Whenever we go on holiday we all fear a weight gain and if we are in the midst of our weight loss journey a holiday can be a scary time. But a few weeks ago I got a great email from one of the mums on the Lose Baby Weight Plans saying they were going on holiday and did I have some tips.
So I gave her some tips and a few weeks later I got this GREAT email for her weight loss mum of the month entry which I felt I had to share as it really shows how you CAN go and holiday, have fun and LOSE WEIGHT!!!
“This month has BY FAR been the most challenging month I have had to date since starting on my weight loss journey… even outweighing (pardon the pun) December which was packed with the usual Christmas and New Year celebrations… and during which I gained weight (for the first and only time since starting on my weight loss journey) L
March saw me travel overseas on a family holiday for 2 whole weeks. I was soooo excited to go on holidays, but soooo nervous about what it would mean to my weight loss journey.
At the beginning of March, I was just feeling like I was getting CONFIDENT with my weight loss routine and will power and I felt like it was all working really well.
It was the first time in a really long time that I felt like I was reaching a balance and that I was IN CONTROL. I felt like I was doing what I WANTED to do and it was WORKING and I didn’t feel as though I constantly had this weight loss ‘guilt’ hanging over my head. By ‘weight loss guilt’ I mean about worrying if I was doing the right thing, eating the right thing, exercising enough, depriving myself etc…. you know, the ‘battle’ that I always seemed to be having with myself about what I thought I wanted (ie eating whatever I liked and doing no exercise) vs what I thought I should be doing (calorie control and exercise) was going away and it finally felt like what I thought I should be doing and what I wanted to do were becoming one and the same thing….. which was a MASSIVE mind shift for me.
It felt like it had become my way of life…. (I have to say that that had a LOT to do with YOU and the www.losebabyweight.com.au program including the daily tips, ongoing support etc) At the beginning of March, I had NEVER felt more motivated and determined.
So – whilst I had this new found confidence and inner peace (I know that sounds corny) about what I was doing, I was so concerned about going overseas and removing myself from all of my weight loss support structures and tools that I had worked hard to set up around myself and change my mindset about. I honestly thought I was going to come massively unstuck. I wondered if I would be strong enough to have a good holiday and enjoy time with my family (which usually involves dinners out, cocktails, ice creams etc) but not let all my hard weight loss work go completely out of the window.
I decided to prepare myself for what I considered to be the ‘worst’ and prepare for my first weight gain since the dreaded Christmas/New Year week. I told myself that as long as I was still in the 70’s (ie did not weigh more than 80kg) when I got back that I would be happy. That allowed me a weight gain of just over 2kg. It was not something I WANTED, but I was resigned to the fact that it was probably inevitable, based on my knowledge of my past holiday behaviours.
I decided that even though I was going to allow myself a few indulgences on holidays (and prepare for what I considered to be an inevitable GAIN), that I was going to TRY to regulate myself re food intake and also do some exercise (both things I had never done before on holidays).
So here’s what I did:
- I chatted with Rhian at losebabyweight.com.au BEFORE I went to get some tips and tricks to prepare myself for the trip and minimise the blow outs whilst I was on holidays
- I checked in with my losebabyweight.com.au daily tips as much as possible, to try to help me keep in mind my new program and avoid old habits creeping back
- I took my Portland Get Fit sneakers and walked for an hour plus every other day (the walk along the beachfront early in the morning was so beautiful and a GREAT start to the day) on top of incidental holiday walking
- I did one shake a day in place of breakfast (when I usually do two replacements a day) – I missed my blender enormously. It’s not the same in a shaker and without fruit and ice, but I did it anyway.
- I kept up the green tea in take – either hot or ‘iced’ in a water bottle and on the go
- I had nuts and fruit on hand for snacks and even chopped celery sticks to have with low fat hommus – yikes!! Holiday snacks are normally chips, dips, chocolate and lollies….
- I did have a few naughty meals out and naughty snacks – it is sooo hard not to when there are so many different foods to eat that we don’t get here and your entire family is eating out enjoying all their meals unrestricted, but unlike normal holidays it was not every meal, every day.
And whilst I had prepared to ‘allow’ myself a 2kg gain over the two weeks, I actually LOST 600g. I was SO happy about that!
I mean, I realise that a 600g loss in 2 weeks is not something to celebrate, generally speaking, but for me it was an enormous achievement in challenging circumstances.
So whilst I was expecting March to be a DISASTER, despite all my challenges and thanks to losebabyweight.com.au I have still managed to lose 2.7kg and 7.5cm… not a bad outcome and it proves that you CAN go on holidays and have a great time AND lose weight…
Thanks Rhian!”
What a great story – and thank you Kelly for letting me share!!
