-launched Diva on a Diet in 2010…
I originally started this blog back in 2008. And I was actually successful at losing about 25 lbs. After trying to upgrade it in 2009, I somehow couldn’t get it to work, and there went my blogging days. Talk about “starting over” again… diet, exercise, and blog all at once! So, in 2010, I set up a new blog, but didn’t get very far… with either the blog or dieting… in fact, I gained more weight. So, here I am now, mid-2011 trying to make a real comeback!!!
I don’t even know what I had up on the old blog in my “About Me” section. (UPDATE: I somehow found the old data! Check out the original About page below, if you have a lot of time on your hands!) I am guessing my “About Me” was a long story about how I was skinny, then gained weight, then got really skinny in my mid 20′s, and the slowly over the last 10 years gained 85 lbs. (Just writing that makes me cringe!) I also managed to gain several health problems along the way. And that’s the new updated short and sweet (or shall I say dirty?) version of my dieting past!
So now, as I find myself on the downward slope to my 40′s, and seeing that my metabolism or ailments aren’t getting any better, I am trying to make a commitment to losing weight… not necessarily trying to be super skinny anymore, but just healthy again. Honesty, I don’t really even want to live forever, but while I am alive, I’d like to have some quality of life, and I am currently way off the beaten path headed for a retirement in a Hoveround! I am too cute and too much of a diva for that mess!
So, follow my trials and tribulations… see the recipes I make, see the foods I find, see the products I try, and see the progress I hopefully make. I know I am not alone either, so I am looking forward to interacting again with the healthy foodie and diet bloggers out there!
Here we have the original “About” page when Diva on a Diet was first launched back in 2008, and a few things have changed since then…
I am your lovely host, Atlanta Diva, and I am a diva on a diet! I am just your average thirty something single girl living in the big city of Atlanta. I used to be a skinny little hoochie mama, but with age, slowing metabolism and crapy genes, 80 pound of weight gradually creeped onto my body over the past 8 or so years. Over the past 2 or three years, I’ve been up and down, and on a variety of diets, but never got below 155 pounds, and always managed to gain the weight back.
So what’s this blog all about?
I know I am not the only person in the world trying to get healthy without complete depravation of tasty, satisfying foods, who also has a life and little coin in the bank! So, why not share my recipes, tips, tricks, and knowledge with the rest of the food-lovin’ health-cravin’ world? I am also kind of sassy, I like to joke around, and there are a lot of thoughts swirling around in my head on a daily basis! Moreover, I am a self-professed computer geek, and I even like to take photos. Many recipes I find don’t have a photo, or have a styled photo taken by a professional of food that is cooked by a professional. Photos on advertisements and food products are also styled. So, I’ll give you the real skinny on how a regular ol’ untrained girl will turn out the same dish whether it’s from scratch or from a box! Not only that, I am hoping you will hold me accountable to stay on my quest for better health with taste-bud satisfaction!
What’s this diva all about?
I am attempting to lose weight and get healthier, but unfortunately I love rich, creamy, fattening food and I hate to work out! And I don’t think I am alone! On top of that, I am no trained chef, and really, I am not a fantastic cook, but I am willing to learn! I am also working full time, as well as volunteering and doing odd jobs in my free time, so meals cannot be labor intensive! When I am hungry, I am hungry! Of course, every once in a while, when I have some time on the weekend, I sometimes try out a more involved recipe. I am also on the lookout for easy ways to get active without being at the gym every minute or being miserable the entire time!
What diet plan do I follow, you ask?
On October 6, 2008 I started back with Weight Watchers on the Flex Plan, in an attempt to finally loose all the weight and keep it off! I am obsessed with Weight Watchers eTools, especially the Points Tracker and Recipe Builder, and I attend in-person meetings once a week. Since I am also battling high blood pressure and cholesterol, it is recommended that I limit my salt, cholesterol, fat, saturated fat, and trans fat intake, as well as increase my fiber and omega-3 intake. On top of that, I am trying to include a certain amount of protein based on the Protein Power diet.
Picky Eater? More like eclectic eater.
I like some weird food, that the average person usually does not. (Harts of Palm and Brussels Sprouts come to mind.) On the other hand, there are foods that I flat out, absolutely cannot stand, like onions!!! It’s been a disorder of mine since birth (according to my mother). I do love the smell and flavor of sautéed onions, just not those huge pieces of onion! So, I’ve got to find a way to deal with this. I also really don’t like raw tomatoes, but I like cream of tomato soup and I’ll eat marinara sauce (albeit, not my first choice of foods). So, since I am making a whole lifestyle change, I am willing to once again try to enjoy these foods that I have once sworn off! You are now invited along for the ride!
My Dieting Past
In the past, the first time I ever attempted to lose weight in 1998, I didn’t follow any particular plan. I just ate low fat foods. I was young and didn’t have much weight to lose, so it was not difficult. A few years later, when the weight plus some came back on, my boyfriend and I tried what we thought was the Atkins diet
Atkins program online (which they no longer offer) to get more guidance. It was actually very helpful, but as well as low carbing worked for me the first time with Protein Power, it was not doing its thing this time! I found myself overeating, eating the more fattening foods, and getting bored with my food choices. Not to mention, I had elevated cholesterol, and it was not budging! In 2006, I was in my best friend’s wedding, in which I had to wear a bright fushia pink bridesmaid dress! There is no hiding in the corner! I was desperate to loose some weight, and decided to try something different. I again signed up for eDiets.com
, but this time I opted for their modified version of the Jenny Craig diet based on frozen foods you could buy at the grocery store (which, by the way, eDiets doesn’t offer any more!). Thank god, I lost 15 pounds in about 2 months! I also quit drinking alcohol entirely, but picked up smoking cigarettes again. (Clearly I was doing this for vain purposes and not for my health!) After the wedding, I had grown tired of frozen dinners, and I was back to my old habits of boozin’ it up and eating whatever I wanted! By the end of 2007, not only was my cholesterol still high, but I had developed high blood pressure. I was in my early 30’s, with a minefield of genes laden with diabetes and heart disease, and I was too young to be this unhealthy already! I had friends who found great success with Weight Watchers on the Flex-Point plan, so I attended my first weight watchers meeting in March 2008. I purchased the monthly pass, which allowed me unlimited access to meetings, and I feel in love with the online tools! In 2 months, I lost 18 pounds. (yeah!) However, life slapped me up side the head again with mounds of debt and no job! I couldn’t even afford the monthly fee, and I was eating things like cheap generic boxed macaroni and cheese and ramen noodles… Not exactly figure-friendly! So, I’ve gained about 13 lbs back. (boo!) I did however quit drinking again (minus the ciggies!). So now, I signed up for my monthly pass on October 6, 2008, and I hope this time I will make it to becoming a lifetime member!!!
Addicted to working out? I think not.
Yes, it’s true. I am completely free of addiction to working out and have been since birth! Oh how I wish I could find some joy in walking on a treadmill to nowhere or lifting heavy things repetitiously until it hurts! And who doesn’t love sweating and getting red in the face? Being a computer geek has its disadvantages… such as, not wanting to get off your fat ass! I am one of the many who has a treadmill in the house which appears to be purely decorative! I just hate working out! The one and only thing I really do like to do is dance. However, being overweight and out of shape only makes me winded just minutes into that kind of cardio! Ohh, the agony! Yet, I will have to suck it up and do as Nike does! (That’s ‘just do it,’ if you haven’t been paying attention for the last 10 or so years.) Maybe I will discover something active that I truly love! Of course, I will keep you posted.
Who says you need a bunch of cookbooks to cook?
Since I am penny pinching, I am in no position to go out and purchase a bunch of cookbooks. Since I am so computer-savvy, I can find just about anything on the internet. So if you are on a budget, don’t worry! You don’t have to buy a single cookbook! (Unless you really want to!) The recipes I use are all for free on the internet!
Now check out the new About page for the 2011 re-launch!
