We are returning today from a 4-day trip to sunny Florida. I feel very fortunate as we were able to escape the cold, rainy Northern Virginia days we were experiencing before we left. Back to Virginia today and work on Monday.
I have not stepped on a scale since I have been here but I know what is waiting for me on the bathroom scale at my home upon arrival. My guess is a 3-5 pound increase. I know the reasons: LOTS of eating foods/desserts that I do not normally eat when I am not in a “vacation mode”. I am certain many of you share the experience of going on a vacation and throwing weight control methods out the window. I did exercise every day but I know this did not offset the extra eating.
So, here is my approach: 1- Assess the “damage”, meaning get on that scale tomorrow morning and see how much weight was gained. 2- Do NOT beat myself up about the vacation behaviors that produced the weight gain. I had an incredible amount of fun, and part of that fun was eating those foods and desserts. 3- Develop a game plan for how to bring the weight right back down: Do I need 1 day of Phase 1? 3 Days? The entire upcoming week? 4- Obligate myself to stick to the amount of Phase 1 days needed. 5- Monitor the weight during the week .
Perhaps you have your own system in place to offset the weight gain that occurs on a vacation or business trip. However, it all starts with “assessing the damage”. When we get into real “trouble” is when we pull the ostrich technique which is basically burying the head in the sand and not looking at what truly occurred.
Face the music, assess the damage and then move forward in a positive manner. Tomorrow morning, I will face my music…and it ain’t gonna be a pretty song!