Weekend, weekend…

Yep, my friends, I DEFINITELY want the weekend to come. Weeks just seem to drag nowadays and I haven’t been the happiest so it hasn’t been easy.

Things are ok over here. It’s so UGLY outside, I’m sick of the rain and cold (spring, spriiing), it’s been affecting my mood so much.. I don’t even know. It sounds like I’m whining doesn’t it? I’m not though, just stating some facts.

So, I know you’re probably sick of this… but I changed my mind again! I’ll start taking photos of everything I eat again. Mostly because I like showing them to you but also because I need that right now to feel some “pressure” to eat better. I know this sounds awful but it is what it is.

Breakfast today was 2 weetabix biscuits with low fat milk. I didn’t take a pic of that but I will take of the rest of my eats.
I did some exercise at home because I didn’t feel like going to the gym, but I’m already thinking that was a mistake. I push myself harder at the gym, so I need to just get over the cold and rain and get my ass out of the house. There’s just something about being in that environment that motivates me.

Here at home I did some time on the treadmill and some strength training. Nothing special, didn’t last very long.

This afternoon I’m going to an internship interview. It’s basically this project that allows a certain number of people (usually around 200) to go abroad and work on their fields (mine being photography). Today will be just these “tests” to assure we understand/speak english. I think I’ll do just fine. Wish me luck though!

Anywayyyy, for the 3 (4? ahah) people who still read this, here are some food pics, just because.

Hard boiled egg, cod and cabbage. Last sunday’s lunch.

They drank wine (I drank water!).

A nice bowl of banana oatmeal. Since I’m trying to lose a bit of weight (3 pounds to go back to my previous weight, crazy how much of a difference 3 pounds make) I’ve cut down on oatmeal, I only eat it twice a week or so. It’s soooo good.

Have an awesome thursday guys (girls!).

weekend+monday

Hey guys, how are you today?

It’s actually almost 9pm here but I just felt like updating.

This weekend was pretty cool. Saturday morning I went grocery shopping with my parents (as usual); we went out for lunch (as usual); in the afternoon I just laid in bed resting because I hadn’t really slept that well. But the best part of the day was definitely going to my brothers’ house for dinner. He and my sister in law invited me, my sister and my niece!

It was actually pretty cool. We had fondue, lots of fruit, they drank wine my niece and I drank water ( I don’t like wine! weird, I know), we talked a lot… it was a very cool and relaxing evening.
Here are some photos I took.

Dessert was dark chocolate mousse. My goodness.. delicious. There was ice cream too actually, but I thought that was a little too sweet for my taste.

Also, my brother and SIL know that I LOVE watching movies so they gave me this.

It’s HUGE. My head fits in there.

See, told ya.

I don’t usually eat popcorn at home but I just may start doing some REAL movie sessions

Sunday was as uneventful as it gets. Good, quiet day all around.
Today I started training with my PT after a month of well… not training with him ahah. I definitely missed having someone to help me. I just feel like I need that extra push, especially since I’m just now getting back to my normal eating patterns and starting to lose the extra “Christmas weight”. Some strength training and intervals on the treadmill.

I actually left the gym feeling pretty yucky, so I just came home and relaxed. I think it was something that I ate that made me feel like that. I’m better now though.

Can you believe it’s already February??? Damn, where did January go?? Good thing though, I’m not a big January fan. What about you, what’s your fav season? I’m definitely a summer girl. Maybe because I was born in August? Who knows.

Anyway, I know I told you that I would start photographing EVERYTHING I ate but I’ve decided against it. I honestly do NOT want to put that pressure of myself especially since I’m now, finally, starting to eat better. I’ll definitely show you some stuff and talk about how I’m feeling, how the training is going, if I lose weight, etc etc, but you won’t see everything. Because it’s just not even that interesting, honestly.

I’ve seen these around the community and I’ve had a formspring for a while so here it is:
http://www.formspring.me/fotometria

So if you want to ask me something anonymously (or not) go ahead! Anything goes.

Where I come clean.

Thank you for the replies to the last post guys.
I honestly think it’s a matter of time now; my body will take care of it when it’s ready and there’s not much I can do about it.

I know I’ve been a lame blogger for some months now. I honestly miss it and I’ve been reading your posts (and even started commenting again).

Things here are… ok? Eh.
I have to be honest, I haven’t been feeling great.

People I care about are having serious problems and it’s frustrating because I can’t do anything about it. I’m not gonna talk about it online, obviously, it’s not my place.. but it seriously breaks my heart. Ugh, sorry for the mistery. :/

Besides that I’ve been in a rut. Before Christmas I was at an awesome place. Then Christmas came and I started eating more (which is kinda normal) and going to the gym a bit less. I still go several times a week, but I KNOW it’s just not enough. My problem is that when I start eating more it’s extremely difficult go get back into my healthy habits. And it’s taken me a month and I’m still honestly struggling with it. I’m making an effort so I can slowly go back to my former healthy(ier) self. I know this is a temporary thing but it’s still frustrating.

As I’ve said before, I’ve gained a bit of weight (not even that much!) and it’s amazing what a difference it makes. My clothes don’t ft so good and I just feel bleh. It’s mostly psichological? Indeed. Doesn’t make it easier.
I also have a really hard time going to the gym now. Cold outside + sad Diana isn’t a good combination, that’s all I’m saying.

So yeah. All these factors (and a couple more) have been bringing me down. I honestly just want to stay inside, warm, feeling sorry for myself. Horrible thing to admit, but there ya go.

I haven’t been taking photos of my meals but I think I’ll start again. It’s just a good way to keep myself accountable so I can go back to that place I want to be at, health and weight wise.

Today!
Breakfast: 2 low fat yogurts + Special K cereal
Snack: Pear
Lunch: Oats + water + milk + honey + cinnamon

I know, not very good. Dinner will have to feature some veggies.

Visit to the hospital.

Hey everybody! How are things? I hope everything’s ok.

Anyway, I don’t know if you remember but some time ago I made a post saying that I hadn’t gotten my period in a while.. Well, nothing still.

We’re all a bit worried… sure I don’t miss the bloody thing (ha!) but it isn’t healthy, obviously.

A couple of months ago my doctor told me that if by January 13th it still hadn’t appeared I should go to the hospital so she could look at me again (another exam, yay). So I did go to the hospital and she did another exam. Good news: There’s really nothing wrong with me. I mean, no disease, no cysts, etc. Bad news: My ovaries aren’t working at all. It’s like they’re not even there, basically.

Needless to say.. this freaked me out.

She said that I should stop exercising as much as I do (3/4 times a week for an hour is too much exercise? really?), stop trying to lose weight. It could be that my body is in shock because of the weight loss and exercise because I never REALLY exercised in my life before. Also, to try to stay as calm as possible. She asked if being a photographer was stressful… I joked and said “Only if it’s because I have no work!”. It probably is. lol I honestly don’t know what staying calm means. I don’t do a lot of stuff during the day, most days. So my life is pretty calm in that sense. But my mind is always going at 100km/h because there’s so much I worry about.

I got out of the doctor and cried a little as I was telling my mom what the doctor had said. Ok, some relief because I’m not really sick. But at the same time I’m not healthy am I?
Also, it freaks me out just thinking about stopping the exercise. I’ve fought SO hard for this and now I may have to stop my efforts and risk ruining everything? I’m not ready for that.
But if this doesn’t get solved naturally… I may have to take some medication. And that will royally screw me/my hormones up which may also lead to weight gain..

Ugh, I don’t even know.
Any advice?

Happy 2010!

Oh no, I’m a horrible blogger!
How are you all??? I hope everything’s ok! I’m now slowly catching up with your blogs so I’m not 100% up to speed.

Things are good over here. Christmas came and went, had a good time with the family. Also, ate a lot of crap lol And New Years was spent at home with the fam, watching TV and… eating some more crap. Yep, I definitely gained a bit of weight ahah Most people don’t notice it, but I definitely do. It took a while but I’m now getting used to my previous routine, eating healthy and a bit less.

Have been going to the gym also. This month I’m not training with my PT because Christmas ruined me and I was broke when this month started. I now have a bit of money but I decided that I should just keep it this month and ease into my usual workout and eating routine on my own. It’s definitely a challenge.

I think this blog definitely helps with that so I’m making an effort to post here more often, even it I can’t do it daily. I’ll try though.

Breakfast today was a plain yogurt + banana + 1 weetabix.
Snack was a kiwi and a small pastry somebody gave my mom yesterday. I just had to try it. It was really small though. And now my curiosity is satisfied and I don’t “need” to eat any more of those.

Here’s todays lunch! It was so good. Sweet potato, seitan and tomato.

I’ll definitely make a more detailed holiday post, with lots of photos. And food!
I baked muffins for the first time ever! I can’t wait to show them eheh

Have a great day everybody!

I’m back!

Hey everybody!

I know, I know… I’ve been MIA. So sorry for that.
I don’t know what happened really. I’ve just been trying to concentrate on other things and kinda abandoned the blog. Well, I am back.

Let me see what happened while I was away…

- My brother got married! And I do have some photos to show you from that.
- I started taking my drivers’ license.

These are the major things. I’ve been working a bit but I’ve also been relaxing.

I’ve been going to the gym two times a week which is less than what I was doing before. Let me tell you, this COLD does not make me wanna get out of the house. At all!
I’ve also been a bit more relaxed when it comes to my diet. Not that I eat crap all the time, I still love my veggies. But for example… fruit? Not as much as before. Cold fruit just doesn’t do it for me right now. I eat one/two pieces of fruit a day. I’m making a huge effort to keep drinking water. It’s just not easy. Maybe I’ll make a pot of tea every morning and drink that during the day? Sounds better than water, honestly.

Needless to say that I’m not feeling my best right now because of all these things. So that’s a good reason to come back to the blog (also, I missed it), because it does make me think more about what I’m doing and eating.
No, no, no, I didn’t gain any weight (I was supposed to not weigh myself till the end of the year… yeah, not so much.) and my clothes still fit the same because, in spite of the less than stellar eating and exercising, I’ve been staying within my calorie range (I don’t really count calories anymore, but honestly, I did it for so long that I know just by looking at the foods lol). Sure, some days I eat a bit more but then there are some days I eat a bit less, so it balances out I guess.

Anyway, yesterday I made quinoa for the first time (and I THINK it was the first time I tried it too):

With stir fried veggies. It was really good!

Here’s the pic of the day!

From one of the weddings I’ve photographed.

I’m glad to be back and I think it’ll be good for me.
Well, I have a LOT of catching up to do!

My vegan failure.

Hey guys!

It’s almost dinner time here and I’m only posting now because I spent the day, again, helping my brother and future sister in law, getting things ready. I saw their new apartment for the first time! It’s pretty neat (the owners made some changes so a lot of it is new) and a bit small, but they’re just renting and it’s just the two of them so it’s more than enough. We basically brought almost all of their stuff. Hard work!

I finally have the shoes I’ll be wearing to the wedding and omg, they’re the most beautiful shoes I’ve ever had. Most expensive too. I’ll have to take pictures to show it to you. Also bought a new coat (I really needed it though, everything I have is huge on me and it makes me look frumpy!) and it’s so pretty and I’m kind of in love with it. Pictures to come!

Today’s food…

Well, let me just start by saying that I really loved Michelles’ and Katys’ idea for Vegan 4 A Day challenge. I really intended to be vegan for the day. And then I failed miserably. But we’ll get to that.

Here’s yesterday’s lunch. It was actually leftovers. There’s some potato, egg, veggies, fish and of course, tomato and onion salad.

My snack was 3 small toasts with queijo fresco and some tea. Also some chestnuts. My god, I can’t resist them…

Dinner was some soup, an apple, 3 toasts with queijo fresco (so original) and two squares of chocolate.

This morning I was all excited because of the Vegan for a day challenge. I used almond milk for the first time!

Yummy banana oatmeal. Always awesome and delicious. Is it me or cow milk is sweeter than almond milk? I didn’t try it by itself so I could be mistaken.

Lunch was stir fry with veggies and seitan and tomato+onion salad.

And that’s where the fail begins. For about a minute I completely forgot about the challenge. I was thinking “What should I have for dessert….”. I was craving something sweet. And guess what I had for dessert? Low fat pineapple yogurt. LOL Yeah, as vegan as they come, right? I put a spoon in my mouth, and it tasted so gooood… and then it was like OH NOES NOT VEGAN ALERT ALERT ALERT. But yeah. I totally ate that yogurt.

I’ll complete the challenge another day because now I REALLY WANT TO DO IT. Failure is not an option!

Anyway, then the afternoon was spent carrying stuff, etc. I had an apple, a walnut, two squares of chocolate. Then my dad came home and brought some roasted chestnuts with him… of course I had like 4 or 5 ahaha
I still don’t know what I’ll have for dinner but probably something quick and convenient because we’re all pretty tired!

Here’s today’s photo of the day! This is my brother and my future sister in law! Very appropriate, I think, since the last few days have been pretty much about getting everything ready for their wedding. This was from their engagement photoshoot. I really like it because they’re so natural and happy.

Hope you’re all having an awesome day!
Cya tomorrow!

I’m back!

Hey everybody!

I can’t believe I haven’t updated in so long! Truth is, the last few days have been a bit busy and crazy. My brother is getting married next saturday so we’re now dealing with last minute details and planning. I wasn’t home almost all weekend, monday was a little crazy and stressing too and yesterday I went to the gym to have a session with the PT and spent all afternoon resting because I really needed it. And the gym killed me, you have no idea. I wasn’t in a great mood and that makes it harder to have a good workout, in my experience. I get really frustrated and pissed off when I can’t do stuff. Pissed off/frustrated with myself, of course.

My eating has been ok. Not awesome and super clean because I’m sort of “blah” most of the time. Can you tell I’m in a great mood? Hmhm.

I’ve also been feeling bloated and haven’t been eating as much veggies as I’d like, but I’ll try to make some changes the rest of the week because I really like the way I feel when I’m eating good foods and more balanced meals.

I haven’t been taking pics of all my meals but I want to get into it again, starting now.

I did take some photos the last few days so here they are.

Veggies and sweet potato.

Oatmeal. Sans banana. It’s good, too!

Simple lunch.

Octopus rice. It’s a portuguese thing. And delicious.

This morning I had a banana oatmeal. With some honey and cinnamon. Holy deliciousness.

That’s it for now. I’ve been reading your blogs but haven’t been great at commenting. I’ll do some of that today.

To make up for the fact that I was away for so long, I’ll share several pics I took during the summer. I think you’ll enjoy them. These were all taken in Portugal.

Have a great wednesday!

Friday the 13th!

Happy friday the 13th everybody!

First of all, let me just say THANK YOU for your comments on yesterday’s post! Everybody’s so nice… It’s times like these I’m thankful I started my blog to share my journey and hopefully inspire/be inspired by other people. You’re all inspiring in one way or another, that’s for sure.

Anywaaaay, yesterday my eats were nothing special. Lunch was fish and green beans, snack was cereal and milk and dinner was two eggs with tomato and toast (and a piece of dark chocolate, cof cof). Very creative, yes? No.
And I’m not that inspired today either. Breakfast was…. cereal and milk.

(This is totally a recycled photo. But it was just like that! Except in a bowl.)

I also snacked a lot. Handful of nuts (walnuts and almonds) and a lot of fruit. It’s just one of those days… but hey, at least it was fruit.

I got something in the mail that I didn’t show you yesterday because I thought the post was already pretty long. One thing I dont really talk about in this blog is my love of music. I wish I had some talent for it… But anyway, I got a package in the mail…

I don’t know if you already know who they are… but let me introduce you to The Strokes, one of my fav bands ever. I was so happy to get this in the mail, you have no idea. I still have to listen to the CD and the vynil (yep, I have a record player in my room) and watch the DVD but I’m sure it will be EPIC.

What’s your fav band?

Back to the food….

Lunch was nothing special. Just some toast with blueberry jam and a cup of tea. My stomach was a bit upset with me (too much food in the morning?) so this was the ideal meal.

That’s it for now.

And finally, here is today’s photo of the day!

No, he’s not mine. His name is Mingau and he belongs to a friend.

Hope you’re having a great day!

This is the before.

Hello everybodyyy!

Can’t believe I missed another day of blogging. Yesterday was such a weird day. I woke up really early, made my awesome delicious oatmeal and went to the doctor.
Well, I have good news! Kinda. I brought all the exams I had done to the gynecologist and she said that everything’s ok! I’m healthy and even my thyroid and hormones are normal. So apparently, the not-having-my-period-for-months thing is simply because… my body’s a little freaked out!
That’s right. The fact that I didn’t really exercise before and that I’ve lost a lot of weight has caused my body to freak out a little.. but everything’s ok. I’m healthy and so relieved.

I was supposed to go to the gym, I even had my gym bag with me but I got out of the doctor pretty late and I was so close to my mother’s work that I stopped by to tell her the good news. She asked me if I wanted to wait a bit so we could have lunch together. Of course I did. The food kinda sucked but just spending some time with my mom was worth it.

The rest of the day was spent running errands and working.

Today for breakfast I made oatmeal again (I’m obsessed!).

I went to the gym, came home and started looking for some photos I had on my external hard drive (one of them…).
I came across some old photos of mine and since I’d told you I was going to do a before and after post I started looking for more. So this is it.

September 2007 (Forget the fact that they’re crappy photos).

I was SO surprised when I saw these. It’s like… Who is that person? This was around the time I started my weight loss journey. I was miserable. Miserable. I felt horrible in my own skin.

October 2007

A month later, I’d already dropped some pounds. And look, I STILL HAD BOOBS.

December 2007

These were taken in the school’s photo studio. Filipa and I were working on a project but, of course, we had some fun and took photos of each other too.

I look at these photos and I just remember how insecure this person was. It makes me really sad that I’ve felt like that and I really do not wish it on anybody.

Don’t get me wrong, that Diana knew how to have fun…

and she smiled…

but she was not happy with herself.

Fast forward to November, 2008.

April, 2009.

June, 2009.

July, 2009.

October, 2009.

And October 28th, 2009.

This is the only full body photo I have right now, it’ll have to do. (I’m totally thinking about having a photoshoot soon. Yes?)

You see, two years. Was this a long journey or what? And I’m still improving everyday. For me, honestly, now it isn’t so much about weight loss. I am at a healthy weight (59kg) for my height (1,64m). I just want to be fit now. I’ve been going to the gym for two months and let me tell you… I haven’t lost a whole lot of weight but I’ve already dropped a pant size. This is pretty amazing, I think. I also feel stronger and I HAVE MUSCLES. I lift weights and every week I challenge myself with heavier ones. Don’t get me wrong, I still have a lot of progress to make… but who doesn’t? Slowly but surely… I will get there. And I’ll keep challenging myself, even after that.

I’m always saying that I still feel like that fat girl and it’s weird not being overweight anymore. Well, after analyzing these photos I came to this conclusion… eff that. Seriously. All of that nonsense.
I’ve worked for this, I’ve worked VERY HARD for this. I’m not like that anymore. I don’t feel like I felt then, I’m comfortable… And I know why I felt weird. Because I’ve always loathed myself. I really did. So I was not used to not hating myself. But I don’t, now. Because I fought for this, and let me tell you… it was worth it.

If you feel like I did then… please don’t stop trying.