DC Recap

Finally back after a week and a half. I apologize for the absence but I felt the need to take some time away for me, so I let myself relax and recharge and I'm feeling a bit better now.

My trip to DC went alright. Minus one meltdown in my training class because the instructor wanted to talk circles around a very important issue and basically wanted to negate an entire CHUNK of my work from his implications...whatever. That and a rather testy woman at training soured the trip a bit for me.

Well, that and not feeling well.

I'm not sure what exactly it was, although friends and family have their own suggestions (stress, being overworked, etc.), but I often came back from training, collapsed on the bed and felt like I couldn't move from that spot all night. I worked out very little. I got in the pool once, on Monday morning, but my legs and arms felt like lead and I did a few pathetic laps before just giving in and going back to my room. I didn't even step foot in the gym. So much for my "Balls to the Wall General Esther Week".

Instead, I spent a lot of time reflecting, relaxing, and hurting and sick. Not really fun.

But I still got some activity in. For one, I walk about 1/2 a mile a day, from my hotel to training and back, when I'm there. I also took a long walk on Sunday (probably put in a good 2 miles at least), put in a bit of a walk Wednesday night to and from the restaurant to meet up with my girl, B, and then Thursday night when I stepped out to get a few more gifts for my boys and a cupcake. So, yes, I did some walking. Not near as much as I usually do, but each day I felt exhausted and sore and tired and my legs were hurting like crazy. It honestly felt like I was starting again at day one because I had little to no energy or stamina...which is odd considering I haven't taken a bunch of time off or anything. Basically, it just seemed like my body was trying to tell me it was done, it needed a break, and it protested time and time again. And I gave in. Finally.

Of course, now I have the difficult challenge of getting myself back in the game so I don't get lost, so...yeah...that's what I'll be working on for a bit.

As for food while I was there? I did reasonably well. I ate the breakfast provided, usually scrambled eggs, a piece of wheat toast with jelly, some sort of breakfast meat and a few potatoes. I drank coffee...more and more as the week went on. I had two more sinful drinks at Starbucks and the rest of the time stuck to black coffee with half and half and Splenda. (I'm actually quite proud of that one...I used to have 2-3 mocha latte whatevers a DAY when I was in DC. This time I had one Mocha Coconut Latte with Soy and one Iced Vanilla Soy Latte the entire week.) I did have 2 vegan cupcakes (okay, that wasn't the best idea...next time I will only buy one to make sure I only eat one). I usually packed my lunch each day - a wheat bagel, one side with cream cheese, the other with peanut butter, and some yogurt with blueberries and granola. Typically I'd have a "taco" then when I got back to my hotel after training - flour tortilla with the black bean puree, a bit of light sour cream, and the chicken/pepper/mushroom stuff I made up on Sunday when I got there -- with peppers and mushrooms FRESH from the Farmer's Market!). Dinner was usually whatever was provided. Sometimes I found myself going back for more, but because I was still hungry, not because I was mindlessly overeating. There was meatloaf and mashed potatoes one night, hamburgers (veggie and regular) and salad another night. I missed the Chicken Ceasar Salad night because I was out with B.

Out with B. Hrm. *remembers back*
Probably the BEST experience of my entire trip. It usually is. We have a great time and 2-3 hours passes like it's 10 minutes. This time she turned me on to Strongbow Cider at an Irish-Style Pub. Remember how I said I don't generally drink?! Yea, I totally did. I think I had 3...or 4. Either way, the metro was making me dizzy and I had to make a genuine effort to stay away from the red dots on the floor because I was deathly afraid I was going to fall right on to the tracks. For dinner I had a chicken philly type sandwich and some duck fat fries, which, yes, were amazing and wonderful and I don't feel guilty about that at all. *lol* And after I left the Pub to return to my hotel I got hit on by 2 HOT lobbyists before having a rather lengthy and interesting conversation with a 12 year old Girl Scout from California. Yeah, it was an interesting night...the very best kind.

Oh, and then there was the sushi on Thursday night. Which I also don't regret. I have 3 "must do"s when I go to DC.
1) Meet with B
2) Red Velvet Cupcake
3) Sushi

All in all, I think the week was a wash. Came back and weighed in the next day at 311 (about 4 pounds up), but my body fat % reading was down about 1/2 a percentage point. *shrug* I can't tell you why...I didn't even work out. No clue where I am now, but I don't have high hopes for tomorrow's weigh-in. Let's just say I haven't been much following any plan. And I haven't been feeling that great either. I'm having some pains in my lower abdomen that I'm just not sure how to correct or even what it is. I do have a BC shot due tomorrow, so maybe that's part of it, but I'm really not sure. I just know it hurts...and I'm exhausted like ALL THE TIME. Trying to break out of it though. I spent the last 3 days basically on the couch "resting" after coming back from a rather botched trip to my Mother's house to pick up my boys (we were supposed to stay several days and do a bunch of things, we ended up staying one night and doing nothing).

Anyhow, time to move on. Need to hit the gym tonight and tomorrow to get my 2 swipes for the week. Did have a great time swimming at the lake yesterday and certainly noticed improved stamina there, so that was nice. Weigh-in tomorrow that I'm not looking forward to, and then we continue on.

The plan, again (to remind myself).
2400 calories a day
Work out 3-5 times a week
Try to get 2 ST sessions in per week and 3 cardio sessions

Oh, side note. I quit my second job. Long story, but I'm not doing that any more. Doesn't mean I have completely free weekends now - going to have to bump up the couponing in order to save the money I'm losing from not working the second job, but at least that's on my own time.

Onward...