It is time once again for the Annual school Cake Raffle.  It was actually held yesterday, but I didn’t get a chance to blog about it.  This year was by far the easiest one yet. I saw it in a magazine, showed it to J and that was what he wanted.

Last year, we had the mud and worm cake, the year before we had the palm trees by the beach and the first year we had the bug cake (which I still hear about from the lady who’s child one that one).

Normally, the cake raffle is held on the Friday before March Break, which is a significant time in the year for me meaning that we are almost done. Having it almost a month earlier was a little trying as now I wish we were on March Break.

To show you how easy this was to make, I can tell you how in just a few brief steps. I cheated this year and used a cake mix and store bought icing. I baked it in two circular pans, frosted between the layers and then cut out the swimming pool. Then I iced the rest. Instead of making the jello in the cake like I did two years ago, I cheated again and bought premade jello (this was J’s idea actually) and then just mixed it up and scooped it into the hole I made for the pool. I then decorated the cake with candies that J asked for. All in all it took me very little time.

You cold make this for a birthday party or really, just for fun.  J was disappointed he didn’t come home with a cake again yesterday, but I keep telling him we can always make another one.

Thanks to Lori’s exercises and some good healthy eating I am starting to feel much more like myself.  With still some progress to be had.

I quietly didn’t publish this because it would seem that sometimes when I do publish what I am working on, it derails me.  Sometimes it is best for me to wait until I reach a certain point, then talk about it.

After Christmas, despite not baking and eating as much junk, I got on the scale and almost died a small death.  Not only was I up in weight after Booty Camp (which for me is normal when I train hard on my muscles, then I usually lose after a certain amount of time) I was up another few pounds.  A small tragedy for me since I swore I wouldn’t put on any weight this Christmas.  I guess I should have just baked and enjoyed it after all.

So I started all over again to first, rid myself of the Christmas weight, then to work on getting back into my Summer dresses. I am happy to report I am down 8lbs in three weeks and quite happy about that.  Now, I need to get lower.  This is as far I have managed to get since I had Apple and I would really, really like to be down at least another 10 by sundress season.

This is what has been working for me so far.

I did a ten day carb fast. Basically, I tried to stay away from as much carbs as possible for ten days.  This had two purposes, one to get me to reset my intake of all things bread and starchy and two to help kick-start my loss a little. I was down 4lbs in that first ten days.

Next, I reintroduced some really great carbs into my diet, slowly.  I am now having one or two servings a day depending on what is for dinner. Another 2lbs gone. Yay me.

Finally, I am adding back in the 8 glasses of  water per day and trying not to bring in any extra snacks/treats that sometimes find their way into my afternoon and evening work times. Gone, another 2lbs.  Hooray!

In addition to my change in diet for the last three weeks, I have been trying to up my exercise.  As always I find it a challenge in the wintertime and hope that Spring really isn’t too far away.  I have been riding the stationary bike lately, something I hadn’t done in a while and have quite enjoyed it.  I have also been taking mini-breaks while working to add in a round of Lori’s exercises.  Next up is to add back my running. I haven’t run since November and miss it terribly, but I need to start slowly as I don’t want my underused knees to get achy on me.

Overall Goal: To make sure I can fit into all my favorite Summer Dresses this year.  I didn’t wear half of them last year and it was such a shame.

What is your goal?

**disclaimer: I, Anna, am in no way a Doctor or Physical Trainer. I am going to share with you my thoughts and ideas about how to get into shape again. I strongly advise consulting a medical professional prior to starting any workout routine as well as a professional trainer. I am in no way responsible for any injury you may sustain from trying any of my suggestions.