Battle with the Post-Bridal Bulge: In Conclusion

I've been a bad blogger, I know. Let me try to make it up to you.

We went to Aruba and it was GORGEOUS. We had eight glorious days at one of the prettiest places on Earth. We hung out on the beach, played on pirate ships, were incredibly lazy in the resort's lazy river, ate well and drank plenty. I read three books on vacation, including two by Jen Lancaster,* and got to spend great QT with our family. And we (read: Ryan) won a little money at the casino. It was a fabulous time.

During our vacation I ate reasonably (as far as vacations go). I only worked out twice, but I worked out hard while I was there. I kept putting off the beach body picture for lots of reasons:

1. It's awkward to pose and let someone take a full picture of you in a bikini.
2. I just ate pasta.
3. I just drank a beer.
4. I'm too tipsy to flex my abs.
5. I just worked out and I'm too sweaty to be cute.
6. I want to get a really good tan before I do.

I had plenty of excuses- I just had to make myself do it. Finally on Thursday, a full 7 days into our vacation, I got up the courage to take the photo. And yes, it was awkward. And yes, I made my MIL take a series so that I could pick the one that looked the best. Blogging makes me vain!

This was the picture that I imagined during each and every Turkish Getup, during each plank and every morning at 5:05 AM when my alarm sounded. It's not exactly where I want to be, but I am glad I sacrificed all those Chick-Fil-A's because I can definitely tell a difference from when I started 8+ weeks ago.

Here are some pictures from our vacation:

Isn't my husband handsome? Sorry Ladies, he's taken. :)

 So we came home and I was ready to get back to reality. I made it to Boot Camp on Monday.

And that's it.

Full disclosure:

• I wasn't feeling well once we got back from Aruba, so...
• ....I got lazy, slept in and missed Boot Camp. Since I'd already blown Boot Camp for the week, ....
• ....I ate Chic-Fil-A breakfast two days in a row. Because I wasn't forcing myself to get going in the mornings, ...
• ....I felt lethargic and didn't have the energy to do much of anything, including....
• ....cleaning the house, laundry, etc.

I knew that by skipping I was only making it harder for myself when I went back to Boot Camp, but I just couldn't force myself to get out of bed. So last night I manipulated myself.** We are going to a wedding this weekend and I wasn't sure what I was going to wear, or what would fit. So I deliberately tried on two dresses that I knew don't fit me anymore. The last time I wore these dresses was in October of 2009. I figured that if I could remind myself of where I was in 2009 and compare that to the shape I am in now in March 2011, that would be all the motivation I needed to get my butt up in the morning and get to Boot Camp.

Turns out I have as much motivation as I do hips and ass because I RIPPED THE ZIPPER SEAM. As in, I don't know if the dress would've zipped because it didn't get past my big ol' H +A. Totally unacceptable. Look, I'm not trying to be the size I was in college; I have accepted that that body is long gone now that my metabolism is getting its vengeance. But two years ago, I was a good size. It's where I want to be again.

So I got up this morning and went to Boot Camp. The work out was ridiculously hard for me; I felt like I'd been gone a month, when it's actually only been 12 days. I've lost some of the strength I had built up before Aruba. But I felt GREAT when I left and even had plenty of energy to:

• vaccuum the floors
• empty and reload the dishwasher
• fold a load of laundry
• feed and water the dogs
• tidy up the kitchen and living room
• eat breakfast
• make a grocery list

...all before 7:15 am.  I really enjoy that time to be productive and realized today that I missed it.

So I'm back to the Boot Camp grind. I will have to miss the awesome Grand Opening activities this Saturday due to prior commitments, but I'll be rip-roaring on Monday. I have a new challenge for myself that I will tell you about in the next blog post. I'm really excited about it and hope that your encouragement will keep me motivated!

 *Again, please do yourself a favor and check her out. HI-LARIOUS.

**It's weird to play mind tricks on yourself. Just so you know.