Be Bold

 

"Be different. Trust yourself. Be bold."

I've decided it's time to stop counting days. I started Nutrisystem on January 4, 2019 and I remain committed to the program. I reached my goal weight on July 23, 2021. After taking a break from exercise to focus on work I gained a bit of weight back. On December 28, 2021 I started working on getting back to my goal weight. The next milestone in this paragraph will be the day I get back to 150 or less pounds. I've also started a new blog since I feel like the journey I started back in 2019 is over and I'm transitioning to my new life.

For the next little bit my blog will focus on happy things ... namely my vacation to Disneyworld !! I'm only going to write about one day at a time, so you'll have to keep reading ! I should mention that I haven't been to Disney since 1996 so it was pretty much a brand new place for me.

After a long day at Epcot I expected to wake up with sore feet but that didn't happen and I was ready for a fun day at Magic Kingdom ! The weather was perfect, low 70's and partly sunny. Even though MK is geared for kids there were plenty of rides to entertain the adults. Some, like Splash Mountain, are closed for refurbishment but I enjoyed the teacups, the People Mover and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Every park seemed to have a ride with a 2 hour wait and the Mine Train was it at Magic Kingdom. I will admit, waiting in line was exhausting. There were plenty of shops to browse, lots of photo ops and a stunning fireworks display after dark. I had dinner at The Crystal Palace, which is a buffet style restaurant. The food was pretty good and the buffet was reasonably priced, so this was a win in my book ! Did I mention I got to meet Mickey Mouse ? Well, I have photos to prove it .. lol ! These days Mickey is behind a barrier and it's so sad that kids can no longer run up to their favorite character for a hug or a personal chat. All in all I had a great day at Magic Kingdom ! Has the Disney experience changed ? Absolutely. Is it ridiculously expensive ? Absolutely. Is it totally worth it ? Absolutely !!! Considering I haven't been to Disney since 1996 I really have nothing to compare my trip to. From what I've heard and read, things were much, much better before COVID and I think people are forgetting how devastating the pandemic has been for businesses. It's not just you and I who were affected. Disney had to shut down for a good long time and that was a catastrophic hit to their bottom line. They're having to fight to attract and retain talent and still need to hire thousands !! The cast members that do show up are exhausted and mistreated on a daily basis by unruly "guests", yet they all smile behind the masks they are forced to wear. I saw far too many examples of people taking out their frustrations on the cast members, when they have no say in park operations. What is wrong with people ? COVID has changed all of our lives and me, I'm pretty grateful that I was able to spend a short time at Disney to experience the Magic and take in some of the delayed 50th Anniversary celebrations. I've stated that food prices were ridiculously high but that is nothing new and actually pretty standard for theme parks. I thought room rates were pretty high too, but I really have nothing to compare it to since I haven't booked a hotel in years. I guess from my perspective, since you spend so little time in your room there is no point in going the luxury route. That's my opinion, some people just enjoy the feeling a luxury room brings and that's ok ! I'm a simple person with simple tastes. I have to admit, I bought plenty of merchandise and I didn't look at the price of anything. So it's about your priorities. When I unpacked and looked at tags it didn't phase me .. so the restaurant and hotel costs shouldn't phase me either. I suspect if I go back I'll happily pay whatever it costs for another "luxury" room, expensive restaurants and Disney merch. Why ? Well, these few days were the happiest I've had in 25 years .. and maybe in my life. I can't think of anything I've enjoyed more. I hope to be able to go back soon, educated and armed with a list of things I want to see and do. I can guarantee you I'll use the park guides for their intended purpose, which is to make sure you don't miss anything ! One thing I've learned about myself is I can do hard things. All summer I yearn for the beach yet I sit at home alone, when there are plenty of beaches in the area. This summer I plan to venture out to the beach at least once ! I can have fun in the sun by myself and who cares what I look like in a bathing suit ? This vacation has ignited the flame inside that's been missing for too many years and I intend to fan it furiously ! I'm pretty grateful for the opportunity, more than some may know. Next up: Hollywood Studios !

Today was more of a return to "normal" in that I was 100% on Nutrisystem and got 2 workouts in. During a 24 minute lunchtime workout I used my own speed & incline settings to push myself harder than the workout, because it's time. I gave myself a long break and I started to ease back in before vacation but now that vacation is over it's time to buckle down and get serious and get back to my goal weight. After work I put in another 24 minute workout that was walking intervals. Breakfast was the usual pancakes with sugar free syrup and a yogurt, morning snack was a protein shake, lunch was a chef salad & pepperoni pizza melt. Afternoon snack was cottage cheese and oatmeal cookies. Dinner was a chicken enchilada and roasted veggies. Evening snack was a chocolate cupcake. I managed to drink more water today so that was a good start !

My work day flew by as usual and although I got a lot of done there is still plenty more that will be waiting for me bright and early Monday morning ! I had my 2021 performance review and was pretty proud to see all I accomplished acknowledged. My boss always makes me sound like such a phenom when I just go and do my work every day. On that note, it's about time for a shower and bed. Casino tomorrow !