i did GREAT on vacation...but gained 3+ lbs?!?

craft338
craft338 Posts: 870 Member
in Motivation and Support
i went away for 3 days last week. yes, we ate out at every meal, but for breakfast i would have something like oatmeal and fruit, for lunch i would get some kind of grilled chicken salad, and for dinner i would have fish with as many vegetables as possible. i had fruit whenever i could as a snack, i got the "skim, skinny, or light" drinks whenever we went out for coffee, and i got fruit or a real fruit smoothie whenever we got dessert. i didn't have pasta or bread or drink any alcohol. i got plenty of sleep and drank lots of water. the only unhealthy thing i had the whole trip, was ONE chocolate covered marshmallow that my cousin bought for me, followed by a 3 mile walk UP HILL. we walked constantly, at LEAST 5 miles a day AND we went to the pool. even the day after we came home we ordered out cuz we were too tired to cook and i got a grilled chicken salad with light dressing, roasted veggies, and grapes for dessert.

i didn't count calories, but i thought i made healthy choices and i knew i was being very active. i've been on this "diet" for over 6 months and i've been doing really well. i thought i knew enough to be able to stop the calorie counting, measuring, and calculating for a few days and be okay. i felt really good about the whole trip and was actually expecting to see a loss on the scale.

but i gained almost 4 pounds during those 3 days, and i thought maybe it was just water weight or something, but it's been A WEEK and i'm JUST getting back to where i was before i left.

i KNOW it's not 4 pounds of "fat" because i didn't go over my calories by 14,000, and i know that it's "only one week" and it will come off soon, and i should be happy about all the weight that i've lost so far and "what an accomplishment" and "slow and steady wins the race" and all that stuff....i KNOW all that and i am very proud of myself and i'm not gonna give up or anything. im just really disappointed about how this "vacation" went and i just need to vent =(

i'm mad that i spent 3 days being careful and healthy and active and NORMAL without using a measuring cup and calculator every time i ate or drank something. it was kind of a test of what my life and diet would be like after i reach my goal and am just maintaining. but i guess i have to do this forever. i have to keep saying "no" to my friends and family when they ask me to go out to eat or out for drinks, and i have to keep sitting at the table for half an hour calculating my food before i eat it so that by the time i start eating everyone else is finished.

i was totally expecting to be "the annoying girl on a diet who's no fun anymore" for at least a year while i was getting to my goal....but i didn't want to be like that forever! i want to be able to go into a restaurant and order a salad and be fine. i want to have a fruit when i'm hungry as a snack and not have to enter it in my log. i want to have a chocolate covered marshmallow once every 6 months and not gain 4 pounds!!! IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?!?

it's times like these when i start to get really annoyed with those skinny people who can eat and drink whatever they want and never see the inside of a gym and complain about "do these pants make my butt look big?"

SORRY that was a really long and crazy rant, but i've been holding it all in for a week since i got back and i'm starting to go a little crazy lol

Replies

  • FabiolaEnvy♥
    FabiolaEnvy♥ Posts: 730
    it was just water. but since its been a week ago...


    the main part is watching the sodium and drinking more water...
    it usually helps if you do very intense workout to go with that.

    last time i did something like that and gained i lost an additional 3 more lbs cause
    i told myself to not go over 1500 mg of sodium and
    drank water like crazy
    and i would do very intense workout. also i would calculate the rest of the week to make sure that i did lose the weight i would take the from my food dairy and say okay this is how much i eat in a whole week and take the calories that should burn those calories and lose weight.
  • JCPruitt
    JCPruitt Posts: 53
    sounds like you may have either put on muscle, are actually dehydrated--didn't get enough water for your needs as opposed to not drinking at least 64oz day--or actually put on muscle (which also requires higher water levels). Oh, you could have gotten a lot more calories via sugars than you thought.

    Stick to doing what you were doing before. Work out as normal and drink extra water. You should see it come off--perhaps very quickly even--and then continue to lose.
  • scantrll
    scantrll Posts: 271 Member
    When I got on vacation, I don't even weigh myself till a week after I get back. Even if you chose completely healthy options (which it looks like you did) restaurants still use WAY more sodium, oils and butter than you would at home. Its just a given. Think about how much you might have gained on the same trip before you decided to be a healthier you!

    I know its hard, but don't stress about it. Just do what you normally do and it will all even out in then end. :smile:
  • Seginns
    Seginns Posts: 39
    It's just the sodium in restaurant meals causing water retention. It'll be gone in a week.
  • JStarnes
    JStarnes Posts: 5,576 Member
    I gained 14 on my last vacation. :laugh: It's water weight, you'll be fine. Drink up and continue on doing what you were doing before vacation. :flowerforyou:
  • crazynay96
    crazynay96 Posts: 99
    something that you also need to consider is how they cook the food or what they put in the food. I used to think I was making healthy choices eating out as well... but many places cook chicken in butter, butter bread, cook it in fat, put butter in veggies, etc which adds a lot of fat and calories. its the little things that ads up! ;)
  • NaomiLyn15
    NaomiLyn15 Posts: 388 Member
    It sounds like you made very smart choices. But, don't let this get you down. No matter what you order at a restaurant there are going to be ingredients used to make it that aren't good for you. They can't give you raw veggies and unseasoned food so that it fits within your diet, they would lose customers. So, I guarantee that you just got extra sugar, fat, and carbs than you thought you were getting because of the way that they cooked the food. This is ok. One week to get back to "normal" isn't a long time. Just drink more water, and get back on the wagon and you will see weight loss again soon. I know how frustrating it can be, but this vacation isn't indicative of your life when you no longer have to count calories. You won't be eating out at every meal when you hit your goal, so this isn't something that will happen all the time when you go back to eating without weighing everything. :) Keep your chin up, you are doing amazing.
  • mageepilot
    mageepilot Posts: 289 Member
    I know how frustrating it can be, but this vacation isn't indicative of your life when you no longer have to count calories. You won't be eating out at every meal when you hit your goal, so this isn't something that will happen all the time when you go back to eating without weighing everything. :) Keep your chin up, you are doing amazing.

    Exactly.

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