Hi Ladies!

I'm starting the week off with a picture of the most amazing cake I've ever seen (it tasted pretty good too) - a completely made from scratch hand carved Totoro birthday cake!

Totoro Cake! by rainbowstripe, on Flickr

Yes, my boyfriend made that. He had some help from my sister with the frosting, but he basically did the whole thing himself. It took four whole cakes and a lot of frosting.

I hope you ladies all had a good weekend! I went off plan on my birthday, as planned, and now I'm right back on again. I know I must have consumed over 2000-2500 calories on Saturday and it scares me a little, so I'm going to try to go 100-200 under my usual level for a couple of days before going back to my normal number. I had a fairly good birthday though I did end up being kind of sad after people went home and I realised I don't have much to look forward to at the moment.

Sunday was relaxing - I had the day off work so boyfriend and I watched a couple of anime films and cuddled on the couch, and then went to my sister's for dinner.

I'm not happy it's Monday to be honest. I feel like I need to look for a different job, I kind of dread coming to work at the moment and feel a bit stuck.

Well it's still Sunday here but I'll go ahead and join! LOL. The past 2 days has kinda sucked. The scale is deff not budging from 186 so I decided to up my calories and workout harder to see if I can get it moving. Today I'm going to walk a mile and I did some thorough cleaning of the house. Mon, Wed & Fri I'm going to some cardio videos and walk 3x a week and hopefully it will help me out! Rainbow--Glad you had a good birthday!

Rainbow- OMG that cake is epic! Your boyfriend made that?! It is awesome! 4 hours is true dedication to cake. I'm glad you had a good birthday Maybe it is time to start looking for a new job, sounds like something needs a bit of a shake up

JL- good luck getting the scale to move!

As for me, I had a really good weekend. We had a friend over on Fri/Sat and just stayed up until about 3am playing video games, then on Saturday we went whale and dolphin watching and saw heaps of dolphins and a whale, and on sunday just pretty much relaxed. It was very cool And the scale is down to 63.2 which is good, so trying to keep on measuring stuff and not eating things i know are bad for me and not over eating at my boyfriend's parents house! Must be strong!

JL Hope the scale starts to move for you!

Icon 4 cakes, not 4 hours. Try... 8 hours total for the cake? I mean obviously some of that was baking time... but the carving and icing took a good 4-5 hours. He's a pretty good boyfriend I have to say. Your weekend sounds good and yay on the weight loss!! I think I am going to have to start looking for jobs... I know what I've got is good in terms of hours, pay for what it is...so it worries me I might not be able to find something as lenient...but I need to work on my sanity!

Rainbow~OMG!! That cake is so cute and amazing!! It's so cool that your boyfriend made that!! What a talented man

Things have been good for me. I'm getting used to the elliptical again. I almost had a heart attack on sat though. I was only planning on doing 10 mins, but I got really into Grey's Anatomy, and ended up doing 20. My legs felt like jelly afterwards, and I was drowning in sweat. After I peeled myself off the couch, I actually felt pretty good. I don't think I'll do that again..not until I'm actually ready.

Today was fun..I finally bought some more boots and a new pair of slippers. Went to the movies and saw The Social Network tonight. It was really great!! OH the hubs bought me a Kitchen Aid mixer. We're going to try and make tamales on the weekend. I can't wait!!

Hope everyone has a good week. I'm freezing to death in the living room..so I'm going to bed. Nighty nite!!

Shopaholic I know! It was the first cake he's ever made as well... I was super impressed and all our friends were joking about how he's now raised the bar for boyfriend birthday presents haha. It's awesome that your exercise is becoming more enjoyable and that you can do longer!

The cake is now causing issues...not for me, I'm fine and can resist because I know it was a treat and if I do want some, I know the calories in it and it's almost not worth it - and if it is, I'll have a tiny piece. But my boyfriend...well...he's eaten a lot of it. He ate some this morning befor he left for uni, he took some with him to uni to share and ate a bunch... he just told me he's eaten some more since he's been home. I think we need to throw it away which is really sad due to the time and effort that went into it, but probably just the truth.

He is so grumpy because he hasn't exercised since Thursday and making it worse by not getting back into it today. I haven't exercised since Thursday either, but I'm going to do some when I get done at work, even if it's only 20 mins on the stationary bike.

Sorry for the rant ladies. He's super fit so it probably doesn't matter if he takes a few days off - but I know he's getting grumpy at being unable to stop eating unhealthy stuff!

That's an awesome Totoro cake!

This week I'm making it my goal to dip below 60.0 kg, which will be shocking new territory that hasn't been seen since 2004 or so. I can feel myself getting complacent but I'd like to power on through. If all goes well I can convert my Christmas goal of 58.0 kg to a Halloween goal!

Ohhh my..my frustration is really starting to build up. I just want the scale to budge! And on another irritating note I changed face washes and now my face is red, itching, and dry!! Gosh this needs to go away quick. Sry just needed to vent.

Good morning girls!! Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Mine was good. Today was day 3 of getting up early to excercise (I skipped yesterday.) I would like to do Monday-Saturday with Sunday being a rest day. I worked on lower body this morning. Tonight I am planning on going to jazzercise. Did a little shopping on Saturday and went on a long walk with the little one and some friends. It was beautiful!!!!

Rainbow - LOVE the cake! What a great bf!!

Awesome cake, Rainbow! I always feel awful 'cause we nearly always throw away most of a cake too... but the thought was there, and he did a great job.. and you both enjoyed it.. now toss it before it drives you nuts

Good job on the morning workouts, Jenn! Still trying to get there myself.. I will do it. Yes, I will.

JL: Always annoying when weight and skin combine to make you miserable! Hope the face clears up and the scale moves soon.

Oh, Monday. I'll refrain from saying much because I've not been in a great mood, and I'd hate to bring you ladies down at the beginning of the week. The weather is still beautiful here, I'm looking forward to my run tonight.

Here's hoping your weeks are starting much happier than mine!

Rainbow, I agree with Amanda..you loved what he did for you, you both enjoyed it, now it's time to throw it out. Or if you want, you can cut a good slice, and give it to a friendly neighbor or a co-worker.

I feeling quite dissatisfied with my food. What I normal eat is not filling me up. I know it will take a few days to get back to my normal eating routine and for my body to adapt, but it is these times I find it most difficult.

I have my 5 servings of fruit and veggie smoothie in the fridge at my office. And I will drink it, but I started the day with Nibs and Twizzlers (aka candy) and I had a bagel with peanut butter.

Urgh. Thanksgiving is coming up, and a side from an intentional going over my calories (without making myself feel stuffed) I need to stick with my usual food intake.

I think I need a week this month where I do not eat out. I think I will take a cleanse day as well. (I tried it July, it is a two-day food based cleanse). After Thanksgiving this weekend and my race I will do it. I think it will be good for me. But in the mean time, I will focus on drinking water and green tea and getting my 7 servings of fruits and veggies in a day.

Being a bit stressed right now does not help. But this is part of my job. I have another year and a half of this. I am almost half way! And waiting for my test results on my exam does not help.

Ok, back to work.

I had a business lunch at a Lebenese restaurant today. Never had Lebenese cuisine before. I was nervous. I ended up having beef tips and a small side salad. I did eat one of the rolls, in the basket they looked a lot like foccacia bread but they were actually hollow. Everything was very good!

krampus Hey there! I hope you can dip below 60kg - I would feel pretty amazing if I was even close!

JL That sounds like some sort of reaction - maybe don't use it? I have pretty sensitive skin and some face products and makeups make my skin go like that, it's no fun! I'm sorry you're frustrated, I know what it's like - all you can do is hang in there - if you're on plan, the scale has to drop eventually!

jenn Well done on getting up to exercise in the morning! I so wish I could. I can if I don't have work because I usually then don't have any early deadline of places to be - but I just can't do it and get to work by 9. I've only done it once, and while I felt good, I also wanted to go to bed SO much earlier that night! Did you buy anything fun shopping in the weekend?

Amanda It's so much cake too...it does seem like a waste but it must go. I hope that your run is good and that you're feeling a bit better!

Risssa I'm sorry you're stressed, I hope the results from your exam come back and are to your liking! I also hope the food starts satisfying you a bit more. I know that after this past weekend I am really wishing I could eat some of the stuff I ate on my birthday - and I was so controlled as well (aside from a bread + guacamole binge) - it's odd, I didn't miss the foods until I ate them again. Your cleanse sounds like a good idea!

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The cake is still sitting on the dining room table. Some friends of ours came over last night and ate some - I think it's an addictive cake, once someone eats some they can't help but pick at it! We gave them a huge chunk to take home with them. I am glad my boyfriend resisted the urge to take more to university with him this morning! He's home late tonight so I'm thinking I'll throw it out before he gets home. I'll save him one small piece and then it's gone. I have photos, lots of people saw the cake so it won't be forgotten.

I'm really looking forward to my parents coming back from the US on Saturday. Even though I only stay with them 1 or 2 nights a week, I realise I've missed them since they've been away! Also they have presents haha, so that is always fun.

Me and the boyfriend went for a nice bike ride after work/before dinner last night. We used to go last Summer, and it was awesome to see that I was obviously a lot fitter than those times - back in March, I would come back REALLY red in the face and sweating and last night I came back only a little puffing and only sweating underneath my fringe (bangs) where my helmet made me hot. It was awesome! I love that Summer is nearly here!

Hope you ladies are good

Rainbow- aww i couldnt bring myself to throw it out personally! Not just because he made it and it was such a lovely thing to do, but because its such a delicious, perfectly viable cake! And also, it might be good to practice resisting food that is there and tempting because we dont always have the option of throwing it out. Maybe you can talk to your boyfriend about your strategies for not eating it and help him out I love that summer is nearly here too!!! *excited squeel*

jenn- well done on eating out so well!

Rissa- stress is so hard I find that when im not enjoying my healthy food it is much harder for me to stay on track, I dont know about you but for me a lot of eating is not about hunger, but enjoyment. So I have actually started eating *real* food- whole fat greek yoghurt, actual butter not marg, fruits and vegetables and muesli that doesnt have strange chemicals to make it low cal, and just measuring out how much of these foods I eat. And i feel so much better! Because I know what is actually in those foods and that theres nothing strange or chemically in them, they taste great and I feel much more satisfied But I do have to plan about a week ahead EXACTLY how much I eat of them down to the gram

JL- i feel your frustration! And yeah that definately sounds like a reaction to something in that face stuff, I would definately stop using it if i was you

As for me, just got back from dropping my car off for work so it passes its warrant (rage!) and its really sunny so im going to put the washing out, clean the house and go visit my parents. I am up to 64kg but im pretty sure thats something to do with salt since im sure even i would struggle to gain more than a kilo of fat in about 2 days So sticking super to plan now and drinking lots of water and tea!