[Abby*]

My FH and I are going to visit his family in TX for a week on Wednesday. I have finally gotten below my high school graduation weight of 130 and I am worried that going out with his friends and having his mom's home cooked meals is going to bring me back up. Any suggestions on how I can at least maintain this loss (I'd like to keep losing, but realistically I don't think thats going to happen this week). Thanks in advance!

[fitbyforty]

Smaller portions!!!Everything in moderation.

[mandi<3]

Maybe bring some snacks along that you can have during the day so you're not absolutely famished at dinner time (and drink water during the day). Also when you serve yourself eat smaller portions of things that you know are higher calories like meat dishes, and things that contain a lot of butter or cream. Eat more of the vegetable dishes, and don't overstuff yourself (hard to do when its good homecooking i know).
Offer to assist with the prep of dinner so you know what's in everything or ask if you are unsure. Explain that you've worked really hard toward your weightloss goal, and as much as you love her cooking you're trying your best to be good.
Only have a small peice of dessert if you can, and try not to have second helpings of anything except vegetables.

The best thing to remember is "nothing tastes as good as thin feels" and the next week you wont regret not eating a lot of the good home food, if your scale says your a pound lighter.

But don't stress out over your eating, it is after all a vacation, and you have come so far that a little slip up wont matter that much in the long run.

[Ilene]

Portion control, is important but difficult when vacationning, but I think it's key to succes when you're away from your routine. If you can keep exercising by at least walking a lot that will help. Drink lots of water. Don't weigh yourself on the first day home wait to get a few clean eating days under your belt so you won't get discouraged if you've only gained some water weight when you're away...

[BlueToBlue]

When I visited my family, I brought along energy bars that were 170 to 200 calories and had one in place of breakfast every morning. That way I had at least one meal a day that was within my normal calorie range. I also brought fruit (apples) that I could snack on.

Before I left for the trip, I located a gym that I could go to while I was there-most gyms offer a day rate and since I was staying with my family, I didn't have access to a hotel gym. I tried to workout at least every other day, even if it meant getting up earlier than I normally would. This really helped me relax about the food I was eating.

When I was at 132 pounds, I went to Mexico for a week. While I was there I basically ate whatever I wanted and consumed numerous margaritas (way way high in calories). I did stick to reasonable portions (no binging), didn't really eat desserts, and fit in half an hour of cardio a day. I also brought along my trusty energy bars and ate one as a midday meal instead of lunch on a couple of days. I sure didn't lose weight wihle I was there and it took about two weeks before I started losing again once I got back, but I didn't gain any weight either.

- Barbara

[Abby*]

Thanks!

[aschenbrodel]

Abby, I just got back from a trip with my mom and while I did not lose, I did not gain either. In fact once back home I started losing at a higher rate than before I went!
We went to a family wedding and also had two homecooked meals with friends.
For the restaurant meals I ordered broiled fish, baked potato (I removed butter ASAP) and a pile of broccoli with a side salad, oil vinegar dressing on the side. I stuck with iced tea, decaf coffee or water for drinks.

The homecooked was a bit trickier cause I didn't want to offend.
I just was VERY portion conscience, my plate was 60 veg and rice/gravy 20% chicken 20%.
My biggest hurdle was the wedding and all the wine at the friends houses!
One trick for wine is ask for ice. It waters it down and tricks your mind.
Also the biggest piece of advice? Relax! Enjoy the people's company you are with, talk talk talk talk!

Our final night we splurged at shogun with sushi and fried rice and sukiyaki, but I knew it was coming and had a very light breakfast and lunch.

I was proud of myself for how good I was!

I also have a 9 day vacation coming in Sept with the kids, and now I am way more relaxed about it.