Vacations and Weight Loss

Today is my one-month weigh in since joining Colin Devroe's the diet. I began on May 29th at 123.6 and today I am at 118.5. That is a loss of 5.1 pounds. I am extremely happy with this since I spent the last 2 weeks in Orlando, FL on vacation. I am actually up .9 pounds from my June 15th weigh-in, but I'm happy that I am taking the weight off again!

I have to say that I was not keeping to my good food choices while in Orlando. I also did not exercise daily like I do at home. I expected a larger weight gain than I had, but am pleased that I have fallen right back into my routine and better eating habits.

Here is what I consider to be some DON'Ts for vacations (all of which I did these last two weeks):

1. Don't go on vacation without a plan. Plan what types of food choices to make in restaurants, or what types of foods to purchase (we had a condo with a full kitchen). Plan to incorporate exercise or movement into your vacation.
2. Don't give yourself permission to indulge. After 2 days of decent food choices (fruits, veggies, salads with dressing on the side, lean meat, fish) I decided "heck with it" and as each day progressed I ate more calories, more fat, less fiber, less protein, and more desserts!
3. Don't ignore the scale. Our condo had two scales - one in each bathroom. I weighed myself the first 3 days. One day 3, I watched the scale (not a digital) needle go back above the 120 pound mark. That's when I decided to ignore the scale the remaining 11 days.
4. Don't stop exercising. Even though we spent quite a few days walking the Disney theme parks, we also spent many afternoons and evenings lounging around the pool or pond. I fully intended to go to a local Curves, but the closest one was over 8 miles away. The hotel that was affiliated with our condos was over a mile away (not easily accessbile) where the 'gym' was located. I never really made any effort to continue to exercise the entire two weeks.
5. Don't stop drinking water. Even though it was in the 90's every day, I did not keep up with my water intake. I am sure this contributed to my vacation weight gain (somewhere in the neighborhood of 4-5 pounds). Okay, so a Hot Fudge Sundae, sausage, bacon, 3 pieces of chocolate cake and a smore's dessert didn't help!
6. Don't stop tracking what, when, or how much you eat. Portion sizes seem to increase on vacation. One dessert leads to another the next night. Buffets and irregular eating times can really make for excessive or unhealthy food choices.

Vacation DOs:

1. Choose a condo/hotel/location with easy access to exercise equipment, walking paths, or any sport you enjoy playing (golf, tennis, volleyball). And more importantly, plan these activities into your day!
2. Research before you leave home. I could have looked into the local restaurants and determined the best food choices on the menus. I could have made better choices at the grocery store. I could have planned ways to incorporate exercise into my days. Coulda, woulda, shoulda..... no matter what you DID on vacation, get right back on track when you get home! Don't beat yourself up - just refocus.
3. Write down what you eat! I began this process, but gave it up after the first few days. Had I continued to track this information, I might have continued to eat more fruit, salads, and lean proteins. This would have been a daily reminder of how well (or not) I was eating.
4. Weigh every day. If you have acess to a scale - use it! By putting your head in the sand, you are only ignoring the reality of where you are. It is better to know where you are than find out after you have added a few pounds. It is easier to keep the weight off than it is to take it off.
5. Drink water. This is so important. I am usually very good about this. Because I wasn't always willing to run to the bathroom I decided to substantially lower my water intake.

Join the-diet!

This diet is sponsored by The Diet Channel.