I got back from a vacation overseas last Wed so the damage I might have done has had time to catch up with me. The whole time I was there I ate and drank anything I wanted - fish&chips, chocolate, steak&ale pie, chips, chips and more chips. We walked a lot and I was tired at the end of each day, but the beer intake alone had to be 2000 calories/day. At my weigh-in today for the work biggest-loser contest, I had only gone up a half a pound. How is that possible???!! I'm not complaining, believe me! But it's amazing to me that I fight tooth and nail at 1200-1400 calories to lose that amount! Perhaps the secret to weightloss is to not think about it???

I hope this is my experience next week!!! Really, really, really! 'Cause right now the scale is only going UP despite my best efforts and I am taking a planned break from calories and from exercise. Calories won't be outrageous though. I just don't have it in me anymore. Not exercising just might kill me!

We found the same thing after a trip to Italy - we walked EVERYWHERE - minimum of 6-7 hours/day and ate what we wanted, enjoyed gelato nightly, but the activitiy was wonderful. Stairs, hills, cobblestone streets, etc. Came back to a slight loss. Hubby said now how do we keep up this activity? Easier said than done when we came back to work!

Welcome back! It sounds like you had an awesome time on vacation, did you go to the UK by any chance?

It's funny how those things work out. I had a similar experience when I went to Berlin on a college seminar trip for 2 weeks, nothing but beer and sausages and clubbing (and studying...) and I was sure I'd gained a ton of weight, but I didn't. My weight did shoot up about a week after the trip, but I hope yours won't!

Congrats! I've pretty much always lost weight traveling, though I tend to do stuff like backpack, hike, Inca trail, etc. Maybe because you're so active? Also I find that I dont have much food on me so I have to eat everything out. This requires finding a restaurant, walking there, ordering within your budget, etc. Not much room for snacking throughout the day. Plus sometimes you're so busy you have to skip breakfast or have dinner really late, etc. Anyway, I'm going to Thailand next week for 3 weeks. I'm hoping that my heartburn will keep my eating undercontrol.

I think all the walking you did on your trip is the key. I walk (8 hours a day) at my job. Because of this I can maintain my weight on about 2000 calories a day. On the other hand (and this makes absolutely no sense to me) I have to eat less than a thousand calories in order to lose any weight, and I lose very slowly. I don't gain weight unless my calories are 2500 or more for a period of time.

The female body is a strange thing.

I wouldn't question it if I were you, your body might hear you and put weight on to prove a point

This was my on Christmas ... i decided to take a break on the last 2 week of December, but still WI ... i was happy the weight was no that bad , but after I star dieting or at least trying the weight star to go up. I fact I weight 5 pound more that i did before taking my break ... still trying and nothing seem to work ...
I hope you do not experience the same.

I really have to wonder if a huge part of it is getting out of "eating habits".... same time, same food, etc. It was much more walking than I get to do during a normal week, but I don't usually consume mass pints of beer either.

Either way, I'm not going to question it! (Lol Theyda!)

Shawnamadonna - don't forget to pack your Tums!

I think it might be that when you are travelling, there is so much to do and see that you only eat when you actually have to (i.e. when you are starving!). I always eat breakfast because it is normally included, and dinner because I love eating out in foreign countries. During the day though, I often forget about lunch and snacks because i'm more interested in the museums / sights.

I always put on weight when I went on beach holidays with my mum though. I figure it is because I hate sunbathing and lying still, so I never forgot about meals (was something to do!).