Indulgences and Atonement

Monday Dec 27

Loving this whole public holiday gig! A sleep in until 8.30. Breakfast. A healthy dose of TV. Then it's off to the shops. Our fridge is bare. No healthy food in sight. The shops are packed and both of us are glad that we only have to face the crowds in Woollies.

It's nice to have supplies. I make myself a healthy pizza (Lebanese bread, ricotta cheese, pizza sauce, mushrooms, onions, red capsicum and a bit of minced beef leftover from last night's dinner). YUM! Then, more relaxing in front of the TV.

G is up for another run, but I am feeling pretty sore from yesterday's exertions. I intend to write my blog, make dinner and check out iTunes this afternoon. Tomorrow is soon enough for me to don my workout gear. It will be another 90 minute session. Perhaps the Thursday circuits and 30 mins on the treadmill.

G'nite all!

Sunday Dec 26    Boxing Day

Ah yes. The day of reckoning. The day of Atonement. A sleep in, a healthy breakfast, a bit of a relax in front of the TV and then it's time to pay the piper. The voice of Christmas Past (which sounded remarkably like the deep baritones of Rocky Road) whispered in my ear. Reluctantly I got off the lounge, changed into my workout gear and got ready to pay my dues.

I knew a circuit would not be enough to right yesterdays wrongs, so I started off with a brisk 5 minute & 500m walk on the treadmill. Jumped off to stretch. Then back onto the treadmill. G always does the weight-loss program so I thought I'd give it a try. 3 minutes at speed 3. 3 minutes at speed 6. So far so good. 3 minutes at speed 8. Next thing I know I'm running. No-that's not a typo. I'm not jogging. Not walking quickly. I'm running!! I last for 2 minutes. Then I jump onto the side rails and rest for a minute. The treadmill jumps up to speed 10. Speed 10!! What am I thinking!? I take a deep breath and jump on. I last for 1 minute. Jump off. Rest for 2. Manage 90 secs at speed 8. Rest for a 90 secs and then slow the treadmill down to 6 and walk for the next 5 minutes. Then slow it down to 4.5 and walk for another 3.

Now, it's time for the Tuesday circuit. Agony. I have no idea how I'm going to hold each squat for 5 secs, so rather than rely on myself to count honestly, I grab my iPhone and set the timer. 5 seconds. Man, it takes ages and the first set nearly kills me. However, aside from the killer shoulder weights, it seems to get easier as I go along. For a brief moment, I entertain the thought of holding the last squat of the last set for 10 secs, but, with a nod to J, I stop after 5. I know she would have pushed me those extra 5 seconds and my thoughts flash forward to my upcoming 90 minute training session this Thursday. One look at my Christmas food diary and I know she's not going to let me off easy!

I do my stretches to warm down. I'm drenched. The only cure for this is another bath! The water is hot and I gratefully slide into it, book in hand. The treadmill beats an easy rhythm in the front room as G steps up to pay for her indulgences yesterday.

Dinner. TV and early to bed.


Saturday Dec 25  Christmas!

It's Christmas Day! We're off to spend Christmas with our close friends. Their son is G's godson. Regardless of the weather in Sydney, I know it's destined to be stinking hot out west where they live. So, after my breakfast of yogurt & muesli (might as well start the day out right!!) and a refreshing shower, I hop into some cool, cotton clothes.

We organise the seafood in our cooler bag, the phrase 'off like a bucket of prawns in the sun' scrolling through our minds like a mantra. I carefully place all of the cooler freezy things strategically around the prawns, salmon, steak and pasta salads. For good measure, we grab some ice blocks and slip them in the noticeable holes. Food poisoning is HIGH on my list of things to avoid.

I'd made the decision to relax my eating regime for today. I mean, it's Christmas right? Surely, I can be a bit more lenient with myself- especially if I promise to work it off later. 2 bowls of Doritos, a plate of Jatz crackers and some crinkle crisps/ chips are placed within easy reach on the coffee table.  Be strong, I tell myself. And it works. For a while. I finally succumb and have 2 Jatz crackers with a tiny smear of French onion dip and 2 very small handfuls of crinkle chips.

Then it's lunch. Yum! Salmon steak, 2 prawn skewers, 5 prawns dipped in Thousand Island dressing, 1 tbsp of creamy potato salad, 2 tbsp of creamy pasta salad, a large serving of green salad and a dinner roll. Normally, I would have added a piece of T-bone steak, maybe a sausage, at least another bread roll or 2 with butter, and definitely more creamy pasta salad. So, all in all, I think I did not too badly. I drank my PiMag water that I'd brought from home and reluctantly turned down some Sprite. Tough to do on such a hot day!

When dessert came out at 5pm, I didn't fare so well. Rocky Road. Not just any old Rocky Road, Darrell Lea milk chocolate Rocky Road. It was my undoing. 3 pieces and a slight sugar coma later, I was blissed out. Creaming soda with vanilla ice cream? Uh...no thanks! It was easy to turn that down; I'm not much of a 'spider' fan unless it's with Root Beer (which isn't so easy to come by in Australia!) Besides, I didn't want anything to wash the taste of that Rocky Road out of my mouth. My tongue hunted around the crevices in my teeth, seeking out tiny unchewed pieces of nuts or a morsel of chocolate. I could hardly concentrate.

At 8 when people were starting to think about dinner, I wandered into the kitchen. I opened the fridge; I scouted around the bench tops. Nothing caught my fancy. Too much effort to get out the pasta salad or the steak. As much as I wanted a bread roll, I knew that I had already done my dash with the Rocky Road. The smell of Coke permeated the room. Coke. I could polish off a litre easy. Desperate, I asked G if she was planning on having some Coke. She said yes and as soon as it was poured, I allowed myself 3 small sips- just enough to take the edge off. Then, someone suggested cheese and crackers. Uh oh.

10 Jatz crackers: 6 with cheddar cheese & 4 with Camembert, plus 5 tiny pieces of Cabonossi. If that was dinner, I'd had it! Oh, it was hard to stop at just that many! Real cheese. Not lite cottage cheese, not lite tasty cheese, not lite ricotta. Real full fat cheese. Wow.  3 months ago, before J, I could have planted myself in front of that cheese platter and really done some damage! I didn't even touch the soft cheese with chives or the Gouda.  Stopped myself after 5 pieces of cabanossi. Let's be real. That's hardly a taste.

I know it will look bad when it's all written down in black and white in my food diary. Sometimes I wish I could write down all the stuff I didn't eat so I could show much self-restraint I actually managed to exhibit. Hmmm. I know I fell off the wagon today, but it was a controlled fall--Hollywood style. I didn't crash and burn and eat without a conscience. Surely that has to be progress?

I finish the night off with a cup of tea, sweetened with white sugar because raw wasn't available. However, unlike G, I'm not feeling overstuffed and unwell. Sleep comes quickly to me, but G is up for another hour waiting for her stomach to feel better.

Well, that's Christmas over and done for another year.


Friday Dec 24     Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve and we're on our way to work. The city is dead. Our normal coffee shop is closed and we're forced into World Square to get our coffee from Gloria Jeans. It's not the same. Mine isn't hot. Perhaps a latte was a bad choice. Should've stuck with a cappuccino. I'm finding today tough. I always get super homesick at Christmas. I thought after being at home with my family in September, that this year would be easier, but it's not. I get a bit teary as I head off to work...so I pop into JB Hi Fi to see if I can pull myself together and perhaps pick up a last minute pressie.

Managed to pull myself together, but there was no last minute pressie to be had. Made my way to work thinking I could slide in under the radar...but as it turns out, our manager is hanging out in my pod chatting with my team. We had a bit of a giggle and my day seems to brighten again.

When one of my workmates heads out for coffee, I hand her $5 and beg her to pick me up another cappuccino! I figure 2 tsp raw sugar in another coffee has GOT to be better than all the sweets and goodies that are being passed around the office! Oh Christmas, when will you stop tormenting me with food that I love that I cannot eat!

Only 2 of us remain after lunch. The phones are dead. Most people are either on their way to family or picking up their last minute presents! No one is keen to talk to us. Suits me fine. Means I can catch up on some of my work. Our manager takes pity on us, and before we know it, the office is empty by 4.07pm. G & I head over to Paddy's Markets. It's the only place I think I might be able to source a new crystal for her chain. No success with that, but we do walk out with a really cool 'tree of life' pendant and some capsicum for tomorrow's prawn skewers.

I'm achy so while G dutifully works out again, I slide into a nice warm bath to get through another 100 pages of my Patricia Cornwell novel. Nice.

Bit of stirfry for dinner, then we take turns wrapping our last minute gifts. I make tea and watch The Myer Music Carols Special while G peels the prawns. I just cannot bring myself to 'peel' prawns. And what a strange word it is to describe the process! First, one has to twist and rip the head off the prawn, being careful to twist it in just the right spot so as not to leave too much of the yellowish brain goo on the body. YUCK. Then, tearing off the hard plastic-like casing and legs; finishing with a tug of the muscle that is connected to the 'poo channel' so that it comes off all in one piece. Even once they're peeled, I find it hard to eat them. Can you tell that I was raised on the prairie? Gimme a steak or turkey any day!

Bed at 11.

Thursday Dec 23

I am SOO exhausted! My first Wednesday without college and I end up in bed way later than a college night!! I really don't understand how it can be 5.20am already. It feels like I just closed my eyes moments ago. How am I gonna muster the energy to get out of bed, let alone make it through an hour of quality time with J? *groan*

If I didn't have a personal trainer to hold me accountable, I think today is one of those days where I would simply hit the snooze button, roll over and sleep in. But, alas, I DO have a personal trainer! So against all odds, I roll out of bed, gather my gear, pack my lunch, grab a banana off the counter and head out to the car. Must be another Christmas Miracle!

Just the 2 of us at training today. By the time I get to the Centre, I'm finally awake. Good thing cuz it's game on! I think A & I have a friendly competition blooming. It's awesome! So, it's the usual warm up, then stretches, then on to the circuits. Today I got through the triceps twice in 15 mins + 20 hip extensions. A one minute break and it's time to swap sides. Biceps twice in 15 mins + 20 bicep curls, 20 shoulder pressses and 20 push ups!! I'm on fire today! Almost 3 times through!! WICKED!

Then stretches to warm down. As usual, J is putting away the gear as we're stretching. By the time she changes the cd and switches off the light, I'm keen for the 3 mins of BLISS! I expect to relax, feel the tension drain out of my muscles and perhaps take a mini-nap. Instead, I feel awake. My thoughts are racing.  So much for relaxation! What's happening to me!

It's short-lived though. By the time 9.15am rolls around, I'm desperate for a coffee! The day does not improve. It feels like I'm walking through molasses (hmmm...perhaps treacle is a better analogy for my aussie mates). At any rate, I feel slow, tired and perhaps a bit achy. Think those extra bicep curls have caught up to me. Not only do I have to resist the urge to sleep, I have to flex my will-power and turn down: a Krispy Kreme donut, white chocolate rocky road slice, Lindt chocolates and a candy cane. Can this day be any more challenging?? Wait for it.

The afternoon is drawing to a close and the thought of making our way to the Sydney Fish Markets to pick up seafood for our Christmas lunch with 1.5 million other Sydney-siders is becoming less and less appealing by the second!! I share my reluctance with my workmates and the girls come to my rescue! Of course, we could stop at the Broadway shopping centre, pick up our seafood at the local fresh seafood shop, our steaks at the butcher and the remaining incidentals at Coles! Brilliant!! Especially since I can hardly keep my eyes open!

Our shopping mission was a HUGE success! Ticked everything off our list and we were home by 6.15! Victory.

Time for a little book reading on the lounge while G goes for a run. I've already done my exercise for today. Bit of TV. Then definitely bed. I'm exhausted!