Thats some chowder in a bread bowl weather if I’ve ever seen it.
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I’m happy to report a safe return to land, where we immediately entered the safe harbor of a very expensive restaurant on the water to eat - yes - chowder. As well as fish tacos and a beet salad that looked for all the world like the jello molds featured in the crimes against nutrition thread. The British seem well vanquished, as we did not see a single remaining royal warship, even on the other side of the lighthouse.
This is our third, I think, revolutionary outing. (Why yes, we did wake at 3 am to go to the Lexington Green last year to make sure the shot heard ‘round the world went off without a hitch.)
I’m excited to see what’s next!
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Well that’s good news. I was a bit concerned.
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You know how to make a really good time of it!
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Tuesday, March 10
Weight 145
It seems I do know how to make a really good time of it (all) as I have gained 3 lbs over the extended weekend. I somehow found myself enjoying spontaneous vacation, which started Thursday evening with wine and cheese in my office with the bestie, followed by a reasonable workout Friday morning before going off for a haircut and errands. We met friends for drinks at a cocktail bar charity thing, then eventually did dinner, where I demolished a prime rib. Home to bed, then up early to go to sea and secure America’s independence, followed by more drinks and a sleepover. Woke Sunday morning, lounged around, then went to an Irish restaurant, where I demolished more food and then had a glass of wine to linger for a bit. Got a text from my son during lunch, whose birthday was yesterday, announcing that they would be in town - still Sunday - would we like to get together? Of course, yes, so we stopped at a mall and then went to spring Louie from the boarder, calling in a Chinese birthday feast for the son to pick up to meet us back at the house. Ate the feast, of course, said goodbye to them eventually, and then leapt into bed to try to get sprung forward. Woke yesterday, put on my sport bra, and then blew off the planned workout because it was warm (!) and sunny (!). So ate leftover chinese food, put on snowshoes and set off. We didn’t walk very far, but did hang out on a downed tree for a while, soaking it in and giving the dog treats to make up for our 33 hour abandonment - some of that was remediated by the Chinese food-smelling children giving treats, but unfortunately he was a tired pup and slept through much of the treat opportunity small children represent.
We did come home afterward with food prep supplies, so I am hoping to drop some of the gained weight. I didn’t set the alarm early today because of the time change - hopefully tomorrow.
But the whole thing felt like being away from home. Just one Big Fun after another.
However, the merriment ends today, as God is my witness.
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Just wanted to stop by and say hello. I feel like I haven’t actually interacted with you in a while. So, hello!
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Friday, March 13
Weight 145.2
CG Max day 43/50 - high squat, upright row, bridge, pullover, heel elevated squat, chest flies - with 6 minute cardio warmup. This felt fantastic, and I’m glad, because I’ve been back to wondering “why do I have to do this and NO ONE ELSE does,” which feeling hasn’t been present for quite a while now, but hit pretty hard in combination with nice weather and the time change.
@BethB, thank you for checking in! Busy week at work, which followed an unusually busy weekend. My social battery doesn’t drain easily, but this week it definitely hit a low. This will be a slower weekend.
But right now, work time.
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Funny you should say that. In a conversation with my Virginia brother about what we’re doing lifting and workout wise, he mentioned Caroline Girvan as someone he really likes because she’s just as brutal as the other guy but much easier on the eyes.
So there’s that. A guy in virginia is also doing that. You’re not alone!
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CG Max day 43/50 - high squat, upright row, bridge, pullover, heel elevated squat, chest flies - with 6 minute cardio warmup. This felt fantastic, and I’m glad, because I’ve been back to wondering “why do I have to do this and NO ONE ELSE does,” which feeling hasn’t been present for quite a while now, but hit pretty hard in combination with nice weather and the time change.
I’m not sure if it’s irony or some other word, but you’re not alone in feeling like you’re the only one that has to do this and no one else. I remember having this EXACT same thought one time walking into a grocery store, seeing an advertisement for Cheetos, thinking “I haven’t had a Cheeto since I was in high school”, and then wondering why everyone else gets to have Cheetos and I don’t.
Which was most likely a sign of something deeper than Cheeto withdraw, but I also was able to get over it when I saw someone getting out of a motorized cart so they could waddle back to their car and I went “Oh yeah…”
You’re in the company of many delightful lunatics, and I’m happy to share this asylum with you.
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Right there with you.
Same here.
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Why is it always chips? I had an epiphany like this in a truckstop in Maryland once. Long stoey but I Never ate another chip in my truck again.
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You just hit my “nutrition conspiracy nut” trigger with that question, haha. The fact we have a “snack industry” in general is already indicative of the issue, because someone had to invent snacking as an idea in the first place in order to create snacks for us to sell, because before the idea was, if you were hungry, you ate a meal, and if you weren’t hungry enough to eat a meal: you weren’t hungry. But then we came up with snacks.
And THEN we took the same dudes that made cigarettes addictive and had them buy up all those snack food companies so they could employ the same technology for the same purpose. And those dudes BRAG about it. “Bet you can’t eat just one!” Yeah, no crap: you spent millions researching how to perfectly engineer salt, cheap low quality fats and processed sugars into the most addictive umami combination possible that manages to reverse biology such that we actually become HUNGRIER the more we eat it.
Like, if you explained this to an outsider, they would say that these people are the villains in your story.
But I also really loved the response of the CEO of Hardees/Carl’s Jr in the Penn and Teller “Bullsh*t” episode on junkfood. “I’m not going to apologize for making and selling delicious food”. I don’t hate the player: I hate the game. It’s on ME to recognize when I’m being conned.
EDIT: One more fun random snack fact. It apparently takes 5 whole potatoes (average) to make an average (7-8oz) bag of potato chips. Think about if you’ve ever eaten a whole bag of chips in one sitting. NOW think about trying to eat 5 WHOLE plain baked potatoes in one sitting. In turn, think about what those potatoes had to undergo in order to be able to completely and totally bypass your body’s natural satiety signals to be able to eat 5 goddamn potatoes in one sitting, haha.
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And I am the world’s worst offender. I LOVE to snack. I can eat all day long 
It doesn’t have to be junk food either, just food in general. We don’t buy an incredible amount of junk food anymore, and eat out only once a week. But, boy when we get something with that
It’s like a slice of heaven 
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And I am the world’s worst offender. I LOVE to snack. I can eat all day long
You’re amongst peers. I used to literally eat every half hour. As in, eat something, and watch the clock for the next 29 minutes so I can eat again. I think I never experienced blood sugar crashes because it never had a chance to come down! Haha.
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I thought I’d bring this over here, because it’s been on my mind:
I think the problem for me, and probably most of us, is distinguishing between this ^ and laziness that needs a push-through. I’m sore AF this morning after yesterday’s workout, and last night moved like a 90-year-old when I got up from the couch. But prior to that last week, with no workouts and no real intention to do them (while I wondered if I ever should again, lol) I was completely pain-free. No DOMS, no systemic inflammation, and just a focus on sleeping well and feeling good at work while I adapted to the time change - which wasn’t really an effort at all, as I was ready for bed at 7:30 old time.
I was happy to focus on my diet during the break, as that has no downside - I just feel good when I eat lean whole foods, which I enjoy as much as I do the junk. I’ve really never met a classification of food (junk, healthy, fast food, comfort) I don’t like and stomach distress is almost unheard of for me. But it definitely impacts me systemically in terms of feeling either good/energetic or bleah. Like differences in my posture, even. The workouts help with inflammation in the long term - I feel my absolute most best on a good day during an on phase - but DOMS are pretty consistently present for me, so there’s a cost as well as a benefit. Anyway, I’m rambling. Just trying to figure out this whole listen to my body thing in relation to the stuff that goes through my mind, like “why do I have to meet this stupid self-imposed standard?”
I’ll never be an obese person in a motorized cart - that’s not a fear for me. So the contrast is never a polar opposite-type thing. More an average healthy woman vs an exceptionally healthy woman. Barring a health crisis, e.g. cancer, I know I’ll never be exceptional on the other side of the health spectrum, and fitness won’t fail-safe me from a devastating diagnosis or event.
But anyway, I’m back on the wagon after what felt like a really positive rest physically, but as always messed with me mentally.
She really is! I love that I can watch her individual muscles work as I’m following. I used to feel self-conscious working out in the dark in front of a street-facing window without curtains as an older, somewhat out-of-shape woman (though it’s a distance to the street and there are trees) but for the past year or so I’ve know my form is 100% on-point and my body is fine, and I feel zero anxiety over people catching a glimpse.
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I am as well. I do not need to snack, I just do. I am surrounded by food at work. I generally make an effort to stay out of the student store, but there are days I look and there is a Twix half eaten on my desk. Occasionally I grab a Coke but never finish the whole can.
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Saturday, March 14
Weight 143.7
2.5 mile hike on snow-covered ice wearing cleat-y things. It was beautiful!
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Glad you made it back intact!
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Right here with you. I know recovery is where the adaptation happens, but I also struggle with, “am I recovering, or being lazy”? Obviously, enough stimulus has to be generated to recover from. Next week I am going on a trip and don’t have easy access to a gym, plus, it’s not the focus. However, my brain is too happy to do mental gymnastics to fit everything in. When the focus should be, enjoying the trip. Go for the purpose of the trip, and don’t worry about missing a few workouts. Perhaps lifting has made our skulls thicker.
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Monday, March 16
Weight 143.9
CG Max day 44/50 - banded hip thrust, hammer press, static lunge, staggered RDL, pushups, front raise - with 10 minute cardio warmup. (Which, @Friedrich, gives me some dynamic stretching along with the movement before getting started, and I also finish with 3-5 minutes of yoga-ish stretching. You really should consider adding whatever kind of mobility work you enjoy, because it’s needed at our age to avoid getting all brittle and breaking ourselves.)
All that muscle squeezing our brains!
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