AmyM's Quest for a Better Bikini Body!

[Jane E.]

Amy, please tell me that you didn't wake up at 3am!

 

[lovinaz]

Anotherday of stuffing myself to the brink of explosion... I was doing OK until dinner. I would have been golden if they didn't have cheesecake on the sweets board... I did do very good at getting the minimum recommended amount of water in. My stomach is telling me just how mch it hates being abused right now. OK, ok, I get the hint! I did not make it to the gym, we worked until 4pm then immediately went out exploring, then to dinner, and now it is 9pm. I think I will call for a wake-up call an hour earlier (6am) so I can do some cardio before meeting my boss for breakfast at 8am. I am so upset - I ruined my brand new suit jacket! It was expensive too. I decided I didn't like the crease in the sleeve, so I went to iron it and the second the iron touched the fabric, it melted it. So I have 3 melted strips down the left arm. Fortunately it is where it is always creased at the elbow, but still, I was SO UPSET!!! My boss said you can't notice it, but I know it's there! And after that happened, the hairdryer kept sucking my hair in and ripping it out. Ya, I had a rough morning, but an awesome breakfast made up for it! Today I drank 64oz water, 16oz tea, 2 Blue Vodkas:

8am: Yogurt w/Muesli; Scrambled Eggs w/Salmon (yum)
12:30pm: 3 (1/4 size) Sandwiches on Wheat; Pound Cake (3"x2"x1")
6:45pm: Pumpkin Soup; 2 large pieces Crusty Bread; Pork Medallions w/Carmelized Pears; Cauliflower, Zucchini, Broccoli; Mint Chocolate Cheesecake
WORKOUT: None
RESISTED: Chocolate Croissants; Toast; Muffins; Potato Chips; New Potatoes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Amy, I am failing miserably on my plan to not gain weight. At this point I just hope I fit into my clothes on the way home...

Kate, we strolled around a small village today and saw a couple of the sights (and a gorgeous abbey/church). If we get done with our meetings tomorrow, we are leaving for London first thing Thursday morning. That should be fun!

Jane, I did not wake up at 3am, but I woke up at midnight (at which time I stripped of my pj's because I was too stinking hot), 2am and 4am. Fortunately I was able to quickly get back to sleep each time...

 

[Amy&Dan]

Amy, I am failing miserably on my plan to not gain weight. At this point I just hope I fit into my clothes on the way home...

Honey, thats why God invented a little thing called SHOPPING!!! You can always grab something comfy and new before the trip home. Tomorrow will be better. Don't beat yourself up, this is a wonderful opportunity for you and with the time change, being away from home, burned jacket and hair getting sucked up into the blow dryer its no wonder you ate a bit too much! Good luck getting up early tomorrow and getting that workout in. If you don't, again, don't beat yourself up. Its really hard to stay on program when you are away. You'll be home and back to normal soon enough!

 

[CACruisin']

You did have quite the morning! Attack blowdryers and killer irons. Your ironing incident reinforces my long standing "I don't iron" rule. I am sorry your suit got wrecked though. At least, it wasn't noticeable. Maybe a tailor once your home can repair it?

pumpkin soup sounds delish and, I'm sorry, there is NO WAY you should have to pass on chocolate mint cheesecake. That one is completely understandable.

I hope you slept better tonight and get a workout in the morning 'cause I know that will make you feel better. You may be surprised at how much exercise you are getting with hauling luggage around the airports and sightseeing in London.

Enjoy your trip and experiences. Any indiscretions will come off soon enough when you get back. Mexico will be fine.

 

[lovinaz]

OMG, last night was a NIGHTMARE!!! Or should I say I WISH it was a nightmare, because that means I would have been sleeping... I went to bed at 10pm. I woke up, looked at my watch and thought it said 5:05am. I thought "Well, my wake-up call is at 6am, so I'll just try to go to sleep until then." Well, I was WIDE AWAKE. Finally, after tossing and turning for a while I just decided that it was probably close to 6, so I got up, went to the bathroom, came out and looked at my watch. Imagine my horror when it said 1:40am! It must have been 1:25 when I thought it was 5:05 (I know, big hand, little hand - easy mistake ). So I tried and tried and COULD NOT get back to sleep. The last time I looked at the clock it was 4:10am. Then I finally fell asleep sometime after that (it seemed like 5 seconds of sleep when the wake-up call came in at 6am). I dragged myself out of bed and went to the gym at 6:15 and did 45 minutes on the treadmill! I am SO tired right now, but we are going out for drinks and Indian food and I refuse to go to sleep until 10-11pm. Heck, I think I might knock a few extra cocktails back to help the cause. We got done with our meetings today so my boss is calling to see if the taxi can take us to London at 8am instead of noon. More exploration time = good! So far today I have consumed 64oz water, 16.9oz Diet Coke, 24oz tea, 2 Amaretto-n-DC, 2 Rum-n-DC, 1 shot Amaretto (I better sleep well tonight - I am also going to take a Benadryl):

8:00am: Yogurt-n-Muesli; Salmon Scrambled Eggs
12:30pm: Egg Salad Sandwich on Wheat; Chocolate Pound Cake (3"x2"x1")
7:30pm: I have NO idea what I had for dinner. My boss ordered everything. There were 4 of us and we just had a bunch of different dishes. Some fried onion patty, a sweet chicken dish, a medium spicy chicken dish, a red chicken dish and a very spicy chicken dish with rice and flatbread. All I know is that it was DELICIOUS and I ate way too much... Oh, and I had coconut ice cream for dessert...
WORKOUT: Treadmill (45min)
RESISTED: Chocolate Croissants, Muffins, Toast; Potato Chips
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Amy, today the majority of my calories will be in liquid form. And I can't imagine dinner being any better. I should remember how stuffed I was yesterday, but I probably won't and will make the same mistake again. Oh well, 2 more days of glutteny and I will be able to get back into my normal routine...

Anna, my boss is full of crap! You can totally notice the burn marks (and there is no way to fix them). He just told me that because 1) he is a man and 2) he probably didn't want me to start balling on my first day here...

OK, as I am typing this I just noticed a huge, mosquito-like thing that no kidding is as big as my hand. I have a horrible flying insect phobia. My boss is supposed to come pick me up in 40 minutes. I am going to make him kill it for me. I am the only woman in my whole department and he is always shaking his head at the "girlie" things I do. This will just be the cherry on top. I'm such a wimp, I wish I could just kill it myself! UPDATE - Boss killed the insect, even knew what the name was. I didn't care what it was, I just wanted it out of my room!

 

[eeyore25]

Hi Amy,

How exciting for you to be overseas! DH went to London for a week in 2001 and he didn't get to see much as he was too busy with work. He regrets that now. So take some time, if you can, and see some things. You may never get back over there. You might though, who knows.

You are doing a great job....even if you don't think so. When you get home the London weight, if you gain any, will come off in no time...I know it will. Don't be yourself up for not working out, you are on a totally different time zone, that is going to mess you up a little. You'll get on track.....even if it's when you come home!

Have a good time, stay safe and keep up the good work!

Happy Wedneday

 

[Jane E.]

In spite of all the mishaps, I hope you're having a great time. It'd be terrible to get back to the states and wish that you would have done more touring, food sampling, pub hopping etc. You can always buy a new suit but having someone guide you around England for free is PRICELESS!

I agree with Anna - I HATE ironing. I'm so sorry that you ruined a perfectly good suit.

Your 1am wake up just cracked me up! Although, I'm sure it wasn't funny to you. I read about a family on the dis who jumped out of bed at WDW when the alarm clock went off, got their tiny tots (preschoolers) up and dressed, and noticed when they stepped out of their hotel that it was quiet and pitch black out. Apparently, their alarm had gone off at 3:30am instead of 6:30am! See it can ALWAYS be worse!

Your eating is making me hungry. The food sounds wonderful. Have a great time!

 

[Amy&Dan]

If you don't sleep after cocktails and Benadryl I'll be surprised! And when you add that spicy Indian food you may have some very interesting dreams! Don't worry about this eating and drinking. There is really very little long term damage to be suffered from a four day trip. As long as you get back home and hit it anything you gained will be off in time for your next trip! I am glad you are having fun and seeing all the sights to boot! Also really glad you had somebody to do the bug job. Yuk.

 

[CACruisin']

I am very impressed that you went ahead and did your workout after your crazy night. I hope you got some sleep last night and you had a wonderful time touring London today.

Have a safe trip back! I'm sure your DH and kids can't wait to see you.

 

[eeyore25]

Hi Amy,

Hope you are having a good time.....

Keep up the good work. You're doing a great job!

Happy Friday

 

[traceycooper]

Hi Amy
Thanks for the hilarious trip reports
What do you think of british cheesecake? I think it is no where near as good as the US!
Food sounds yummy you can get back on track when you get home, make the most of it & have a great trip

 

[lovinaz]

I'm back! What a long day yesterday. Our plane took off 1.5 hours late, an hour of that was sitting on the runway, waiting for US clearance to take off. NOT FUN. At least we were in 1st class... And I made a point of staying up the whole flight, so I could just go to sleep at a "normal" time. It must have worked, I slept from 9pm - 6am, so I can deal with that. Now for the rotten news. I gained 5 lbs! One lb for each day. That is typical for me and I hope to have most of that weight gone by the end of this week. Unfortunately for my waistline, we are leaving for Mexico on Thursday, so I am REALLY going to have to behave! And if I don't, I can always get back on track starting next Monday, it's not the end of the world.

It rained the whole time we were exploring London, but we still did a lot of walking around. My boss was quite the tour guide, it was much appreciated! We took the train from the airport hotel to Paddington Station, then we took the tube to Piccadilly Circus where we had lunch (I had a brie-n-cranberry sandwich, YUM!). Then we walked down to the National Gallery and explored that for a bit, then down to Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye (which I would have gone on if the weather was clear), Buckingham Palace. Then we headed back up to Piccadilly Circus, did a little shopping, then had dinner in Chinatown and headed back to the hotel. It was a quick tour, but it was nice. I'm not even going to attempt to post what I ate yesterday, because 1) it would take 3 pages and 2) I probably can't remember it all anyway!

Today I have already had a healthy breakfast and I hope to be able to get to the gym later (DD has soccer pictures then a game, so we'll see how that goes...).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jamie, I hope the trip weight comes off soon. It usually does, especially if I get right back on track, which I plan on doing.

Jane, part of my problem was getting dessert every night. But I think just the constant eating out, not drinking enough water, etc really doesn't help matters any. At least I am consistent with my gaining 1lb per day (why can't I lose 1lb per day instead?!?!?)

Amy, the cocktails did the trick (I forgot to take the Benadryl). I was so glad to get a full night sleep after the awful night. And the next night, I slept from 10pm - 8:25am which is unheard of for me! I didn't set a wake-up call because I usually wake up by 6-7am. I was supposed to meet my boss for breakfast at 8:30, so needless to say I didn't work out before breakfast as planned...

Tracey, I liked the cheesecake. It was full of chocolate chips, so I couldn't really tell what the texture was like. All the desserts I had were good.

 

[CACruisin']

Welcome back!!! Sorry about the 5lbs, but with all your exercise and good behaviour it will come off again. Mexico will be fine too with the kids. Not so many late night margaritas probably. Sounds like you packed a lot into your one day in London. That is great. Glad you were able to get a couple of good nights rest. Sounds like the jetlag won't be so bad this time. A couple of cocktails tonight might not be a bad idea though.

 

[Amy&Dan]

You can take that five pounds off easy. Flying alone can tack on 2-3 pounds. Something about the change in cabin pressure. It sounds like you had fun and saw some sights so that is what really matters. It also sounds like your trip to Mexico is a short one so you are right, you can start up for real when you return from that. Have a good weekend and welcome home!

Amy

P.S. Glad your sleep pattern seems to be back to normal. Getting proper amount of sleep helps with weight loss to apparently so that is doubly good news for you!

 

[SunFloridaDisney]

Welcome back!! You'll barely have time to unpack before you leave again!

Hope the trip pounds come off soon.

Have a good week.

 

[Jane E.]

Welcome back! Your trip sounded like a blast. You got in a lot of sightseeing! I'd love to go to London. Your trip to Mexico is coming up fast. Have a margarita for me, and I'll have a glass of wine for you at the festival! Hopefully, they'll have mango, peach or that delicious sangria! Those 5lbs will disapear quickly!

 

[lovinaz]

The good news is that 2 of the 5 trip lbs are already gone!!! I did OK yesterday, a lot of running around then a trip to the movies (we saw Open Season, it was hilarious!). I didn't get a workout in, and I doubt I will get one in today either. There is too much to do - cleaning and decorating for Halloween! My brother is flying in on Tuesday from NY and my dad and stepmom are flying in Wed from MI so I need to get the house in order! I plan on getting to the gym on Mon after work and Wed (I'm off work, but should be able to get to the gym before I head to the airport). We are having a BBQ on Wed then we leave for Mexico on Thu morning. I need a vacation from all this traveling! I will get a 3 week rest before we go on our cruise, which should be relaxing! Yesterday I drank 60oz water, 12oz FF Chai Latte, 33.8oz Diet Green Tea and about 16oz DC:

7:10am: Egg Beaters w/2 Veggie Sausage Links
10:10am: Low Carb Yogurt; Pear
2:00pm: 3/4 of a Turkey-n-Cheddar Sandwich on 7-Grain
4:00pm: Most of a Large Movie Theater Popcorn w/White Cheddar Sprinkles (no butter); 2 bites of Cinnabon Pretzel
7:30pm: Grilled BBQ Chicken; Green Beans; 2 Ginger Biscuits
WORKOUT: None
RESISTED: More biscuits, Belgian Truffles, Trail Mix
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anna, you are so right about Mexico! This is the first time going with the kids and I am not even taking any margarita mix or tequila. It is a totally different mindset when you have to be a responsible parent! I fell asleep at 8:30pm last night, no help needed. I think I am all caught up and my body realizes it is back in AZ.

Amy, I know flying is really bad for water retention. I drank and drank and drank on that 10.5 hour flight and only went to the bathroom about 3 times. I'm sure most of the weight will be gone by the time I leave Thu (so I can gain another 3-4lbs in Mexico )

Kate, no worries about packing - first trip was business clothes, next trip is beach clothes!

Jane, yes, please have some awesome wine for me! When is the festival, is it this weekend?

 

[CACruisin']

I don't know if I'd go so far as to not even bring some margarita mix ...

Great job on getting rid of 2 trip lbs already! Wow - you have houseguests on top of everything else! You are a superwoman! Glad you liked Open Season. We'll probably go see it in a couple of weeks when DD11 is on school break.

Have fun with your crazy week!

 

[Amy&Dan]

Great news on that 2 pounds being gone! I know what you mean about needing a break from travelling. We generally take 3-4 trips per year but that is about to change now that my son is no longer on year round. After December we'll have a six month break and it will be nice. Those trips add up to a lot of dollars and a lot of time off program and a lot of time trying to get back on! You have a busy week, do what you can with exercise. Soon you'll be getting an upper body workout lifting those glasses of tropical drinks and Margaritas up to your mouth to quench that thirst! Welcome home by the way.

 

[Jane E.]

Phew! You're wearing me out just by reading your schedule! All that & relatives too! Have a great trip!

The Food & Wine Festival runs about 6 or 7 weeks at Epcot. We've gone for the last 4 or 5 years and always have a great time - as long as it doesn't rain.

Great job on drinking all of that water - you must've need it!