The Life and Times of a Rice Cake Diva

Why do I call myself the Rice Cake Diva ? It is complicated. Do you have a moment ? First of all, I like the sound of diva. It is kind of fun. When searching the web I found all kind of divas - the fitness diva, the my kids and husband are driving me crazy diva, etc...

The wikopedia definition of diva is the term used to describe a woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera and by extension in the theater, cinema and popular music. The meaning of diva is related to that of prima donna. Originally used in opera companies "prima donna" is Italian for "first lady". The term was used to to designate the leading female singer. Legendary, these "prima donnas" were often regarded as egotistical, unreasonable, and irritable, with a rather high opinion of themselves not shared by others.

I like their other description - the basic sense of the term is "goddess". The term was originally used to describe a woman of rare, outstanding talent. It derives from the Italian word "divino" which means divine. We like the word divine. You know we like to say to each other, " You are simply divine", or " To err is human to forgive is divine".

Divine has a nice ring to it. I think that is why women like the word Diva so much. Basically, I like to think of all women as goddesses no matter what the age. So if the word diva conjures up those images great. In reading about divas I found descriptions like divas are secure in who they are and know what they have to offer in life. Everyday she finds magic and miracles in all things and is grateful to God for each other. She enjoys a good laugh and believes a smile is the best thing to wear. I realize that some of this wisdom comes with age but I do believe that divas come in all shapes, sizes and ages.

So I am liking the word diva. Next why the Rice Cake Diva ? Well, over the last year and 4 months rice cakes have become my constant companion. They travel everywhere with me. They are my new best friend. Rice cakes. rice cakes why is she going on about rice cakes. In this small amount of time I have been able to do something that has eluded me for a very long time and that is to lose 30 pounds and keep it off. Now in relation to what you see on the "tele" lets say for the "Worlds' Biggest Losers" 30 pounds doesn't sound like alot but let me tell you it is. As women all over the globe know, going down 3 dress sizes is huge ! Most doctors say that losing a large amount of weight in such a short period of time and keeping it off is such a rarity.

To be honest the first 10 pounds came off after working with a personal trainer for a year and the last 20 pounds have come off in four months. I have always been thin so when I steadily started gaining weight I was baffled. I tried everything like stepping up my exercise exercise and reducing my carb intake. Nothing worked ! The needle on the dreaded scale wouldn't budge no matter how hard I tried. Finally, out of desperation I went to see a new nurse practitioner well versed in weight loss who didn't mince words. She basically said that my body cannot handle carbohydrates. I will go into a more scientific explanation at a later date.

She basically chanted the basic mantra which is "no, no, no"- no pasta, no potatoes, no rice, no bread, and no cereal. When women hear that they would rather give up their first born then have to stick to that kind of regimen for the rest of their lives.

Women stop me in restrooms, restaurants, in stores. Wherever they hear me talking to friends about what it has taken to accomplish this. They ask me for my card thinking that I am going to bestow some secret that they haven't tried yet. MANY WOMEN ESPECIALLY BOOMER WOMEN THINK THAT THEY ARE DESTINED TO CARRY A BUNCH OF WEIGHT AROUND THEIR MIDDLE. THEY ARE WRONG. Rice cakes are only part of the story.