Wedding Cake Confessions

So another week has flown by and I've hit the gym TWICE since our last get-together. Not so good. I keep making excuses for not going... or at least walking the dogs. (Spare you the details).

Last weekend's wedding had a wedding cake with TWO LAYERS of Funfetti cake. Yes, I scarfed down a piece and am STILL craving those chewy, yummy gobs of Funfetti. :(

I have another wedding coming up on October 9th... I always plan on refraining from cake and claim that I won't have a piece unless I know it's Das Meyer or somewhere impressive.... but honestly I think I'd try just about any cake. I mean, red velvet cake's production has something to do with beetles (eww, right?) but I still eat that.

Ok, so another confession I have is making brownies. Tawsha, I love you and you had me on the right path (over an IM discussion about craving but not making brownies... even though there were 2 boxes of Chewy Brownies in the pantry) - but I caved about 5 minutes after you logged off.

I ♥ brownies.

On the positive side, I feel like I'm getting more used to 1200 calories a day. I don't feel so tired.

I set a goal today to run a half marathon. I'm very intimated by you 9+ milers. I haven't done that since I was 17.

On another note, my birthday is coming up and, being all self-reflective, I really want to achieve this goal before Chris and I start a family.

So.. if I feel like throwing confetti for running 15 minutes straight on the treadmill, where do I go from here?

"before" pictures

Tawsha is sooo sweet and put together goodie bags for all of us.

Smart Water, 100 calorie pretzels, recipe cards, recipe box - you really hooked us up! :)

I love the Smart Water bottle because if I fill it up at least twice a day, I know I'm getting enough water for the day. :)





Nutella. It tastes good on a spoon. On a rubber tire. On rice krispies, on toast, on fruit... POUND CAKE.... grilled with strawberries. It's great on s'mores, there's even Nutella cookies.

Can you tell I can't handle having Nutella in the house?

Thank you, Tawsha, for putting the nutritional info on the counter. So now I see 1/2 a jar is NOT a serving.










Aren't you two cute? Thanks for being an inspiration! :)


















There ya are again...


































Erin is doing our first round of body scans. :)


















And explaining what she's doing...


















"before" - side, front, muscle...

Disappointment

Ugh. This Biggest Loser competition has been anything but easy. I have done this what seems like hundreds of times before (each with immediate success) but never making it a life-long process. Which brings me to this point. I can commit, I can do this but for some reason I am not feeling like it's near impossible.

Healthy eating? Sounds great. Dinner time...nothing healthy. I need to organize, I need to do this for myself and I need to feel better about how I look. This is hard. Have I mentioned that?

I appreciate the support from the "losers" in the group but I'm feeling like I have a WAY longer road ahead than anyone else. I only wish I were fighting those last 10 pounds. I'm not. I'd even take the last 20...not the case, either. I'm overwhelmed, I feel out of control and I needed to vent to the people who are involved in the same activity.

Good night. Good luck. Tomorrow is a new day.

Tawsha

Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili

Image by flyzipper via Flickr

Hi, everyone! Thank you for the invitation to the next Biggest Loser event. It has been so kind of you all to include me in your last two events. I'm sorry that I won't be able to attend this week, however, I've posted a recipe to go along with your theme this week. Soup sounds like a great way to welcome the fall!

Here's a hearty soup recipe that is also low-glycemic and healthy. Feel free to post a comment if you try it and have suggestions that might make it even better.

Good luck with week number three! I'll be cheering you all on!

Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili (serves 6)

Ingredients:

• 2 medium-large sweet potatoes or yams
• 2 tbsp olive oil
  
• 1 cup chopped onion
  
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
  
• 2 15-oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
  
• 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
  
• 1-2 small fresh hot chilies, minced or 1 4-oz can chopped mild green chilies
  
• 2 tsp ground cumin
  
• 1⁄2 tsp dried oregano
  
• salt to taste
  
• fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)
  

Cooking Instructions:

1. Bake sweet potatoes at 350 degrees until slightly firm, but not soft.
   
2. When cool, peel and dice into 3⁄4 inch cubes. Set aside.
   
3. Heat oil in soup pot or Dutch oven.
   
4. Add garlic and onion and sauté over medium heat until golden brown.
   
5. Add remaining ingredients and heat.
   
6. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
   
7. Add diced sweet potatoes and continue to simmer until vegetables are tender, 10-15 minutes.
   
8. Add salt to taste.
   
9. For more flavor allow to stand for 1-2 hours before serving.
   
10. Reheat and serve with chopped cilantro for garnish.

Nutritional Information:

• 269 calories
• 6 g fat
• 10 g protein
• 45 g carbohydrate
• 11 g fiber

Note: Click here to download a PDF version of this recipe.

HEATSTROKE!!

Holy crow... she had heatstroke, and it was enough to put her in the hospital for a week or more. Click on the title above to go to an extra scene that fills in the blanks about Tracey's 1st challenge...

Yeah, we're ready...

Series Premier Recap

Here's a recap of the first show for those of you who couldn't make it... hope to see you next week! (Just click on the title above-)

A Bunch of Losers

...AS IF!!!

Tawsha, dear, thank you so much for being such an over-achiever. Do you do anything small?? Of course not, and thank goodness. It was a landmark evening.

Erin!! Thank you again and so much for your generous service and enthusiastic attention to our 101 questions (and ensuing chatter)! Your depth of knowledge was so impressive and I know we are all looking forward to checking back in with you soon, as well as promoting your business!

I hope everyone has received their invitations to join the blog; please share your stories, questions, triumphs, lows, recipes, and tips to maintain motivation and lose baggage. I can also add your mobile number so that you can post on the fly and send pictures of your masterpiece meals or workout photo finishes, just send an email with your phone no. and send back the confirmation # as a text when you get it.

The series premier was very inspiring and the company unparalleled... next week we find ourselves hosted by Ms. Sandi Morris of Westminster. Details to follow, but I hear rumors of a potluck burrito bar, so get ready to lay claim to your 1/8 of an avocado...

~Deanna