I'm driving down from Montreal to New York to see a hockey game next week.

The only issue is that my fiance and the people I'm going with are foodies.

Big foodies. I mean my fiance is already looking up breakfast places and soul food restaurants...(God, help me~!)

So I need to control myself and keep myself reminded that I gotta be stronger than that and be able to keep along with my lifestyle.

I know I'll be good but the late night pizza run in Brooklyn and the drinking when we go out is going to be a challenge.

So I guess my question is this:

Should I just have a free-for-all weekend and get back to it when I get back home, and just .."try" and avoid the scale, or should I be uber strict and fight of all temptation?

What have you guys done on trips and what works better?

My approach is neither of these...I go somewhere in the middle.

I took a lovely cruise around this time last year. Cruises, as you know, can be a huge food fest. I made sure that I had a healthy breakfast each day, tried to work out, had a moderate lunch and dinner, and then one drink (not 5) and maybe split a dessert. Definitely more indulgent than I'd be at home, but also not a free-for-all by any means.

I'm better at skipping meals entirely than I am at having a plate of delicious food put in front of me and not eating all of it. So, my plan for an upcoming trip is to have one "splurge" meal a day and then stick to fresh fruits, veggies, water the rest of the time. Not the "best" option maybe, but I know it will work for me.

Do the best you can with what each situation hands you. If you go have pizza, there probably is a salad on the menu as well--so start with a salad--and eat less pizza. Wherever you go to eat, there are bound to be "best choices" on the menu, and veggie dishes. If at a steak restaurant, have it, and a baked potato with a little something on it, and a side of veg--or skip the potato altogether. As to the drinking, perhaps have 1 of something calorie laden if that is your preference, and after that have something mixed with seltzer or tonic. Hey, in New York, you could have a "Skinny Girl Margarita" right? Always have water on hand. Drink plenty of it on your visit to wash the sodium and calories through.

When dessert is the fare, share something. It isn't unusual for people to take bites and tastes. If you can control the damage to a minimal, you'll be okay. You'll be out of that environment, and away from temptation, sooner than later, and then you forgive yourself, get back to your regular routine, drink more water, forgive the number on the scale and don't obsess over it. You know how to do this--it won't be your last temptation (probably not your first either) and you've come so far in your weight loss efforts (congratulations) that this will come and go and you'll get right back to it. Don't be afraid to have a good time. Don't be afraid to eat/drink and enjoy the trip. I think you might be surprised, however, how your current lifestyle is engrained into your DNA by now...and you'll get through the trip practically unscathed.

P.S. I'm across the river from NY, so give me a wink and a wave when you're in town.