So I've forgotten to post since then. Sorry about that folks.
But the good news is I lost weight in Orlando! :D
4.6lbs to be exact. Isn't that amazing?! My friends all say I'm the only one they know who can go on holiday and actually lose weight. It's a gift I guess ;-)
There was lots of walking involved. Around theme parks, around Aquatica water park - the stairs to the tops of the slides were NO joke! The first one we went on was 102 steps, I counted! The others were between 60-100 - and around the malls... lots of walking.
And I wasn't dieting either - there were trips to the Cheesecake Factory (blah.), P.F. Changs (my new favourite restaurant in the WORLD), burgers, fries, Cheetos, shrimp and a few Icees + churro snack breaks.
So clearly the plan is to walk everywhere now *lol*. The weather in Scotland is sadly not as good for that as in Orlando, although today the sun is out but the temperature isn't even in double digits yet so no shorts and t-shirts for me!
Speaking of shorts - omg - my thighs rubbed together so badly the first day! I was shopping in the mall and had a maxi dress on and no protection underneath like shorts because it was so freakin' hot, and when I got back to the apartment my inner thighs had bright red circles on them that were actually raised like there were red velvet pancakes stuck on my legs! OH that was sore. Thankfully I had bought some Compeed blister stick on a whim before we flew out - that stuff SAVED MY LIFE. I'm not even remotely kidding. I rubbed it on every morning after that and it helped my legs from, well they still rubbed together but there wasn't as much friction because it created a barrier. It took about a week before my legs started to look normal again but I used it for the rest of the holiday. I love that stuff. Worth the money (the actual plasters are expensive for what they are so I wasn't sure if I wanted to get both - *so* glad I decided to go for it).
Long story short - I shouldn't try to dress cute. Yet.
I haven't updated the weigh-ins page yet because I'm still over the last weight that was on there, but as soon as I pass it we are starting again! I hope you can stick with me til then, it's going to be a long road.
Part of the reason I lost weight on holiday - I think - is because I was so much less stressed than I was before I left! I had news from home at the end of the first week that my boss had been moved teams at work (and we hadn't been getting along, shall we say), and as soon as I read the message I instantly felt lighter! It helped me to really let myself enjoy the holiday and not be worried or stressed about what I was going home to, which has been the case in the past. I felt so carefree that I wasn't starting to comfort eat like I had been the week before (I try not to but there's so much choice in the US it's really hard!) and the feeling of being 'free' really made all the difference in the world. I'm now back at work - which still sucks lol - but I'm not feeling the same as I did before I left. I had been feeling very stressed and run down, the vibe in the office was dark and heavy, but since I've been back it's like a physical fog has been lifted. Brilliant.
Here's one of my absolutely favourite photos from the holiday - me with Acai the dolphin! <3 I'm seriously in LOVE.
Also wanted to address a fear I had in a previous post that was the rollercoaster seats. Would I be able to fit in them without total body-slamming from the attractive staff members to get the harnesses to shut around me?
The answer was... not resounding, but still a faint croak of "yes".
I thought my tummy/waist would be the problem area, but when I went on the Hulk in Universal's Islands of Adventure I was dumfounded to find that it was the tops of my thighs that were the big problem! I went to sit down in the extremely hard and completely unforgiving seat and wedged myself at the top, and stopped! I thought, "Oh no, I'm not going all the way in, I'll have to go to row 3 or 6 with the adjusted seating!" :-O I was mortified. But I was determined that I was going to get into the 'normal' seats, so I just kinda jumped down into the seat and really stuck myself in there - at least I wasn't going to fall out! On the way out afterwards I almost couldn't stand up right away (omg the split second of panic!) but I twisted my pelvis slightly and popped out like a wine bottle cork. It was all good! :D
Our last day we went back to IOA and I decided I wanted to try the Hulk again to see if the walking had made any difference. The good news is that it did! I was still uncomfortable in the seat but I could tell it was easier than the first time I'd gone on, so all that walking and all those stairs really did make a difference in less than 2 weeks! If that's not proof I can do this if I put my mind to it, I don't know what is. Non-scale VICTORY! *\o/*
And I had no back trouble the entire trip! A few clicks here and there as we were nearing the end of the holiday but there was nothing major (my mother was worried about the rollercoasters). The only thing that caused a problem was Space Mountain. It was dark (hello, it's meant to be space, where are the glow in the dark stars?!) and very jerky so I didn't know when to tense up and release, and when my friend and I came off we were both complaining of neck problems. I still have a stiffness there now that my chiropractor is sorting, which I hope will be soon because I've been having a lot of headaches since that day - including a migraine on the journey home which with all the screaming babies on the 8-hour flight you can imagine how wonderful an experience that was ;-)
The fund has been started to go again!
Be healthy, loves.
<3
