Hi Ladies,

I have the most insane couple of weeks ahead of me, and I'm a little worried that it's going to slow my progress.

First, I'm unexpectedly going home to visit my parents for 3 days. My mom has already informed me that she bought a "costco-sized" bag of chocolate chips so that I can make my famous chocolate chip cookies.... (I'm not going to lie...I make really good cookies!) She always makes a big deal out of my visits, bless her heart...but that usually means a lot of comfort food...I already told her that I'm not eating that kind of stuff anymore, and I offered to do the cooking while I'm there... I'm also planning to pack some WW standbys, like fibreOne bars, vitamins, etc...

After that, I'm going to Vegas for 5 days. I'm trying to do some research so that I can pick healthy restaurants in advance...and I'll be bringing fruit for snacks...and hopefully doing a LOT of walking and swimming!

So, I have a bit of a plan in place, but I'm wondering if any of you have any wisdom to share on the topic of staying on plan while travelling...I'd really appreciate any tips!

Thanks!

Vegas buffets usually have a bit of everything to choose from so you can really control what you are getting. Some breakfast buffets you can get eggs cooked to order (I went to stratosphere, sahara and the bellagio) and plenty of fruit, yoghurt, etc. You can go to practically any restaurant and get grilled meat and fish for dinner. I found that I only really ate twice a day while I was there. Beware the cocktails though!

I think its great if you can do a lot of the cooking whilst at your mom's. Maybe its a good time to tell her how important this is to you and ask for her full support?

Good luck!

Thanks! That's a great idea. I'm staying at the Bellagio and I've heard they have an amazing breakfast buffet with lots of fresh fruit....I'm also planning to eat only twice per day! (mostly because I plan to sleep in late!) Funny, usually I would avoid a buffet...but in this case it's probably the best way to know exactly what you're getting!

Luckily I'm not much of a drinker, so staying away from those lovely umbrella drinks won't be too much of an issue....

the Bellagio has the BEST buffet, really, really worth it and so much gorgeous fresh food! The have beautiful salads, fruits, eggs to order, and they even have sushi and sashimi if you like that stuff. Gorgeous buffet, you really can't go wrong (though I'd pass by the dessert area completely if you don't want to be derailed!).

Have a great time!

Prima, your thread made me realize I have some serious potential pitfalls coming up too and I hadn't even made plans! Yikes! Well, today is our 10th anniversary so we're going out to eat and I didn't eat any of my WPA this week so I'm not even worrying about what I eat. But I do worry it'll be hard to get back on plan tomorrow morning...

Then in two weeks my husband has his gallery opening, so there will be loads of food lying around and people to schmooze with. Then a week after that we'll be out of town for his graduation. Then a few days after that we're going on vacation for a week. We are renting a cottage at the beach so we'll mostly buy our own groceries and cook, but still, it's hard to overcome the 'I'm on vacation' mentality and not just eat like a pig. I need to work on that--being on a vacation from my everyday responsibilities does NOT mean being on a vacation from a healthy lifestyle!

Maybe what will work for you - and me - is to have one or two times during the trip when you plan to splurge and not think about points. And commit to being conscientious the rest of the vacation. I think for me it's a mental thing. If I feel like I'm taking a break, that includes a break from food tracking. Which is a false idea, because ultimately that's just going to cause more stress when I get back home!

Try and think how great it'll be to get back home and hop on the scale and see that you maintained or even lost a little while away!

Thanks, Heather! That is a really good thing to keep in mind...I'm really committed to being down 25 lbs by my birthday at the end June, so that's going to mean fairly consistent loss between now and then. It would be great to come back to find that I had lost a little while away...Good luck with all your events-we can do this!

Thanks for the Bellagio advice, Velveteen-I'm definitely going to check out that buffet. I love sushi!

Wow! I'm going to be facing the exact same thing too in May. What I think I'll have to do is pretty much what I did on my last disasterous vacation: I'll do the best I can, I'll make the absolute best choice that I can, I'll keep up the exercise, and I'll forgive myself any weight gain and get right back on plan when I get home. Other than that, there isn't much else.
My mom makes perogies and cabbage rolls and chocolate cake EVERY time I go home, which is hard because she's 82 and this is her way of showing love to us kids. It is a hard, hard path to tread but at the end of the day, if I choose to have those foods for whatever reason, I have to accept the consequences and deal with it later.
My plan specifically for going home will be:
Control my breakfasts and lunches for minimum points, to account for extra points later. (1 egg and toast, fruit, etc...)
Walk in the am and the pm, before everyone is up in the morning so I don't have to explain anything and later at night after all the fun is over.
Mom likes to bake with me, too (it is a social thing for her), so I'll make some things and then try to get her to freeze them right away so I don't eat too much.
On your trip:
If you have buffets that offer healthy choices, you are truly in luck! You can also see if you will be near a Subway for healthy controllable lunches.
Back at home: get right back on plan. Don't weigh in until your scheduled day, and be happy with the number because if you just ate what you wanted without care, the number would be much, much higher.
Keep us posted!
Kira

Ah yes the Bellagio has an awesome buffet and when we went last year I still managed to stay on plan Then again we did a lot of walking there too!

When we go visit my in-laws (most of my family lives close by) in FL I wind up buying easy food for me and they have a space in their fridge for me to put it. I then cook my meals separate. I wasn't sure how they would take it and was surprised on how much they supported it. Anyways I would ask your mom about cooking if she gets offended just come out and explain why

Great advice, ladies! Thanks

Romancediva- I think my mom will be okay with me cooking...i haven't told my family about WW just because I kind of wanted to surprise them..but now that i'm going home, I guess they'll find out. My mom will understand, as she's been on ww herself (although, she's one of those annoying "naturally skinny" people...she was 135 lbs when she was 9 months pregnant with me! I think she wanted to lose 5 lbs of baby weight or something..haha)

Kira- is your mom Polish? can I come to your house for dinner?! Perogies and cabbage rolls are soooooo delicious...My parents live in a very polish neighbourhood so our neighbours (most of whom are around your mom's age) are constantly bringing trays of cabbage rolls over...I LOVE them! The freezer is always full of them

Hi there Ms Prima! Nope, she's Ukranian, first generation born in Canada. My Baba was from the Old Country and spoke no english.
Anyways, you so totally come over for dinner (I'm in Ontario too!!!) even though she lives in Edmonton. But I have the recipes AND the skills and absolutely have to limit myself to these treats once a year, at Christmas, which is my official binge day, so to speak!
You'll be just fine at home, and if you do slip, forgive yourself and get right back on the WW train with the rest of us!
Kira

Kira- that's so funny, I'm actually in Alberta right now! I love love love Ukranian food, too. Around my parents' place there are a bunch of ethnic halls, including several Ukranian ones...every year they have a festival where they make food and put on shows for the community...The Ukranian one was always my fave I can see why you'd have to limit yourself to once a year!! It's SO good, it's easy to get carried away and eat too much.

I have been SO tired that I've skipped my workout for the past 2 days...just finished my last exam today, so it's been crazy. I'm feeling so guilty, but I'm getting back at it tomorrow though! My plan is to take my running shoes home with me so that I can get in some cardio...Luckily my parents have a hot tub, so that will be motivation to go running!

I have lots of family in Vegas and travel there 3-4 times a year.I am also going to Vegas on April 22.The Venetian has a great cafe(Canyon Ranch)for breakfast and lunch.Also I have had great seafood in Vegas at many places.broiled not fried (obviously).Wolfgang had a great restaurant in Ceasars (Chinois).I love their brown rice and steamed veggies.Buffets are pretty good because you can pick and choose.The Rio has a wonderful one also.Bellagio is good as well as Mirage.The great thing about Vegas is that you walk so much that a treat occasionally probably wont derail you.The Grand Luxe cafe in the Venetian has wonderful salads with amazing citrus vinegrets.Anyway......Viva Las Vegas.Have a great time.

wow so many great ideas here!!

so are perogies and cabbage rolls high points??? I'm going to Poland in a month and I have *no idea* what I'm going to eat there. I have no idea what they eat for breakfast, what kind of typical dinners there are, etc. My nail lady is polish and she was raving about the sausage (yeah, we have crappy sausage in the Netherlands, so I don't bother... but if I go to Germany or the Czech Republic... look out!) but I can only imagine how high in points this stuff is!


it's good we can talk about this stuff with each other before we actually go anywhere!

Thanks, Harrismm! I'm going to write down all these recommendations I was thinking the same thing about the walking..i remember last time I was there we walked SO much, I thought I was going to die!

Velveteen- I was in Poland 2 summers ago, and the food was amazing. I was staying at a decent hotel where we had a breakfast buffet with lots of fresh fruit, yogurt, etc...the only thing I remember eating while out and about was Perogies! Luckily, there are about a million different kinds, so if you're trying to find a lower calorie version, it shouldnt' be too bad. You can also order them steamed instead of fried, as I remember. I know I shoudn't say this, but DO try them, even if they put your over your points. You only live once, and they were SO good, I still think about them from time to time...
They also have this AMAZING honey beer. I don't even like beer, but it was fantastic- very sweet.
Okay, I think that's enough enabling from me....To be honest, I was only there for 2 days or so, so I didn't really have time to get a sense of what else was available. I guess the best bet is just portion control, ask for things low fat wherever possible, walk lots, and enjoy yourself!