Pour Some Sugar On Me

Well hi there, Blogland.  It has (again) been a while since I have posted.  First, I am busier than usual and have been traveling since March 12 or so.  Second, I am not losing weight.  Combine these two reasons, and we see why I have been MIA. 

I just started working out this week after a two month hiatus.  Some of you probably read that I really messed up my body earlier in the year due to excess exercise.  It took me a while to get that sorted out, and during that period I was exhausted.  My body cried 'uncle'; luckily I listened.  From there I started traveling and really didn't have time to exercise (I am always active, but I mean gym/elevated heart rate exercise).  Just in case you don't really believe that I have been out of town for two months, here is my itinerary:

March 12-20- in NJ to deal with my doctor, sort out my body and start house hunting-- more on that later.  Land in London on March 21, unpack and repack, and fly to the Maldives via Dubai on March 22.  Arrive in the Maldives on March 23- stay until April 1.  Arrive home in London at around 11pm on Sunday, April 1.  Unpack and repack.  Have car service collect me at 7:30am on Monday and fly to NJ.  Land in NJ at 12:30 that afternoon, view a home I like at 1:30, put in an offer at 4, negotiate the price by 6:30 over dinner with my mom and some of her girlfriends.  Agree on price by 7pm and enjoy what is left of dinner.  Run some errands on Tuesday before catching a 7:30pm flight back to London.  Land in London Wednesday morning, unpack and repack, and fly to Portugal for Easter weekend the following day (Thursday for everyone who is completely lost).  Return to London late on April 8 (Easter Sunday).  See friends for a day or two before unpacking and repacking to AGAIN return to NJ the morning of April 12.  Mom and I went to PR from April 15-20, and Kenny and I attended the fundraiser for his boarding school on April 21.  He left for London the following day, but I decided to stay in NJ.  At this point we started to run into some issues with the house we were scheduled to buy, so I was busy looking for replacement houses.  Kenny came back to NJ on April 27, and we were in NYC from April 30-May 4.  Then we FINALLY flew back to London on May 7, arriving on the morning of May 8.  A friend visited from the US from May 11-13, and that brings us pretty much current. 

So now I am back to the gym but am operating at a much lower intensity.  I did 1 hour of cardio on Monday and 50 minutes on Tuesday.  Today I went to my first Body Pump class, and the girls in the class actually shrieked when they saw me after so long.  What a great feeling!  I will increase my workouts at some point, but for now I am just getting back into a routine. 

As for the sugar title, SUGAR is the devil and is another reason I am not losing weight.  When I became sick in February and March, I pretty much listened to my body.  When it wanted salmon, it got salmon.  When it wanted white beans, I served them up.  And sadly, when it wanted chocolate... I obliged.  That was fine for a while, but sugar is a slippery slope.  The same way a crack addict cannot smoke even the slightest bit of the stuff without risking a full relapse and an alcoholic can't have a sip of vodka tonic without (more likely than not) waking up next to a full bottle of tonic but a much less full bottle of vodka, I cannot bring that sweet goodness into my home. 

Up until recently I was SOOO well-behaved.  I would have desserts occasionally when I was out to dinner or at/hosting a dinner party.  Apart from that, I stayed away from sweets.  I stayed away from them for so long that I thought I was now fine with sweets and I could eat them responsibly.  More importantly, I thought I would save money by buying a larger quantity of that sugary goodness and rationing it out over time.  Rational Nora thought this was a great idea- a little bit of sweets per day- no more.  Sugar Addict Nora also thought this was a great idea- trick Rational Nora into thinking she was in control before diving head first into the sweets Rational Nora bought.  Sugar Addict Nora definitely won the battle.  Rational Nora WILL win the war.

I am back to life without my daily sweets.  I won't buy them on the fly or rationalize that just a bit would be A-OK.  Once I get the taste for sweets, it takes time to ween myself.  Today I had tuna salad and sauteed zucchini for lunch.  No chocolate, no ice  cream, nothing to ruin the hour I spent Body Pumping.  Today is a new day, and today is going in the right direction. 

**One thing on my weight, it is surprisingly stable given what I have been doing (eating) and not doing (working out).  I got down to 193.4 for one day, but that was a fluke.  I was up to 196.6 the following day.  I am bouncing between 195 and 200.  I don't like seeing any number starting with a 2, but I know it is temporary.  Blah.  

I Got Chills, They're Multiplying, And I'm Losing Control

Good morning blogland.  I have mentioned that I constantly have 'Nora theme songs' running through my head.  I wake up singing (quietly, I promise) and continue throughout the day.  So... I figured that I should start using song lyrics for the titles of my blog posts.  Let's see how long this keeps up for. 

Today's topic is being stuck.  It has happened to almost all of us, and we can all agree that it sucks.  I was banded for 6 months before I ever experienced being stuck and PBing (you can read about that trauma here).  In the beginning PBing was very violent and unpleasant.  Now I know why- I did not know what being stuck felt like, and I did not know what my body's little warning signs were.  Because of this, I would continue to eat slowly, so I had food on top of my stuck stuff.  When I PBd, it could take up to an hour to get fully unstuck- yuck! 

Now I know almost immediately if I am going to have issues, and it is because I get chills when stuck.  I can be eating a lovely meal, be 100% OK, and then poof- chills up and down my spine.  This is my body's little warning.  Once I get that feeling, I simply stop eating.  My one issue is that being stuck invariably leads to a PB.  I read that some of you can just wait a few minutes to become unstuck.  I am not one of those people.  Whatever is stuck will come up; this is just how my body likes it.  At least my PBing is much less traumatic than it had been.  It just takes a few seconds, and it is over.  I am very thankful for my chills! 

How about for everyone else?  Does your body give you any indication that something is wrong?  Are your PBs much more tolerable than they were in the beginning?

Continuing on today's topic of being stuck, I only get stuck right before or during my TOM.  My band is SO loose for most of the month, and then my period comes and changes things.  I have been contemplating a fill for two months and do have an appointment on Friday just in case.  I have not had a fill since September and think it is about time.  I haven't been losing much weight recently, and a little fill might help that.  Still, I don't like TOM tightness.  I am conflicted.  At least I have a few days before I need to make up my mind.    

Big Lights Will Inspire You-- Let's Here It For New York

Mom and I headed into New York yesterday, tickets in pocketbook, to see the musical that almost everyone wants to see.  For the non-New Yorkers, B*O*O*K of M*O*R*M*O*N is the hottest thing on Broadway.  Tickets are completely sold out for about the next year.  Luckily my credit card sent out an email last week offering tickets along with a pre-theatre cocktail party at Ruth's Chris.  How could I not take them up on such an amazing offer?

The cocktail party was a wonderful start to the evening.  I wasn't in much of a eating mood, but the food was fantastic and plentiful!  Four well-known Broadway actresses attended and participated in a Q&A before signing autographs. 

I snapped a photo for the blog (of course)

Mom tried to take a photo of me in front of the theatre, and this really nice stopped and took a photo (three photos actually) of us together.  I have no patience for people who say New Yorkers are unfriendly.  It is frankly untrue.  New York is one of the only cities where locals will take pictures for tourists, help tourists read maps and guide them through the subway system.  But I digress...

Just to prove that we were actually there!

Look at how cute my mom looks:)

We had really great Orchestra seats, and I felt the need to take a picture.  Unfortunately one of the workers there threw a bit of a fit.  I caught her in a left-handed heil Hitler salute, but at least I also got the stage.

She who takes her job very seriously

The show itself was laugh out loud funny.  From the first number to the end, the audience was convulsing in laughter.  It was also one of the most offensive things I have seen, but that is to be expected given the creators.  Other than the wow factor of seeing such a popular show, being there really made us feel like 'insiders'.  It was apparent that others felt this way as well.  Everyone I spoke with was a regular theatre goer-- still everyone felt almost honored to be part of the event!  I am not going to discuss the musical itself, lest I ruin it for anyone who has tickets.  What I will say is this: book your ticket to see this musical (as long as offensive religious humor doesn't offend you).  

If You Like Pina Coladas

Mom and I had a fun week in Puerto Rico.  Our hotel wound up only being so so, but we made it work.  The place clearly caters to vacationers who want to go through their holiday piss drunk.  The pool bar was the most popular destination at the resort.  Not our scene.  At least we know to go elsewhere next year.  On the subject of drinking, the pina colada was created at a bar inside this resort in the 1950s.  It is the hotel's claim to fame.  And yes, the pina coladas are pretty damn good there. 

View from our bedroom

Really ugly art at a local restaurant

Easter Travels & Back On Track

Kenny and I really enjoyed our golf weekend at the Ritz-Carlton in Portugal.  I am only a beginner golfer and was very anxious about playing for three days in a row.  This anxiety grew when I learned that we would be playing with others.  I usually only play with Kenny and wasn't thrilled that I would have to keep up with much better golfers.  Luckily the husband and wife duo we played with on day one were very nice.  We had a great time with them, and my confidence improved after that round.  The mother and daughter pair from day two were decidedly less pleasant, but Kenny and I still enjoyed ourselves.  The caddie master let us play by ourselves on Sunday, and that was just fantastic.  My game is improving-- I just need to take more lessons.

I am happy to report that my body is now back on track.  I haven't made it back to the gym yet but am remaining active.  My schedule has been hectic, and I just haven't had the time to exercise.  I have started losing weight again, and I am no longer craving crazy foods.  I do have a strong desire for these little suckers though.     
 

Now that Easter is behind me, I must stop with the chocolate!

I am going to New Jersey tomorrow and will stay for about a month.  Mom and I are heading to a resort in Puerto Rico this weekend for our annual 'a mom and her kid' vacation.  Even though I see my mom pretty frequently (especially considering that I live over 3,500 miles away), I always look forward to having an excuse to spend more time with her. 

I seem to always be packing, unpacking or repacking.  Today is no different.  I need to unpack from my last three trips in order to repack for tomorrow.  Off I go.  Toodles. 

Marvelous Maldives

I. Love. The. Maldives. I love travel, love vacations and love beaches... but I REALLY love the Maldives.  It is a simple as that. 
  
When we arrived at the airport, we were greeted by a porter who brought us to the boat.  Our resort is on a private island about 15 minutes from the airport.  After flying from London to Dubai and Dubai to Maldives, hopping onto a boat for a little ride was so much easier to handle than being crammed into a car.  As our boat approached the dock, the front desk staff was standing on the dock waving to greet us.  It might be a bit cheesy, but it was a nice first impression.
  

From our boat- pulling into the resort

We were given this amazing room on the beach and were very lucky to be on the quiet side of the island.  Some days we had the beach entirely to ourselves.  At most we shared with 5 or 6 people!

    

View from our room

  

Our anniversary was on March 28- three years and counting!  We decided to relax during the day and take a sunset dolphin cruise before dinner.  We were on a traditional Maldivian boat and saw a load of dolphin.  Unfortunately I didn't bring my good camera, so the dolphin pictures are lacking.

  

  

That is a dolphin, I promise!

All of the restaurants were great (no, I didn't gain weight), but we wanted something special for our anniversary.  We arranged for private dining on the beach with a five-course menu.  I ate so little of what we ordered but loved every single bite!
 

 

   

In addition to two desserts, the restaurant made this cake for us. 

After we cut it, they sent it to our room along with a bottle of bubbly!
  

What amazing staff to do this for us!

   

Evening shark feeding

  

Kenny and I were talking about my weight loss over drinks one evening, and he said some of the nicest things I have ever heard come out of his mouth.  He said that if I want to lose more weight, he completely supports me as long as I do it for myself and don't hurt myself in the process.  But he stressed that I should NOT do it for him.  He said that he is more attracted to me now than he has ever been and doesn't think I need to lose more.  How sweet!  We all know that I had a bit of an issue last month with working out too much and not getting my period, and he doesn't want that to happen again (nor do I).  On that note, I got my period over vacation.  While this would normally be exceedingly annoying, we were both very happy.  My body sorted itself out without the need for taking the 10-day regimen of pills prescribed by my OBGYN.  When I start working out again next month, I will be much more balanced in my approach. 

In lieu of my progress picture in gym clothes

     

Getting ready to leave:(

     

Parking lot-- Maldives style

  

Now I am packing for our golf weekend in Portugal.  I have more to report about our vacation and my trip home, but it will have to wait until next week. 

Happy Easter! 

Back From The Maldives- For Another 4 Hours

I wanted to let everyone know that Kenny and I are back from the Maldives.  We had a FANTASTIC time and were (not surprisingly) very bummed to pack up and take the boat back to the airport on Sunday.  I have a lot to report and will post pics at some point, but I don't have the time right now.  I am flying back to NJ this morning for one night and have a car picking me up in 90 minutes.  I am still sitting in my pink marshmallow-looking robe even though I should really be getting showered and out the door.  I land back at Heathrow on Wednesday morning, and we then go to Portugal for Easter on Thursday evening.  This is all a long way of saying that I don't know when the Maldives post will be forthcoming-- but I promise that it will be:) 

Happy Monday!