Another year, another ritual. We went to the cottage this past weekend and had our annual canoe trip to a nearby island, where we feasted on baguette (made with WHITE flour), five kinds of European cheese, salami, prosciutto, and red wine. Easily 2,500 cals, but so worth it. This year it was all the sweeter because the weather was resplendent. I swam back from the island to our beach (about 1 hour), which probably mitigated a fifth of the damage.

I know some people swear by Paleo and the like, but it would take a lot of convincing to get me to give up this glorious annual indulgence. For me, the 80/20 rule seems to work best.

Back home, back on track -- sort of. Tomorrow we're going to see Blue Jasmine and I'll be having a large popcorn for dinner. The nice thing about maintenance is that it forgives occasional indulgences, even unhealthy ones. It's a sanity saver for me.

Freelance

Freelance, that sounds so lovely. One has to unfurl from time to time. Can't spend all the time tightly buttoned up.

Welcome back, Freelance! Thumbs up on the 80/20. Your weekend sounds absolutely perfect!

That all sounds lovely! Hard to argue with 80/20 for enjoying the best things in life, and some of those things are food indulgences, no doubt!

The 80 makes the 20 feel that much more indulgent. Welcome back! Hope you had a great visit.

Sounds devine!
I try to behave myself most of the time so that when dh and I travel I can loosen the reins. I am very looking forward to my night away in Napa in October to go wild!

An hour swimming ... sorry but that's honestly what I am thinking about, rather than the white flour baguette.

A cottage and boats are what sound lovely to me. Preferably a cottage without any phone or Internet connections.

I keep taking my swimsuit along when I stay at hotel rooms with pools and then, for some reason or another, never swimming. Three times now this has happened.

Hoping to get away sometime in late October, when hiring & training is all done.

LOL, Saef, I admit I was thinking the same thing! I could just put the meat between two pieces of cheese. I do like obscenely fresh artisan white breads when I can get them - the ones with 4 ingredients. Very rare treat - something that would be worth waiting a year for. Sigggghhhh. Freelance, I'm jealous, I admit it!

It sounds like a lovely trip. 80/20 works better for me as well. Bad things happen when I try to be 100% "good" all the time. Welcome back!

Sounds lovely! I'd do all but the bread, just because the joint pain, acne flare, and cravings for a week aren't worth it to me. But it is good to have a food vacation every once in awhile of you can handle it

I'm going out of town tomorrow night for a long weekend with the baby (to see my family, they haven't met her). And while I'll still eat low carb, because that's just how I eat, an excess of nuts, gourmet charcuterie, and sinfully dark chocolate never hurt anyone

And then it's back on plan when the plane lands up here again.

I can definitely handle it. No symptoms except for joyously good mood. I keep hearing bad things about carbs and waiting for the shoe to drop on my digestive system, but carbs make me feel energized and happy and I'm able to moderate my intake, so from where I'm sitting there's no reason to change course.

Freelance

Yup, if you're not sensitive to grain or carbs more generally, why mess with things? I'd love to eat massive bowls of rice and make croissants and stollen at home again, if I could. I just can't.

The canoeing also sounds divine! I've always wanted to kayak or canoe and never have gotten the chance.