Happy Post Thanksgiving, Everyone! Or, Happy Abundance Day as I like to call it. It's safe to say Mama outdid herself in the kitchen this year and so did my stomach. I think we hit the 3600 plus cal mark. I logged everything I ate, but confess I didn't weigh any food this year, just measured. I did have seconds of a few items like turkey, Popovers (I ate 4 of those, Oh my!), okay I might have taken down a whole bottle of wine. But, oh everything was so delicious!!!
The full menu this surplus day included:
1. Buttermilk turkey breast w/gravy
2. Brussel sprouts sautéed in Balsamic and Olive Oil
3. My favorite --> Beets coated with Olive oil and some lemon juice
4. Homemade Stuffing made with my Mama's own homemade sourdough bread
5. Butternut Squash with a Maple Syrup Glaze
6. Homemade Popovers
and for dessert...Sticky Toffee Pumpkin Pudding with a nice dollop of Creme Fresh whipped cream.
I think the first pic of my food baby post thanksgiving meal illustrates perfectly what a 112 lb body looks like when it's stuffed like a pork sausage! LOL
And, if I look like I'm pain - I can assure you I was. That night's sleep was horrible. The thermogenic heat was off the charts and I finally had to change into summer jammies just so the sheets didn't end up soaked with sweat. I don't think my heart rate ever came down below 80 bpm until the morning.
It was all so delicious, but there was definitely a moment of regret over that 4th popover. LOL. And, when the next morning came - I found myself feeling pretty bloated and sore as I had done a good 2 hour weight's session before this meal. It had been "lunge" day and frankly this poor butt felt broken...there was lactic acid everywhere.
Usually, I try to couch a good workout post surplus meal. But, between the lack of sleep, food hangover, and soreness - I have to be honest folks there was very little part of me that felt like moving.
When I went to do my 23 minute ride on the recumbent, Mama said, "take it easy on yourself okay, don't go too hard."
I responded, "no worries, right now I'm not looking to hit any PR's today. We're just trying to get some blood pumped into these sore muscles so we can increase circulation and break up some of that lactic acid."
And, when I hopped on that bike and put the level up to 18 resistance with 4 intervals, I swear on all that is holy a mild ride was all I had planned. A slow push...nothing crazy. I didn't even care if I broke a sweat.
But then...well I don't know what quite happened. Well, I do but all I can say is that this body had completely different plans. When the first interval moved in 18 (which, is a pretty high resistance level), all that glycogen stored in my muscles from the previous nights meal just unearthed a fountain of energy.
The thing about the process of glycolysis, especially when glycogen has been stored in the muscles and liver after large meals, is that it's so readily accessible to the cells. Every cell in the body requires ATP to function. And, glycogen is simply the fuel through which ATP can be accessed.
The simplest way to put this is that when glycogen is stored in the muscles like this, it's as good as providing a fast food drive through restaurant to all the cells in your muscles when they're under any kind of exertion. Your body doesn't have to work so hard in the kitchen to access that energy from other places. It's right there!
As soon as my legs started moving, BOOM! The pump was on! It didn't matter that I was tired. It didn't even matter I was sore. I barely felt any of that...the muscles in my legs and glutes swole up with all that extra ATP at it's disposal and wham!
This girl didn't just hit a new PR on the bike at 303 cals, she brought the mileage up from and average 5.5 miles to 5.91 miles at level 18 resistance in 23 minutes.
I frankly don't even know if I'll ever be able to repeat that PR!
It's so hard to put into words what that glycogen pump feels like. There was a point on the bike when I had a heart to heart with this body and said, "Are you sure you want to do this?" And, these legs just pedaled even faster. So, I said, "okay, let's go!"
The body doesn't feel as much pain during that pump, the muscle fatigue is minimal. It not only feels like the muscles can go longer, it's as if they just get stronger with more movement. And, it doesn't really matter if your mind is on board. The cells in the body really don't care, they just know they're getting fed readily accessible energy and doing their own dance. LOL!
It's also very temporary. Whatever was left, I depleted the rest with another 23 minute ride and a 2 hour session which, included bench exercises and a metcon with 60 push-ups, burpees, and air squats.
I did an immediate return to the normal calorie targets. Obviously, I still have some water retention from yesterday's workout and Thanksgiving leftovers, which even with normal calorie targets, just tend to be higher in sodium than my regular meals. All measurements are still the same: 25.5 inches in the waist. 31 inches in the hips. Mom thinks I've lost more in my chest. LOL. I don't even think that's possible...hahaha.
I really am hoping there's been increases in muscle mass in the past few months. My arms are definitely looking large and it's heartening that measurements have remained the same. We'll just have to wait and see :-)
But, for anyone worried the gargantuan food baby might have stuck around - I took the second physique pic last night. It's kind of amazing how one's stomach can expand and contract. And, I admit it feels very nice to have this body back to it's previous shape and farrrrr less uncomfortable. LOL.
Have a wonderful, blessed week everyone! I genuinely hope everyone had a chance to enjoy the abundance of the day and rediscover the abundance of love and joy living in our hearts even when we're not always aware it's there.
Take care and I will catch you next weekend!
