Friday 2 June 2017

The holiday in numbers

So....

Holiday – 12 days
Miles walked -  54
Rough hewn steps/rocks climbed – 1,600 in two hits, plus ad hoc ‘normal’ stairs of course, in temperatures ranging from low to upper 30s°C
Lunches skipped - 8
Puddings eaten – 1 (a bit of one, at that)
Days when food was, erm, going straight through me – 3
Weight change - +7lbs

That was the quant, now for the qual.

It was a good holiday.  I like to do a lot on holiday and it certainly ticked that box!  We never got more than a couple of hours off during the day and Petra alone nearly broke me physically but I don’t regret a bit of it.  Our first day there we walked 11 miles, including a scramble up a mixture of steps and rocky surfaces to the tune of 950 (I didn’t count but this is what they say).  By the time we got back to the hotel we were absolutely exhausted.  It was 36° too.  We drank a LOT of water – and it was probably too much for either of us (including P who has always demonstrated some kind of mountain goat genes), but you couldn’t really not do that climb.  The next day we did a 750 ‘step’ climb.  I thought it would be easier because I knew I could do it from the longer climb the previous day.  It was not.  My preparation of walking up escalators was laughably inadequate – although I still find that tough, damnit.  Petra was the highlight (and I’d like to go back) but a close second would be Jerash – a Roman site.  My boss said my photos were “samey”, but this is a small desert country and I am sure they reflected my love of old stones and camels.  It made me pretty happy, anyway.  After a lot of last minute traumas with reordering various size of top for the tankini (great service by Poinsettia in Glasgow – I’d recommend them), wrestling myself into them, and finally having to pick up the last one 20 mins after we should have left for the airport, I did wear it and I did go in the Dead Sea, Lana and Lesley.  It was bizarre and a little painful but I’m glad I did it.  Getting out was surprisingly difficult!  I also went in the Red Sea briefly – before remembering (having jumped off a boat) that my right arm wasn’t working properly and having to haul myself back up the ladder.  Still, I did it.  P was immensely reassuring about my swimsuit angst – and had to do the bra fastening of the tankini up as I couldn’t twist my right arm behind me.

So on to the elephant in the room....


I genuinely thought I would be coming home roughly the same weight as I went out there.  It was a great holiday but it was very full on and it was tiring.  I even thought that what with the exercise (and the digestive problems) I might come home slightly lighter.  I suppose this was stupid, given that exercise has never made any difference to my weight.  But to have put that much weight on was... well, more than disappointing really, more exhausting.  I feel like I’m constantly trying to wade through mud up to my neck and not getting anywhere – but I daren’t stop in case I sink.  I’m so, SO tired of it, but I know I can’t stop.  We are hoping to go away for a week in late September or early October so I need to get my dieting energy back.  I know I’m idiotic to do it, but I can’t help but allow the ‘oh, maybe I could lose a couple of stone by then’ to intrude, despite the years and years of bitter experience telling me I won’t do anything of the kind.  Based on the last couple of years, I lose about 0.5 - 1lb a month. I don't even need to qualify that with expletives, do I.

4 comments:

Lana Bump said...

Hurrah! I'm so so glad that you got a swimsuit and experienced the Red Sea and Dead Sea! We loved Jerash too, although it was over 35 C when we were there so it was brutal. And the only option at Petra besides walking those stairs is to take a donkey, which looked terrifying to me. I think I did both of those walks too. The walk in alone is 5K, I think. It's just exhausting, but so amazing it's worth it.

On the elephant in the room--I would be so so angry if I were you. That's completely not fair. I'm sorry--it's so frustrating to have your body just have a mind of its own. I hope you find something that works--maybe even surgery? Have you thought any more about that option?

At any rate, cheers to you for what sounds like an amazing holiday!

Lisa said...

Look up Team RH and Richie Howey on Facebook, makes so much sense! X

Peridot said...

I'm not on Facebook! I'll try googling though, thanks

Anonymous said...

I missed this post! I am sure that sometimes Bloglovin' (HATE that missing "g") swallows them up.

It sounds fantastic but I'm sorry that the SoD were so cruel when you got back. Any chance that the first post holiday weigh in was still reflecting any sort of fluid retention (I swell up like a balloon on planes!) and that the actual gain is less than that?

I'm trying to locate my dieting energy as well at the moment - feeling quite jaded and CBA about the whole thing. No one is as motivated and determined as you, so I need to channel my inner Peridot and get back to it!

Sx