Could It Be The Fruit?

Good morning Blogland.  Here I sit, Pissy Nora, going through everything I have been eating in order to find my weight gain culprits.  I would have gladly accepted a 1lb gain for the week, considering that the brother-in-law was here and we ate out even more than usual.  This 3lb gain shows a more serious problem with my eating that I have to address, attack and remedy before getting back into the 230s!  In itemizing my food intake, the biggest change in my diet in the last week or two has been the addition of fruit.  I always eat a lot of veggies (spinach, asparagus) but limit fruit, mostly, to tomatoes.  I am not an anti-carb person, but I try not to overdo it.  Recently I have been incorporating pears and mangoes into my diet, and I wonder whether they could be part of the issue here.  Remember, I refuse to give up my nightly vino... which is carb/sugar heavy.  Might the excess sugar in the fruit, coupled with my nightly wine, be putting me over the edge, be messing up my blood sugar and making me more likely to gain weight? 

   

So in addition to eating a fish heavy diet this week, I am eliminating mangoes and pears.  Bad timing considering that I have 7 pears and 5 mangoes in my kitchen, but better I make this modification and see if it does the trick than eat these 12 pieces of fruit and risk another 3lb gain this week!

As Hall & Oates Would Say

So close, yet so far away. 
    
This is how I feel about the elusive 100lb weight loss.  It is so close (so close)- a mere 3lbs.  Yet, it feels about as far away as my goal weight at this point.  The 2.4lbs I gained this week have not disappeared yet, even though I worked out for six days in a row and burned no fewer than 800 calories per session.  What the eff!?!  I know that I probably ate a bit more than usual with my brother-in-law being here for a week, but there isn't a chance in hell that I consumed an extra 6,000+ calories in a matter of days.  Sorry kids, that just didn't happen!  So here I sit, crabby and pissy over the fact that I weigh more today than I did a week ago.
   
My game plan for the week is to eat a lot of fish (not at one time) and spend a ridiculous amount of time at the gym.  I will get rid of these damn pounds one way or another!!!  We are hosting a small dinner on Tuesday, so I will have to be controlled with my portions.  Fun times...   

The Scale Did WHAT?

I have been eating pretty well this week- minus the super small piece of fudge I ate at Whole Foods yesterday.  More importantly, I have been working out really hard.  And how does my body show its gratitude???  By gaining 2.4lbs in two days- that's how!  I know I have not taken in enough calories for this to be 'real' weight gain... and I know that I do sometimes gain weight after a few days of more serious workouts (damn muscles), but this just sucks.  I really wanted to cross the 100lb mark this weekend, and I feel it slipping away.  I know I WILL get there though, and that is what is important.
     
Now that I can blame my damn muscles for at least a part of that 2.4lbs, let's talk about these muscles.  Well, I have them.  They aren't huge, and yes, they are still hiding under an ample layer of fat.  But hello, I have muscles!  I was laying on my side a few nights ago and had my hand resting on my side (outer tush).  For some reason I clenched, and my butt turned hard!  I am developing glutes.  Yesterday morning I looked at my reflection in the glass on my way to Whole Foods (I was wearing my gym clothes), and I could see the definition of my right quad.  It has a long way to go, but there is real quad action going on here:)
  
As of today's annoyingly high weight I need to lose 3lbs to hit triple digits.  So back to the gym I will go to burn these pounds off one way or another!

Crazy Men Play Rugby

I survived my first rugby game yesterday, and it wound up being a lot of fun.  Kenny bought us front row tickets, so we were close enough to hear every snap, crackle and pop inflicted on the field.  Given how hard these men hit, the sound effects were amazing!  After watching 80 minutes of regulation (plus a few extra minutes at the end of each half), I am utterly convinced that rugby is a sport for the insane.  I knew that rugby was a hard-hitting sport, but I am truly amazed that the players can take these hits again and again!  Rugby makes American football look like a game for weenies, and rugby players make American football players (players who are constantly complaining to the refs for flags, penalties, etc) look like whining babies.

  

Unlike American football, the clock keeps running for a half (similar to European football).  If players are injured, they are treated on the field while the game goes on around them.  The same goes for players needing water or physio help.  The doctors, physio trainers and hydration guys wear bright vests and just charge onto the field.  The players hit each other with no pads, no helmets, no neck support- nothing.  And they just keep going and going.  At one point an injured player in the middle of the action stepped back, fell to his knees and just crawled and crawled until the doctor saw to him.  It was really amazing to see!  The players had the largest quads I have ever seen- gigantic.  Because all players perform all duties (no quarterback, no offense or defense, no special teams), they all have the same enormous bodies!  If they were a bit older, I would have bet anyone dollars to donuts that the players had participated in some sort of Soviet-era gene modification program.  They were nothing short of scary!   

    

 

View from our seats...

The doctors, trainers and water guys wear the bright vests

so they don't get creamed on the field!

   

The funniest part of the game was the name of the team- The Wasps.  All of these really mean and very tough men are named after an annoying bug that is a nuisance, and might be a bit of a pain temporarily, but is by no means dangerous for most people.  The man seating next to my brother-in-law kept shouting 'Let's go WASPIES', and it made me giggle.  The name seemed very silly and incongruous considering what was happening on the field.  At least they aren't named The Gnats!

   

I was a bit afraid to step onto the scale this morning.  I had scrambled eggs with low-fat cheddar for breakfast (probably only 1 egg), half a super fatty sausage at the game for lunch along with some french fries (maybe 8 or 10) and then ate Thai for dinner.  It wasn't too much food, but the food was much higher in fat and salt than what I typically eat.  And of course I had wine, as this is something I refuse to live without.  Luckily, I was still down this morning.  I hope I can keep this up!!!  My sushi lunch and afternoon visit to the gym should help.   

98.6

This number should be my body's temperature, but who knows.  What I am certain about is that it is also the number of pounds I have lost since beginning my liquid diet, woohoo!  I continue to eat out frequently and am so relieved that I can still lose while living my life:)  I am so close to a triple digit loss- exciting!

   

Kenny and I took care of our visas on Friday.  Our appointment was at 10:10, but the company facilitating our application told us to get to the center at 9:30.  We got there at 9:15 and were not seen by the visa people until 11:15.  The company's rep mentioned that only being seen one hour late is good and that many clients wait for several hours.  I suggested that the company tell its clients this so we don't feel the need to get there almost an hour BEFORE our appointment time.  I am pretty certain that this guy did not appreciate my comment.  Towards the end of the day we received paperwork stating that our visas had been approved and will be mailed to us within a week.

   

Sheffield is not a city I plan to return to anytime soon, but it is always interesting to get out of London.  Kenny and I frequently say that Brits aren't the friendliest of people, but we should really limit our comments to Londoners.  I find London to be a very cold city, and the people here can be the same.  The few times we have left London (visiting Bath, the Cotswolds, Stonehenge, and now Sheffield), we have noticed how friendly and warm the people are.  So, our little visa adventure is helping us to revise our view of England.

   

My brother-in-law arrived yesterday morning, and we toured around London for a bit.  We brought him to Borough Market and then took the London Eye- a big ferris wheel on the Thames.  We finished the evening with a fantastic meal of Spanish tapas in South Kensington.  Today we are seeing Rugby, and I have no clue what to expect.  I remember the crazy college boys who joined the rugby club and threw even crazier parties (and were constantly in pain from a combination of rugby injuries and alcohol), but I've never seen a proper rugby game (or match- I don't even know what it is called).  So this will be our afternoon. 

Sicky Pooh

Ladies, I should have known this would happen.  The calendar moves forward to October, and I get sick.  My body doesn't do cold, or dark-- or rainy.  Why, you might ask, am I living in London of all places!?!  I still wonder the same thing at times, but such is married life.  So yes, I am sick.  It is just a cold but is still super annoying.  I first felt the symptoms on Monday and figured I would go to the gym and tire the cold to death.  I tried that approach on Tuesday and Wednesday as well, but the cold made it clear that it was holding on for dear life. 

   

Now I am popping pills like a mad woman, but I find it more difficult to treat a cold now that I am banded.  The liquid medicines make me gag, and I know that swallowing Dayquil capsules is risky.  Sudafed discontinued the little red pills that I lived on (even before being banded), and I am running out of options.  Rite Aid has a generic that is (supposed to be) comparable to Sudafed, so now I buy this in mass quantities... not the easiest thing to do considering I have to swipe my ID every time I need a pack.  And, as a rule, I HATE generics.  I am the shopper who will pay for the brand, and this whole generics thing is new territory for me.  

  

I decided that I would not go to the gym today.  My body is obviously a bit run down, and perhaps a bit of rest would be better for me.  Instead I went shopping.  I started at a popular UK shoe store, apparently a favorite of the former Kate M!ddlet0n, and found NOTHING!  I tried on a pair of too small heels and left.  From there I went to my FAVORITE UK shoe store, L-K-Bennett, (NYC folks can find some items from this brand at Bloomingdale's).  Again, nothing.  I actually mentioned to the sales woman that this is the first time I have ever entered this store without buying anything and promised her I would be back in a couple of weeks to see if they have received more stock.  But here is the interesting part.  I always consider this place *just* a shoe store, but it is actually a shoe and clothing store.  I have never looked at any of the clothing because of my size, and the women working there have always understood that I was limited to the shoe selection.  Not today my friends, not today.  The woman started talking about these great jumpers (sweaters) that they just got in as well as some dresses.  I was not brave enough to try anything- I am still a rather large 16 (US sizes) and didn't want to be mortified when I couldn't fit into anything.  At the same time, I was SO happy that this woman would even suggest that I try on some items of clothing.  I mean, this woman doesn't want to be working with me if there were no possibility that I would fit into the clothes.  She could just stand there and smile as I browse the shoes.  I will have to try the clothes at some point.  Perhaps when I hit Onederland I can try on a dress or two (and maybe even buy one)!

   

Tomorrow is our fun-filled Visa day in Sheffield.  I can't even put into words how excited I am to wake up before the birds to travel two+ hours by rail.  At least this should be a one shot deal.  Kenny's brother is flying in on Saturday for a visit and will be spending the week with us.  I am really not sure what his plans are for the week, but there is enough to do in London to keep him occupied. 

Hello There

I've gone a few days with writing, mostly because just about nothing is going on in my life.  Kenny is in the Middle East for work this week- he has already left Kuwait, is now in Bahrain and will finish up in Abu Dhabi before returning to London on Thursday morning.  In preparation for this trip he spent the weekend working, but we still got to hang out and spend some time together.  I am a very agreeable wife:)
 
I met a girlfriend and her boyfriend for dinner and drinks last night.  She is Italian, super petite, very pretty and always perfectly put together.  She came in, gave me a hug and kiss and immediately commented on how I look like I have lost a lot of weight.  I still smile on the inside- and on the outside- whenever people notice that I have lost weight and say that I look good.  It never gets old!  I have been getting a lot more compliments recently.  I guess I am finally at the point with my weight loss where you'd have to be blind to not notice such an obvious change.
 
In other news, we are definitely staying in London a bit longer than we initially expected.  I was 100% opposed to moving to London and made Kenny swear that we would move back exactly two years after our move... meaning that we would be stateside on the afternoon of November 1, 2011 (not like I'm counting or anything).  Well, this is no longer the game plan.  Neither of us wants to be here for too much longer, but we have agreed to stay on for one additional year.  It makes sense for Kenny professionally.  He has a good position here, and it will take him some time to find the correct next step back in the States.  This gives him more time to start moving in that direction.  Again, how agreeable am I?
  
Because our initial contract was for two years, we have to get new visas.  The UK is getting very strict with visas though, so we have to go through the entire application process from scratch.  We've filled out TONS of paperwork and have an appointment for our biometric data scans on Friday.  While this should be a 15 minutes process that takes place in London, we have to go all the way to Sheffield (over 2 hours away) to handle this.  Rather than sleeping until the sun rises (which I like to do daily), we will be leaving our flat at about 5:45am to catch a 6:37am train... for a 10am appointment.  We will have stay there until at least 3pm so that we can return home with our passports.  It will be a very boring day, groan. 
 
Our other minor issue with staying is that our landlord initially wanted to raise our rent by 42%.  We have been negotiating with the group for the last week or two, and it looks like they will accept a 10% increase- still a lot of extra money to be paying, but at least we probably won't have to pack up our flat and move.  We shipped all of our American furniture from the States, so some of our pieces don't fit through a standard English door.  Avoiding a move would be a very good thing.  We are settling on some details of the lease, but I hope we will have clarity by the end of the week.  I will update when we find out.   
  
Off to the gym- happy Tuesday!