Lot's to report this weekend. Last Tuesday - I rang in my 47th b-day. A co-worker asked me what I was going to do with my day off, and I replied, "I'm going to do all the things that bring me happiness. Sleep in, spend time with my kitty, little Billy Flynn, work out, take a nice long walk, and enjoy some homemade cupcakes made by my most favorite human being in the whole wide world - my mama 🥰Just to top off a wonderful day, I hit another PR on the recumbent bike and took all 4 interval levels to 18 resistance for a 15.4 mile ride at a 582 cal burn in 45 minutes. One can say I was definitely feelin' myself, LOL!
And, I was definitely feelin' a lot more on Wednesday, which mama and I put aside for a surplus cal/day and birthday celebration at the Downriver Grill. We decided to go out for Dinner the day after, because we were bringing chocolate cupcakes into work and one of the partners at the firm brought in my favorite hard liquor, (which is gin BTW) so we might all partake in a little celebratory libation. hehehe
And, man o' man, did we partake! I have not had hard liquor in a long minute. In fact, I think it's been almost a year - the last time being the Employee Holiday Party. My co-worker didn't shirk on quality, either. We went Bombay Sapphire all the way. And, I'm pretty darn sure every single one of us was feelin' lit by the end of the evening.
From there, Mama and I drove to the restaurant and picked up our food. By this time, I had already partaken in 2 chocolate cupcakes (along with another the day before), and a whole day of fun foods. I tried not to over do it during the day, because I wanted to leave room in my tummy for dinner. But, needless to say halfway through dinner I told mom I didn't think I could finish. She told me it was okay she didn't want me getting sick.
I didn't get sick, but I was definitely a little green the next day as were some of my co-workers. But, it was fun and I have no regrets. We all needed to release some steam and yours truly had 4 cupcakes in all! I'm pretty darn sure I hit over 4000 cals that day, but since I didn't finish some stuff it's hard to tell.
I was proud of myself because for once in a very long, long time - I did not mix drinks. Wayeeee back in the day it was not uncommon for me to drink hard, come home and have another glass of wine or 2 before passing out. It's amazing what a ritual that had become. But, this time I was content not to drink any further, and I made sure to have my BCAA/Creatine drink earlier in order to keep my electrolytes high. I also ensured that I sipped some H2O (not guzzled) during the night. As a result my hangover really wasn't too bad. And, though I did have a bit of a headache I was still able to use all that caloric energy for a nice workout with the weights the next evening.
I will say, I felt far more bloated than usual after a surplus day and it feels nice to have the usual body back, LOL.
On that score - I am officially down another 1/2 inch in my hips. I was registering at 31.5-32" mark for a while. But, I used the tape measure a few times just to check and this girl is definitely at the 31 mark. Waist still measures at 25.5. The greater part of my hips (around my thigh and glute area), still measures at 33.
It was nice to see that half inch loss. It's not much, but it let me know these increases in cals are paying off. I can start to see the muscle begin to expand and fill out both my lower and upper abs. That being said, I'm still holding steady with the current 1890 cal/day regimen. But, another 2% increase will be revisited next weekend. I don't want to do any increases after a surplus day, because it skews the data. Still, a .2 lb increase is not too shabby and I'm inclined to say it's muscle after a 1/2 inch loss around the hips.
Anyhow, there's a bit more to report. Mom and I have also invested in one of those muscle massage guns. It's called the Sonic, but I'll save my assessment for this new gadget until after it arrives. Until then, I will catch you next weekend.
Have a wonderful, blessed week everybody!!! These were mama's favorite pics from my b-day :-)
