Now I feel like I have truly returned home. The airport FINALLY delivered our lost luggage at 12:01a, according to Husband. I didn't hear a thing, but he said that the doorbell rang and there were our bags. He stayed up to open up the bags to see if anything was "missing" or broken (like those bottles of whiskey that he purchased, ha ha).
I've had 2 great days at the gym, going back to longer workouts with less resistance (on the elliptical). I've also resumed my weight training, drinking more water, eating LOTS of FRESH fruits and vegetables (things I desperately missed while traveling).
And I dropped the 2lb that I gained while abroad. I think most of that was due to excess salt and curtailed water intake. I didn't imbibe in alcohol all that much, although one night, I had several glasses of wine, and one evening, I had a lovely pint of some delicious light ale (light = not dark, not light = reduced calories).
So before I end this entry, I just want to say again how glad I am to be home, and back on Diet Diaries with you all.
Progress as of today: 8 lbs lost so far, only 11 lbs to go!
I am home. This is the one place that I feel I can be honest, and quite honestly, I did not enjoy my trip to the UK. I do not travel well. I missed my kids, missed my workouts. I felt very uncomfortable being a stranger in a foreign land. There are no adequate words to describe how much that bothered me. I also get car sick, and that does not bode well for a 10 day bus tour.
There were several times that I didn't eat dinner because I was either misunderstood in my order or outright ignored. Hated eating out for everything. Absolutely detested being offered a huge breakfast every morning and then stopping for a snack an hour later because lunch would be late. Then lunch would be a big meal, which meant that dinner would be eaten very late. Way too much eating.
I had no idea how much my Husband ate until this vacation. OMGosh is all I can say. He is straight on his way to a heart attack.
One thing that did impress me while traveling was how everyone took great effort to have a beautiful garden. Even the smallest plot of land -- some folks just had flower boxes -- were beautifully tended to with flowers and a trim lawn. After my visit, I have decided to put more time and effort into my yard. It's a great way to burn calories too.
I also got a kick out of watching British game shows and BBC news on TV. It's interesting to see America through the eyes of someone else.
Now we are struggling to recover our luggage from the flight(s). Somehow it is detained and nobody can seem to find it. Needless to say, it is upsetting my Husband and he's driving me crazy.
It is good to be back home and I look forward to resuming my routine.
Progress as of today: 8 lbs lost so far, only 11 lbs to go!
Tonight I leave for vacation, so I thought I would weigh in this morning, since my goal is to lose weight while on vacation. I certainly do not want to be like the person who went on vacation and came back 8lb heavier!
As you can see, my weight has stayed the same. I did not take the time to measure myself. My plan to lose weight while on vacation is the basic things that one needs to do to lose weight: I plan to drink 1L of water a day; I plan to make good choices on the menus; I plan to walk as much as I can, plus do crunches and push-ups in the hotel room. I plan to keep alcoholic beverages to a minimum.
I want to wish you all the best of luck in your weight loss journeys while I am gone.
Progress as of today: 8 lbs lost so far, only 11 lbs to go!
I am finally back down to my weight before the whole Oreos & beer night. It's maddening how I can put on 4lb in 2 days (two episodes of 9 Oreos each), but it takes me nearly a week to get those 4lb off.
At any rate, I am back down to 136.0 and now I'm ready to start losing towards my goal weight. However, I leave for a 10 day vacation in less than a week. Is it realistic to have a goal to lose weight while on vacation? Or is that too much? Can a person lose weight on vacation?
Recently, someone who criticized the diet advice I gave a while back came back from vacation and gained 5lb. I do not want that to be me.
Progress as of today: 8 lbs lost so far, only 11 lbs to go!
Last time I wrote about how I was struggling to fit in an additional session of cardio if it's not on the crosstrainer.
Yesterday I did an hour of cardio (and lower body weight training) at the gym (crosstrainer, treadmill w/incline), and basically did nothing after that. (A big issue was the weather which was very hot and humid, so I was not motivated to do much of anything outside.)
Today I did my usual 35 minutes on the crosstrainer (I am almost ready to move up to resistance level 16) and upper body weight training. Then I did 15 minutes on the stair-stepper. It is a perfect day for running if the rain stays away. I just remembered that the kids have martial arts this afternoon, so I will have to fit in a run around 2 or 3p. But I may end up bike riding instead, as we are encouraging Son to learn how to ride a bike. (He is 9yrs old, and if he doesn't learn soon, it will only get harder and more embarrassing for him.) Actually, if he still needs help, I may be running behind him riding his bike, and that would solve both problems.
While I was on the crosstrainer, I noticed a cut -- a muscle cut (i.e. definition) in my legs that has become more pronounced. The "cut" started out about an inch long, but today I noticed that the muscle mark is now about 3 inches long. So at least that shows me that using a higher resistance on the crosstrainer is changing the shape of my legs.
It's time for another weigh-in, but this morning I woke up with an upset stomach and didn't feel up to stepping on the scale. I almost backed out of going to the gym, but figured that not exercising wouldn't make me feel any better, so might as well go ahead and do it.
UPDATE: My Husband really honked me off by discouraging me from going out on an afternoon run. First he tells me to be afraid of getting hurt on the path. Then he says, "It looks like it might rain." As if I would melt in the rain. Now I am more determined than EVER to get my run in today.
SECOND UPDATE: I went and ran 3.8 mi in 35 minutes. Running with my daughter riding her bike really pushed me to run faster! On my own, it takes me about 40-45 minutes because I"m not as pushed to run so fast.
Progress as of today: 7.5 lbs lost so far, only 11.5 lbs to go!
My new workout routine is inconvenient. By limiting myself to 30 minutes on the crosstrainer, I have to find 30 minutes of some other kind of cardio to do, either at the gym or later throughout the day. Well, I don't have TIME to do more cardio at the gym (or I would do it). And I have a hard time finding the motivation to do any cardio later on in the day. Yesterday I rode my bike with Daughter.
Today, though, while the kids were finishing up their swimming lessons, I pushed myself to run for 30 minutes (3 miles) in the hot, humid, sunny weather. There is a park adjacent to the swimming pool and they have a mile trail that I ran 3x. (Getting in 30 minutes was my goal.) Several times I felt like quitting, after 9 minutes, after 15 minutes, after 20 minutes. But my promise was to get in 60 minutes of cardio in total a day and that's what I did.
Hopefully this will change soon. The weather is supposed to become more moderate after today and the kids' swimming lessons end Wednesday (tomorrow). Having the lessons end means I will have more time at the gym.
Progress as of today: 7.5 lbs lost so far, only 11.5 lbs to go!
I am spending time on the computer instead of eating. Husband has to go to work early at 3a, so he was in bed before 8p. This is always dangerous for me because I tend to eat (a lot) when he has to do this. I do not know why, but I believe it has something to do with a deep, underlying feeling of abandonment. It makes no rational sense as everyone is home - they are just sleeping! So there's no real reason for me to feel abandoned. Except that I eat in reaction, and that tells me that something is bothering me on some level.
Today I only did 35 minutes on the crosstrainer, instead of my usual 65. I think this could be a good thing, except that I had to try VERY HARD to get in some other form of exercise during the day. (My daughter and I took a long bike ride in the afternoon; not exactly "cardio" exercise but it was better than sitting on my donkey and doing nothing.)
I also did upper body weight training at the gym, something I have not done in quite some time. I also did some weights at home and now I know that I definitely have a problem with my right shoulder. If I cannot even do a shoulder press with 5lb dumbbells, surely something is wrong. So I cannot do shoulder exercises with any weight until that heals. I might go to the doctor but I do not want to have an MRI to resolve the issue (yet), as it is not that bad (yet).
I realize now that what is holding me back is what I eat. Or perhaps, rather, HOW I eat. I had an Oreo cookie the other day, and then I had 8 more. (See my entry with the beer and Oreos. Not something I recommend, by the way.) Then I went and had another NINE Oreos the next day.
Who do I think I am that I can have NINE Oreos? Honestly, you'd think I was 8 yrs old and could eat anything I wanted. So I am not fat because I have an Oreo. I am fat because I have many Oreos, many days in a row. (And it's just not Oreos, mind you.)
I really need to get a grip on the concept of moderation. I don't know why it is so hard for me to just have a little of something and be fine with it. This is where Donkey gets stuck in her rut.
Progress as of today: 7.5 lbs lost so far, only 11.5 lbs to go!
Day 50: The family reunion is over, thankfully. No, I did not have a good time, but what is passed is past and I won't rehash it here. I'm sure that I didn't behave well, offended many and made several members upset. When I'm totally stressed out, I tend to retreat into myself, so I am not the most outgoing person under these circumstances. An alcoholic drink might have helped me tremendously but Husband had to work late at the last minute so I was on my own with this one (and the kiddies), so I thought it best not to drink, since alcohol goes straight to my head and I had to drive home myself. I'm sure my mother is upset with me. But on to more important matters here....
In 50 days' time, I managed to stop bingeing (for the most part) and lost 4 lbs. This might have been more, except that I stopped exercising since Friday, to rest and renew myself.
I have the trip to the UK to do next, so I think what my next short-term goal will be is to change up my exercise routine until we leave on July 4th. I plan to cut down my crosstrainer time to 30 minutes a day, incorporate more weight training and then some other kind of cardio to round out the hour.
I plan to change my routine again once I return from vacation.
Progress as of today: 7.5 lbs lost so far, only 11.5 lbs to go!
Great job loosing 4 lbs and keeping yourself from binging!! I agree with HOP, its a great idea to always switch up your exercise routine to keep your body guessing. Looks like you've been sticking to going to the gym even though it sounds as if your husband hasn't been joining you (as you suspected would happen!!) My hubby has yet to use the weight bench that I bought for him that is finally up. He say's he's waiting for the eliptical trainer to arrive but I'm afraid he's just procrastinating!
I was reading back through your diaries and comments and I think "My June Wedding" had some very valid points!! You do have so much going for you and you have made such huge changes in your lifestyle that should make you feel very proud!! I also think you have a great sense of humour, it even manages to come through in writting on here so I can only imagine how quirky and fun you would be in person! Keep your chin up and keep pushing forward, look at how far you've come!!!
Day 49: 2 hours before he's due to come home, Husband calls me up and says he has to work overtime today so he won't be going to my Family party tonight. Great. I *really* need his support right now and he leaves me to do it alone. Not enough words to express how much I dread this now. I didn't think it could get worse, but I was wrong.
Took a look at the menu online. Everything is a la carte and hugely expensive. My kids don't like to eat like that. Neither do I. Perhaps I can order a side dish of broccoli for myself. These stupid people, I hate them...
Progress as of today: 8 lbs lost so far, only 11 lbs to go!
TWO WORDS: Oreos and beer.
This is not good. I need a new approach. So I took today off from the gym, but it will take more than just this weekend to figure out where I'm going with this journey.
I think I'm subconsciously anxious about tomorrow's Dysfunctional Family Reunion. And I'm also nervous about my upcoming trip to the UK. I think we are spending a couple of days in London and then about a week up in Scotland but I'm not sure where. Glasgow maybe? I wanted to go to Hawaii but Husband decided that this would be like our "once in a lifetime" things do. Whatever. No offense, but going to Hawaii has been a desire of mine for a long time, but Husband lived on Hawaii for 4 years so he has no desire to go back there. So I'm basically going along for the ride.
Now back to my Oreos and beer....
Progress as of today: 8 lbs lost so far, only 11 lbs to go!
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((Donkey)) It's always nice to check in and see a comment, but it was especially neat to see one from you!!
Me quitting my job... hum... let's see, once the wedding bills are paid off would I rather work mon-fri including every home football game (high school) during season which is basically 5pm -11/12 am each friday, work the festivals all weekend, plan meetings at night after work to deal with our latest grant project, juggle work committees and sitting as a board member for CASA and probably Camden House and CCAR in the near future OR stay home, be able to do all the projects I want to do (like scrapbooking all the pictures, cleaning my own house and having the laundry done during the day) be able to workout each day like I want to (bike ride, martial arts class and weights all in one day without sacraficing sleep or family time) being able to plan and cook nice dinners for the family every day, even ones that take longer than 30 minutes to whip together, work in my yard, be there for ALL the kids events at school, be able to drive the kids instead of sticking them on the bus, be able to wind down with my baby when he gets home instead of looking at the to-do lists and figuring out what we have time to do.... HUM hard choice!!!
I do enjoy my job, I love getting out with people and going to the schools, I actually greatly enjoy the admin. part of my job but given the choice between the job and time with my family, there is no choice!!!
I am so glad to see you are back, stay strong and I'll be watching you!!! ~wink!~
greengirl on 07/17/2007:
Hi Donkey. I know it's nice to be home and I can't believe I'm doing it all again on Saturday. This time it will be just me, my 16yr old daughter and her friend for a week at a much more commercial resort, you know the sort of place - seaside, fairs and amusements!!! I must be mad. Its on the coast of Wales again but nowhere near as far away from home, just about 80 miles away. My eldest son is running us there so we should be ok. To be truthful I will be glad when its all over!! I was really bad about my water consumption last week and now Ive got water retention in my fingers and ankles again. Iwill be better about it next week!! We are taking a laptop with us but wont have internet access so I will be incommunicado for another week. I miss DD !!!
lafemme_loca on 07/18/2007:
I am so sorry that your holiday wasn't as good as you wanted it to be. :-( But it is good to see you back here ! :-)