I must have been at maintenance for about 5 minutes? Well, a bit longer than that, but not much. I was so elated but then I went on this trip with my kids and husband and I was terrified, even though I had a plan. I did not follow that plan. It was beyond hot at our destination and humid too. I have chronic daily migraines, so this factor didn't help at all. On the first day there, I actually worked out hard. I did high interval training and I caught a glimpse in the mirror at the gym and I must say I was very pleased with what I saw. I was thrilled actually. But then we started going to places where I had no control and my sick mind (sick with regards to food, as I'm a food addict) took over. I started inhaling food. I stopped working out. We would walk almost all day long, but I managed to eat back those calories at every chance.

I just got on the scale this morning right after I did a really strong workout. It was not good. I refuse to change my ticker. I'm determined to eat right. I started the day with a healthy green smoothie after my workout. I just can't believe how different I look. I went from having a tight body to looking flabby. My face is awful too...it's puffy. I guess I'm also PMSing so that could have some impact, along with flight and sodium. If I had to guess, I would guess that about 5lbs. of it is real weight gain and I'm hoping that it's gonna be easy on, easy off.

I'm trying really hard not to get bogged down by all of this and to plow through it like a champion with intense workouts and very clean eating. If I don't get my head back in this the right way and immediately, I'm putting myself at risk of gaining all of my weight back. Not gonna let that happen.

Looking back, I don't think I could have handled it any differently. I know I should look back and think I could have done better, but really, I just know that if I went again, the same thing would happen . My heart goes out to the food addicts who travel a lot. I do not envy you at all and my hat is off to you if you can manage your eating in spite of so many obstacles.

Not sure what I'm looking for here....just wanted to be back here on this board and back in action. I hope you'll still have me here at Living Maintenance.

Hugs to you.
Been there, done that.
I once gained 7 pounds in 5 days on a cruise while working out daily and making relatively good food choices.

My dh travels constantly and he swears you shouldn't weigh for a week after returning as flying does wacky things to you (retaining water, etc.). I just returned from a trip myself. I was in Houston for a week (also hot and humid). I did relatively well and think I'm up a pound or two (I have weighed myself but am not sure my weight is "true"). I worked out daily but made some poor food choices (though mostly good).

I've had good trips and bad trips since hitting maintenance.

The key is to do what you are doing-- get right back on the wagon and try not to be so hard on yourself. You won't let yourself gain the weight back.

How long was your flight? DH and I travel A LOT for work and even short flights can really add on pounds due to water retention (and it takes some days to take off). Hang in there and weigh again in a few days. I'm normally always a daily weigher (like religiously so) but I always wait about 2-3 days after a flight to weigh.

Hey LuckyMommy. Hang in there girl. If you get right back on the wagon, (as you have) you will lose that 8 in about the same time it took to gain it! (More than likely. )

I also just recently got back from a trip. We were gone 5 days and I gained 5 pounds. I was pretty good for most meals but a few I over did it by a little and one meal and one treat/snack event I over did it by a lot. (TMI coming here...) But I also always get very constipated when I travel as well. Something about "going" in a different environment or some weird thing like that! This has been an issue all of my life and sometimes quite uncomfortable when you are driving for HOURS! Also, I'm perimenopausal so my TOM is all over the place. For the last year or so it comes anywhere from 25 to 50 days apart.

ANYWAY, the morning we left I was 144, (not my preferred weight, but manageable) AND the morning after we got home I was 149. I was freaking a little to be so close to 150, but I knew, I just KNEW that I was going to be back in action starting that very minute. (It was worth it though, the food I ate was SO delicious!!) I went back to full weightloss mode and dropped 2 pounds by the next morning...then to my surprise TOM came that day and I finally "went" for the first time in days and by the next morning Whoosh...I was down 2 more pounds....Then this morning, the 5th morning since we've been home I'm actually a pound less than when we left...2 more gone. 143 this morning and planning to continue the drive to get back to my preferred zone. (138-142)

Sorry for all the drama here, but my point is, if you just keep on a going, you will get back into the groove. You just have to do it now though, before it gets unmanageable and down right scary. No need to get all freaky. It will come off, and before you know it you'll feel all happy again!

Thank you all for your wonderful and reassuring responses. I truly appreciate you guys so much! Our flight wasn't too long...about 5 hours total, but we had a couple of hours layover so I indulged in some high quality airport food...not!

I didn't experience any (clear throat) backup, Lori Bell but I'm hoping this is still a lot of water weight. I highly recommend using a Magnesium powder called Natural Calm and also using wild oil of oregano drops. I take 3 drops a day, sometimes twice a day and I take the Calm and this combo has really made me very regular after having a problem for many years.

My head's in the game right now and I've been active all day, despite a very uncomfortable migraine. I not only worked out early in the morning, but I took the dog out twice for a walk and also did oodles and oodles of housework in our 2 story house, so I think it's all good. I'm planning on sticking to my plan like crazy glue tomorrow as well. Taking things one day at a time....

So glad you shared what happened, got some support and are back on track.

In a perfect world, we would all eat "right" all the time. But that's not how we humans are made, and we are all going to have those times when we deviate from our usual eating style.

I'm beginning to think we should all sit down and talk to ourselves before a trip and acknowledge that we will be up a few pounds for various reasons. Then when we get home, we assess the damage, sigh, and get back on track. Mental preparation beforehand can cushion the shock and give us the motivation to resume our non-vacation eating style.

Reading hundreds of posts on 3FC made me realize that the biggest enemy of anyone who is losing weight or maintaining it is the all-or-nothing thought pattern: "I blew it so now I might as well forget all that I learned and accomplished & just start pigging out again." LuckyMommy, you have beaten that kind of thinking and gotten back on track. Good for you!

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall ~ Confucius

You've risen from some slip-ups on your vacation and are back on track. That's something to be proud of! The weight will come off in no time with your focus and hard work.

This is me too. This is why I just don't travel very often, and when I do I have to go back to a loss plan for a week or two to undo it. Personally, I would rather enjoy myself fully on my vacation and then work hard to get rid of the 5lbs or so I gained than restrict myself on my vacations.

Obviously if I took vacations more frequently I would have to have a different plan though.

Just wanted to send hugs. I'm about to get on a plane home from my weekend long indulgent trip. Ate like a little piggy, but exercised pretty heavily everyday. But everything in my suitcase feels tighter probably will skip the scale and head right into weight loss mode till I feel comfy again. Life is too short to feel guilt about stuff like this. It is what it is, let's just move forward. We know what to do, we know how to lose it so let's just do it!

I am in my sixth year of maintaining a large weight-loss, after years of yo-yo dieting.
I still am not able to keep from engaging in vacation overeating behavior,
and I always come home to discover a 5 to 10 lb scale gain on the first day back.

I always plan to eat low-calorie on vacation, but so far don't manage to follow through, but
I immediately get back on a weight-reduction plan, and so far, every time,
I soon drop a lot of water/salt/waste weight, and within a couple of weeks
I also drop my actual fat gain.

Over the years, I have come to accept that this is simply another one of my maintenance patterns.
I would prefer that I behaved differently, but so far I haven't managed it.

I agree with paperclippy.. ... although I know it's hard seeing the scale go up, it was a vacation, and i'm glad you indulged and had a good time. We all need a little time to have some fun, even food fun. You have a good head on your shoulders, and like others said as well, you'll more than likely loose it just as fast as it came on Good luck to you

I also always find some uptick after a vacation. Enjoying your vacation, then getting on track once you get back is pretty normal. It also sounds to me like a lot of fluid retention, too. Once that clears you can assess the real impact. You are already back on your exercise, good job!

Don't feel like you aren't a maintainer just because of this, either. We've all been there. This is life long experience, not just the time between trips or other events that make our weight blip a little.

I'm visiting family right now, and most of the time, I've stuck to my calorie count. But it's easier for me because my sister is really into working out and eating right. However, there are some special meals that actually add up to 1000 calories for the one meal alone ---even if eaten moderately (e.g., fried seafood that my brother-in-law catches fresh and fries). So, I do indulge and just try to moderate as best I can the next day. I've hit maintenance calories a few times this week rather than losing calories, but I'm not getting upset about it. If I wasn't on a plan, I would be pigging out at every meal. Also, I've worked out all days but one and plan to continue.

I'll be in D.C. for a few days, and we'll be going to some restaurants with fabulous food and desserts. I plan to eat it, too. I'll do the best I can otherwise, and then get back on track strictly when I get home.

Hey luckymommy. Same situation here. Super overindulgent weekend with tons of sugar - just got on the scale and almost fainted. It's scary how easy it is to "relapse" to addictive/compulsive eating behavior, but even just one day of eating and exercising right does wonders for the mind. We're all here for you!

Can I just tell you guys how incredibly awesome you all are? If I had super powers, I'd gather you all in a room for a collective group hug.

I hopped on the scale this morning and was down 3 lbs. That means I just need to get 5 lbs. down and that will totally happen if I keep up the usual butt-kicking routine.

It's really comforting to know that I'm not the only one with this problem and I do believe that dusting yourself off and jumping back on the wagon is the way to go, so I'm patting myself on the back for doing so. Thanks everyone.