Back on track after "business trip"
 

So I just got back from a week-long trip to Australia, where I had a wonderful time. Ostensibly it was a business trip -- my client (a medical communications company) paid for just about all of it -- but I only worked for 8 hours (!) and had the rest of the week to myself in Sydney and Melbourne. I guess we're living off the fat of the pharma industry.

I had every intention to stay on plan during the trip, but that resolution fell apart when I got to the hotel in Melbourne, which had the most spectacular breakfast buffet I had ever seen, and when the team invited me to these uber-gourmet restaurants where the food and wine were flowing freely.

I figure I probably gained three real pounds. The good news is that I went right back on plan yesterday, my first day back home. I knew it was crucial for me to do this as vacations have completely derailed me in the past. I think I've got this. I know I've got this.

At the same time, I wish I could learn how to eat more reasonably under such circumstances. Or do I? I'm not sure.

Freelance

That's awesome - I wish I could travel more. I say that going out of the country really counts as one of those things where you should try the local foods, etc.

Getting back on track is the hard part and you're doing it already! :carrot:

I actually think of you and your ability to go off plan and get back on it soon thereafter quite a bit. Three pounds, which you can take off slowly over the next month or two, is not much of a price to pay for the opportunity to be completely unconcerned about how you're eating. Sounds like an amazing trip.

Worth it! :D

Australia is my dream destination!

Sounds like you ate more reasonably than you think, congrats getting right back on plan.
:sunny:

I travel quite a bit, I'm an English teacher in Korea so whenever there's a holiday that's longer than 4 days I'm out of here. And my thoughts on travel and food/diet are pretty much, I'm never going to be back to a lot of the places I visit so I'm going to enjoy it and eat the food and drink the drinks and not worry about if for that period of time. I also find that I'm walking more to see all the sites so that offsets some of the food gain.

It's definitely slowed down my weight loss. I've lost about 6 pounds since June because I've gone on 3 trips totaling about 4 weeks of time. As long as you're able to get right back on plan when you come back I don't think a week here or there will do too much damage.

Good work!!

I dunno. Do you think 4,000 cals per day is reasonable? Everyone else (except the co-owner of the company that gave me the assignment, who's a major foodie) seemed so tempered and moderate compared to me. Oh well. Today I went to another client's Christmas party and did well: had just one plate of food and didn't touch the desserts.

F.

The important thing is that you were able to get back on plan without any trouble. Three pounds will be gone in no time ... problems set in when you overeat and can't stop. So you are a winner in my book!

I'm about to go on a three week vacation and I know I will want to eat. I've thought long and hard about it, and I've decided to up my calories by 500 a day during that time, which is close to maintenance for my current weight. My body could use a break and 1700 is easier than 1200 ... without being calorie free fall.

The only other suggestion is to remind yourself that you don't have to eat everything today. You were exposed to a yummy breakfast buffet (a lot of those in my future too) but you were at the hotel multiple days. So maybe next time look it over and decide want you want to eat, then divide up the treats by the number of days you are there and spread them out. Keep telling yourself "yes that looks and smells so great but I will have it another day because today I will have this other amazing thing."

Sydney is a fairly health conscious city so those gourmet restaurants might not be as bad as you fear.

Hope your fears are unfounded and you sailed through just fine!

Freelance, I was going by your 3 pound gain, if I give myself free rein I could go up 3 pounds each day! rueful smile...congrats on getting back on plan and being able to do well on the next challenge (party).
:sunny:

Seriously I'm usually up about 10 in the past after a weeks vacation, now it's more like 5 if I try to keep my head on straight

That's an excellent suggestion, thanks. I had four shots at the buffet. I really didn't need to have a custom-made omelette, chocolate croissant, prosciutto, and multigrain bread with smoked salmon and cream cheese every single time.;)

F.

Yes, I think that helps me too. I walk A LOT when I'm travelling. I don't do tour buses and experience new cities by walking several hours each day, sometimes with a specific destination in mind and sometimes at random.

F.

I think if you can get right back on plan, and really make that work, you have the best of both worlds.

So I vote So Worth It!

Sounds like an awesome trip, I'm jealous!

I am traveling to Turkey tonight for work and will definitely stay mostly on plan.Travel scale is packed.

I should even be able to eat better than at home because of the availability of fresh fish, rather than the copious amounts of canned stuff I normally scoff down. I'll probably eat less hummus too (as in not a whole tub-a-day). Plus the gym at the hotel makes working out more convenient than usual.

My main challenge remains the flight. I will eat and drink on that. Can't resist.

But drinking doesn't count.

Saying that, Australia would be worth making an exception for.

I think it depends on you - some people do just fine with blowouts and long corrections. Others do well with a lighter approach - incremental gain and quick correction. There are more than a few dieters for whom a few pound gain never does come off or leads to many more off plan days. Those are the folks I'd urge to not indulge or do it very lightly. But if you don't struggle with getting back on plan and taking off the consequences of overindulgences, I don't think any harm is done in libertine eating and the weeks of coinciding restriction.

It's SO individual. Knowing your history, I'd say you're probably fine and it was worth it. But if you find this a more regular pattern or verging into a binge/restriction/disordered eating pattern instead of normal maintenance weight management, then a change may be in order.

I'll definitely watch out for that. I don't think compensatory overrestriction is a danger for me, because I simply can't function well on anything less than 1,500 cals per day. The risk is that I'll continue to indulge after an indulgent vacation. So far I've managed to avoid that by having a strict rule to get back on track the very next day.

Still, it would be nice to expand my behavioral repertoire so I can relax my eating during vacations without going totally overboard.

F.

It's a tricky call. I think sometimes you just have to seize the moment, but maybe limit the ways you do that? I've never been to Australia, but if I went, I would want to try unique foods, and I would do that. You know you can take those three pounds back off if you just resume your focus right away.

What gets me confused is actually more what I think you are posting about. Not "when else can I eat a kangaroo?" But "ooh, gourmet food, it would be wrong not to just enjoy this." I'm going to run into that over Christmas in my own hometown, and I am not sure how to handle it. I really don't get to eat like that most of the year, and I love it and want to have it, but a week is a long time to just do what I want, you know? So I think there's just going to be a tug-of-war between the unique opportunities available and the knowledge that I've been working hard to achieve a goal and I don't want to throw it away for a few minutes of pleasure. So maybe the thing to do is order the escargot (or whatever) but just eat enough to enjoy the taste, and try to focus on veggies to fill you up?

At the same time, life happens. Throughout human history, we've alternated between feast and famine, and while I for one do not want to eat like a caveman, I do think it's ok to feast now and then as long as it really is a rare break from a more basic diet (although of course you ideally should be eating a more fulfilling diet day-to-day, since we aren't cavemen or in the midst of a famine).

Why fight it, they call them vacations for a reason ( working or not ) . you did the right thing to get back on track, this is life we are talking about. Well done.

I've learnt my lesson on this. In the past, I used to indulge during vacation and never got back to not indulging! All the power to you if you have enough discipline and self-control with restricting after a vacation. I wish I could do this but I find it easier to continuously focus on 'other stuff' during vacation time rather than on food.

Me too. I handled it well last year as I was so busy over the Christmas break working and studying so I wasn't thinking about food at all. I'm okay at the moment but it looks as if we're going to be having a food fest over Christmas with lots of family visiting so I'll certainly do my best to keep my focus away from food!

Yes, that's exactly right. I wish I could feel less compulsive around gourmet restaurant or catered food. It's the weakest link in my chain.

F.

p.s. As an aside, I did actually try kangaroo, when it was explained to me that they're farmed just like cattle. It tasted meh and I still feel a little guilty about it, probably for the wrong reasons.

How is it going, Freelancemomma, getting back on plan? Having any difficulty or is it pretty smooth sailing?

You know my thoughts on this. You'll either get back on track effortlessly and lose the vacation weight gained, or you won't and will continue to overeat. But neither path will lead to you buying bigger pants - I don't think you would.

I really like the argument by Arctic Mama that it is an individual thing. I am OCD about the whole weightloss/fitness journey so when I do deviate (and deviations will some day happen, no matter how hard you try) I need to get back OP quick for an irrational fear of completely derailing.

But it's cool that others, like you freelancemomma, are more rational and can take a longer term perspective. I'd rather be that than me, but I have to work with what I have got.

Thanks for asking. So far so good. After a lifetime of yo-yoing I seem to have developed a new mental muscle. I attribute it to the fact that I'm exercising regularly, for the first time in my life. It keeps my mind focused on my physical goals. I even did my four workouts while in Australia (two glorious runs and two at the hotel gym).

F.

How would continuing to overeat not lead to buying bigger pants?

F.

What makes it doable (I think) for me is that vacations have a clear boundary. As soon as my plane touches ground in Toronto, I'm back on plan. I've been training myself to follow that rule religiously.

F.

p.s. I've been taking a page out of your book with my dinners: very light on food, plus a glass or two of white wine.

You could get taller...

Awesome! But just a glass or two? There's no harm in a bottle!

Thanks! I hadn't thought of that.

Two 8-oz glasses equal half a bottle. Am I on the right track?;)

F.

That's great progress.

But work towards the full bottle. You might be surprised to see you don't lose any more weight. But you won't gain any either.

Edited to add: I meant two 6-oz glasses.

Sheer stubbornness until you were finally fed up and *then* decided to take it off.

Like Krampus, I just can't see you rolling over and taking a big gain lying down, without working it off before it snowballed into serious regain territory.

Some folks, especially the all or nothing types, struggle with big, big weight swings following indulgences, because they throw their hands up in frustration and give up for awhile. You're more moderate than that, by your own history on here, at least.

Bravo on the fitness goals!

That's a good rule. I've managed to do that with holidays - for birthday, Christmas, and this year. Thanksgiving, too, I allow myself what sounds good with no counting or measuring. But the minute the next day begins it is back on plan like glue. I couldn't manage that in prior years, so I just didn't allow the vacation days off plan. But I've been able to manage that better as time has passed and habits have become automatic. It would have been the kiss of death four years ago, though!

Arctic Mama beat me to it but I was insinuating you would have an "oh crap" moment and eat a bit less until the old pants fit comfortably rather than purchase new ones. Based on your post history I have the impression your metabolism and mindset are, similarly to mine, more forgiving and instantly responsive than many.