As most of you are probably aware I just got back from Ireland last Saturday night. I had the most amazing time, and I have lots of stories that I could share, but since this is a weight loss blog, I will stick to the relevant stories.
The Plane Ride
If anything has motivated me to stay with it, and keep working to lose weight, it was flying on the planes. I have purposely avoided planes for a long time because of my size, but before I left on the trip I had it in my mind that I wasn't going to have any difficulty fitting into the seats or fastening the seat belt. After all I had lost almost 100 lbs and I felt very confident that I wouldn't have any trouble. I was sadly mistaken. I am still a big girl, and still have a lot of weight to lose, and it was definitely a problem. When I first sat down I was shocked at how much room that I took up. On the flight from Orlando to Charlotte, NC, I was sitting next to someone on the team who is very small, and therefore I felt a little more comfortable. On the flight from NC to Dublin, Ireland I was sitting next to a stranger. He was a very friendly guy, and in no way did he make me feel uncomfortable, or make me feel like I was really big, but I was extremely self conscious. I was determined that I wasn't going to take up any of his seat. I purposely sat so that I overlapped a little into the aisle. This is embarrassing to admit, but the awful and honest truth. I sat that way for 7 1/2 hours, but I figured that it was better for me to be uncomfortable than for the nice stranger next to me. When I went to put on my seat belt I became very afraid that I was going to have to ask for a seat belt extender, and the thought of that was enough motivation to squeeze myself into the seat belt. I was successful, but probably relocated some of my internal organs in the process - ha ha. To say the least all of this combined created in me a new motivation to never give up in my quest to reach my goal weight.
The Food
I wish I had a wonderful story to tell you about how I stuck perfectly to my diet the entire time that I was in Ireland, but that is not the case. I knew that without the opportunity to measure or weigh my food that this would be a problem. I honestly just tried to enjoy myself, and not go too crazy. I know that I went over my calorie count each day, but I was getting so much exercise that it more than made up for what I was eating. In fact I lost weight while I was there. Yay!! The hills in Ireland are very steep, and at times I was getting some very intense exercise. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and took every opportunity to get as much exercise as possible.
The food was amazing, and if you love fish you are set. I had fish several times, and it was wonderful every time. I also had a cheeseburger at one restaurant. It was good, but the flavor was unexpected. I expected it to taste like an American cheeseburger, but they add different spices to the meat, and it tasted a little more like a mild sausage. We also would grab deli sandwiches on the go sometimes, and they were always fresh and good. I was impressed with all of the food.
Now that I am back it has been a challenge to get back into a routine. I didn't count points for an entire week, and didn't think about every bite I was putting into my mouth. (Honestly it was nice to have a break. It can get tedious keeping track of everything). I am back to counting everything now, and determined to shed the remaining extra weight that I am carrying
I know that I talked about the struggles that I had, but I was thinking that two years ago I would have never been able to go on this trip. I wouldn't have fit into the seat on the plane, and I would have never been able to climb the hills, or do all of the walking that we did while there. I am so grateful for the amount of weight that I have lost, and I think the Lord for all of the help that he has given to me in the process!
The Food
I wish I had a wonderful story to tell you about how I stuck perfectly to my diet the entire time that I was in Ireland, but that is not the case. I knew that without the opportunity to measure or weigh my food that this would be a problem. I honestly just tried to enjoy myself, and not go too crazy. I know that I went over my calorie count each day, but I was getting so much exercise that it more than made up for what I was eating. In fact I lost weight while I was there. Yay!! The hills in Ireland are very steep, and at times I was getting some very intense exercise. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and took every opportunity to get as much exercise as possible.
The food was amazing, and if you love fish you are set. I had fish several times, and it was wonderful every time. I also had a cheeseburger at one restaurant. It was good, but the flavor was unexpected. I expected it to taste like an American cheeseburger, but they add different spices to the meat, and it tasted a little more like a mild sausage. We also would grab deli sandwiches on the go sometimes, and they were always fresh and good. I was impressed with all of the food.
Now that I am back it has been a challenge to get back into a routine. I didn't count points for an entire week, and didn't think about every bite I was putting into my mouth. (Honestly it was nice to have a break. It can get tedious keeping track of everything). I am back to counting everything now, and determined to shed the remaining extra weight that I am carrying
I know that I talked about the struggles that I had, but I was thinking that two years ago I would have never been able to go on this trip. I wouldn't have fit into the seat on the plane, and I would have never been able to climb the hills, or do all of the walking that we did while there. I am so grateful for the amount of weight that I have lost, and I think the Lord for all of the help that he has given to me in the process!
