I've just returned from our first vacation post surgery and since covid started.
In the past, travel has been a major obstacle to healthy eating and exercise for me. On vacation, I would eat whatever I wanted, gain weight, then have a very hard time losing it when we returned. It could take me a full year to lose the weight I gained on one trip. In addition, when travel interrupted my exercise routine, it would take me a very long time to get back to the regimen. This was the pattern throughout my life.
So planning and taking this trip brought a certain amount of concern. I wasn't extremely anxious or worried. But it was always a concern in the back of my mind.
Obviously I don't want to re-gain any weight! But I also don't want to feel that I must be strict and disciplined every single day of my life. Vacations give us a break from our paid work, but they should also temporarily relieve us from our emotional work. While we were away, I tried to find a balance between these two needs. It was challenging.
First of all, I decided not to track my eating while we were away.
I also decided to loosen the reins on my food choices. I ate more cheese and more meat than I normally do, ate chips (in controlled quantities), more bread.
I did both of these intentionally, which feels better than just mindlessly losing the discipline.
I can't overeat in a single meal. That's just not possible. But I could -- if I weren't careful -- eat the wrong foods every few hours, and in the course of the day, overeat. I did this while we were away, although not every day. Maybe one-third of the time.
Now I'm home. Here's what I've already done and my plan for the immediate future.
- I immediately resumed tracking my eating, and returned to all the healthy food choices.
- I asked my partner to hide the scale. I don't want to weigh myself until I've been home for at least two full weeks.
- I plan to exercise today (our second full day home) and to put myself right back to my exercise routine. This will be the most challenging part.
I hope you can enjoy your memories of your wonderful trip without any hint of guilt about enjoying the food. It is a good idea to wait to weigh yourself until after you have resumed your regular routine. You are doing great!
ReplyDeleteThank you, mkk! I have zero guilt about my enjoyment. But I'll feel better when I weight myself and see that I've maintained all the weight loss. Thank you for your support!
ReplyDeleteI was wondering how you managed while you were away. I know it's much harder to think about proper eating when you are away from home, eating out and eating at other's homes. I am so glad you gave yourself permission to indulge while on vacation.
ReplyDeleteThank you Amy. I definitely gave myself permission to relax and enjoy.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, it is much harder to eat properly when away from home -- and in this case, there's also another factor. We now live in a place with very limited food options, so when we are out of the area, eating differently is important! Eating has always been part of travel for us, but now that applies even to going to a different town!