Living the Lifestyle (LTL) - Wed., Feb. 27, 2019

minimyzeme

This is a thread for everyone. If you're new to GoaD, or to weight loss, your questions and comments are always welcome. If you're maintaining, or a long-term loser, your thoughts on the topic may be just what someone else needs to hear. If you're reading this, join in the discussion!

Each weekday, a new topic is offered up for discussion. Thread starters for February are below:

Monday - imastar2 (Derrick)
Tuesday - gadgetgirlIL (Regina)
Wednesday - minimyzeme (Kim)
Thursday - misterhub (Greg)
Friday - jerdtrmndone (Jerry)

Today's Topic: The day after you get back from vacation...

Do you have a pattern after vacation? Do you typically gain weight and just accept it as part of the journey? Do you gain and regret you choices while vacationing? Or do you stay pretty much to your chosen weight management path while away and come back feeling pretty good abou staying close to where you were prior to leaving?

Discuss...

Don’t feel restricted in your response. Obviously, there are many variations on this theme. This discussion is intended more as an awareness of how you feel about yourself on the day after you get back from vacation than a replay of your choices while away.

(My answer won’t be posted for a couple days but I’ll come back to it).

gadgetgirlIL

Considering that my vacations usually involve large amounts of cycling, I usually will see a higher number on the scale when I return. That is due to fluid retention caused by micro damage in my muscles as well as food choices that were higher in sodium than my normal fare.

Yesterday was no exception. Saturday's ride was 125 miles of hilly terrain in Kentucky. Monday's ride was another 78 hilly miles, also in Kentucky. I was in Bluegrass (horse) country:



I know that the scale will move back down now that I'm eating my regular foods. It was already down 1.5 pounds today from yesterday.

I have a much longer trip at the end of this month that will involve 5 days of cycling. I'll be away from home at least 9 days, maybe 10. But for that trip my portable scale will go along so that I can monitor what is going on.

steve0mania

I'm always up a bit when I come back from vacation. It's clearly due to more intake. I know I am less self-restrictive when I'm away, the food is usually of the higher-calorie type, and there's always more alcohol. I don't usually feel bad about my choices, as I find finding kosher food for all of my meals enough of a challenge without having to add to the anxiety by finding low-calorie kosher food!

I guess this is one of the "lifestyle" choices that we all have to confront. At home, I do my best to be careful about my intake. When I'm away, I "allow" a bit of a vacation from weight management, too (although my vacation choices are still so much better than they were before I started WW!).

jasper60103

I indulge a little on vacations (or the holiday season), and no regrets.
I still try to keep a exercise routine going.
I've always managed to get back on course after its over.

You're killing it, @gadgetgirlIL !!
Nice pic.

myallforjcbill

We used to lose weight on vacation since we were so active, generally hiking, etc. We would be careful about our intake, but splurge for a couple nice dinners. Now I can't do most of that stuff so it is a challenge. We still watch our intake but it is hard to lose. The challenge is to get back on track ASAP when coming home.

cakeman21k

very timely topic for me as we just got home from 11 days in Guatamala this morning. I stepped on the scale and I am up by about 1 - 2 lbs, thats probably not completly accurate as I normally check my weight first thing in the AM so I will know better tomorrow. at 1 or 2 lbs I am actually pretty please as I could not do any tracking while there do to lack of internet, in addition the foods were very different from anything I would normally eat here so I am not familiar with the kcal's and fat content of much of what I ate. Having said that we did a lot of waking averaging between 15 - 20 K steps a day, and for the most part we ate 3 meals a day with little or no snacking. There was an over abundance of Magaritta's, Mojito's and South American wines though, gotta have some fun on vacay after all.

88olds

It’s been quite a while since I’ve been tested by a vacation. Back in the day I used to go to a vacation version of CORE.

podkey

Typically I just eat my normal healthy foods at home upon returning. Back in the saddle. Sometimes I am up a bit sometimes down a bit sometimes just the same.

imastar2

Usually up after a vacation. We usually nix business with our vacations. I know that sounds a little weird but that's just us. That being said I usually come back a bit higher than I left. The key is getting back on the program.

minimyzeme

I'm just back after being gone for a week. No scales of either kind but mindful throughout my vacation visiting my sister in FL.

Anymore (and this is a vast change for me) I do tend to be much more mindful of my food choices on trips like this. I do not like being disappointed in myself upon return from vacation. I don't like feeling like I've substantially set myself back (though I'm ok with a pound or two gain). I keep that in mind while traveling. I think it's because I have a relatively healthy fear of returning to my old eating habits. Back in the day, my vacations revolved around food. While I enjoyed it at the time, these days, I'd rather walk beaches for miles and miles and explore the places I visit than sit and stuff myself.

My sister has lived with lupus for the past 30-some years. There may be some relation to her metabolism that makes is hard for her to lose weight. She had knee replacement surgery last September. Seeing her struggle and knowing how much she wants to be able to have freedom from pain and easier movement was a constant reminder for me to check my eating behavior while in her company. It reinforced the importance of enjoying myself without losing my mind on food and drink while on vacation.

I'm about to step on the scale since this is my first morning back. Wherever I eneded up, I'll be OK with it because I know I was mindful of this moment over the course of the last week away. It's a much better feeling for me than that self-loathing that comes significant weight gain on vacation. And that, was the rudder that steered my behavior this time around.

P.S. Weighed in at two pounds less than when I left about a week ago. Being mindful of how I wanted to end up and feel about myself definitely paid off this time.

cakeman21k

So I stepped on the scale at my normal 6 AM and was actually down by half a pound after vacation, I am thrilled by that!

minimyzeme

Nice job, @cakeman21k !

linmueller

I'm always up after vacation. While I do show some restraint, there is definitely more eating out, drinking and indulgences. When I get home, I know the scale news, so I try not to let it bug me.

As for planning for my return (to my home and to my diet) I make sure there's some plan-aheads in the freezer. They have to be satisfying enough to win out over the impulse to go out to eat. I also make a grocery list, usually while sitting in the airport, so I can easily restock with good choices.

Invariably, I lament the amount of time it takes to lose the vacation weight compared to the week or two it took to gain 🤷. We travel 4 to 8 times a year, and in my 5+ years of doing WW (to some degree or another) I've only returned once without a gain.

On a side note, I have three vacations coming up during a 6 month diet bet I'm in. One is the FL Keys. The plan there is lots of walking and seafood. One trip is a long wine weekend with our 'kids'. That's going to be trouble, but we'll at least do some cooking in our rental. And the third is the Bourban Trail (?) in Kentucky and a few days in Nashville with a few couples. That's going to be the trickiest by far. My only strategy is to walk and dance a lot, and watch food choices, but we'll see. I know I'll be disappointed if I gain much on these trips, but we'll see if I behave enough to not!

And I really appreciate your post @minimyzeme ! Your mention of your sister reminds me, two of our trips are with a friend that struggles (also due to health concerns). I feel for him but he can also be motivation for me. And you also made me realize, I have to get to where what I consume is not so important to my enjoyment. Esp because the more I indulge, the less mindful I am, so the less i actually enjoy it! If I can remember that, it could be a game changer! Thank you so much for the questions to get me thinking! I really appreciate it!

minimyzeme

Hey, @linmueller , glad you found this helpful. I'm another one who used to use vacation as free license to indulge. It's hard for me to believe but it actually feels better to make healthier choices, especially when in the company of someone whose health is challenged.

linmueller

minimyzeme wrote: »

Hey, @linmueller , glad you found this helpful. I'm another one who used to use vacation as free license to indulge. It's hard for me to believe but it actually feels better to make healthier choices, especially when in the company of someone whose health is challenged.

And I'm so glad you commented on this so i could go back and re-read it. I'm a slow learner 😜