Now I'm understanding the importance of planning to try to stay on program! This week was crazy. My older son and his girlfriend, who were both sick, were home from college on Spring Break, my younger son was moving out into his own apartment, and there were three lunches out at work. Also, for three nights we ate out due to all the confusion and traffic in and out of the house. It was nuts! I think I used the elliptical machine maybe twice.

Anyway, needless to say, the scales were not kind to me this week. Hopefully I didn't break too many good habits that I've got established; today I'm back on track and plan to take a nice 3 mile walk to enjoy the spring weather that's finally here. But wow, it was really easy to just slide back into the BBQ ribs, pizza, and store-bought cookies lifestyle. It's a little scary how easy it is/was. The junk is all gone now, so today I'll make a trip to the store to stock back up on yogurt, turkey, and other good stuff.

What do you guys do to stay on track during hectic times like this? It isn't too difficult when it's just me and one of my kids to plan and cook fairly healthy, but this week just totally threw me off track!

Life is going to happen. It's never going to go smoothly, and you've just got to make it your priority. Even if you have to eat out over and over, you can look up menus and stick to proper portion sizes.

Really? My life goes smoothly much of the time so I'm sorry to hear that yours isn't. I can assure you that it's not always chaotic here, but this week was really nuts! The places that we ate out at aren't chain restaurants, so no, I can't look up menus and get calorie counts (at least not accurate ones). Portion sizes? Yep, that was a problem this week for sure!

I have had similar hectic weeks. My daughter and small grandsons were just here visiting for a week and I had similar issues. While it was not my best week, I am satisfied with how it went.

When my daughter visits she like to have pick-up from some of her favorite local spots. You know the type. They are special in her memory and not available in the city she now lives in. For one restaurant, I had picked up the menu before she came so I planned what I would eat. I ended up getting grilled chicken and a baked potato because it was the safest choice I could see.

I think your first sentence really covers it. I had precooked chicken breast in the freezer. The night everyone else had fast food pickup, I had one of the breast on a light bun and some baked chips. We baked some of her favorite foods but I made sure that the meals also had some low calorie veggies that I could fill up on. I had bags of prepared salad so that I could add a salad to any meal. I was stocked up on fruit so that we had something quick to grab.

I did not get my usual planned exercise in and I think that is OK. Sending time with my loved ones was more important this week. Beside, I probably got just am much (or more) exercise chasing the little ones.

Like you, I think that it would be very easy to fall back into the just slide back into the BBQ ribs, pizza, and store-bought cookies lifestyle. I lived that life for so long! I think that the only thing standing between me and that slide is planning and determination.

I say don't worry about the past week. It was only one week! You are getting back on track and that is what matters. The junk is gone, you are restocking the good stuff. Good for you!

We just finished **** week... aka Dance week. I was out of the house from approximately 9am every morning and getting home around 10pm. Almost every meal I ate was out of my home. I packed food! I packed snacks! I ate at Subway and studied the menu ahead of time (well I always order the same thing so it`s easy.) I took my water bottle with me and said NO when people wanted me to eat at the concession or eat out at a restaurant that I didn`t have the nutritional info for.

It`s planning and now you KNOW that! You`ll do so much better the next time this happens because you are fore armed with the information that you need. It could be worse. It`s only one week right! Get back in that saddle and the scales will be kind to you again in no time

Thanks, girls! Yes, planning seems to be the key. When my older son came home from college, his girlfriend was going to be staying at another girl's house but that turned out to be an unsafe situation, so she came to stay with us instead. It was fine--I'd rather haver her safe!--but just kind of unexpected so there was some late-night shuffling of bedrooms, arrangments, etc. Then to have my other son moving out at the same time--yikes!

Today, I made up and cooked a bunch of lean turkey-burgers; they'll be wrapped and put in the freezer. Later, I'll cook up some chicken breasts and stick those in the freezer as well so I have something I can just grab and go with.

I have to say that, except for dinners, I didn't do too bad. Snacks still consisted of apples, oranges, or fiber bars. Alcohol was minimal and so was diet soda. Other than the cookies, there was nothing sweet. So really, I think the damage wasn't too bad but I really was suprised at how easily the old ways of eating came back to me. It just reinforces what I've learned here; this needs to be a way of eating for life and I need to be PREPARED!

The good news: Since I started my new way of eating, I have not had a single migraine. So even if I never lose another pound, it has been worth it!

Good job Windchime. I'M proud of you

You can eat at restaurants and still stay on plan, or very close to it. Avoid fried foods, anything with sauces or gravy, stay away from sweets, cakes, pies. cookies, ice cream, etc. You can have salad with dressing on the side, fresh fruit or sliced tomatoes instead of french fries. If you must have a hamburger don't eat the bun or only eat half of it. Most restaurantas will make substitutions. They do want your business .

With four little boys, (5 if you count my husband and I totally should ) it is way to easy to have a chaos week around here...actually, its the norm.
I am not the best planner,not by any stretch of the imagination. I just do my absolute best to keep my goal in mind and I don't beat myself up anymore if I sometimes forget. This is a lifelong commitment, there is no way I can be perfect all the time; neither can you. I think you handled things just fine. You learned something that you can use for the next time life throws you for a loop. It will all be okay.