Week 7

This was the hardest week so far… I can’t even begin to think how many times  the words “quit, give up, surrender” crossed my mind this week.

Sunday, what happened?  Was Saturday just too awesome that any other day could never live up to  its greatness.  Sunday started out as a pretty good day.  I slept in and felt really great… well rested, rejuvenated for the week that lies ahead.  I went to the gym for my morning cardio then met with Marcia to start shopping for competition bikinis.  This should have been a lot of fun…. It should have been cool to try on bikinis and feel great about all our hard work.  Well…. It was not!  I was almost in tears when I tried on these suits.  I have worked so hard for six weeks and my excitement was crushed when I tried on the bikinis.  I got a serious reality check and realized how much hard work lies ahead for the remaining five weeks.  It was also impossible to find a good “competition” bikini.  I don’t really know what I’m looking for, but I’m sure I haven’t found it yet.  I think I just want something bright and maybe a little bit sparkly J

Monday was Valentine’s Day…. One of the toughest days of my diet so far.  When I got to work in the morning, there was a left over birthday cake on the kitchen counter.  Then my friend Tammy made her deliciously famous cookies…. Heart shaped sugar cookies with pink icing!  Amazing.  It continues to get worse from there…. Cupcakes were brought to my 2:00 meeting and the grand finale was the ice cream party that my office had at 3:00.  I have never had so many scrumptious sugary yummy temptations in one day!

Tuesday was a little bit better, less tempting treats.  However, I did have to sit through a meeting while everyone around me ate sandwiches, chips, and cookies that we had brought in.  You know, I really didn’t like potato chips seven weeks ago… but now that they’re so off limits, I was dying to taste just one chip.  By the end of the day Tuesday I was getting really tired…. Almost exhausted.  My training was definitely sluggish that night.  Tuesday afternoon, while cleaning the kitchen after lunch, I realized my kitchen sink was clogged up.  I didn’t think much of it, just bought some Draino on the way home.

Wednesday was another slow, sluggish, tiring day.  I had a very important meeting at work Wednesday morning.  We had been preparing and planning for several weeks.  Long meetings in the conference room make for difficult workdays.  It’s hard for me to sit still in one chair for several hours.  It’s also difficult when you’re thinking about all the other work that needs to be done.    I feel like I can’t ever catch up or get ahead of the game at work.  I really hope this calms down in the next  few weeks.  When I came home for lunch Wednesday I realized the Draino didn’t quite work out.  Actually, I don’t think it did anything at all.  Queue Freak Out  session sans tears this time….  How am I supposed to fix a clogged sink?  I started calling some plumbers for estimates.   Prices ranged from $178-$250.  Holy cow!  I can’t afford that… I’ve been saving some money to help pay for the competition and now I’d have to spend it all on a new tire and plumber to unclog my kitchen sink.  This is where the tears kicked in.... I knew if I had to pay a plumber the whole competition was out the window.  Combine plumber's fees with my new tire and all my competition budget was down the drain. Yes, pun intended on that one.  I went back to the office and started asking around for tips and advice.  I was determined to fix this on my own and not pay all that money!  Wednesday night was another terrible work out… I just couldn’t think positive and get in the right mood for training.  Wednesday was probably the hardest day to stay positive and continue with the training.  I wanted to quit so bad… I just wanted it all to be over.  I was exhausted, hungry, and beyond stressed out.   I decided to email my boss and tell him that I was taking half a personal day on Thursday. 

Thursday morning I slept in a little bit, went to Home Depot and got some supplies, and went to work on that damn drain.  Well, the first attempt of pouring the unclogging formula down the drain didn’t work…. I had to be patient and try again.  This time I let it sit in there a little longer.  And you know what, it still didn’t work.  Now, here comes the magic.  I tried using a plunger and plunging the goo out.  First four attempts were busts.  But then, like magic, on the fifth try the most beautiful spiral of draining water appeared before my eyes!  I had done it!!!  I had really done an at-home, fix-it-yourself project.  I couldn’t believe it!  I felt like a million bucks!!!  Today was my official turn for the better…. This terrible week had finally started looking up. Once I got that all cleared up I went in to work and everything was so much better.  I felt like I was twice as productive because I was in a better mood and filled with positive thinking.  This made my workout go so much better… felt like the training was easier and less stressful. 

My good luck from Thursday was so over flowing that it carried over to Friday.  I felt great, energized, and rejuvenated on Friday morning when I got up for my morning work out.  When I got to the office I was surprised with some great news…. We were closing the office early at 3:00 that afternoon because it was a holiday weekend.  We have Monday off for Presidents’ Day also.  I was so excited!  That meant I could come home and take a little nap before my workout tonight.  Also, at work Friday I had my annual performance appraisal and review with my boss.  I was a little nervous and not quite sure what he would have to say, but that turned out to be a piece of cake.   Mmmmm… cake!  Soon enough.  Anyway, my review went well.  I still can’t believe I’ve been at CLC for four years.  After work I took a little catnap then ran to the mall just for fun…. I’m pretty much an impulse buyer and it hit me again today.  I think I’ve got my competition suit!  I love the color, the fit is perfect, and I feel like a million bucks when I wear it.  I’m still not 100% that this is the one and that’s ok because if it’s not, I still have an amazing bikini for this summer.  After the mall I went to the gym to meet with Marcia and Johnny to start practicing our stage walk and poses.  This was very intimidating.  It was our first time walking in a bikini and high heels.  To make matters worse, we didn’t really have a private room in the gym where we could practice.  People could see us through the glass door and could walk in and out as they were going up or down the stairs.  But in the end, this only helped because in four weeks we’re going to be on stage in front of a huge crowd and table of judges.  So it was scary at first, but in the end, it was actually a lot of fun.  It’s kinda like acting.  You can go out there and show off some sass and be confident in yourself.  After the dreadful week that I had it was really fun to act like someone else and flaunt the benefits of all my hard work.  This is really starting to pay off for me!  I feel fantastic.  Johnny and another trainer watched us walk and pose and both said that I did great.  It was also fun to talk about hair, make-up, jewelry and other girlie things that will make us look absolutely beautiful on the day of the competition.  I’m so excited… I feel like we’re getting so close.  This competition is just around the corner.

Saturday was a fantastic day!  It was finally Emily’s birthday celebration J I got up early and went to the gym as soon as they opened at 8:00am.  I did my morning cardio, weighed in, ate my breakfast and then met up with the girls at Lenox Mall.  The only thing that could have made this day better would have been a Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks but I know that will come soon enough.  I settled for a hot tea and continued my fantastic day.  Macy’s had tons of great Presidents’ Day sales.  I don’t know why, but the shopping bug just didn’t bite me today.  I didn’t see much that caught my eye in Macy’s but to make it even worse, I only tried on one dress at Ann Taylor Loft and walked out empty handed!  THAT has never happened before.  I blame it on this store’s limited selection of Petite clothes.  Maybe short girls just don’t shop at Lenox?  I don’t know.  We had lunch at the mall and that was quite the challenge for me.  I told the waiter about my specific diet and ordered bare-naked grilled chicken breast and plain, no seasoning, broccoli.  Well the chicken came out with a sweet teriyaki glaze.  I had to send it back and order the fish.  It was ok, kinda bland… but I didn’t care because I knew we were just a few hours away from Maggiano’s!  After lunch we all treated ourselves to manicures and pedicures then continued our shopping extravaganza at Nordstrom Rack, DSW, and TJ Maxx.  I decided to look for some new dresses since I am very uncomfortable in my clothes at work now.   I ended up getting two very cute dresses!  The great prices at Nordstrom Rack also make it a lot easier to get in the shopping mood. 

After we called it quits with the shopping marathon, we got all dolled up and went to dinner at Maggiano’s.  There were five of us for dinner so we decided to get the “Family Style” dinner.  We got two large salads, two appetizers, and two pastas for dinner.  The best part about this is that everything is bottomless.  I’m not sure this impressed the other girls as much as it impressed me.  I had already warned them that I planned to eat like a garbage compactor at dinner.  I had my fill of cheese ravioli, gnocchi and tomato sauce, and another chicken & truffle pasta dish.  I think I also probably ate an entire loaf of bread.  I stuffed myself until I felt a little ill…. Then I took a break and came back for more.  It was all very very delicious and well worth the wait all week.  After dinner we went out for a few cocktails… I was driving since I can’t drink but I didn’t mind.  We went to two places and realized that the rest of Atlanta was lame and just not cool enough for girls like us.  We ended up going to Kroger to buy beer and then headed back to my friend’s apartment for some chill girl time.

That wraps up week seven of training.  I’m ready for all the action in the next four weeks.  It’s starting to feel real.  This competition is right around the corner! 

I can't remember if I posted my weight loss last week or not, but I lost 2.5 pounds and was down to 109.7 at the end of week six.  This week I weighed 108.5 so I was down another 1.2 pounds.  My total weight loss is now 11.1 pounds.

Here is an update picture from Friday evening and a clip of the walking/posing practice.  The picture is a little bit different than what I've been posting in the past.  This is more realistic of what I'll be looking like on stage in front of the judges.  This is a casual, more natural pose.  I won't really be able to use the side view, toe pop, to make my legs look skinnier.  I still need to keep working on the walking and posing but this is a raw view of my first attempt.  Just keepin' it real, ya know?