chapter 6 - the workout (part 1)

Two more weeks passed and Eliza was really sinking into her routine. Each day would begin with a heavy breakfast made special by Achilles, followed by working closely along side Jeremy in the office with mindless snacking to pass the time. The beer fridge was generally fair game after 1pm or so. Heavy lunches and decadent dinners and desserts were becoming the norm, as well as partying until late in the evening.
Eliza was loving every second of the lifestyle, and found she was really quite good at her job -- always proactive and very organized. The pace had picked up recently, with more bookings to manage, more talent to coordinate, and more events to plan. It was all exhilarating. Still, her indulgent behavior was continuing to cause her some stress.

The morning sun bounced off the deep blue waters and shined brightly through Eliza’s curtains. She woke up earlier than usual today, feeling especially bloated from the prior night’s shenanigans: a beer-drinking “power hour” with the staff as well as late night Scicillian pizza.
Eliza sat up in bed, her head in a fog, and looked down at her lap.

“Good fucking lord,” she gasped.

Most days Eliza was too rushed or enamored by her life to slow down and notice the small changes that were occuring to her body. But in this moment of stillness, she really allowed the consequences of her actions to sink in.

“Is this really me?” Eliza grabbed a handful of belly, and dropped it onto her thighs, causing a jiggling ripple.

“God, it’s so heavy. I never thought I’d have a heavy belly.”

Feelings of shame and embarrassment started to flood Eliza’s mind. These weren’t the exciting ones, however. Plainly, these feelings hurt.

Eliza rolled slowly out of bed and walked towards the full length mirror, really perceiving how much her body swayed and jiggled with each step -- more new sensations. She looked herself up and down, feeling somewhat defeated. It wasn’t so much that Eliza felt ugly or unattractive, but simply that part of her identity was being lost, or rather covered in fresh layers of softness.
She thought about how much she valued being thin, and how much society pressures people to be fit. Eliza carried so much baggage from her parents, and friends, and partners that as she grabbed her love handles firmly, tears began slowly rolling down her soft cheeks.

“Ughhh what have I done to myself,” Eliza moaned. “I knew right away what I was getting into, but I still took this job anyway. Now I’m thousands of miles from home, and letting myself go, in my mid twenties! I’m supposed to be thin and cute and perky, and hooking up with strangers! But at this rate, who is going to want to have sex with a chubby girl like me?”

Wiping tears from her eyes, Eliza felt determined to take matters into her own hands. She’d had an excellent gym routine back in New York, and was no stranger to working out. The ship had great fitness facilities, so Eliza decided to use this energy she had to improve her mood and situation.

She pulled out the pair of yoga pants she’d worn a few weeks back when she galavanted around Lisbon. They were tight then, and she feared how they might fit now. As she slid her feet through the holes and started pulling them up, she knew right away she was in for trouble. The fabric stretched tightly over Eliza’s thickening calves, and thighs, and butt. The waistband kept rolling down, so Eliza had to pull violently to get them all the way up. Once Eliza let go, they immediately rolled down beneath her pudgy little belly. She pulled them up once more, but they immediately rolled back down.

Not letting this discourage her, Eliza threw on a T-shirt she’d picked up on her shopping trip and headed for the gym.