Food porn post

WideBride is back in town baby. I had the most fabulous holiday ever and its very depressing to be back but to suspend reality for a little while longer I’ll go through some highlights of the trip. Just a reminder, we had 5 nights in Boston, 2 nights in a little town out of Boston called Concorde (more on this later) and then 4 nights in Charleston, SC:
1. puddings – I forgot how good puddings are as I never order them when I’m out for dinner here in the UK. In the US though, I was giving the starters a miss (they bring you bread and butter instead – oh my!) and having a pudding instead. I had icecream, key lime pie (never had this before and it was just so American sounding I had to have it), cheesecake, warm chocolate chip cookies with hot chocolate dipping sauce (WOW) and no doubt heaps of other things I have forgotten.
2. burgers – I love love LOVE how you get a big old pickle with your burger so you can cut it up and have a little bit of pickle with every bite. More please!
3. nachos – just YUM.
4. Californian wine. Enough said
5. Starbucks low fat cinnamon cake. I had this for breakfast one day (don’t judge me) and it was SO SO SO good. Why can’t we get this here in the UK?
6. Steak. I never usually have steak here (I tend to order fish when I go out for dinner, just because I never have it at home as G is not a fish lover) so it was really nice to have it in the US. They cook it so well. Kudos guys!
7. Magnolia restaurant, Charleston SC. Probably the culinary highlight of my trip. I had fried green tomatoes to start (yeah, I thought that was just the title of a movie too but it is actually FOOD and really tasty to boot) followed by crawfish wrapped in flounder. DIVINE. If I hadn’t had a big giant burger that day for lunch I would REALLY have gone to town on this meal but sadly I had to leave quite a lot of it as I was just so full. I will be having dreams about this meal for months to come.

So yes, the highlights of my trip are mainly food related. Sue me. The Americans know how to eat, what can I say.

The trip was great though. The weather was beautiful (fricking freezing in Boston) and we got a really hot day in Charleston which was just divine. We did SO much walking I ended up doing something horrible to my toe and had to buy some old lady type orthopaedic trainers - I was just in AGONY. We had a lovely hotel in Boston and I had some fabulous seafood. It was great to see all the things I had only ever heard about on the Freedom Trail and it was really NICE how proud of their history the people we encountered were. People were so friendly and I think I can honestly say I had a smile on my face the whole time we were there. What a contrast to London – yikes.

Anyway, there is nothing more dull than listening to someone prattle on and on and ON about their holidays so let’s just say that it was brilliant and a great time was had by all.

But now back to business. We arrived back last Tuesday morning so I have now been back almost a week. I have extended my holiday however and have now not been pointing properly for almost 4 weeks. My Zara basic trousers are now snug again and pulling across the butt. My Monsoon size 14 pants I was so pleased to get in to for my holiday are only JUST wearable and today I am wearing my weird grey Wallis size 16 trousers – they are baggy, yes, but wearable. Not cool.

So its back to the gym today and back to pointing today. I am sick of feeling all fat and bloaty. I have a LOT of social stuff coming up as well which is not great but I’m just going to have to knuckle under and do it. I am going to enquire about personal trainers tonight but may hold off on actually getting one for 2 weeks or so to get my fitness back again so its not wasted money.

Am starting to feel a little bit panicky on the wedding dress front as I kind of feel that I am now back to where I was at the start of the year in terms of weight loss. I know that’s not true and I just need a week or 10 days or so to feel better again but right now I feel VERY fat and like I am going to really really struggle in the next 11 months to lose the weight I need to for the wedding. Its 11 weeks today people!

I didn’t do any wedding stuff in the US (I had thought about going in to Priscilla of Boston, a store which does some bridesmaid dresses I really LOVE but couldn’t be bothered in the end) and I am still in love with Stephanie Allin’s Ellie dress so I will definitely try that on. My head has been turned, however, by a Caroline Castigliano dress called Beauty (it may be Beautiful – there are 2 and quite similar) which is a design I NEVER thought I would go for – strapless corsety type bodice with full skirt. I don’t know that that would really suit me though (the full skirt might make me look really short and with the size I am now, might make me look like I am as wide as I am tall) but on one of the UK forums I go on, the girls rave about it. And it IS a gorgeous dress. And no harm in looking, right?
But I am getting panicky about not being as slim as I would like before I start the dress trying on. From what I can gather, the sample dresses you try on in shops tend to be around a UK size 12 which SHOULD fit me but if they are anything smaller I might be in trouble. And I want to be quite close to the size I will be for the wedding when trying on dresses so that I can pick something I know will look good when I’m a size 8-10 and not just going for what is flattering on my size 14 body. I think I’ll make my first appointment for May 31 which is 7 and a half weeks away. Hopefully by then I’ll be a size smaller. I am worried I’ll be leaving it a bit late though. A lot of people on the UK forum seem to be getting their dresses a full YEAR in advance where as I will be choosing it 8-9 months out. I hope this is enough time...

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LATER: am back from the gym but took it pretty easy. Did 50 minutes and was quite red and sweaty at the end but didn't want to work out too much and cause myself an injury. Have signed up for 2 45min personal trainer sessions for £25 and have my first one on Friday at 7am. Time to get serious.