My old party self.....new not so much party self

This upcoming weekend a few of my girlfriends from college are flying into town for a mini reunion. I'm sooo excited for this reunion. I'm also looking forward to my cheat meals and to have some drinks with a lot of girl talk.

In college I was a party animal, I would party 3-4 nights a week. I would drink and then eat late night fast food meals every single time I would party. Those were fun times and I will never regret the experience. Looking back at college, I really can't believe how bad I ate. I would also crash diet because of spring break just to lose a few pounds. It was a different lifestyle and the old me.

Here are some pictures of myself in college. I am 10-15 lbs heavier than my current weight right now. Remember I'm 4'10 in height, taller people are able to carry 10-15 lbs a tad bit better than us short girls. =)

Mexico 2009

senior year of college

banquet in college

I would be a liar if I said that I don't go out anymore or have fun with friends. I don't party 3-4 nights a week anymore. I don't have late night fast food binges. I will go out with friends maybe 1-2 times a month. I will enjoy myself a beer, a glass of wine, a mimosa, etc. I don't go crazy like before. I'm not perfect. I work out and do my best to stay fit. I eat clean and I make an effort. My will power has changed, the old me would give in easier and now I don't. I don't like to ruin all the hard work and time I've put in but I also want to live my life without beating myself up every time I eat something that isn't healthy. People will argue and say that you have to give it all up completely to be fit and in some cases you do to get those extreme results. If I wanted to be a body builder or a fitness competitor my lifestyle would be different. 

Right now my endurance is amazing. I can call myself a runner. I go to the gym and I know how to properly work out. I know how to feed my body with good nutrients and I know how to eat clean. Until I decide I want to be a body builder or compete....I'll give it all up. Right now I enjoy being healthy and fit and having some fun in between. =)


Here are some current pictures. I am 10-15lbs lighter than the ones above. You can see the difference in my face.

June 2013

Recent Wedding

April 2013

Hope you've enjoyed the pics & thank you for reading.

<3 Diana
xoxoxoxoxo

Happy Hump Day!

We are one day closer to Friday! At this point in the week some people start to decline in the motivation department. I have come to a point where I really enjoy working out. My career is very stressful and I work long hours so my workouts are something I look forward to each day. I wasn't always this way but now it is a stress reliever for me.

Here are some motivational quotes for you!

Truth

 

What's up biceps!

  <3 Diana
xoxoxoxoxo

Meal Prepping

One of the main reasons I have been able to show off my 4 month progress pictures has a lot to do with the fact that I have done a significant amount of meal prepping. I'm not going to lie or say that it is fun and easy to meal prep week after week because I'm not a fan of it. I have to constantly tell myself that eating healthy is my priority. I must do this...I need to do this. 

I started to meal prep more because I have some stomach issues. I am lactose intolerant and I get bloated very easily (severe uncomfortable bloating my stomach expands about 3 inches). There are days where it looks like I swallowed a pumpkin or it looks like I'm pregnant. I recently saw a gastroenterologist and they ran some tests on me but everything came back normal. I have not gone back for more testing but the doctor recommended that I start taking a daily pro biotic. I was given some samples and then bought a generic over the counter version at my local pharmacy. The other recommendation that the doctor gave me was to keep a food journal on the days that I'm bloated to see what could be causing it. As soon as I began to keep a daily food journal, I started to notice how my stomach and body was reacting to certain grains, veggies, meats, etc. Taking the daily pro biotic and meal prepping has eased down the bloating tremendously.

It has been hard to add and eliminate different foods but it is all about trial and error. What may work for me may not work for others.

I usually only meal prep enough for 3-4 days max. I get sick of eating the same thing. Half way through the week I will make more food. The meal prep that I'm posting below are my lunches. This week I have made ground turkey with peppers & tomatoes, quinoa, and asparagus. I have learned to make my own taco seasoning and it has helped with the bloating. 

Here is my meal prep:

• Taco Seasoning: 
•  Chili Powder, Black Pepper, Red Pepper, Garlic Powder, Sea Salt, Oregano, and Mrs. Dash Spicy Seasoning.
• 1 Cup of Quinoa
• 1 lb of Ground Turkey
• 1 Red Pepper
• 1 Tomato
• 1  Red Pepper
• 1 Green Pepper

 E-mail me if you would like exact measurements for the Taco Seasoning.

3 days worth of lunch. Asparagus is not shown.

-Diana
xoxoxoxo

Saturday Bootcamp & Sunday's 9 mile run

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! I wanted to share some pictures from my workouts this past weekend. 

Saturday: I am currently a member of a specialty gym. This gym offers a variety of classes. I currently take the Performance Bootcamp class at this gym on a weekly basis. It is not a cross fit gym but we do incorporate numerous cross fit style exercises. During our boot camps we focus on endurance and proper form.  Each class is different and each class leaves me incredibly sore. I take this class two times a week. I love it and I'm addicted. 

Burned 344 calories!

 Sunday: As I've said in previous posts I'm a half marathon runner. I've been helping a good friend of mine train for her first half. This past Sunday our goal was to run 9 miles. This was a milestone for my friend so we prepared as if it was a race. Throughout the day on Saturday I made sure I drank a gallon of water. Saturday night I loaded up on healthy carbs by making Creamy Avocado & Chicken Multi-Grain Pasta. 

Yummy!!!

I cannot run on a empty stomach. I get light headed and it makes me feel weak. I make these yummy protein balls out of peanut butter, honey, protein powder, and dark chocolate chips. I eat these before workouts. They have a lot of protein and carbs!

Ingredients used for protein balls!

My roommates say that they look like poop balls but they are delicious!

Along with my protein balls I usually drink coconut water for hydration before my run. I started doing this in the last 6 months and I noticed a big difference. 

We finished our run feeling great! The picture below is our time and distance. I always use my stop watch for more accurate timing but the MapMyRun app really helps with the GPS and it keeps you updated on split times and your current pace.

You can tell how short I am here!

 -Diana 
xoxoxoxo

A 1 Hour Workout is 4% of your day....no excuses!

Last night I rushed home from work and headed over to the gym. I was determined to get a workout in before the Heat game.  I was at the gym for 50 minutes and left sweating and I'm sore today.

There are days that I do spend a long time at the gym, but it's because those are days that I want to take my time. I feel that people really believe that they must spend hours at the gym in order to get into shape. Not true!

The key is to walk into the gym focused with a plan. If a machine is taken, do some push ups until the machine is free. Last night I saw a lady doing jumping jacks in between her sets on the leg press machine. You should be able to get in and out within an hour. It is all about intensity and how much effort you are putting in during your session. If you are going to make the effort and go to the gym....make it count. Walking into a gym isn't going to get you in shape...doing work will. 

Love this quote!

Drinking my pre-workout before my gym session last night

Go Heat! I love that the FSU helmet is in this pic!

-Diana 
xoxoxoxo


 

What People Think They Need to Do......

We are one day closer to Friday! I wanted to share this picture I came across yesterday. 

This pyramid made me think about all the hours I've spent doing cardio (not training for a half marathon) but the amount of cardio I have put in at the gym. To be honest I really thought that doing cardio was the only way to lose weight. We all have this perception that if we want to look skinny & lose weight that our ONLY option is to go on crash diets and do endless amounts of cardio. Completely false!

Think about the pyramid below, do some research and try it. =) 

My Motivational Board

When I first started training for a half marathon, I had a calendar on my refrigerator and I would keep track of all my runs for the week. A few months ago I saw a motivational board on Pinterest. I realized that my old calendar was such a great tool why not make a board to track my gym workouts? So I made one and have been using it religiously for more than 4 months.

I highly suggest that everyone makes one. Looking at this board every day will hold you accountable. You will push harder and you will make sure you get those work outs in just so you can fill up the calendar.

Please don't make unrealistic goals. If you do you will be discouraged when you don't meet your monthly goal. If you are small and petite like me, it would be unrealistic for me to make a goal to lose 5-10 pounds in a month. As you can see below in the month of May I made it a goal to lose 2-3 inches. I think this was an unrealistic goal (for me) and decided to not make that a goal again for the month of June. I did reach my goal for weight loss in May. =) 

^^cool quotes right? ^^ 

 

 

For the month of June I made some new goals and added more quotes. I also did some research on carb cycling that I found interesting. Carb cycling was added in for the month of June. 

 

June 2013 Motivational Board

  

If you have any questions on how I made my board, please feel free to send me an e-mail at pocketsizedfitlife@gmail.com.

-Diana
xoxoxoxo






 

4 Month Progress Pics

Good morning and Happy Tuesday! 

I wanted to share some pictures of myself. Since I moved back home from college in 2009, I have lost a good amount of weight. I was never "fat" but I was overweight for my height and not happy with my body. My weight in 2009 was close to a 130lbs.

 Pic taken in 2009 I wore a lot loose clothing.

In 2009, I joined a local community boot camp where I met some awesome women who asked me if I wanted to start training for a half marathon with them. I figured it couldn't hurt and I was enjoying all the running in the boot camp. I joined a training team and ran my first half marathon at the end of 2009. I did lose a little bit of weight but I wasn't eating healthy and I wasn't lifting weights the proper way. 

My first marathon relay. I lost some weight here but not a lot. Dec of 2009. (I'm the short girl on the right)

 
In 2012, I got married and I lost a good amount of weight but I wasn't consistent. At one point I dropped down to 115 lbs.

Picture was taken in 2012 a couple months before my wedding. 

This year I decided enough was enough. Instead of looking for a stupid diet, I realized that I should just eat clean and work out the right way and see what happens. I did my research and decided to create my own plan.

Here is a picture of my 4 month progress. The picture on the left I am 115 lbs (remember I'm only 4'10 in height) the picture on the right I am 112.5 lbs. I didn't lose a significant amount of weight but you can see a difference in my stomach. I'm a lot stronger now and I have more energy than ever. Yay!


Diana
xoxoxo

Staying hydrated!

My goal for the past month has been to drink a gallon of water a day. Drinking a gallon a day is not an easy task for me because I'm so tiny. Once I finish this bottle, I am down a gallon for today! Remember to always stay hydrated! 

5 random facts

Instead of giving my entire bio, I'm going to list some random facts about myself. 

1. Grew up in Arizona
2. Graduated from Florida State University. Go Noles!!
3. I own the cutest pit bull
4. I'm married to my high school sweetheart
5. I love running and have completed over 6 half marathons since I started running after college (2009)
 

Yay to my 1st post....

Hi everyone! My name is Diana and I'm excited that I'm actually typing my very first blog post. I have been thinking about starting a blog for a long time now and decided why not get started? 

In this blog I will be talking about my personal struggles and goals throughout my fitness journey. I am 27 years old and I am 4'10......yes 4'10!! Over the past few years I have been desperately trying different fad diets and have come to the conclusion that they don't work. I have been researching and looking for fitness blogs that gear towards petite women and all I can find is women who are 5'2-5'5 but none that are women under 5ft. 

I'm excited to make new friends, inspire others and seek advice from my fellow short community! 

Lets do this!

-Diana