Last Wednesday night it was absolutely gorgeous. Being able to ride a motorcycle in November in North Dakota is a rare thing. On my way to the gym I decided to wash my motorcycle.

In the process of washing the bike my foot (size 13 US / 46 EU) slipped through the drain grate in the floor. Thankfully I have been more active than I have every been in the past which I credit this for not being worse. Anyhow I fell. Skinning my knee and badly bruising the entire top of my left foot. Seeing as my foot was swelling I opt'd to go home and rest versus the gym.

My foot and knee took several days to heal. Nothing got broken or to badly twisted which is a blessing.

What was not good was Friday night I decided to visit some of my old haunts and say hi to some old friends. That night ended up with me consuming 1 bottle of red wine (Cardinal Zin from Boony Doon Vineyards ... most excellent), 2 beers, 2 long island ice teas, 1 vodka on the rocks, 1 scotch on the rocks. All of this was consumed over a 7 hour period.

I weigh myself on Sunday and see that I have completely given up all the ground I had recently gained in terms of weight loss. It is very discouraging.

On the upside I can comfortably say that I now know exactly what alcohol does to my system.

So it is back the gym, away from the bar, for me.


JAU

depending on how long you've been working at this and how much progress you have made, I think you'll find this encouraging -
if you continue to be active and get back to the gym now that you've healed (Assuming you have - if you haven't, HEAL FIRST) you'll make that ground back much faster than you had to the first time you had to drop it.
I find that once I get down to a certain weight it's much easier to get back there after a "slip" (thanksgiving, a birthday party, whatever) than it was to get there in the first place.
(note: despite the fact that my current weight vs. my start weight are the same, I should point out that I lost 75lbs before starting traineo. just, y'know, for credibility's sake)

Chris,

Thank you for the encouragement!

In regards to healing: My foot is 100%, my knee is right around 95% healed. I went back to the Cardio Coach Volume 1. For the work outs I have decreased resistance but upped speed. I can make it through the workout without pain which I think is a good indicator.


JAU

Jeremiah,

Just keep doing what you are doing consistently, and you won't have to worry so much about the nights that you decide to have "a little too much fun"! After all, we are supposed to live a little too, right? I am glad to see that you are not beating yourself up too much about all this and that you are letting your positive attitude take you right back to your workout routines. That is awesome! I wish you the best in a full 100% recovery as well.
Jen

I kinda did the saem thing this weekend...Friday night I went out with my fiancee (which we rarely have time for), bumped into a couple friends, had three drinks, saturday, went to the gym to work it off, ate right...Saturday, went to another bar (mind you, I haven't been "out" in months, not is going "out" my normal thing), had three pints of beer. Sunday go to gym, work it off. I gained two lbs. in those two days, but after I worked out today, i had lost it all, it was alcohol and carbs, the excess fell back off, mostly water weight. So don't get discouraged hit the cardio for an extra 15 mins, and you'll be back to where you were in a couple days.

Jau,

Glad your injury is better.

So that explains the missing entries at your blog.

Sorry to hear about the binge. I know exactly what that feels like from extensive personal experience. Except my alcohol is food.

You have your Cardio Coaches to help you burn those drinks off. Perhaps with CC you will bounce back (down?) faster than before?

Vrinda

Even if you do bad for a day, don't give back. Stick to your diet and you will get back on track soon! I often feel discouraged when I do bad for a day but I tell myself to get back on track asap!

It has been tough for me but I have abstained from any sort of alcohol.

In my 1.5 hour session tonight with my dietician, I kept asking... isn't there any type of alchohol that is okay to drink and not have any negative effect from a calorie persepective. and the answer was always no..

tequila? not good from a calorie standpoint

rum? nope

vodka? still no good...

I always thought some type of alcohol was okay... but according to my dietician... the answer is no.

And so, I continue to abstain.


J. you will bounce back... Persevere! sometime you need moments like that to get you in the fast lane.

I wouldn't worry about it too much. At least for me, this type of weight gain is quick to drop off once I get back on my routine. Last Friday I went out with some buds for pizza and beer. On Saturday I was up 2 pounds, but come Monday, I am back to where I started.

I think you'll find that one really bad cheat puts on a lot of weight quick, but if you go back to your diet and exercise routine, the weight will come off just as fast. Most of what you gain is water weight.

Think of it this way - changing your body is not something that happens overnight. That statement is true, and it works both ways - changing for the better or for the worse.

Just like you aren't going to lose 5 pounds of fat in one day, you won't gain that much in one day, either. To put on weight or to lose it, you've got to be consistent. It's just much easier to be consistently bad, but that's why we're all here, isn't it?

Glad to hear you're healed and back at it. I'm sure you'll gain the ground back quickly.

-Brian

JAU
It takes courage to admit to that binge. I've been there too.
I've found that alcohol addles my brain and ruins my self control.
It is great to meet up with friends but I now realise that they offer me alcohol more out of courtsey than because they want to ruin my diet.They do not really mind if you do not join them with their drinks. My friends understand if I order soda with lime.
They have seen me at 90kg and are happy that I look much better now and know why I need to watch what I drink and eat. They are just happy to have my company like old times.
Anyway, I understand your guilt and know that you will figure out a way to not let it happen again.
Here's to your goal!

Jeremiah - You did the right thing by giving your foot the time it needs to heal. I know too many "fitness addicts" who run on hurt feet, who workout with the sniffles, and so on. They end up running their bodies ragged and it's a lot harder to recover after you've been out of service for weeks recovering from a serious infection or injury.

The alcohol issue is a tricky one. I too would not want to be on a diet with no alcohol! But I try to avoid the pricey, fattening drinks and stick to a couple glasses of wine (or Guinness if it's happy hour). I find that eating a little bit before I go out helps me control both my food and alcohol intake.