28 Day Diet | Day 25

Are you a yes girl?  Don't be ashamed to admit it, I too am a recovering one.  I think that as we ahem...mature we learn that yes can't be the answer to every request we receive.  Can you imagine if Oprah told everybody YES?  If she tells me YES I won't be mad at her though.  I wonder if she's gotten my emails?  I digress...Dr. Oz's suggestion today is....It's alright to say NO.  It's not that you don't want to grant everyone's wishes but essentially you need to protect your health from chronic stress by not saying yes to everything.  Now don't take this as free license to say no to everything your honey ask for.  I can hear you now, "Well Dr. Oz and the StyleDIVA said...."  Be constructive in your no's.  Tell folks maybe a no right now could be a yes later but for now it's a no.  Here's the mantra I want you to practice, "Less Yes for Less Stress."

With Style,

StyleDIVA






**Disclaimer - You can still say NO to EXCUSES!  Isn't that right @marlinpage?**

28 Day Diet | Day 24

Warning:  If you are eating your automated breakfast of Grapefruit and Greek Yogurt please refrain from reading this post until after you are done.

With that being said, ladies....have you ever looked at your poop?  I'm not trying to get too personal but our loyal companion in health Dr. Oz says it can tell us alot about our general health.  Yeah, I know I'm a flush and go kinda girl but I'll admit this one had me intrigued.  If any of you are like me however you might have to wait until that special moment when you have to go in order to check this one off of your list.  My irregularity is a common regularity with me if you know what I mean.  Okay now that you know all about my troubles let's take a look at what YOU should be looking for when examining your, er Poo.

The size and color of your stool can let you know if you need to make changes in your diet.  For example a lack of fiber could be the reason for small, hard stools or days in between going to the um, toilet.  Is anyone else feeling uncomfortable with this conversation?  Now let's talk color.  Dr. Oz suggest that if your stool resembles any of the colors below you need to have a one on one with your physician.

RED - Bleeding in the lower gastrointestinal tract or diverticulosis
GREEN - Crohn's disease
CREAM - Gallbladder dysfunction 
WHITE  - Pancreatic cancer
BLACK - Bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract

Trust me I'm not trying to scare the ish out of you but just think if you find these signs early enough you can get the issue corrected for an opportunity of better health.


PS.  No graphics today I couldn't quite think of the best image to put, a toilet would have been weird and no one wants to see a pic of a pile of poop.  IJS

PSS.  Confession time, I grazed last night.  That is all

Hope you are still enjoying our 28 day journey together.  If you had to make a pit stop or fell off the wagon it's cool, just jump back in I'd love nothing better to help you get back on track.

With Style,



StyleDIVA

28 Day Diet | Day 23

Bacteria in your mouth doesn't sound appealing at all but if you neglect to do today's activity that is exactly what you have.  Flossing is not only good for your dental health but for your heart health.  But only 1/2 of us floss on a regular basis, I'm guilty too!  My sister the Dental Hygenist is really on me to floss because she says it will be less work for her on my cleaning visits. :)  So the best way to floss, take a note from prosthodontist Jonathan Levine:
1.  Wrap 18 inches of floss around your middle fingers.  Push the floss through the tight space between two teeth. (This is called the contact)

2.  Hook the floss around one tooth in a C shape and slide it under the gum line.  Then move it back and forth over the tooth's surface, in a motion smiliar to shining a shoe.

3.  Before you pull the floss back through the contact, slide under the neighboring tooth's gum line and repeat the shoe-shining motion. 

Viola -- there you have it.  Flossing after each meal is recommended but even if you do it before bed that's better than nothing at all.  There are also some great products on the market to help you floss with no fuss.  Just check out the toothpaste aisle at your local Target or Walmart. 

With Style,

StyleDIVA

28 Day Diet | day 22

When was the last time you talked to one of your high school chums?  Or the girl from your neighborhood that you promised you'd always be best friends with?  Sure you've friended them on Facebook but have you talked without using your fingers?  Well it's time to connect, make a phone call and have a real heart to heart.  Doing this activity Dr. Oz suggest our relationships manifest in more ways than we know.  Never underestimate the impact you have on a loved one.  We see many people in our society looking for love, that last conversation to save them from the edge or in our case with this diet - eating that bag of Doritos in the snack cabinet.  Look at that you could really not only improve your healthy outlook but that of an old friend all thanks to Dr. Oz oh and the StyleDIVA of course!

I'd like to introduce you guys to a new friend of mine who is going to be starting the 28 Day Diet this week.  Bobbie from @ItsBobbiesWorld and from the blog www.itsbobbiesworld.blogspot.com.  Let's give her a Virtual Cheers with our diamond-studded cocktail glass for stepping up to the challenge and running with the torch (with high heel stilettos on!) .  She's ready to lose 40 by 40 - cheer her on! 


Can you handle the 28 Day Diet?  Join Bobbie and I as we keep reaching toward our goals of a better, healthier and stronger Diva!

Only YOU can do this! 

28 Day Diet | Day 21

This activity is going to prove to be challenging today, Purge your Pantry.  Well in my case cabinets, my adobe is a lil to small for a pantry.  If you have an hour and a garbage bag, let's get to it and start purging.  These are lil monsters you'll be looking for to toss:

 - Anything that has sugar BUMMER!
 - Anything that has "ose" in it
          These things have added sugars, full of empty calories according to Dr. Oz.  He also says pay close attention to labels on low-fat products.  The folks that make them tend to pack these items with added sugars to make up for lost flavor.  (I'm going to be in trouble I can already tell!)

- Anything that ends in "ol"
          These have sugar alcohols (they can even be in "sugar free" items).  Although they are lower in calories gram for gram, they can be just as fattening in large quantities.  Which I tend to do because they say NO SUGAR - these manufacturers!  Any way Dr. Oz says they could also be causing bloating and diarrhea, wow yummy combination! 

Here is my cabinet before:

I already see something that's going to have to go!!!

Talia and I are going to get busy today and I'll show you what's left after we finish.  Gulp!


With Style,


StyleDIVA

28 Day Diet | Day 19

Taking it back ole school, like back to elementary school is the task from Dr. Oz today.  Pack a Smarter Lunch!  Ha, ha, ha first let's start by packing a lunch.  I'm really not that good at it and the worst thing I do is skip lunch because the Cafeteria might not have what I want to eat.  Note to the wise -- don't skip meals. 

Let's look at the suggestions that Oz mentions in the article:

Vary Your Veggies - Don't limit your food choices, it will start to turn you off of eating the right things.  He said you might want to try packing two different kinds in your lunch so if one doesn't look good at your snack break, try the other.

Think Small - Reduce your container size to smaller containers in order to feel satisfied when eating.

Beware of the Low-Fat Label - Dr. Oz says this can cause you to eat more because your thinking I'll have two 100 calorie packs causing you to have 200 cals instead of the 100 you should have had.  Hmmm, no fair!  To avoid this trap, pay careful attention to suggestion service sizes on low-fat treats and go for the single serving bags.

It's never too late to start packing my lunch so off I go today with my Diva lunchpail (in pink and brown of course).  Actually I'm pretty excited!

PS - Looking for a great lunchbag?  Give our girls at PackIt a try.  #HOTNESS

With Style,

StyleDIVA

28 Day Diet | Day 17

We are changing things up today.  That's right Dr. Oz wants you to tweak three things today, my comments are in RED.

1.  Switch from decaf to caffeinated coffee, if you drink it.  Did you know caffeine can actually inhibit the growth of cancer cells, lowering risks of getting the disease?  I knew my Coke drinking habit wasn't all THAT bad.

2.  Eat a snack postworkout instead of waiting for your next meal.  There is a 45 minute window after you workout where you enter a metabolic phase;  refueling with protein and carbs during this time is crucial for repairing muscle tissue.  Hmmm - snack usually means Snickers in my vocabulary but I'll pack some carrots for after the gym.

3.  When the heat or A/C isn't on, leave your windows open as often as possible.  You can protect yourself from pollutants like formaidehyde and radon with a little ventilation.  Dr. Oz doesn't live in Bako so the less outside ventilation the better - I should have done my research. 

There you have it Day 17, we are chugging right along and we'll be at Day 28 before you know it.  WhooHooo!

The 28 Day Diet | Day 4

Remember I mentioned that this diet was a bit on the unconventional side?  Well day 4 starts us out with FORGIVENESS.  Not forgiveness because you ate those Oreos last night but of someone that you haven’t forgiven.  Is there someone?  I promise you I did this exercise and could not think of a single soul that I needed to forgive.  Therefore the only person I have to blame for this poundage that rest on me is GULP… ME!  Maybe I should forgive myself, nah that just sounds weird.  But if there is someone that’s wronged you, poured you a glass of haterade on your worst day or somebody that just ticked you the heck off – L I Git.  That’s my term for Let It Go!  Madam Oprah says, “Forgiveness is letting go of the hope that the past will changed.”  Dang that women is smart.  Don’t hold on to what someone has done in the past, release that devil and get on track with what’s important Y-O-U!

The 28 Day Diet | Day 3

Dr. Oz suggests cooking 4 of the following food groups today.  Yeah he doesn’t know me very well, first I don’t do much cooking and second two of the groups he’s suggesting are on my, "I haven’t even eaten in my life list."  Be it as it may here are his suggestions:

      1.        Wild Salmon – YUCK! (with my best 3 year old YUCK face) I know this stuff is good for you but I’ve never been able to stomach it.  Omega 3’s reduce clotting and provide for less plaque buildup in the arteries.  Luckily I don’t have this as an issue, I’m eating a pork chop tonight.

      2.       Tomatoes – Okay I’m good with this one for two reasons, 1) you don’t have to cook them you can just pop them in your mouth and 2) I like snacking on cherry tomatoes during the day so this one is a go for me.  According to Oz people with hypertension can see their systolic points drop by 10 and their diastolic a 14 point drop by including these in your diet. 

3.       Garlic – another WIN!  One of my favorite seasonings, I use it so much I’m sure many people don’t want to stand near me after I’ve had a meal.  This one is also a good heart booster and protects you from hardening of the arteries.

4.       Lima Beans – again this is not on my list of favs so I’m going to pass.  These beans also have heart boosting potential with magnesium however I'm sure if you sleep with someone they won't be happy you had them for dinner.  Oy do I remember those nights when!

There you have it, that’s all you need to do today is implement these into your diet on day 3 and learn how to integrate them more for HEART SMART eating. 

The 28 Day Diet | Day 2



StyleDIVA

WHAT!  I swear I love Dr. Oz.  Day 2 of the diet is to enjoy a piece of chocolate.  Wait dark chocolate.  Shoot I don’t get to have a Snickers bar but hey chocolate is chocolate.  I’m not a fan of dark chocolate but I guess that’s the point of this exercise and according to the good doctor it improves circulation, increasing blood flow to the brain.  Well I’ll have a piece at my 11 AM snack attack and then one at my 2 PM snack attack, 2 pieces of Special Dark minis and today’s diet checklist is complete.  Enjoy your ChocOLat today ladies!

The 28 Day Diet

The 28 Day Diet - Day 1

Erika and I talked diets on the show yesterday, she’s going the Weight Watchers route and I said I’d just follow this new starvation diet I recently picked up since I got sick. Not healthy but working! But as I read my most recent copy of O Mag I noticed that Dr. Oz had a 28 day diet that I decided I must try. The nice thing about this diet is that it’s very unconventional and gets you to think about your habits and make some adjustments. 

So it starts today!  Day 1 was Go Green, as in tea that is.  My favorite is Raspberry Green tea but Dr. Oz suggested some others that you could try too:  Art of Tea Green Earl Grey, The Republic of Tea Kiwi Pear and Tea Forte Cherry Marzipan.  They all sound good and provide LDL lowering bad cholesterol and promote weight loss.  Sending cheers to you today with my Raspberry Green Tea cocktail.