Vacation, ahhh the blissful absence of reality

Happy Monday all!  Well at least it is for me!  I had the privilege of being able to take a little end-of-summer mini vacay getaway to visit my bestie with my older two daughters (12 & 14) this weekend.  We left Friday night and came back yesterday afternoon (it’s about a 5 hour drive for us).  So today was my Monday.

I don’t know about you but for me vacation and diet are two words that have never gone together.  It’s an oxymoron really.   Vacation for me is usually about being completely off your normal routine and typically includes lots of eating out, usually items that would not be on my regular meal plan (and probably in higher quantities). 

My scale hasn’t been very kind to me the last few weeks.  I finally got into the 220’s in mid-July and have really been hovering in the 5 pound range for almost a month now.  I just couldn’t seem to get under 225.  So I totally didn’t have high hopes for what this little trip would bring.  I anticipated a depressing 2-3 pound gain really.

What I learned about myself on this trip was that I have come a LOOOOOOOOOOONG way in a year.  Here is a synapsis of the weekend.

Friday I missed my workout because I opted to sleep in (7:45 am instead of 5:15) and get a pedicure before we left town and ran out of time to get a workout in.  Then on the trip there, we stopped for fast food on the way out of town.  I opted for a salad instead of a burger and fries.  Not the easiest thing to eat in the car, but I was able to eat most of if on my own, and had my co-pilot daughter help feed me the last of it.  I am sure that looked awesome to the other drivers around us.  Good choice #1!

And what do you want to do when in the car for long periods of time?  Snack is the natural choice that comes to my mind.  I actually was kinda low on calories for the day, so knew I could afford some snacks.  So I brought grapes, carrots, hummus with me.  We also opted to get a few more things at the gas station while taking a pit stop.  While normally this would be a pitfall for me, I did pretty well with my choices…pretzels, beef jerky – much better than the candy bars, chips and other terrible goodies I would have consumed on past trips.  Good choice #2!  Now my portions were where I fell down a bit here.  I did snack quite a bit and I ate later in the day than I normally try to. So I get a so-so on that one.

Saturday, again no workout.  I should have brought Jillian with me, but in a rush to leave I forgot her (at least I think I forgot.  Perhaps it was subconscious??)  I could have walked my fat butt down to Melissa’s basement and worked on her elliptical, but I sat on the couch on facebook and visiting instead.  I had a protein shake for breakfast that day and then we got around to getting our shopping on!  We got school clothes for the kiddos so we were getting some walking in.  For lunch we had Subway (Good choice #3) although I ate way too much (I got a 12” and ate the whole dang thing…ugh! But I did save my chips for later because I was full….that is a win for me)!  Then more shopping and snacks in the car (we stocked up at the store beforehand….I chose cocoa almonds, smokehouse almonds, fiber one bars – Good Choice #4!) followed by a botched attempt to go to Silver Dollar City (we only got 2 rides in before we were stormed out by lightning and rain in the area and they closed down the rides) .  But I did get the big hill climb in…that burned a few calories.  We had a super late dinner where I opted for a grilled chicken sandwich (and fries) instead of homemade mac n cheese.

Sunday, again, no workout (3 days in a row now).  We planned to go to a Water Park, but had a slight ticket snafu so opted for more shopping instead.  On the way back to the house to change out of our swimsuits, we were stuck in traffic so more snacking ensued.  Then we gorged on sushi and edamame and had orange leaf fro-yo for dessert.  Then I cracked open a bottle of wine…ahhh.

Monday was our travel home day.  I was feeling super guilty for not working out for 3 days, so I put on my workout clothes and trotted down to the basement to hit the elliptical and bike.  I didn’t work out tons, but I got 15 min of each in and burned a couple hundred calories (Good choice #5).  Then we headed off for our first Chick-fil-a dining experience before we left town and hit the road.  I got the grilled chicken sandwich, yogurt parfait, and diet lemonade (and shared a few of my daughter’s waffle fries).  More healthy snacks in the car and dinner on the road of another grilled chicken sandwich.

Another weekend win was that I wasn’t dinking pop – I stuck to water and diet lemonade (oh and the wine).

And then I came home to reality....the a/c was on the fritz and it was 90 degrees in the house when we walked in...then on to baths, laundry, and getting ready for work today....ugh.  Blissful vacay, how I miss you already!!!

So while it wasn’t a terrible weekend as far as eating or activity by any means, it could have been better (and it could have been soooooooo much worse) I was still frightened to step on the scale this morning.  If I was a betting person I would have put money on it being higher than the 226 it was when I left on Fri.  So I was absolutely SHOCKED when I stepped on and looked down to see it say 224.4!!!  In fact I had to step on it a few times to make sure it was working and my tired eyes really saw it correctly.  Woooooooo hoooooo!  That is the lowest I have been in a loooooooong time…in fact I can’t remember when I last saw a number like that!  And I finally broke the 225 pound mark.  So that puts me at over 55 (56.4 to be exact!) pounds lost since last August.  That is just amazing to me.

I still wish that I knew what it was that worked to get the scale to move again.  Was it just a fluke?  What is a change in routine to break things up?  Was it getting more sleep?  Ugh!  I hate   not knowing exactly what it was so I could make sure to do it again....and again.....and again!   saw a post from a friend that is also on a lifestyle change journey.  She talked about getting to the place where she knew her body and how it responded to the different variables - her exercise, her food, etc.  I am hopeful and optimistic and hopeful that I will one day get to that place to be able to understand my body like that.  I am not there yet, but I think each day I am one step closer.

So today I have reflected on how far I have come in the last year…

• I am not just "dieting", I have changed my lifestyle so that I continue to make better food choices, even without the comfort and safety of my normal routine or plan.
• I do have more self control than I give myself credit for, and I have actually started to use it!
• I have started missing my workouts when I don’t do them, even enough to workout while traveling for the first time.
• I can survive, and even thrive, without the crutch of my routine, schedule, calorie counting, meal plan, etc.
• I can make good choices even when faced with temptations.
• It is not the end of the world if I don't count and log my calories for a couple of days.  I was still accountable for the food I was eating.
• Vacation (and life) can still be fun without eating everything in sight and feeling miserable physically and mentally.

Thanks so much to all of the people who have encouraged me, supported me, fueled me along the way.  Words can really not do justice to the gratitude I feel.  I really couldn't do this without you.  I have made new friends along this journey.  I have unlocked a missing part of myself.  I have learned and grown.  I have become stronger than I ever thought possible.  I am blessed!!!

On another note, I found this outfit while we were shopping this weekend.  I fell in love with it from the moment I first saw it!  I had split up from the rest of the crew, so I took a photo and showed them to see if it got the seal of approval.  It did!  But only one problem....it wasn't cheap and it wasn't on sale.  It is what I call a "splurge" outfit.  I debated with myself.  I wanted to leave it behind.  But something inside me told me to go try it on, just to see.  We just happened to have lunch by that store before leaving town, so I went in and tried it on.  Part of me hoped it would look terrible on so I would be ok with not getting it.  But it didn't....it was like Cinderella's slipper....it was a perfect fit!  I loved it all...the fit, the color, the style.  Of course.  Now the tough choice of whether or not to spend the money on it.  But I did.  I splurged.  Perhaps it was a premonition of my meeting with the scale today and it was meant to be a celebratory gift to myself?  I like to think it was fate or destiny.  But I will admit that the best part was hearing both my children and my husband tell me they were glad I got it, that I deserved it.  That made me feel so good!  Instead of being practical mom, the one that tries to put others first, the one who feels guilty when I do try to do something for myself, I was told by my loved ones that I deserved a treat.  And after my meeting with the scale this morning, I agree!  I did deserve it!  I wore it today.  To celebrate (and to make sure I didn't try to take it back in a moment of practical weakness).

I thought this was an appropriate note to leave on today...it definitely represents how I feel today!

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