Last Post of 2009

The last day of 2009 is finally here. Finally? Yeah right. This year went by so fast that I don't even remember what happened.

I'll tell you what happened. I started this blog and since May I've lost a total of 0.4 pounds. I went back through the blog and my lowest reported weight was 256.8. Well, I'm now 256.4. So I can't say the year was a total waste, right?

Of course it wasn't a total waste. I came across a lot of awesome bloggers and their blogs. Lots of them were/are inspirational and informative. Plus, I'm a nosey person and I love reading about other people's lives. =D

I'll do my resolution post next year (I love saying that!). I want this to be a short and sweet.

Happy New Year to all! Be safe and be "merry".

Until next year!

And I'm back!

Now that Christmas is over, I can finally put my all my attention on losing weight. I had a great holiday but now it's time to really get serious and start working on getting the scale down to lower numbers. Or at least my body into smaller clothes. Whatever comes first, I'm sure I'll be lots of happy.

I'm sick right now. Thank you, Santa. I've always wanted a cold for Christmas. I really can't breathe out of my nose and it is annoying the crap out of me. Oh gosh almighty, I hope this stuffy nose goes away fast.

I don't know how I did it, but I managed to lose 0.4 pounds these past couple of weeks. Seriously, I don't know what happened. I've been eating lots of holiday junk and I really can't remember when was the last time I worked out. But there it was, 256.4 on the scale yesterday morning. I can't explain it but I sure as heck will take it.

Eyes on fire

I'm sad to say, I did not get my workout in yesterday. But it's ok. Missing one day will not kill me. I will get my workout in today and the next day and the next day.

I was just way too exhausted last night. After running all my errands, I had to come home, eat dinner with the family, pray the novena and then, get all my packages ready to ship to my family in CA. Plus, the boyfriend wanted to talk so I didn't get to bed until almost 2AM. I am so sleeeeeepy this morning.

I'm so glad it's Thursday. One more day to go until the weekend.

(And eight more days until Christmas!)

Traffic Court is a waste of time

Tuesday = workout of awesomeness

I didn't end up doing my errands last night, so I got my workout in, no problemo. 30 minutes on the elliptical and work with weights.

Tonight will be another story. I'm planning on getting the workout in, but I have LOTS of stores to hit later on and I know I'll be really tired to get moving. Good thing, my boyfriend has been really good with his workouts. He'll motivate me to get mine in.

My eating hasn't been really great. I know I'm really going to have to start working on that to get the maximum results of my new workout regime. I think I might wait until after Christmas to really start watching what I eat.

Do you like my makeshift paper clip ornament hook?
Don't worry, this is a work tree, not a house tree.

Tonight is the first night of the Christmas Novena. I was a stranger to the novena until I started living with my boyfriend. In Colombia, it's a huge thing. You're supposed to pray the novena for the eight nights leading up to December 25th and the 25th is the 9th and final night you pray. Usually you get together at a different house each night with family and friends. After the praying, there's eating and merriment all around. This year, we only have 2 nights planned, where we will actually be going to someone else's house. It should be lots of fun.

And totally off topic:
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<3

Laundry cat?

gimme cookies!!!

Monday - awesome workout

Yes, I did it again. I got another great workout in last night. 30 minutes on the elliptical and some weights/strength exercises. I was really feeling it last night. But it felt so good when I was done.

Tonight is going to be a challenge. I have to go get groceries after work. Grocery shopping is a hassle because I have to go to 4 different stores. Yes, that's 4!! I'm gong to one on my lunch, so I'll only have 3 more to hit later on. I'm not sure what time I'll be home and how tired I will be. I'm hope, hope, hoping that I will have enough energy to get another amazing workout in.

Workout Tip
Okay, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Well, first of all, I am no expert on the subject as I have only been doing this trick for only two days. Also, everybody probably already knows this. I find that I am getting a more intense workout on the elliptical when I alternate speeds. For example, my workout goes like this: 5 min of warm-up, 5 mins. superfast, 5 mins. slow down, 5 mins super fast, 5 mins. slow down; and lastly, 5 mins. super fast. My legs are getting a much better workout than when I would work my way up to superfast. And I sweat a lot more now. Even the boyfriend noticed that I was getting sweatier. Doing this has definitely made my workouts feel way more productive.

Recipe time!!
I shouldn't really be posting this recipe as it is not really healthy, but I figure lots of people bake cookies to give as gifts so I don't think any harm will come from posting this. If you google "best f***ing chocolate chip cookies", you will come across this recipe. And believe you me, these are the "best f***ing chocolate chip cookies" I have ever tasted!

I made mini cookies out of this recipe to send to my mom and brother back in LA. They really are some yummy cookies. If you make them, you will not be disappointed. Trust me. Your tummy (or whoever you gift them to's tummy) will thank you.

And just for kicks, guess who likes to watch MTV's Jersey Shore?

Almost fully recovered...

Thursday - Saturday No workout

Sunday - the most amazing workout I've had in a long time

I got a full blown cold this past week. Seriously, full blown. I could not for the life of me breathe through my nose. Just ask my boyfriend. I kept him up every night, all weekend with my God awful snoring (sorry boyfriend). It seems to be clearing up a bit, so I should be good by the end of the week. I sure did take the ability to breathe through TWO nostrils, at the same time, for granted.

So that is why there weren't many workouts. But I did get some time on the elliptical and some time with weights on Sunday night. It was such a great a workout, that I'm really looking forward to working out this week. The boyfriend is calling it our "Last Chance Workout". There's this family party on Saturday so it's our last chance to workout before then. Even he has added some extras to his regimen. (I'm so proud of you Boyfriend!)

I didn't make my goal this week but I'm not taking it to hard because I was sick. Sooo, I'm giving myself this week to finally lose my first 10 pounds. This week's loss was a whopping 0.4 pounds. It's an itty bitty loss, but it just got me thatmuch closer to hitting the 10 pound mark. 2.8 more to go, baby!! And it's been four months since I have gotten below 256.8 and I only got to that weight because I was super sick. So to legitimately get below 256.8 will be an amazing feeling.

I can't wait!!!

What the?

Man, have I been misinformed!

For some reason, I always (well, just until recently) thought that you only got sick once a season. And since I'm pretty much superhuman, I only get sick, like, once a year. After that gnarly sickness I went through in October I thought I was safe for the rest of the cold/flu season. Yeah right! Here I am at my desk, sneezing my brains out and my nose is running like a river. One cold a season, my ass!! Ugh! I hate being sick...and I know exactly who it was who got me here. Gee Boyfriend, thanks for the early X-mas present.

Wednesday
30 minutes elliptical

I actually motivated my boyfriend to work out last night. That's a first. He was looking all lazy-like when I got home from work yesterday. He started in on how he gets two days off a week so he was going to use one of his days off, but then I told him I was going to work out, so he decided to go ahead with his.

See, we BOTH help each other out.

Doing So-So

Monday - 30 minutes on the elliptical
Tuesday - Off day

The boyfriend has decided to change his workout schedule to every other day instead of every day. I will happily go along with him. Trying to workout every day was really draining. I think if I try this route, I'll be more successful. It was so easy coming home yesterday, knowing that it was an off day. Makes me look forward to the workout that is supposed to happen today. It's weird, but it seems to be working. Ha! It's only the 3rd day on this routine. I may be speaking WAY too soon.

Yesterday, the fluffs came back with a vengeance. Totally my fault. The foods I was eating were all kinds of wrong. I must stop doing that. Yesterday, it got to the point of being uncomfortable. Blech! I really hate that food baby feeling. But obviously not enough to give up junkie food. Woe is me.

Uh oh...I feel the sniffles coming on.

Busy, busy, busy

Wow, I've been so busy that I forgot to post. I never expected that!

This week's loss was 0.8 pounds. I've been eating a bit less so I'm guessing that's where my loss came from.

No workouts yet. I've been a lazy boob ALL weekend.

Hey, guess what? I've lost 6.8 pounds since I've started this. 6 pounds in four months is pretty pitiful, if you ask me. But it's almost 10 pounds and that's got me pretty stoked.

Challenge?

I think I'm going to try and make it 10 pounds by next weigh in. That's only 3.2 pounds. I haven't been losing much, so I know I can totally do this.

"And it's been awhile..

since I said I'm sorry."

Sorry to myself for not eating right and not working out.

I have been doing so many errands after work, that I have just been so lazy and tired when I get home. Plus, it's been cold here and cold weather makes me super duper LAZY. I have a date to workout with the boyfriend tonight, so we'll see how that goes.

My eating hasn't been really great either. Way too much junkie stuff. I really am trying, though. Just kidding, I'm really not.

But the scale has been slowly going down. Fluke? Could be. We'll have to see how my weigh-in goes on Sunday.

And that's all I got.

Back in the Game

Wednesday 30 Day Shred
Thursday 30 Day Shred
Friday - Sun No workout

I was all over the place this weekend. I had fun spending time with the boyfriend and my Jasmine. It was a pretty mellow weekend since the boyfriends mom got really sick on T-Day. So my eating was weird. I think that's why I was down 1 pound for the week. I ate pretty big meals, but was only eating twice a day. I just wasn't hungry most of the time. And when I did eat, I ate big. Whatever. I'm down on the scale and that's all that really matters.

I only got to Day 2 of the 30 Day Shred challenge. Seriously, I'm laughing, shaking my head, as I write this. I SUCK at challenges. I'm so pathetic, it's funny to me. (I'm not really pathetic, just when it comes to challenges.)

Well, now that the holiday is gone, it's time to suck it in and start working on eating right and working out. Another holiday will be here sooner than you know it, and I want to look G-O-O-D for X-mas and New Years.

Happy Monday to all!!

This is what I've been waiting for

I've been waiting for this 4-day weekend since my vacation in August. I love paid days off!!

I've decided to not post about my eating habits for awhile. I just really haven't been eating good at all. And I know you all are tired of hearing about my fails.

But on a good note...

I finally got a workout in last night. Woo hoo!! I did 30 minutes on the elliptical machine. Gosh, I love that machine.

I'm supposed to start Losing It For Real's 30 Day Shred Challenge today. I should be able to work out tonight no problem. Even if it's a midnight workout.

The holiday festivities are starting today. The boyfriend's sister's birthday is today and her and her family will be coming over for dinner. Then tomorrow is D-Day and we'll be heading over to her house for dinner. I'm in charge of mashed potatoes, stuffing, rolls, and helping the boyfriend with a key lime pie. I don't know what else we'll be doing this weekend.

Most definitely, we will not be participating in Black Friday. A couple of years ago my boyfriend saved up some money for a plasma tv. We first went to Circuit City at 5 a.m., but they only had limited quantities, so we headed over to HH Gregg but their sale was a joke. So we decided to head to Brandsmart USA. I swear stepping into that store was like stepping through the gates of hell. After we found a salesperson and made our purchase (at an excellent price, I might add) me and the boyfriend got separated. Well, silly me walked back into the store to look for him and it was the worst experience of my life. People were everywhere!! There was no where to walk and the smell of body odor was heavy in the air. I was trapped in the middle of the store, shoulder to shoulder with crazed bargain hunters for a good 10 minutes. I literally almost broke down in tears because I wanted to get out of there and no one was budging out of the way. By the grace of God, I somehow did manage to finally get out of the store. That store seriously traumatized the heck out of me and I don't ever plan on doing a Black Friday ever, ever, EVER again.

Good luck to all you Black Friday shoppers!!

And Happy Thanksgiving to all and to all a good night!!

Whoa!

Monday = EPIC Fail

No workout

And that's all I have to say about that.

At least I have a cute outfit on today.

That's all that really matters.

I'm going to love this week!

Because it's a 3-day work week. I love the holidays!!

Sunday
Breakfast: slice of pumpkin pie
Lunch: rice, beans, chicharron, steak, arepa, avocado
Dinner: 1 carne asada taco, 1/2 burrito
In-betweens: 1 slice of pumpkin pie, cookies (I forgot how much), arequipe and cheese

No workout

My boyfriend's mom invited her priest over for lunch so that's why there was so much food and little snacks.

I was just too lazy to workout. So I stood in bed with the boyfriend watching Transformers 2 (I love that movie!!).

Pumpkin pie is my Thanksgiving nemesis. I love it way too much. I bought a little pie from Wal-Mart yesterday. The good thing is, it's the only pie we'll have since the boyfriend's family aren't really big pumpkin pie people. So after this little one is done, there will be no more.

Yesterday was my weigh in and I was up 0.8 pounds. Hey, at least it wasn't a whole pound. I am so ready for the scale to go down. I've only lost 5 pounds since August. That's pretty sad and I know I can do WAY better.

Friday and Saturday Shenanigans

Friday
Breakfast: Breakfast of champions (brownies)
Lunch: rice, chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes
Dinner: pasta w/ tuna
In-betweens: 2 tangerines, apple, Cheddar and Sour Cream chips

Workout: 30 mins. elliptical

Saturday
Breakfast: scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon, 1.5 sausage links, pancakes w/ strawberry topping (me and the boyfriend took his mom out to breakfast)
Lunch: rice with veggies, chicken leg, avocado
Late late Dinner: big mac, fries, and coke
In-betweens: movie popcorn and cherry Icee

Workout: no official workout, but I did walk TONS

It was a bad couple of days but oh well. I had lots of fun with the boyfriend shopping and going to the movies. We dropped the car off at the shop to get some work done so we ended up walking to the mall to do some shopping. It wasn't really intentional exercise but trust me, it was exercise. Anyways, I was armed with lots of coupons and I know we saved loads of money on the stuff we got (most of it anyway). The boyfriend was laughing at me, because at almost every store, I pulled out a coupon. Hey, sometimes I just refuse to pay retail. (I'm kicking myself for not using my 50% percent off one item at Old Navy. Dammit!!)

We watched New Moon (he's a Twilight freak LOL)(jk). It was really good! It was just OK when I left the movie theater, but now, I kind of want to go watch it again...but I'll wait until it comes out on DVD.

My weigh-in is going to be disappointing I know. I just have to try a lot harder this week. Especially since (dun dun dun) Thanksgiving is THREE days away.

It's going to be a long week.

The week is coming to an end...

(And it looks like my weight loss efforts are too...)
Thursday
Breakfast: cottage cheese, pineapple, banana
Lunch: ajiaco, turkey sandwhich
Dinner: rice, potatoes, chicken, green beans
In-betweens: popcorn, 2 tangerines, small piece of brownies that I made

No workout

My eating was way better but I still didn't get a workout in. I had to go take care of some business downtown and there was so much traffic. Driving in traffic makes me really lazy for some reason. So I got home late and I was exhausted! I was in such a pissy mood. Looks like I won't be going downtown for a LONG while.

I know there is going to be a gain this Sunday. And I still feel a bit fluffy. It doesn't help that my jeans were just recently washed and they feel super tight.

I. Can't. Breathe.

Did anyone catch New Moon last night?

A Very Bad Day and some Beauty

Wednesday
Breakfast: cottage cheese, pineapple, banana
Lunch: rice, 1/2 small potato, meatball, salad
Dinner: ajiaco, rice, avocado, 1 platano
In-betweens (This is where it gets messy!!): 3 chocolate chip cookies, hot fudge sundae, 1/2 chocolate muffin

No workout

The fluffs are back indefinitely =(.

Beauty Post
As you all know, I love make-up. As you should also know, I'm a big cheapskate. Well, not really (yes, really). It's just with money being so tight right now, I can't justify spending 20 bucks on a MAC eyeshadow brush or $17 on Urban Decay Primer Potion. At least not right now. So imagine how happy I was when I found EyesLipsFace.com. I frequent a lot of make-up gurus youtube channels and almost all of them had experience with this website. Based on some of their reviews, I decided to place an order.

Okay, almost everything is $1. But they also have a studio line and a mineral line where almost everything is $3 and $5. I'm a tightwad so I bought almost everything from the $1 line.

Make-up Brushes

Bronzing and Blending brush, Foundation brush, Eyeshadow brush, Blending Eye brush

I've been dying for some make-up brushes, so when I heard good things about Elf's brushes I went ahead and ordered some. All for 1 buck apiece. You can't beat that. I haven't tried them yet, so I can't really give you a full review, but I can tell you that they are super soft and I haven't seen any shedding.

Eye Stuff

Liquid Eyeshadow in Green Machine, Liquid Eyeliner in Black, Brightening Eyecolor in Brownstone and Drama, Duo Eyeshadow Cream in Coffee & Cream

I didn't really care for the Liquid Eyeshadow or the Due Eyeshadow cream. They were very sheer and didn't last very long. But the Brightening Eyecolors were very, very good. Decent pigmentation and nice colors. Especially that one in Drama. It has a nice silvery glittery color that would be perfect for New Year's Eve. And yup, everything was $1.

Face Stuff

Counter clockwise from top left: Studio line Corrective Concealer, Clarifying Pressed Powder, Eyelid Primer, Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder, Shielding Hydro Tint

The Corrective Concealer was the most expensive item that I bought (expensive? yeah right, it was only 3 dollars!). And I didn't really like it. The coverage was not good at all. I guess I'll have to spend more money to get a good concealer. I did really like the Clarifying Powder and the tinted moisturizer. I'm kicking myself for not buying more of that moisturizer. It has nice coverage and it goes on really light. Plus it smells yummy. Paired with the powder, my face looks nice and flawless (with the exception of the breakouts that I've been having lately). Everything, except for the concealer, was $1.

I think this line is perfect for the babe on a budget. Or the babe who just doesn't want to spend lots of money on make-up. I know I'll be back for some more eyeshadows and to try other products. I do know that they are starting to carry this line in drugstores. I saw it at my Target this past weekend. But you know, like always, the website carries EVERYTHING. And if you use coupon code FACEBOOK, you can get 50% off (up to $16). If you spend exactly $16 dollars (before taxes), that'll pretty much cover the shipping cost and then some.

P.S. Liquid eyeliner is WAY too dramatic for me.

Happy Hump Day!

Tuesday
Breakfast: 4 chicken minis, hashbrowns
Lunch: eggplant and meat, rice
Dinner: salad (mixed greens, red onion, avocado), rice, 1/2 potato, 1 meatball, piece of plantain
In-betweens: apple, apple turnover

Workout: 30 Day shred

I didn't even last 2 days on this challenge. LOL I really suck at them. But whatever, I at least got my workout in. And that's all that matters. Besides, I feel really skinny after doing the 30 Day Shred. I know it's all in my head, but still, I like how it makes me feel.

First fluffy day in a while...

Monday
Breakfast: cottage cheese, pineapple, turkey sandwhich
Lunch: Michelina Lean Gourmet Shrimp, pasta, and veggies
Dinner: rice, eggplant and meat, 1 tostone, avocado
In-between: coconut cake *cough* 2 slices *cough*, 1 doughnut, 1 apple turnover

Workout: free day

As you can see, I've reverted to my old ways. I ate way too many baked goods yesterday. And I know exactly where they went: my belly. I felt and still feel REALLY fluffy. I'm mad at myself because it's been a while since I've felt that way. I thought I had come a long way, but it looks like I still have a long way to go.

I had to go do some errands last night, so I decided to use my free day for my workout.

Weekend Damage

Saturday
Breakfast: soup, arepa
Lunch: pasta w/ tuna, tostones
Dinner: Hibachi - fried rice, shrimp, chicken, salad, soup
In-between: strawberry ice-cream bar, 1/4 chocolate muffin

Workout: 30 min. on the elliptical

Sunday
Breakfast: small slice of pizza
Lunch: roasted potatoes, pork chops with Dijon herb sauce, spinach and strawberry salad with poppy seed dressing, 2 crescents (I made lunch and it all came out yummy!)
Dinner: Taco Bell - taco supreme, nachos supreme, 1/4 boyfriends pan pizza
In-betweens: chocolate donut

Workout: None

As you can see, my weekend was a whirlwind of food. I believe that is why I only had a loss of 1 pound for this week. I know it could have been way more, but I did start eating a lot on Friday and my workouts weren't consistent. But the good thing is, I'm going in the right direction on the scale. And that's all I have to say about that.

This week's challenge:

1. Workout out 4 times this week. Workouts must be an hour long.
2. Only have ONE cheat day. I had to lay down the law with my boyfriend. There is no way I'm going to lose weight with eating out every time, all the time on the weekends.

This is when it all went bad...

Friday = A big FAIL day
Breakfast: hotcakes and sausage (from McDonald's)
Lunch: rice, chicken leg, 1 papa salada, tomatoes
Dinner: Zaxby's Cajun Club Sandwhich basket
Inbetweens: Everything bagel w/ cream cheese, 1 Hershey's cookies and cream bar

No workout

As you can see, my challenge is over. I lasted almost 4 days. It may sound like a failure to someone else, but that's pretty good for me! I never usually last longer than a day. I know for my next challenge, I'll do way better.

It's better to look on the bright side of things than to wallow in your upsets.

And the challenge is over...

Not quite, but after tomorrow's post, it will be.

Thursday
Breakfast: egg, turkey sandwhich - turkey, tomatoes, avocado, lite mayo (thank you my boyfriend for the yummy breakfast <3)
Lunch: arroz con pollo
Dinner: rice, bbq chicken leg, 2 papa ensaladas (baby potatoes with salt), tomatoes
In betweens: 3 slivers of chocolate cake (small ones, I swear), apple

Workout: 21 minutes on the elliptical

I wouldn't necessarily call it an off-challenge day. Except for that cake that I hadn't planned on eating and only getting in 20 minutes of exercise. That sweet tenant brought in some cake that she had made. She is the sweetest, but God is she killing me!! I know I can just not eat the stuff she brings in, but that would just be plain RUDE, right? And for the exercise, I waited to long to get moving. I got home, relaxed, ate dinner, watched The Vampire Diaries, and then decided to work out. Well, I got hot and uncomfortable and gave up after 21 minutes.

I really blow at challenges.

But you know what? It's okay. Because I stepped on the scale this morning and it was down!! It doesn't count until Sunday morning, but I know if I continue what I'm doing (eating less and working out), I will definitely have a loss this week.

What challenge???

Can I get a what, what...

Day 3 of my challenge: DONE!

Wednesday
Breakfast: turkey sandwhich - turkey, tomatoes, light mayo
Lunch: chicken noodle soup, celery and dip
Dinner: small scoop of arroz con pollo, 2 tostones, carrot soup
In-betweens: Granola bites, apple

Workout: 30 minutes on the elliptical

I watched that movie "Up" last night. I thought it was so cute! If you watch it, get a box of Kleenex ready. It had me tearing up in the first 10 minutes. Lovely message and a lovely movie overall.

Beauty Post
I was looking like death this morning. My face looked really sleepy and just out of it. You know what I can always count on to brighten my face and make me feel good?

Do you like my old school Maybelline mascara?

It's so good to know that all it takes are these three little things to pick me up. I never wanted to be one of those people who needs to put on all this make-up to look normal, and then look like crap when I don't have any on. Don't get me wrong, I love make-up and I can wear quite a bit when I'm going out. But it's nice to know that all I need is an eyelash curler, mascara, and some lip gloss to make me feel human. And come on, it doesn't hurt that looking good makes you feel good, too.

What are some beauty items/beauty routines that make you feel good about yourself?

Day 2 (Can I get an OH YEAH!)

Tuesday
Breakfast: turkey sammich (turkey, light mayo, tomatoes)
Lunch: a sweet tenant of mine brought lunch for us today - Jambalaya. I had never had this before and it was effin' awesome. I have definitely got to try making this some time.
In between: apple, 2 slices of turkey, Flax granola bites
Dinner: 2.5 chicken wings, small scoop of shrimp fried rice

The food I had eaten wasn't really what I had planned to eat, but you should have seen the portions I had. I was sooo good. I had about a cup of jambalaya at lunch time. And for dinner, it was only about half a cup of fried rice. Wow, I never watch my portions. Seriously guys, I am being so good, it's scary.

I did get my 30 minutes on the elliptical in. I really had to push myself to get on the thing and do it. But man, those 30 minutes flew by and I was laughing at myself for making such a big deal of doing it or not. That's how it goes, though.

I know it has only been two days, but I see myself thinking twice about what I'm going to eat. Me and the boyfriend went shopping last night for a gift for my nephew. I was starving! We could have easily stopped at the food court for something to eat (I was so craving pretzels!), but I told myself to wait until we got home to eat dinner. We stopped at Walgreen's to get a movie from my beloved (Redbox) and I was still starving, so I went on the prowl for a snack. Instead of chips and candy, I picked up some granola bites. Gosh, I am a new person.

Movie Review
Me and the boyfriend watched "The Ugly Truth" last night. I liked it. And I love Gerard Butler! If you like crude humor, then you'll like this. Me and the boyfriend laughed a lot. He gave it two thumbs up.

Product Review
At Walgreen's last night, I picked up some of these:
Now, I don't have any experience with Flax; I've never tried the stuff. However, after trying this I'm not sure I want anything more to do with it. This stuff literally tastes like dirt. It even looks like discs of it:
I just didn't really care for the taste. Is this what healthy food tastes like? No wonder I am fat. Just kidding. I guess they really aren't that bad. For 130 calories per serving (about half a bag), they're pretty filling and I'm sure that they are really good for you. Just the taste of them really bothers me. Why is it that all the food that is good for you tastes really bad?

Have you guys tried any good for you food that is also good for your taste buds?

Challenge: Day 1

Monday
Breakfast: oatmeal, apple
I was thisclose to messing up my week. I was running late and didn't have time to make breakfast. On my way into work, I was thinking I would just stop somewhere to pick something up (read: french toast sticks from Burger King). But I held fast, and just decided to eat what I had brought for lunch and then grab a salad at the grocery store. Thank you Lord Jesus, that there was a packet of oatmeal in my desk. I added a cut up apple to the mix and I was good to go.

Lunch: rice, hamburger (meat only), potato and veggie salad

In between: I had a tangerine but ended up throwing it out because it tasted scary; I was starving when I got home, so I had 2 slices of turkey

Dinner: rice, lentils, hamburger (meat only) (thank God they are finished!!), avocado

Dessert: piece of pineapple cake

Drumroll, please:
Workout: 30 minutes on the elliptical (I'm awesome, right?) I have really missed sweating buckets.

So my Monday was pretty good. Screw it, it was freaking awesome! I'm so glad I didn't eat junk food or fast food and that I got my workout in.

I am totally feeling this song right now. It made it onto my workout playlist and has so far been awesome. By the way, this vid isn't the official video, just a fan-made one.


Head on over here for a little giveaway. Actual Scale has lost 50 pounds and is celebrating by giving away a $50 Amazon gift card. Go over and show her some love!!

The rest of Sunday

Dinner was rice, potato salad, hamburger(just meat) and a slice of semi-homemade pineapple upside down cake.

I really wanted to get some exercise in but...well, actually I can't remember what I did for the rest of the night. I know I fell asleep around 11 pm. And that's all I remember. Hmmm??? Weird...

But I did get 8 hours of sleep. Woo hoo!! I feel great. I rarely get that much sleep on a weeknight. What a treat! (Can you tell I love my sleep?)

By the by, I almost screwed up my challenge already (more on that tomorrow). Can you believe it? It's only the first day and I come thisclose to messing it all up. Ridiculous, right?

Saturday & Sunday

Saturday
Breakfast: Snickers Ice-cream bar, finished off the cookie dough candies
Lunch: Mondongo (the Colombian variety)
Dinner: some more soup
Movie snacks: handful of raisinettes, handful of bacon cheddar chips

Sunday
Breakfast: scrambled egg, toast
Lunch: split chili cheese fries, double steakburger from Steak'n'Shake with the boyfriend, plus a chocolate shake
Dinner: TBD

I should have never had the chocolate shake. I am super full now (and I feel super gross).

Eek! That was a lot of junk food. But that is how my weekends typically go. Must be stronger, must say no to junk food.

Weigh-in was this morning. I am up on the scale (surprise, surprise) but I am still under 260. I have to look on the bright side of things, but it's getting more and more difficult. I think it's time for a Challenge!!

This week's challenge
-Absolutely no junk/fast food during the week
-Eat all planned meals
-Only 1 cheat meal this week (date night with the boyfriend)
-30 minutes on the elliptical...e v e r y day this week.

Do you think I can pull it off???

P.S. I lost a follower =(. I guess my gross eating habits are turn-off. Oh well, whaddaya gon' do?

Day 2 of telling the truth

Friday Re-cap

Breakfast: cottage cheese, pineapple
In between: cake (I was craving cake so bad, so I stopped at Kroger in the a.m. =/), banana
Lunch: rice, chicken breast, green beans
In between: apple
Dinner: 2 chicken wings, 3 chicken strips, handful of crinkle fries, 1/2 toast (courtesy of Zaxby's)
Late night pig-out: handful of Bacon Cheddar chips, handful of Life Saver gummies, handful of chocolate chip cookie dough candies

Lots of junk food but it was the boyfriend and I's movie night, so it only happens once a week. We picked up X-men Origins: Wolverine and The Proposal (I loved the Wolverine movie, I was pleasantly surprised. The Proposal was just OK) from Redbox and some snacks. I am such a homebody and love spending a night in relaxing, and watching movies.

P.S. I am still not talking to my elliptical. I see him there, looking at me, calling out to me, but I'm very good at ignoring him. I am so not ready for this relationship.

The truth shall set me free...

I've decided to come out with ALL the nitty gritty details of my day. All the eating and workout fails and everything else in between. Seriously, E V E R Y T H I N G. The whole purpose of this blog was to keep myself accountable and I'm just not cutting it. I need to show the world how bad, but also how good, I can be.

Thursday
Breakfast: cottage cheese, diced pineapple, banana
In between: 2 pieces of See's chocolate & nuts
Lunch: the greatest hamburger, fries, & cherry coke
Dinner: chicken breast, rice, green beans
Snack: turkey sandwhich (turkey, bread, slice of provolone, light mayo)

Hmmm??? I seriously thought I ate way more food than that (or was that the day before?). I guess it wasn't a complete fail. Well, except for that hamburger part.

I got home last night with every intention of spending some quality time with my elliptical machine. But then I lay down on the bed, started watching some TV with the boyfriend, and you know how it goes. Grrrr!!

Ok, enough about that.

Beauty Post
Since, life isn't always about weight loss, I thought I'd do a little plug for a product I recently discovered.

I love, love, love the look of fresh acrylic nails. But they can be such a pain. First off, they can get pricey. Second, sometimes the nail salons don't seem very sanitary (uh, hello!! nail fungus!!). And lastly, acrylic nails are killer for your nail's overall health. But they sure are pretty.

So I tried these little beauts. And came out with this:

Don't mind my gross cuticles

Cute, right? Can you even tell these weren't done at a salon? I couldn't! And all for seven bucks!! You can probably find them cheaper somewhere else, but I was a goober and stopped at the most expensive place on earth (CVS). They were really durable and felt like acrylic tips. I love, love, love them. If you need to, check out this tutorial. It was very helpful on putting these little suckers on.

Still here...

but not doing so much.

My eating has been horrible and I have not yet forced myself to jump on the elliptical machine (although, my body is craving a workout!).

I still have a bit of a cough that I haven't been able to shake so I'm kind of scared to get all huffy and puffy. But tonight (before the Vampire Diaries, of course) I'll try to get me some fitness time.

Wish me luck!

It pays to be Sick??

If I can get a 3.8 pound loss, it sure does!!!

This past week, I have been mighty sick with a cold/flu. I'm finally getting rid of the stuffy/runny nose. I still have a bit of a cough and a sore throat, but I'm hoping to try to do 30 minutes on the elliptical tonight. I've been really wanting to workout these past couple of days, too. So I'm looking forward to being 100 percent not sick.

I went shopping on Saturday with the boyfriend. With the cold weather here, I was on the hunt for some boots (and he was on the hunt for some new soccer cleats). Now, I'm really.....what do you call it?, frugal. I really don't like spending lots of money on clothes or shoes. $20 is my absolute max to spend on one item. So, you can't imagine how happy I was when I walked into Charlotte Russe and saw that the shoes were on sale for Buy one, get the 2nd for $15. Picked up these little gems in black and brown and all for around 23 bucks each. Score!

Yesterday, was the best relaxing day. The boyfriend and I picked up some pizza from his favorite pizza place and rented some movies from RedBox. We had only seen Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen in the theater so we watched it again. I had forgotten how funny it was. I think it was better the second time around. I really, really liked it!. It will definitely be added to our movie collection. If you haven't watched it yet, watch it. Trust me when I say you won't be disappointed. While you're at it, check out Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, too. There were some laughs in there and it was really cute.

Being sick really sucks. Hopefully I'm back by this weekend.

A really bad week

Bad, as in no workouts and pretty much stuffing my face silly.

Only 2 days of exercising. I don't know if it's the cold weather or me just being lazy but I didn't find it in my heart to get on my elliptical machine the rest of the week. sigh But I'm going to challenge myself again....at least 30 minutes on the elliptical EVERY DAY THIS WEEK!

My eating was really bad. Lots of candy and junk. This week, I'm going to try getting back on track. And it won't be too hard because I'm really broke so I can't spend money on junk food or fast food. But I also can't get groceries until this weekend, so I don't have a lot of healthy options (or any, for that matter). We'll see how I fare this week.

With all that being said, the scale read 260.6 this morning. Down 0.4 pounds. But I'd rather not count it because I've already been 260.6. It'll be a real, true loss when I'm in the 250's again. Gosh, I can't wait to be there.

Found this little doozy in the November issue of Cooking Light. Again, I don't normally try out recipes from this magazine because they call for lots of ingredients (and sometimes too pricey for me). But I had everything on hand to try this one out. And it came out AWESOME.

Cranberry Upside Down Cake
Topping:
Cooking spray
1/3 c packed brown sugar
2 T butter
6 oz. fresh or frozen, thawed cranberries

Cake:
6.75 ounces (or about 1.5 c) all purpose flour
2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 c sugar
1/2 c butter, softened
2 large egg yolks
1 t vanilla
1/2 c 1% milk
2 large egg whites

Preheat oven to 350.
For the topping: Coat a 9" round cake pan with cooking spray. (I don't have a round pan, so I used a square one) Heat brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. (I, for the life of me, could not get this right. So all I did was melt down 1/3 cup of white sugar and used that as my glaze) Pour sugar mixture into prepared cake pan tilting pan to coat bottom evenly. Arrange cranberries evenly over sugar mixture. (I couldn't find cranberries at the supermarket, so I used frozen raspberries)
For the cake: Combine flour, baking powder, and salt ; stir with a whisk. Beat sugar and butter with a mixer at medium speed until well blended and fluffy. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Fold flour mixture into sugar mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat egg whites with a mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form using clean, dry beaters. Gently fold egg whites into the batter. Spoon batter over the cranberries, spreading evenly. Bake at 350 for 55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. (For some reason the second time I made this, it came out a bit dry. I don't know why since I did everything exactly the same as that first time. So you may want to keep an eye on it) Cool in pan for 15 minutes on a wire rack. Loosen cake from sides of pan with a narrow metal spatula. Place serving plate upside down on top of cake and invert the cake pan onto the plate. Let stand 5 minutes and remove the pan. Serve warm.

Yields 12 servings

Is it Friday yet?

I seriously thought it was Thursday already. And it's only Wednesday (boo!). Oh, well. Sooner than I know it the weekend will have come and gone already. Man, time flies by way too fast these days.

Tuesday 30 min. elliptical

I was getting so lazy last night to work out. The boyfriend was going to a soccer game so I would have had the perfect opportunity to just lay in bed and watch TV. But I know I would have felt like crap afterward. So I put on Confessions of a Shopaholic (cutest movie ever made!!) and watched the ending while I did my 30 minutes. Now 30 minutes on the elliptical machine may not sound like much to some people, but I literally sweat buckets and my heart feels like it's going to jump out of my chest. So I know I'm getting a good cardio workout. Besides, 30 minutes is way better than ZERO minutes!

My eating still isn't the greatest. Still trying to work on that.

I was sad to see Dina go home on The Biggest Loser last night. I honestly thought it should have been Amanda. I don't think she really has much left to contribute to the team weigh-ins. I'm wondering when these people are going to get real. I mean, right now they're all friends and crying at the drop of a hat (this has got to be the season with the most crying ever!!). But when are they going to start playing the game?? If I was playing, I would've started working on sending Shay home. She is the biggest threat this season because she has so much to lose. I wouldn't be surprised if she made it to the end and won it all. But seriously, when is the scheming and plotting going to begin? When are they going to start playing for themselves and not for each other? That's when it gets good!!!

Maybe I was onto something...

Monday 30 min. elliptical

Although I did work out last night (and it was a good one, too) I will still count yesterday as a bad day. I ate waaaay too much. Like, seriously. Someone brought in these whole wheat cinnamon things and even though they were whole wheat and had oatmeal in them, I'm sure eating as much of them as I did was not a good thing. But moving on.

I do have some good news. I put on this sweater that I hadn't worn since last year. Last time it fit, it was a bit snug. This morning, it fit perfectly. I guess I was doing something right these past weeks when I was working out diligently. It kind of makes me want to see what I can do working out every day and eating right. I wonder...

Sleepy

There's not really much to update. Last week consisted of only 2 workout days.

Thursday 30 min. elliptical
Friday-Saturday I was in Lazy-town
Sunday 30 min. elliptical

The scale was down 1.2 pounds this week. It really sucks losing the same pounds over again. I mean, I had already lost these pounds and here I am losing them again.

I have been eating up a storm lately. But I did get some groceries yesterday, so I should be pretty set for the week. Except for that box of Cap'n Crunch cereal I picked up from WalMart. I was craving some cereal, so I picked some up. The bad thing is it's hard for me to stop at just one bowl. Maybe cereal was a bad idea after all. We'll see.

I did do a lot of running around on Saturday (that should count for some exercise). I was picking up groceries and some Halloween (my favoritest day!!) decorations. I was also wearing some shoes that were 2 sizes too small. My feet were about ready to fall off when I got home.

It looks like winter is officially here. What happened to Fall? It was 38 degrees this morning when I left for work. I'm sad because I have no winter shoes (hence, wearing shoes 2 sizes too small). I'm even sadder because my winter clothes don't fit. Boo hoo! Now I really need to lose weight because I think it's going to get much colder so I need to be able to squeeze into my smaller, warmer clothes. I can't go shopping for stuff until the boyfriend starts working, which is hopefully next week! *fingers crossed*. I really hate not having extra cash =(.

Please don't watch this:

I had never heard of it but my brother mentioned it to me and I was in the mood for a Halloween flick. This one was all sorts of wrong. I mean, wow. If you must, check it out and see for yourself. But seriously, wow.