8 Weeks to Veganism??

I've been contemplating this choice for a year or so now. I feel like I'm constantly battling myself when it comes to my health and eating habits. I have found that the only diets that actually produce results are highly restrictive ones, but the problem is, I can't maintain them. I'll stay on the diet for a few weeks before I get really bored and binge eat on ALLLLL the junk food. I feel like a TOTAL lifestyle change WITH a healthy restriction may work for me.

Soo..... I'm going to try to transition into a vegetarian then a vegan diet in 8 weeks!! I'm not going to beat myself up if I'm not a perfect little vegan at the end of the 8 weeks, but I'm hoping this will be the push I need to get my health and eating problems on track. Each week I will shoot for a new goal and at the end of the 2 months, I will evaluate and adjust anything that became an issue on my journey.

Week 1: Eat remaining meat products in my home while NOT buying any new meat, dairy, or egg products. 
Week 2: Cut out direct milk and cheese. 
Week 3: Eat 1/2 plate of vegetables at every meal.
Week 4: Cut out all meat.
Week 5: Cut out hidden dairy and egg in processed/packaged food. 
Week 6: Create a go-to cookbook with vegetarian/vegan meals, snacks, and desserts.
Week 7: Swap out beauty and household items with natural alternatives. 
Week 8: Evaluate progress and success. Fix any problem areas. 

*Can "cheat" for holidays only
*Must drink at least 3 bottles of water daily
*Walk at least 1 mile a day

I will update you guys with my progress on December 1st which will be the halfway mark. Let's hope things go well and this is something I can actually stick too. CROSSING MY FINGERS!!

My Health & Fitness Tricks

So, we are all almost 1 WHOLE ass month into the new year!!! Time is just ticking away and I have made very little progress on my new year resolutions. I haven't completely dropped them but I can't say I've been doing my best. Last year I did lose 12 pounds in 3 weeks and managed to keep it off until now. Although that's not some spectacular number or anything, I do feel like in general I have learned to make better health and fitness choices and would like to share them with you all. 

These are all tips and tricks I used to shed some pounds and plan to continue using so that I can reach my goal weight by the end of this year. You are more than welcome to take and tailor any of these tips to help you reach your goals. 

Where To Start?

Before I truly started my health and fitness transformation I was eating junk food every single day and eating fast food about 3 times a week. I was INSANEEEEE and my body was definitely showing that I wasn't eating how I should. One day I was like, "enough is enough, let me write down everything I ate today." OMG I almost had an heart attack. Because I was so use to eating unhealthily I didn't realize how bad I had actually gotten. 

Tip #1: Write it down!!

• Write down everything you have eaten in the last 2-3 days and see what your true habits are. If you are eating nothing but junk this will be a wake up call for you. If you eat mostly healthy food then you can ignore this tip. 
• Once you have written down your pre-dieting eating habits.. for about a month keep a food diary. You will be less likely to eat that extra slice of pizza if you know you will have to write it down in cold ink at the end of the day. 

Tip #2: Set Your Rules

• Think of 3-5 daily rules that you truly think you can follow 
• Some of my rules include:
• Must eat 2 servings of fruit and 2 servings of vegetables a day
• Must exercise for 30 minutes everyday 
• No fast food or sodas
• Must drink 8 glasses of water a day
• Must eat 3 balances meals a day and 2 snacks

Tip #3: Create a Reward System

• Choose some sort of reward or incentive that is personal to you 
• Now create your system that lets you track how close you are to getting your reward
• I use the point system. Every month I set a goal number usually between 65-80. Everyday I rate myself 1-3 based on if I followed my daily rules I listed above. If I didn't break any of my rules then I get a 3. If I broke only 1 rule I get a 2. If I broke more than 1 rule then I get a 1. At the end of the month I add up all my points. If I reached my goal then I reward myself. If not then I can see where I messed up and try harder the next month. 

Tip #4: Create a Fitness Plan

• Do your research and learn about different exercises that target the areas you'd like to improve
• Make sure you are working out 30-60 mins a day
• Do 70% cardio and 30% resistance training if you want fat loss
• Do 70% resistance training and 30% cardio if you just want to tone
• Make it fun!! Every week experiment with different workouts such as dancing, bike riding, etc until you find what you like best. 

Tip #5: Use Social Media to Your Advantage

• There are sooooo many social networks that provide FREE health and fitness tips to keep you motivated and inspired... USE THEM!!
• Find 3 healthy lifestyle accounts to follow on every social network you use

Tip #6: Track Your Progress

• Write down your starting weigh and body measurements
• Take pictures of the healthy recipes and dishes you try that you love
• Take pictures of yourself throughout your heath journey

Bonus!!

• Always carry around a water bottle and baggie of healthy snacks to keep munching on junk food at bay
• Start a support group with your friends & family, place bets, and do daily or weekly check-ins to motivate everyone to stay on track
• Check out these charts for food prep, portion size, and everything else healthy that are cute and easy to follow. 24 Diagrams to Help You Eat Healthier

I hope this helps everyone trying to make 2015 count. Love you all!!

XOXO

Dianna 

2015 New Year's Resolutions!!!

First I'd like to say.... HAPPY NEW YEARRRR!!! I wish nothing but happiness, love, peace, and prosperity to everyone!!

OMG this year flew by! I can't even tell you where it went. Last week I looked at my 2014 Resolutions and was surprised to see that I completed all of them except 2. Woot woot!! I seriously think that's a first lol. Of course I have to make a new list for 2015 but I'm going to try not to be cliche. I have a few that have carried over from previous years but I really want 2015 to be my "Grown Woman" year if that makes sense. This year I plan to do EVERYTHING I've been too scared and/or lazy to do baby! LET'S GET IT!

~My 2015 Resolutions~

Start a Hobby That Profits

This year I really want to start/maintain a hobby that I can profit from. I think people should always have more than one source of income especially if you are in that area in your life where you are trying to become more independent. Plus I think it will be fun to be occupied with something else other than work or school. 

Be Healthier & Stick to a Workout Schedule

I'm officially down 12 pounds. Not much but it is progress. I noticed I only lost that weight when I combined working out and eating healthier. I have the eating part down pretty well so far (I do cave sometimes though lol) but I'm terrible about keeping up with a workout schedule. I made too many excuses in 2014 and plan to change that in the new year. 

Be More Organized & Stop Procrastinating

Smh 2014 was a huge unorganized mess. If I wasn't losing some important paperwork I was looking through a pile of clothes on my floor for my favorite jeans. I'm sure everyone knows the struggle but enough is enough for me. I have already started organizing things and hope to continue/maintain an organized life which goes hand-in-hand with not allowing myself to procrastinate. If I tackle my procrastinating I won't have much to constantly organize lol. 

Save Money & Move Out

This is one of the two goals that I failed on in 2014. I did maintain a constant amount in my account which I'm proud of but I didn't save enough to move out. This year I promise myself I'm going to save save save and move move move. It's time to be a GROWN WOMAN!

Maintain Good Grades in School

Pretty self-explanatory but still really important. I'm transferring to a university in less than 2 week. I already know the workload is going to be wayyyyy more than I'm use to but I'm up for the challenge and plan to maintain a 3.0 or higher. 

Get a Dramatic Makeover

Along with getting healthier and fitter, I'd like to change up my look. I haven't decided yet what that change will be but oh baby it's coming! 

Be On Top of My Schedule

I don't know any other way to word it but basically I want to be more consistent with my healthcare if that makes sense. The only doctor I saw this year was my dentist and that was to get my wisdom teeth pulled. I completely failed to do my regular checkups. 2015 I plan to schedule my appointments in advance and stick to the suggested schedule of when I should get followups. If I'm going to be serious about being healthier I might as well go full force!

That wraps up my 2015 New Year's Resolutions. I am crossing my fingers that I continue to make progress in all areas of my life and cross this list off with the quickness. :)

What are a few of your 2015 Resolutions??

♫ Workout Playlist ♫

So I found my iPod last week and made a workout playlist. I like a mixture of songs that either make me feel like a sexy siren or are just really fun songs to get sweaty too (pause!) lol! Here are my top 20 songs from my workout playlist. 

Countdown - Beyonce

Who's That Chick - Rihanna

All of the Lights - Kanye West

Black and Yellow - Wiz Khalifa

Buttons - Pussycat Dolls

Dip it Low - Christina Milian

Pretty Girl Rock - Keri Hilson

Ego Remix - Beyonce ft. Kanye

Feel so Close - Calvin Harris

Freakum Dress - Beyonce

Get Me Bodied - Beyonce

Hollaback Girl - Gwen Stefani

Jockin' Jay-Z - Jay-Z

Blood on the Leaves - Kanye

Bad Girls - M.I.A

F*ckin' Problem - ASAP Rocky, Drake, Kendrick Lamar

Pop That - Rick Ross, Drake, Lil Wayne

Rude Boy - Rihanna

Chandelier - Sia

Thim Slick - Fabulous ft Jeremih

What songs are on your workout playlist??

Be the BOSS!!

I think there are very few things better than being the boss of your own life. Sometimes it's hard to do that when you feel like you're constantly running around pleasing others and doing things for "the man." Every year I tell myself I'm doing to do this and that for myself but never do. Enough is enough. I'm taking control of my life because I want to ooze confidence and demand respect when I walk into a room. Plus it just feels good to know that you're doing something because you actually WANT to do it. Below I made up some helpful tips on how to take back your life and be daaaa BOSS! 

Stay In Control

• Treat your time as money - don't procrastinate when you have important things to do
• Keep your emotions in check - stay calm, cool, and think clearly in sticky situations
• Know/define your business and personal relationships - don't be the winy girlfriend or the annoying employee

Respect Yourself

• Be a good person - nobody likes a bossy asshole
• Say what you mean and mean what you say - stick to your guns to be taken seriously
• Cut out all the toxic people in your life - constant drama/negativity is not healthy

Get Organized

• Get your finances in order - can't be in control if you're stressing about money
• Clean up your living/work space - how you live is a reflection of how you think
• Make personal and business schedules - always know what is going on in your life

Maintain Yourself

• Make healthy choices - you won't be confident on the outside if you feel sloppy on the inside
• Take pride in your appearance - wear what gives you the most confidence & ROCK IT!!
• BE HAPPY - do what you love and remember to treat yourself when you need a pick-me-up

"The thing women have yet to learn is that nobody gives you power. You just take it."

~Roseanne Barr

Buying an Elliptical Machine????

Time to get REALLY real and be honest with myself. I finally realized that I will not lose any weight if I don't start doing cardio. I know that's a "well durrrr" moment but I'm making a change now by buying an elliptical machine!! I'm super excited because during my gym days the elliptical was the main machine I used. So now with getting the elliptical AND doing my February Fitness Challenge (which is all resistance) I should have a kick ass body by the Summer. Wooo Wooo let's get it craacckkkinnn :)

Update: Love & Fitness

Let's talk about loveeee babbyyyy lol. Ok yeah in my Love Woes post I talked about this guy that I've been seeing for 2 years.. well honey buns, that is all over! Nothing crazy happened, he just really let me down and it finally hit me that I'm better than all that! Every woman deserves a guy that knows her worth and treats her right. Him letting me down was the final nail in the coffin. So I gave it a few days to really think about the situation and decided that I don't need that or him in my life anymore. If someone isn't putting as much into a relationship either friendly or romantic, it's time to pack your bags and MOVE ON! Yesterday I deleted his phone number, texts, etc out of my phone and thank goodness I didn't remember his phone number (makes it easier not to lonely text him). I can't say I'm not sad or secretly hoping he will pull this huge surprise out of his ass and show me he's serious, but I'm also realistic and know that won't happen so the best thing to do is just keep moving forward without him. Thankfully I have AMAZING friends including my bff Miya (Miyaloves.Blogspot.Com) who got me to come partay last night which made me feel so much better! Thanks girl!! <3

For my February Fitness Challenge update, I completed the challenge for 5 out of the first 8 days so far. It is getting easier to wake up and just do the little workout routine. I also add extra sets or new workouts to it if I'm really trying to feel the burn. Like I said in the post, this challenge is just a starting point to get my motivation up and to start actually WANTING to workout in my system. 

How is everyone else doing on their weight loss/health challenges? 

February Fitness Challenge !!!!

So January has came and went and I will be honest, I did not workout oneeeeee single day of January. Isn't that a shame?? Well time to turn all that around. The months are going to fly by regardless of if I workout or not so why be depressed in the summer when I can do something about it now? 

Here is my February Workout Challenge that I created. It's very simple and serves mainly as a starting point. It takes 21 days to form a habit and there are 28 days in February which leaves 7 days to be a bum lol.

My goal is to do this little workout in the morning. It's easier to do it when you wake up than to go through your whole day then try and do it when you're tired and just want to sit down. Plus the benefits to a morning workout include: more energy for the day, kick start your metabolism, WAKES YOU UP, and just improves your mood for the day. The real kicker is you can do some of these while brushing your teeth and doing your hair so there really is no excuse not to complete this challenge!! 

If you want to join in on my February challenge then comment below and we can support and motivate each other. I will be posting my progress every Saturday.

Let's get SEXXXXAAAYYYYY!!!! 

2014 New Year's Resolutions

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO the new year is finally among us!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

In my previous post I talked about the highs and lows to this past year (click here) & how I'd take my lows and turn them into 2014 New Year's Resolutions so without further ado here they are!!!

1. Start the year off with a CLEANNNN room! 
2. Create a healthy natural hair regimen (I've been very naughty to my hair this past year)
3. Finish my AA & start my bachelor's degree 
4. Actually stay MOTIVATED and get healthier & fit 
5. Be more financially responsible & get my own place 
6. Get rid of my social media dead weight (delete drama loving peeps off Facebook, clear out my email inbox, delete unused phone numbers, etc)
7. Go on a new adventure with my friends
8. Find a hobby I really enjoy & stick with it 
9. Update my blog at least 4 times a month
10. Find happiness & peace within myself :)

What are your 2014 New Year's Resolutions?

My Current Health & Fitness Plan

• NO fast food
• NO sodas
• Must drink 48oz of water every day
• At least one serving of fruit a day
• At least one serving of vegetables a day
• Must do 30 mins of cardio 4 times a week
• Must do 30 mins of resistance 4 times a week
• Must stretch 15 mins EVERY DAY
• ONLY allowed ONE cheat meal a week
• Weigh-ins on Sundays  

*I'm trying to keep it as simple as possible for myself while also allowing me to see progress

Welcome To My Blog!

Hello everyone!!!
Thank you for visiting my blog. I've always loved blogging and finding ways to express myself so here it all is lol. Basically my blog is about my life and the random shizznayeee I partake in. I love all things girly as you can see by my tabs. So feel free to click through them for random facts about me, DIY projects I try out,  updates on my health journey, my fashion/beauty updates, my personal tumblr, and of course my crazy lost thoughts. Hope you enjoy!!