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.

I've been bad...

No workouts for the past 3 days.

No self-control when it comes to eating.

I think I'm back to where I started on the scale (maybe even higher).

Eating crap these past few days is making me feel like crap.

"I can't hide this fluffy feeling..."

=(

And it all comes falling down...

Weekend wrap-up
Friday no workout
Saturday 30 mins. elliptical
Sunday no workout

Hmmm....

Last week was a bad week. I'm going over the workouts that I did and I only worked out 3 days last week! 3 days!! That's really bad. And that's why the scale was where it was yesterday morning. 262.6. Yikes!!

It didn't help that I was pretty much eating whatever I wanted. Too many of those oatmeal cookies that I had made(note to self: must not bake anymore). Just really bad eating all around.

Jeepers. I must get a hold on things before they get really out of control and I am where I was 3 weeks ago. I know I haven't lost much weight, but I was starting to get really disciplined with exercising. I just don't want that hard work to go to waste, so I must get a grip on myself. I must, I must, I must!! (I must increase my bust!!) lol

Here's to a good week!

A Good Day and some cookies

Thursday...

...was a very good day all around. I ate what I had planned to eat. No sugary foods, no fast foods. I even went to the Kroger to pick up some coffee and was not tempted by the double packed cake slices. Don't get me wrong, they were calling out to me. "Look at me! Buy me! EAT ME!!", they said. But I was not moved (although, I hate to say the outcome might have been different if there were some coconut slices) and stood my ground. Me 1, Cake slices 0.

My workout was extended to 40 minutes instead of 30. I know I could have done the full hour but my workout shoes are all wrong so the discomfort made me give it up early (what I'd give for some Nike Air Rifts!!). Whatever. I still did 10 more minutes than I usually do so that has definitely got to count for something.

In need of some more excitement? The scale was under 260 this morning. Woohoo!! It's been awhile since I've seen 2 and 5. I'm hoping that it stays that way until my official weigh in which is Sunday. It's the weekend so I'm going to have to work hard!

Do you like oatmeal cookies? Well, I don't really. But the boyfriend loves them. So I scoured the Internet for a recipe and came across this one. We've got a winner on our hands!! I haven't calculated the calories because I'm just too lazy to do it, so I don't know how healthy they really are (how bad can they be? they've got oatmeal and cranberries!!!). For some reason my cookies always spread out more than what they should and this time it was no different. The boyfriend liked them but said they could have been a little bit chewier and a little less crunchier. Well, Boyfriend, looks like you'll be making your own cookies next time. Just kidding.

Or am I?

For me?!?! Really?!?!

Sophie and Tasha awarded me with this:


I am seriously touched!! Thanks a bunch! This is my first award EVER in the blogworld and I am super stoked!

On to the rules:
Copy these 35 questions and change the answers to suit you then pass it on. Once you have filled it out ~~~ be sure to pass it on to 6 of your favorite bloggers and alert them that they have been awarded!

1. Where is your cell phone? In my purse
2. Your hair? short, streaked, and in a ponytail
3. Your mother? a thousand miles away
4. Your father? greatly missed =(
5. Your favorite food? arroz a caballo (rice with a fried egg), mac 'n' cheese
6. Your dream last night? forgettable (I forgot it)
7. Your favorite drink? Arizona Iced Tea
8. Your dream/goal? Graduate college
9. What room are you in? not in a room, an office
10. Your hobby? baking and reading
11. Your fear? losing loved ones
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? I don't care as long as I'm happy
13. Where were you last night? in bed
14. Something that you aren’t? patient
15. Muffins? chocolate or banana walnut
16. Wish list item? a cricut
17. Where did you grow up? Rosemead, CA
18. Last thing you did? Ate lunch
19. What are you wearing? Black dress pants, teal blouse, black tank, black open toe
20. Your TV? will be watched tonight!! yay for Vampire Diaries
21. Your pets? The loveliest little black cat
22. Friends? non-existant
23. Your life? OK
24. Your mood? anxious to go home
25. Missing someone? my daddy and everyone in LA
26. Vehicle? aggravating
27. Something you’re not wearing? hat
28. Your favorite store? Target and JoAnn
29. Your favorite color? black and purple
30. When was the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? hmmm....it's been a couple of weeks
32. Your best friend? Andres and Jasmine
33. One place that I go to over and over? JoAnn
34. One person who emails me regularly? SurveySpot
35. Favorite place to eat? way too many places to name

Pay it forward they say, so I'll pass this along to:

Lynn
Jo
Darci
Becca
Jenn
Kimmi

Almost there...

Wednesday...

My eating was on point. I didn't eat any junk food. No stops at Burger King or McDonalds. No cake slices from Kroger (my biggest weakness). I ate the food I took to work and that was all. My debit card didn't even get used (well, except to fill up on gas). Yesterday, is what you call a perfect eating day.

But no workout. Remember when I said I could never get the two down together? Well, I seriously wasn't kidding. If I eat right, there's usually no workout. If I workout, I'm usually stuffing my face. Will I ever get the two right? For my sake, I hope I do and soon.

Dear Boyfriend,

I truly believe it was your fault why I did not workout last night. When I get home, and you're not working out and you're in front of the TV, the lazies come on full force. If I don't see you moving, then I don't feel like moving. So for my sake (and yours), get moving!!!

Love you lots!

A Bad Day and A Good Shake!

Yesterday was a horrible, horrible day. I was the Queen of Junk Food. I ate way too much sugary, high fat foods. I would list them, but I am way too embarrassed to let the world know what I put into my body.

And I didn't get my workout in. Do I have no shame? I guess not

Ay yi yi!! It's okay though. I'm not going to let one bad day turn into a week, into a month. It happened, it's done with, I'm over it. Moving on.

You have got to try this shake!! I don't follow the recipe to a tee because I'm only making one shake for myself, but I use the same ingredients. One cup of 2% milk, 1/2 cup cooked oatmeal, 1 T sugar, and 0.5 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, into the blender they go. My grandma used to try to feed this to us when we were younger and I hated the stuff. But now, it's delicious!! Tastes just like horchata! And it's pretty filling. All of that for just under 250 calories!

Here's to a great day.

Lovely Tuesday!!

It's an ugly morning (weather-wise) but I'm in such a good mood because I got lots of sleep last night. The wonders a couple of extra hours of sleep could do!!! I'm enjoying it because it doesn't happen much.

The rest of last week's workouts went something like this:
Wednesday 30 min elliptical
Thursday 30 min elliptical
Friday No workout
Saturday 30 min elliptical
Sunday 30 min elliptical

(Can you tell I was getting bored with the Slim in 6 DVD? No worries, because I got it done last night.)

Monday SI6 Ramp It Up

I have to start working on the eating right part because at Sunday's weigh-in I was up 0.6 pounds. I thought I would have lost some because of all the cardio I was doing, but I guess I was cancelling it out with all the caca foods I was eating. Oh well, you win some you lose some.

I have also started thinking about stepping up my workouts to maximize my weight loss. I don't want to wear myself out with trying to do too much as I am just getting consistent with my workouts, but I think I can push myself a little harder. I have to come up with a serious plan of attack.

Caught this movie at the dollar show this past weekend:
I was pleasantly surprised. Movies are so predictable nowadays, but this one had me guessing all the way til' the end. It didn't hurt that Peter Sarsgaard came out in it, either.

Last night, I was feeling crafty so I pulled out my new Euro Pro Dressmaker II sewing machine. I've had it for about a couple of weeks now and I have yet to try it out. By the way, I am not a sewer. Anywho, I could not get the thing to work. Grrr!! I had problems loading the lower thread and the directions weren't very detailed so today I'm on the hunt for some extra help/tips. Either I find some help on-line or it's going back (which it really can't since the Boyfriend threw the box away) (thanks Boyfriend!!).