Days 15 - 21 -- I'm BAAAAACCCCKKKKKK!!!

Did ya miss me?  :-)


After five wonderful, sun-kissed days in San Juan, Ted and I returned home to a lovely, very slushy, mix of rain and snow yesterday afternoon.  I don't think it'll surprise you that neither of us were ecstatic about trading 85-degree weather in for that.

Another thing I wasn't so psyched about upon our return?  Weighing in on that devilish little device I like to call a scale.  And I have to be honest, I have been dragging my feet all day today, avoiding writing this post because of the number that showed up.  But here goes nothing...

I'm up.  253.8, up.  That's .8 over where I started three weeks ago, for those of you following along.  Yea, no more vacationing for Nicole in the next year.  Now, before you jump to conclusions and start writing out your comment chastising me for not being more cautious and falling victim to the vacation mode, let me at least try to defend myself.

As I wrote before we left, I did bring workout clothes.  And in fact, I got two sweat-induced runs in on the treadmill in the hotel gym in the four full days we had.  Not bad, all things considered.  As I also said before we left, I had the best intentions, and packed enough workout gear to clothe a small, albeit overweight, army.  While I intended to run all four days, that just wasn't plausible.  And I'm not sure why I thought it would be, when I don't even get to the gym every day when I'm home.  Not for lack of effort and desire, but sometimes I'm just too tired, or my muscles just need a rest from the constant pounding.  But needless to say, I did get two solid runs in.  In addition, Ted and I spent a good four hours walking, casually, I'll admit, around Old San Juan.  A good four-six miles of trekking along the seashore in the blistering sun.  That was the day I didn't put sunscreen on.  Didn't make that mistake again!  But I digress.

* Seeeeeeeee... sunburn.

 

*Proof, I did work out.

 

We also spent the morning driving to, exploring, and driving back from, El Yunque -- the Puerto Rican Rain Forest.  What we were told was going to be a hike was actually an anti-climatic, disappointing fifteen minute trail walk on a semi-paved road through the forest and a number of stops at places like the Visitors' Center, a waterfall, and the Observation Station.  In our defense, we truly thought it would be more taxing.  I guess our first sign should have been the 70+ year-olds waiting in hotel lobby for the same bus.  (And at least one of them looked like he had one foot in the world of the living and one foot in the world of the dead!)

As for the rest of the trip, we had a few casual walks, mostly to and from restaurants and shops.  But this vacation was mostly relaxing.  We spent time reading on our balcony, soaking up the sun at the beach and poolside, and de-stressing with a couples massage.  And although we weren't exactly as active as I'd intended us to be (Ted wouldn't do the kayak tour through the bioluminscent bay because he can't swim and claimed he'd be too chicken to jump off a platform if we tried zip-lining through the canopy), this vacation was just what we needed.  It gave us a chance to regroup, relax, and just spend some time with each other.  Because let's face it, with all my time spent writing this blog, countless hours at work, gym workouts, grad school apps, and God knows what else, we haven't had much time lately to just be a couple.  So while I could have worked out more, I'm still happy to have had some much-needed time with the hubby.

Now, I  know you're wondering, so let me just give you the highs and lows of my nutritional intake (or lack thereof) while in PR:

Highs
Egg-white omellettes with ham and cheese and fresh fruit for breakfast every day
Stuffed chicken breast with spinach and ricotta cheese
Grilled veggies
NO ICE CREAM before Day 7-- I completed last week's challenge, in case you had doubts I wouldn't make it :-)
Chicken and shrimp fajitas
Subway turkey 6-inch sandwich (yes, they had Subway!!!)
Nature Valley Oats & Honey granola bars for snacks
Trail Mix for snacks

Lows
Cheeseburger and French Fries
Nachos (as an appetizer, shared with Ted, which we in no way came close to finishing)
1 Pina Colada
1 Strawberry Daiquiri
Subway footlong meatball sandwich on wheat (don't know why I even bothered with the wheat!)
Chips and salsa
1/2 bagel with cream cheese
Chocolate-frosted donut and Cinnastix at the airport for breakfast
Toblerone bar for dessert (had to have something to hit that sweet craving!)
Turkey Club with French Fries (split with Ted)
MUFONGO (go ahead, look it up... it was GROSS!)

I'll be interested to see what kind of grade Kali gives me when I see her on Wednesday.  (Anyone have any good excuses I could use to postpone that meeting and the "Walk of Shame" I'll be doing into her office???)  Definitely an improvement from prior vacations, that's for sure.  But still not great.  I really struggled with the "I'm on vacation!" mentality and as a result, found it hard to make the right, nutritious, decisions.  I'll be honest, it really sucked watching Ted chow down on French Toast, pancackes, danishes, and Frosted Flakes while I nibbled on pineapple, strawberries, and omelettes (don't get me wrong, I love omelettes!).  But all five days, I had to constantly remind myself to make the right choice.  As you can see, I didn't always choose wisely, and my stomach and thighs now reflect that.  Thank you gym shorts, with your ever-expanding drawstring waistline and forgiving, flowy summer dresses for hiding what some might have interpreted as a baby belly. 

But as Ted reminded me earlier today, when I finally brought myself to step on the scale, it's a "small setback."  I'm still trying to digest that one, because it feels like a HUGE setback.  I'm back to where I started -- actually, I'm even worse off.  So forgive me if I'm finding it hard to believe that three weeks of work and effort down the tubes is a "small setback."  But when I stop and really think about it, he's absolutely right.  I think this week really proved to me just how detrimental eating out can be.  Eating out two, three meals a day is bad.  Really bad.  And a surefire way to pack on the pounds.  I have no doubt that now that I'm back to my normal routine, my eating habits will revert back to what they were before we left, I'll be able to regulate what I'm eating (and what's in the house), and my workouts will be semi-normal again.  In fact, Ted and I did a good $200 dollars worth of grocery shopping today to stock the fridge with fruits, lean meats, yogurt, and yes, Kali, even a few vegetables.  So it's back to reality for this girl, although, admittedly, it's unwillingly.

Stop by tomorrow for more on my mishaps in Puerto Rico.  I'll be sharing all about my self-confidence issues, and other people's lack of (see photo below), and how my weight kept me from participating in a few activities (booo!!!!). 

Nicole's Daily Menu
Breakfast
1 packet of Maple Brown Sugar Quaker Oatmeal
Snack
None
Lunch
Willow Tree chicken salad on 100% whole wheat bread with romaine lettuce
2 Hermit Bars
Snack
Yoplait yogurt
8 Ritz Cracker Chips
Dinner
Chicken and beef stir fry with zucchini, squash, carrots, snow peas, peppers, and onions
Dessert
Fresh-sliced strawberries with fat-free Cool Whip (Better alternative to ice cream, no?  Too soon to say I'm cured????)


PS -- This week's challenge: Find a recipe for, and make, asparagus.  I've never had it, and I think you've all noticed by now that I'm not a veggie person.  But hey, I'm going out on a limb here!  Feel free to leave me some tasty recipes on how to cook it!