My, how time flies...

3 years ago, I married Ivan Johnson Jr.

In those 3 years, life has been sweet & rough, painful & joyful, but most of all it has been incredibly blessed.

Happy Anniversary Ivan ~ I love you!

My Life is... Surprising

Ivan & I have been on track with South Beach for a month now. This morning I got on the scale and was pleasantly surprised (which, if you know me, is IMPOSSIBLE to do when I weigh myself!). In 4 weeks, I have lost 17 pounds. That's amazing! I weigh less than I have in 5 years!!! What a nice surprise for my "Humpday." The best part is that the whole process has been pretty easy. We haven't been working out (sad, but true) and haven't been obsessive about calorie counting like I usually get when I try to lose weight. Ivan is doing great too - he is about 3 pounds away from his first goal (I am about 2 away from mine). Once we hit our first goals, we plan on incorporating regular exercise into our routine. Ivan wants to build muscle and I want to tone up and slim down.
With any luck, we will be at our first goals by our anniversary (Aug. 20th) and will be able to enjoy a non-South-Beach dinner out!!! I know that I am dreaming about a glass of Pinot Grigio!

My Life is... better with teamwork

At my heaviest, a few years ago, I weighed about 50 pounds more than I do now. I have always struggled with my weight. I was doing really well on the weight loss bandwagon, but still had some more weight to lose before I hit my goal. Then I took a diet "break" and went to Vegas (drinking & buffets!) and on a cruise (more drinking & buffets!). I quickly put on 12 of the pounds I had lost. YIKES. Ivan and I have decided to get back on track and get serious about our health again. We promised that we would become a team, and support each other in our desires to be healthier.

This past week and a half, Ivan & I have been following our own version of the South Beach Diet... low carb, no fruit (for now), lots of veggies & lean meats. I used to be a vegetarian so I absolutely love the food. Ivan, on the other hand, has been having a harder time adjusting to it. He is not a salad fan and is leery of most health food and certain veggies (hello eggplant!). But we have been supporting eachother through the good (grilled asparagus at dinner) and the not so good (V8 juice at breakfast). I am really proud of him for sticking with this when it goes against every grain of his burger-and-fries-with-a-shake being.

I am really looking forward to weighing in after the first 2 weeks of our diet are up. Ivan has lost a few pounds and so have I. Stay tuned for our continuing updates! GO TEAM JOHNSON! :)