Absolutely gorgeous. These were all taken in the middle of the afternoon, during spring break, off the coast of Florida, AND THERE WERE ABSOLUTELY NO PEOPLE ON THE BEACH! It was as if we had our own private island. I can't wait to go back.
And here's me. Minus the sexy hair, I'm really happy with how I look. Not something I can usually say around this time of year. My thighs still look a little thundery, so I think I'm going to research how I can really accentuate the muscles I've built in them. They feel strong and tight in person, but in pictures they don't really showcase my hard work. Anyone have any suggestions for that?
As for what I said in my last post about this trip being a great way to really test myself in terms of fitness and nutrition (as in, can I keep it up over vacation), I think I did fairly well. I went running every day, even the day we arrived after having driven for 10 hours. After most runs I would do the Insanity warmup and some exercises from memory. One day I actually did the Cardio Recovery video in front of the girls I went with so they could see what it was like. Afterwards we watched Pure Cardio (I wasn't about to do that one in front of people! Ha!). It was strange to actually watch the videos, because I normally only listen to his instruction, as half the time most exercises have you facing the floor. I have to say, the other participants' faces are priceless during the harder parts of the workout. But overall, score one for me on exercising!
The nutrition half was a little tougher. Those beach cocktails I mentioned in my last post went at around 150-200 calories a pop, even with me measuring and using real fruit and lower calorie ingredients, so I had to be very conscientious of how many I had... which is hard after a couple. Looking back at my fitbook, most days I went over my 2,000 calorie limit by around 3 or 400. I did better towards the end of the week, when my friend's mom left us and stopped cooking her delicious meals. That lady can COOK, but she's a terrible influence on my waist line. Take this meal for example:
So. Good. However, after I calculated everything out, it came in at a whopping 950 calories! I'd have to say it was worth it though, because it was that good. But you see what I mean? How can you say no to this after the woman went into the ocean and caught dinner for you? Oh, did I not mention that yet? Yes, the lady can not only cook, she can fish, too! These were the sea trout she caught and cooked for us:
She was also an expert at filleting. Not one of us found a bone in our dinner. She was even nice enough to go out her last night and catch extra so all of us could take some home--such an amazing lady.
For my birthday night, we went to one of only 3 restaurants on the island--Barnacle Phil's.
My sister and I (the blonde next to me) split blackened grouper and shrimp over black beans and yellow rice. It was a disappointment after the delicious food to which we had become accustomed. We all agreed next time we would cook the whole trip; definitely not worth the island prices we paid, and not to mention I had no idea what was going into my food (how much butter, etc.).
When "I Can Do All Things" Mama left us, I took over the cooking portion of the trip. One night I made whole wheat pasta with turkey meatballs and fresh tomato marinara with onions, squash, and zucchini in the sauce. It wasn't half bad, if I do say so myself! Something I'll have to keep in mind when I need to make a big, easy dinner.
The next day for lunch we needed to use up all of our perishables before we left for home, so I made us grilled chicken salads with lettuce, garden tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, strawberries, grapes, and cheese.
I logged it at 500 calories to account for the large amount of chicken (and everything else), along with the cheese and the little bit of ranch I put on mine. It was very good and VERY filling. I loved the sweetness of the fruit as a nice surprise in each bite. So needless to say, it's easy to see how I went over every day; we all ate very well on this trip. Coming home, I was terrified to get on the scale, because I would have bet anything that I had gained weight--eating as much as I did and not doing my full workouts. Amazingly enough though, I had actually lost a pound!
Do what now?
Not sure what caused it, possibly my body getting some rest, but I have actually lost 3 more since then! That puts me at a total of 14 lbs. lost, 4 within the same week. I really think the scale finally budged a great deal because I took my week break from Insanity. Possibly my body was retaining a lot of water to prepare for my workouts... or something; I don't really have a good explanation. I don't think it's a loss of muscle, because it's been too short of a time for that, but whatever it is--I'll take it!
This week I'm having to make up for my little break though, with a few 2-a-days scattered in to catch up on my Insanity schedule. Coming back from vacation, I closed the bar 3 nights in a row, not to mention cleaning the house, doing laundry, and just simply getting back into my routine, so I ended up missing 2 workouts. 2-a-days won't kill me (we did them in high school all the time), and yesterday's I was actually very into both workouts. It was nice to get back into a routine, and my body felt stronger and ready for the challenge. Don't worry, I looked into them, and I'm taking all of the necessary precautions so I don't hurt myself (6 hours between workouts, extra protein, and so on and so forth).
I have to say, again, this trip could not have come at a better time. After returning, I'm super motivated by my progress, ready to go after my rest, and the idea of having to lose 16 lbs. is a lot less daunting than my original goal of 30! Almost half way there! Thank you for the continued support on here, facebook, and in person. I really appreciate everyone, and if you are looking to begin a fitness journey, don't hesitate to ask me for advice or to come with you on a run or whatever else it may be.
And oh yeah! Happy Belated Easter everyone!
(This is my biggest fan--my boyfriend, Geoff. This is also one of the first pictures I haven't felt self conscious standing next to his skinny frame. No amount of delicious food or extra hour of sleep in place of exercise can replace the amazing feelings of confidence and accomplishment.)
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