06.29.2015- Advice needed

carimiller7391

Good morning ladies and gents!!! Hope everyone is doing well this morning.

As most of you know, I was/am fighting a bout with depression right now. I started taking my meds as my doc suggested... 4 times a day and added my B12 and D3 back into my diet. Well, although I'm not 100% I feel MUCH better then I did last week. WOOHOO. I did not think that was going to break before vacation, but now I am actually looking forward to vacation. YEAH ME.

Here's my dilema. I fly out on Friday the 10th for 9 days in Las Vegas. I just started trying to revamp my eating to a LCHFMP (low carb, high fat, moderate protein) eating plan. Should I put this on hold, as I'm probably not going to have the best options available to me in Vegas and go on maintanence for that 9 day period (Some of the vacation I will be at a huge party with lots of alcohol)..... and just truly make the best decisions I can, or should I really try to hold true to my eating plan for then. What would you do??? How have you managed vacation this early in a new WOE?? I'm not overly concerned about the alcohol.... it's more the food.

Thanks in advance for your advice. It's always appreciated.

KnitOrMiss

carimiller7391 wrote: »

Good morning ladies and gents!!! Hope everyone is doing well this morning.

As most of you know, I was/am fighting a bout with depression right now. I started taking my meds as my doc suggested... 4 times a day and added my B12 and D3 back into my diet. Well, although I'm not 100% I feel MUCH better then I did last week. WOOHOO. I did not think that was going to break before vacation, but now I am actually looking forward to vacation. YEAH ME.

Here's my dilema. I fly out on Friday the 10th for 9 days in Las Vegas. I just started trying to revamp my eating to a LCHFMP (low carb, high fat, moderate protein) eating plan. Should I put this on hold, as I'm probably not going to have the best options available to me in Vegas and go on maintanence for that 9 day period (Some of the vacation I will be at a huge party with lots of alcohol)..... and just truly make the best decisions I can, or should I really try to hold true to my eating plan for then. What would you do??? How have you managed vacation this early in a new WOE?? I'm not overly concerned about the alcohol.... it's more the food.

Thanks in advance for your advice. It's always appreciated.

Personally, I would do my best to stick to my new plan, but allow myself some flexibility. I wouldn't beat myself up no matter what the choices I make, as guilt is worse for us than any junk we put in our mouths.

Maybe set some looser goals. No bread or carby sides (rice, potatoes, etc.). Period. One sweet treat a day. Lots of fruit and veggies and meats and sauces. One drink with alcohol a day. Again, period. Even at that party. Get a drink you can slowly sip and alternate with water (stay away from sugary drinks - go for spirits and non-sweetened mixers). Alcohol leads to lowered convictions and all that, and the more you drink, the more likely you are to slip on your goals. I would ignore calories during this time, as restricting calories while restricting other choices is more likely to cause binging and off plan eating. Maybe set a loose carb goal of 100 grams a day, but honestly, if you make the above choices, the carb restriction will take care of itself. In fact, I wouldn't even track numbers. Just make educated decisions.

So set up goals you can live with. Make the better choice whenever you can. Not the BEST choice. Making the best choice every single time is exhausting. And not sustainable. But if you commit to being better than the old you and making the better choice anytime you can, that is sustainable, allows for flexibility, and all that. Also, plan before you go. Look up the menus that come with your room/plan if applicable. If there is a breakfast buffet that is free, plan to hit that up, load up on bacon, sausage, eggs, and cheese. Getting fully loaded with low-carb friendly foods will make the rest of the day easier. If there is a lunch buffet, start with a loaded salad plate (add meats, cheese, eggs, and fatty dressings, if possible). If you start with nutritious veggies, the rest of the stuff won't seem as tempting. If you want, allow yourself all the fruit imaginable so that you can avoid more sweet junk.... But don't ignore sweets, either. Because you aren't heavily into this plan yet, it won't kill you. Then you won't feel like you killed your enjoyment of your vacation over food obsession.

If you feel like your traveling companions/friends you're vacationing with will help, just tell them what your goals are. No bread, tons of veggies, one dessert per day (or if really small portions or eating with healthy fats - one small portion per meal of lunch and dinner), one drink per day and always with food (drinking on an empty stomach is BAD for cravings!), etc. Ask them to help remind you if start to go off track. Sometimes just making them aware and being uncomfortable having them see you "failing" from your goals is enough mental reminder...

Wishing you the best of luck - and a kick @$$ vacation!

maoribadger

Carly is the one for this guess. I'd go for doing your best but not stressing over it personally

carimiller7391

Thanks Ladies. Much appreciated..... I don't want to abandon my goals completely. Just be more mindful.

KnitOrMiss

carimiller7391 wrote: »

Thanks Ladies. Much appreciated..... I don't want to abandon my goals completely. Just be more mindful.

That's why I mentioned loose goals. Having super strict goals you have to work your tail off to remember? Not fun... Make easy commitments you can keep.... Enlist one of your best GF's to help keep you on track...

KarenZen

I'll just add, "it's not about the food." Remember that. We're morbidly obese because we rely on food for pleasure. Find your pleasure elsewhere, and the food will just be food.

K.

KarenZen

Hey, I just read about your event online---so many fun activities!!! and Aqua Zumba, my favorite!
K.