Zumba and sardines

Tuesday:

Zumba was hard today, maybe because it was my fifth day in a row of exercise. I still don't have as much stamina as I would like. I knew I needed a break soon but didn't want to miss Pump tommorrow -- but the decision was taken out of my hands as when I went to book Aiden into creche (Wednesday is his home-with-mummy day) I found they were already booked up. You are only allowed to book two days in advance, but one day in advance is nearly always too late!

The instructor added some new tracks, which unfortunately meant my favourite Bollywood-style track has been dumped! I actually called out in class to complain, doing a little dance to show which track I meant. It is usually the second track we do, so I knew straight away when it was gone. But the instructor said we'd been doing that one for too long. :(

Other bloggers who say things like "no one is watching you, no one cares, just do it": you're wrong! I watch other people all the time and wonder about them. There was a lady up the back today, hiding right in the corner next to the stack of Steps and weights. Middle-aged and a bit overweight, what was comment-worthy was that she was in normal street clothes -- a long-sleeved synthetic blouse and a long skirt, flat shoes not gym shoes. She kind of stepped through the class tentatively, not moving much. I wonder if it was her very first time in a gym? I'm not trying to say don't do it, just that there is always someone interested in you!

My stats were: 60 min, 49% zone 0, 43% zone 1, 8% zone 2, 168 calories, average HR 107, peak HR 135.

My body was definitely tired, my left thigh started aching almost straight away and my lower back was hurting by the end. Still is. I was wearing my old shoes not the new ones, so it wasn't that, just a bit of overwork I think. Day off tomorrow.

Still "perfect" on the diet. I am shopping tomorrow so I have spent a bit of time meal-planning this morning. I was feeling rather peckish last night, despite being full -- mainly bored because my husband didn't get home until 9.30 -- but just had some home-made vegetable broth which is allowed and practically calorie and fat free. I had struggled with drinking enough fluids during the day and foolishly had a couple of glasses of water after dinner, plus the soup. I was up three times in the night to pee.

I had sardines as my protein for lunch today. I used to like them as a kid, but I think I last had them about 15 years ago. I remember it well. I was living in a little flat at the time, and one day I went to clean the oven by using a commercial chemical cleaner than you spray on the walls of a cold oven and then leave for a couple of hours before scrubbing. I forgot about it. The next night I turned the oven on to preheat it and was in the kitchen preparing dinner. I noticed an odd smell but ignored it for a while. Eventually I saw strange white smoke coming from around the door of the oven, and remembered. I don't know how much of the nasty chemical I had inhaled.

I assume this was the cause of my illness over the next couple of months. I had frequent bouts of vomiting (I think it started the day after the incident) but felt ok other days. Eventually I went to see a doctor who arranged for a stomach x-ray. This was one of the more unpleasant experiences of my life. First, as the stomach is a bit wrinkly, they need to smooth it out for a clear x-ray. They give you two liquids to drink which combine in your stomach to make gas which expands your stomach a bit like a balloon -- nice and smooth. Then they give you thick radioactive drink like concrete or liquid chalk. If you vomit anything up of course you have to start again. I didn't care so much about the barium meal -- the radioactive bit -- it wasn't nice but it was bearable. But the starting liquids were just revolting. You have the nurse there talking calmly into your ear "Don't throw up, don't throw up" but holding a bowl just in case.

I think I did throw up once so had to drink the stuff again, but they got the xrays in the end and I went home. I knew I was going to empty my stomach, I couldn't hold it in forever. But the thought of tasting that stuff again, on the way back out, was horrifying. So I started to scoff whatever strong-tasting foods I had in the flat, anything to disguise the taste of the liquids when I threw them up. I remember sardines clearly, and chocolate I think. It sort-of worked.

The end of the story was that the doctors didn't find anything wrong, but also I stopped having my vomiting episodes. Was I cured by that huge purge? Maybe it cleaned all the chemical residue out of my system. Or maybe it was coincidence and I had just had a series of normal tummy bugs.

So, back to today, I didn't enjoy the sardines at all and couldn't finish them. Whether from the bad memory or just because I don't like fish much, they seemed a waste of my limited calories. They are off the list of my approved proteins. And the taste stays in your mouth for way too long.