Karen R.
What I Learned on My Summer (actually...Autumn) Vacation
Oct 23, 2013
I got home yesterday from 10 days in South Africa. What an awesome country and trip! I spent five days in Cape Town and five in Franschhoek, about an hour outside the city. I shopped till I dropped (more on that in a moment), traveled to the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point, saw the whales (both on land and on the ocean) off of Hermanus, did a day safari at Aquilla, and overall, had a tremendous time. The people were so friendly and kind, and the scenery was outstanding.
I also had a few weight loss related surprises I thought I'd share here. There isn't any bad news really, but I've learned I have some limitations I'll need to get used to:
- First some super good news--I lost six pounds in 11 days. I have no idea how that happened. I ate more freely than I had since surgery, and as Franschhoek is located in South Africa's wine country, enjoyed at least one glass of the good stuff a day. This only goes to show what I wrote in an earlier blog post--my body responds very well to change. When I travel, I lose. Prior to this, my weight was only coming off at a rate of a pound or two a week.
- My clothes size is dropping like crazy. I bought new jeans a week before I left (October 4th). They're already loose (and they're supposedly "skinny" jeans). I'm also now convinced that the British size 12s I've been wearing may in fact correspond to American size 8, which just about blows my mind. I'd thought that size correlation was specific to Warehouse, a store I've come to love. But when I was in Cape Town, I went shopping at Top Shop, which also claims their size 12s are equal to American size 8s. They fit easily. In fact...
- I fell in love with a black, quilted faux leather t-shirt I saw at Top Shop. Being consistent, I brought a size 12 into the dressing room with me. It was too big. Now please understand--when I began this journey, my bust measured 47". I wore a 40 DD bra, which was very nearly too small for me. So to put on something that is equal to a size 8 and find it too large is just...mental. But the British size 10/American size 6 fit really well. So it wasn't that the t-shirt was oddly cut. I can't get over it...
- This same sort of thing was repeated at a small boutique in Franschhoek. I tried on a really cute dress meant to be worn over leggings. Looking at myself in the mirror, I called out to the salesperson, "Is 32 the smallest size this comes in?" It was. And I bought it. How is that even possible?!
- On the downside, I can no longer do wine tasting tours. I've done this in various places in the States and was lucky enough to spend a day last fall touring Hunter Valley in Australia. I went to three wineries over three hours in Franschhoek and got plastered. Thankfully, I was on a private tour with a really, really nice guide (who wanted to talk about WLS--she's interested in getting it done!), who looked out for me. She got me home safely and I slept it off. Mostly. I felt a little bit drunk the entire day.
- I also cannot manage prix fixe meals any more. I figured if I just took a few bites of each course, I'd be okay. Uh-uh. I had a terrific meal at one of the wine estates in Franschhoek. But even only eating a little of bit of everything was too much. I was so uncomfortable by the time I was done and it made me spend more time in the bathroom than I would have liked to the following morning.
- I'm stronger than I used to be! I suspected this of course, given all the working out I've been doing. But I saw evidence of it in action. I love to ride and took lessons as a kid. These past few years, I haven't had much of an opportunity to go, but when I would take advantage (usually when visiting my mom in Wisconsin), I couldn't climb into the saddle from the ground; I'd need to use a mounting block. Now, I've always had short legs, so mounting a horse has never been easy for me. But that wasn't the real problem. I was just so much out of shape that my legs couldn't propel me that high. No longer! I climbed aboard a lovely Arabian mare and toured the mountains surrounding Franschhoek. We rode for two hours--which I really felt afterwards! But it was a great afternoon. I felt very proud of myself. :-)
All in all, a very successful trip. I missed my dog and cat though, so in many ways, it's good to be home. I just can't believe I've got to go to work on Sunday!
