Starting over after leftovers: Back to Bar Method

Ugh. It was so hard to get myself back to Bar Method after Thanksgiving. So, so hard. Probably because I was bringing most of Thanksgiving with me.

We hosted about 10 people for Thanksgiving dinner, and while the evening itself was great, hosting meant we ended up with most of the leftovers.

Here’s the pecan pie I made. And ate. And ate. And ate.

Turkey. Ham. Stuffing. Gravy. Mashed potatoes. Dinner rolls. Green beans. Pecan pie. Blueberry pie. Pumpkin pie. Apple crisp. Cranberry sauce. Did I mention stuffing? Stuffing. Also, stuffing.

There’s one healthy thing on that list, and it ain’t the apple crisp.

So, we ended up having a five-day Thanksgiving. Part of me wanted to just throw away all the leftovers and start over. But part of me kept hearing my mom scolding me for wasting food. And another part of me kept hearing, well, me saying, “Peeeeeecaaaaaahn piiiiiiiie.”

I listened to both of us.

After five days off from working out and zero days off from eating in, I was dreading that first post-Thanksgiving Bar Method workout. I had lost two pounds before Thanksgiving, thanks to a combination of Bar Method and watching what I ate, and I felt amazing.

Speaking of which, did you know it’s possible to gain three pounds in five days?

I do now!

And it made me feel like I was starting over.

I was so nervous about my first-ever Bar Method class because, frankly, it touched on a lot of insecurities for me. While my reasoning was perhaps adolescent and immature, the resulting psych-out was very real.

Ladies, the name of this garment is “Seduction Powernet Full-Body Shaper with Back Zip.” That’s right. SEDUCTION.

But by my third Bar Method class — the Tuesday before Thanksgiving — I was feeling it. Physically, obviously. But also mentally and emotionally. My entire body felt like it was hugging itself. My butt, my abs, my thighs, my arms, my lower back, my upper back, all of it: one, big, giant body hug. It was like wearing a nude-colored wetsuit. Or this thing.  ^^^

Ahem, as I was saying, I felt great. Tighter. Stronger. Happier. More energetic. And really proud of myself for going to three classes in seven days.

Then I went and screwed it all up with pie and homemade whipped cream. And ham. And dinner rolls. Because, with some mustard and pickles, those make really good little sliders.

So, after Thanksgiving, I was scared to go back to class. I’m not even really sure why. Maybe I was worried I would be right back where I started — or worse because now I was hauling a couple unwanted guests around with me. Isn’t it funny how easily you can psych yourself out?

But I did it. I searched long and hard, found my bootstraps, gave ‘em a yank and got my butt to Bar Method on Monday. The class was difficult, yes, but amazing. And then I went again Wednesday. Again, difficult. Again, amazing. And I’ll be there again Friday.

Every time I go, my body is grateful. And every time I go, it’s not as scary/hard/intimidating as I’ve made it out to be in my head.

I’m hoping that if I’ve learned any lesson in the past couple weeks it’s to not let setbacks scare you. And that it is possible to get sick of stuffing.