Vacation Mode

Now that Summer is truly (finally!) here, many of us are thinking about going on vacation or planning one.

And the question always come up, "To stay OP or NOT to stay OP?" over vacations.

Obviously there are plusses and minuses -- and only YOU can decide -- bun t here's my 'two cents'.  I've tried it many ways. I've even tried to split the difference and stay 'somewhat' OP.

Here's what happened in each case:

FAILING TO PLAN

Early on in the program we went on vacation to San Francisco. Ah, what a beautiful city, right? And I just couldn't 'decide' what I wanted to do....I had been OP, I had been doing great and losing weight....but here I was, in this beautiful city, and there were SO MANY wonderful things to EAT...OMG....
so I didn't make a plan. I just decided to 'wing it'.

Not a good idea.

We walked along Fisherman's Wharf...all the stalls with so many interesting things...so many great restaurants, look that guy is selling ICE CREAM (like it was the first, last and ONLY time I'd EVER be able to eat ice cream in my LIFE LOL) and suddenly I 'had' to have it.

And that acted like a door opening to Fat Brain (hereinafter referred to as FB, as in, Fat Brain, as opposed to Facebook LOL)....

Well....after a lot of internal debating, (basically listening to FB and agreeing with her line of bullcrap), I finally told myself 'Screw it I'm on vacation' and I begged DH to let me stop and have some. He knew I was on this program so he looked at me funny and said, "are you SURE?" (KNOWING how I am....of course ... LOL) but I insisted, I even got MAD about it, so he was like "Whatever you want, dear" ....
YAY! I got my ice cream. I got the biggest baddest cone of what I wanted I could GET.

And....predictably....I woke up FB. BIGTIME. Oh boy did she love that ice cream.

So now she's looking around for MORE. It's PARTY TIME!  YES!!!!

Now I wanted 'everything'.

Suddenly I wasn't paying attention to the gorgeous scenery or the beautiful day or even my wonderful DH and the fact that we were hand in hand, having a great time....I was fixating on 'what could I eat NEXT?'......because I had woken up my food addiction again. FB was alive and well and dancing around in my head!

The rest of that vacation is a blur...because all I remember is being HUNGRY. And eating like there was no tomorrow (because for me, 'tomorrow' meant a return to the 5/1) so I didn't think, I just ATE.

Looking back on it, I am ashamed of the way I overloaded my plate at the breakfast buffet. The way I went back for seconds, and even thirds, when no one was looking. The way I shoved several cream cheese pastries in my purse when DH went to the men's room.

It was....sickening.  And I ruined my own vacation because I didn't really enjoy myself, I was too busy figuring out ways to BINGE.

THAT was my experiment ...and my learning experience...in what can happen when you DON'T have a plan.

PLANNING TO FAIL

Another time we went to a relatives' home over the holidays....and this time I told myself I wasn't going to debate, I was DEFINITELY going to go off plan and 'pay the piper' when I returned.

It was another disaster. I ate and ate and ate some more. It was party time again.

And when I 'thought' it would be easy to go back OP when I returned?  It wasn't. It took me 3 LONG agonizing MONTHS to get my mojo back.  And obviously I gained weight, too. BIGTIME. I wound up right back in that place of stuffing myself. And I HATED myself.

Suffice it to say I'll never do THAT again.

PLANNING TO STAY OP

Last but not least, I finally arrived at a point in the program where we went on a vacation and I decided that THIS time I was going to get REAL.

And STAY OP.  Or do my darndest to try, anyway. 

So I went prepared. This was a driving trip to Virginia for a wedding. And we stayed over a long weekend. It was a beautiful weekend, a gorgeous, romantic wedding on the beach....and there wasn't ONE THING on that long table groaning with food that I could eat.

But I had planned in advance. I packed....MF meals...(lots of them! I calculated what I'd need and brought along plenty of MF meals), I packed an entire COOLER's worth of water bottles....I even packed PS ricotta cheese and string cheese and almondbreeze in a cooler. And when we got to our hotel room I filled up that little frig with all my on plan foods....I even brought LETTUCE with me, for pete's sakes. I admit I went overboard, but I had to do it for my own peace of mind.

I was taking NO chances. I wanted SUCCESS this time. I wanted to see if I could really, honestly, go on vacation, have a good time, and stay OP.

You know what? That little weekend in Virginia remains one of the BEST vacations I've ever had in my LIFE. Not only did I stay 100% OP (DESPITE the wedding not having anything I could eat! I had a bar, drank my water, and circulated!  I enjoyed the PEOPLE and the EVENT and didn't even LOOK at the food once I determined it was all sludge....- because it WAS! -- and I had a great time).

People at the wedding asked me "are you eating?" and I just made excuses and walked away....mumbled something....sometimes I had something on my plate....but didn't touch it, just 'acted like' I was going to eat it...but I STAYED OP. 

People at the wedding asked me "are you eating?" and I just made excuses and walked away....mumbled something....sometimes I had something on my plate....but didn't touch it, just 'acted like' I was going to eat it...but I STAYED OP.  And I had one of the best meals of my LIFE with my DH that weekend, and I stayed on course!  One night over that weekend we went to a restaurant, and I had salmon and a double helping of veggies...and a big salad with my (own, I brought with me!) MF approved salad dressing. And lots of water and seltzer with lime and a diet Coke, I think. And coffee. Black, just with Splenda. The way I've finally adjusted to drinking it.

DH and I talked and laughed and had a wonderful time over that dinner....because I WASN'T fixated on 'what could I eat next', instead I fixated on HIM and on our conversation, and it was LOVELY.  Just a lovely, lovely evening. We talked and laughed and afterwards went for a walk....it was great.

At times, little twinges entered into my brain....but that's all they were. Tiny twinges. That dissipated VERY quickly. Urges don't last forever, you know. And when you're busy and involved....like you usually are on vacation....they are even shorter in duration!  After all, you've got so many other things to DO!  So many distractions if you look around. So many ways to HAVE FUN that do NOT involve eating or drinking off plan. 

It's up to you....whether you decide to STAY OP, or GO OFF PLAN, but I recommend that regardless of what you do, DECIDE. The WORST time was the first...when I 'wasn't sure' what I wanted to do!  Because I spent the entire time afterwards wondering IF I should eat or 'not'. And then feeling bad because I did.  At least when I decided to go off, I knew what I wanted. I wouldn't recommend that either, because like I said it led to an eating binge AND it's not as easy to get back OP as you may be telling youself (this is important to remember!).....but at least I had a PLAN.

When you fail to plan, you plan to FAIL.

TRY planning to stay OP....plan it out, bring your meals, and see if you can do it. Don't tempt yourself overmuch....concentrate on the PEOPLE and the PLACE .... make sure you drink plenty of water and eat your MF meals on time (nothing like a bar to take the edge off when you realize it's been 4 hours! gasp! No WONDER you're salivating over that 'whatever it is' piece of sludge over there)....but I think you'll surprise yourself.

I know someone who went to Puerto Rico and all her favorite fried, sludgey foods were there waiting for her....that was an area she was familiar with because she had family there...and she STAYED OP. 

I know someone else who went on a whirlwind European vacation for weeks....lots of places to go, things to do...and STAYED OP. 

And BOTH women will tell you, they had a wonderful time.

Remember, too, the ultimate GOAL we have here. And that is to CHANGE OUR EATING HABITS! 

So if you're planning to change your eating habits 'for good', shouldn't that include vacations?  Shouldn't you be able to find HEALTHY great foods, gourmet foods even, maybe things you can't get at home (like an exotic fish or new veggie)....that ARE OP?

Isn't eating HEALTHY a full time thing?  It should be, right?

We don't say "I want to change my eating habits...but only Monday through Friday."
Or "Only when it's convenient". Or "Unless I'm on vacation".

We do it...hopefully!.....PERMANENTLY so it becomes a part of us. A part of our lives, so we learn how to eat healthy for the rest of our lives and ENJOY IT! 

YOU CAN DO IT! 

Think about it if you've got vacation coming up.....but I submit that you're stronger than you know, and that there ARE alternatives. Make it a challenge, make it a game, but see if you can do it.

I guarantee you, the ego boost ALONE is enough to make you want to do it AGAIN, and AGAIN, and AGAIN...until, lo and behold, you ARE making healthier choices, just as a matter of....HABIT!   (here comes those healthy habits again LOL)....Keep on keepin' on!  And DON'T cave to the craving.