SAY NO TO VACATION WEIGHT GAIN

For as long as I can remember taking vacations I’ve always dreaded stepping on the scale when I got home.  Not anymore!  I’ve now proven to myself that it’s very possible to go on vacation, and a cruise no less, without post-trip weight gain and that “blah” feeling. My cruise in October was 7-nights to the Caribbean with Carnival Cruise Line with five ports of call.  This was my first cruise vacation and after all the weight I had been successful at shedding, I was nervous about how I could stay true to my food plan and avoid gaining.

Perhaps what I learned can help others maneuver through a cruise and travel without suffering when they return home.

First is figuring out how to get food close to your plan and meal times when traveling by air and avoid resorting to snacks and vending machine style foods. The first leg of my trip included long flights from the Midwest to Newark, and then on to San Juan.  My plans included eating my normal breakfast, and then having a modest salad lunch with protein at the airport before boarding. Then during the lay-over I had a marvelous seafood stew which set me up well for the night even though we didn’t arrive at our hotel until 2am.   A great mantra in these situations is to remember that hunger is not an emergency!

On the day I had to return home I again had my normal breakfast, but the food choices at the San Juan airport were more limited.  My solution was to share an entrée with my travel companion and eat the portions of it that were appropriate for my food plan. A bigger challenge was getting an evening meal in when my layover was just a few minutes, but I there was a little convenience store that sold packaged salads and fruit so I chose a bean salad that had a few greens in it and an apple.  I ate these after boarding the plane, and I was able to stay satisfied with that until I got home about 10pm.  Obviously a good strategy might be to pack a meal or two to take along, but I wanted to avoid this for a few reasons. First is that I don’t like eating in an airplane seat as it just doesn’t feel like I’m having a meal. Second is I want to keep the stuff I need to keep track of and worry about dragging onto the plane at a minimum. 

Unique salad of beets, grapefruit, radishes and a sprinkle of blue cheese did not need the creamy dressing 

On the cruise I’d advise you eat most of your meals in the formal dining room rather than at the plentiful buffets.  I even ate most of my breakfasts in the formal dining room where it was easy to navigate the mostly al-a-carte menu to put together just the right combination of protein, a half-bowl of oatmeal for a grain and a great selection of fresh fruits. The dinner menu in the formal dining room was a little different each night but always included at least one appetizer, or “starter” item, that was compliant with my food plan including some totally amazing salads of unique combinations. The wait staff was generally versed in how the salads were dressed so I could avoid sugar and too much oil; balsamic dressing was always an option, and some salads didn’t actually need any dressing at all.  

The entrée portions were generally reasonable or even a little small which worked perfectly for me. I had a different meal every evening.  I ate lot of seafood and fish including salmon, sea bass, scallops and large shrimp, and I would estimate the portions to weigh in between 4-6oz of protein. Most entrees included at least a nod to vegetables but often the portions were comically small so I almost always had to ask for an additional portion plus order a side vegetable such as green beans off the menu.  If the entrée had potatoes or rice I asked the staff to leave it off, and if they failed to I just pushed it aside. Desserts?  Of course the menu included some interesting and decadent choices!  Yes, I did look at the menu and twice on the trip I did order fresh fruit as a dessert, but most nights I just sat back and enjoyed another glass of iced tea. Overall my dinners were fabulous, and it was very enjoyable to have someone else prepare, serve and clean up afterwards!

While there are healthy options at the buffets such as the “build your own omelet” bar at breakfast and the Mongolian stir-fry at lunch, you do need to pay attention to quantities and cooking methods.  Watching other omelets being made I realized that the chefs were using the equivalent of three eggs and sizeable portions of cheese, but they just coated the pan with cooking spray rather than using added oil. When it was my turn I asked to have less eggs and two pinches of cheese (which gave the chef a chuckle after he understood what I meant).  At the stir-fry bar I was able to fill a bowl with a combination of vegetables I liked and avoided the dollops of sauces that most always are laden with both oil and sugar.  But when I ate the finished meal I was surprised how greasy it was. Later I learned they cooked the stir-fry in oil unless you ask them to use broth instead.

I also tend to avoid buffets because it’s way too easy to end up with more than you need on your plate and to over-eat.  Even if I’m able to scope out the offerings at the buffet ahead of grabbing and filling a plate, I run into trouble, ending up with too much veggies or choosing a side dish that looked compliant with my food plan only to find it tasted sweet, included hidden items like raisins, or was very oily. And having to wait in a line and having so many people behind you grabbing and reaching seems to fuel my angst at getting through the buffet smartly.  A few tips for the buffet are to stick to the one-plate rule and one trip only, realize that you might pick up something that ultimately you won’t eat so it’s best to fill the bulk of your plate with known items such as salad or steamed veggies, and go up to the buffet to check out all the options so you can plan what you’re going to take to form your meal.

When on a cruise you can make a call to the kitchen to ask a few questions.  This is how I learned how the stir-fries were being made and what accommodations I could ask for. Even when I had to ask a lot of questions of the waitstaff I felt they were always patient and accommodating.

Mufungo in San Juan at a local cafe

I was always successful at not snacking, even when it meant passing up an opportunity to try a sample of something such as traditional sugar cake on the island of St. Kitt’s.  But I did eat a few lunches in the ports and was anxious to try the local cuisine like this Shrimp Mufungo made with mashed plantains that I shared with my travel companion.  Did I feel I was missing out sometimes?  Sure, a little, but I kept reminding myself how far I’ve come to screw up now!

If you have strategies to be successful sticking to a healthy eating plan on vacation please share them since I plan on going on many more trips now that I know I can do it and avoid suffering weight set-backs.

I Won $2,565 By Losing Weight

Look at that check!  

I found a way to make real money by doing something I should and need to do anyway.

I'm busy spending this on a special event for myself, but soon I'll provide more details about how I ended up getting this really sweet paycheck of $2,565 for losing 65lbs in 8 months in 2016.

And most importantly, how you can get a paycheck of your own!

Too Big To Exercise

For many years I held this belief.  The thought of going to a gym or exercise class was horrifying. There would be other people there, and what would they think seeing me there?  

How about biking?  I was sure I was too big for a bike seat. I wouldn’t be able to pedal a bike with enough speed to keep from tipping over, and even if I could manage it I was sure they didn't make a bike sturdy enough to sustain my weight.  

Although swimming was an activity I truly enjoyed as a child until I hit the self-conscious teen years, I was certain I would never swim again in my life because I'd rather be caught dead than in a bathing suit.  Not even my children saw me in a swim suit in the privacy of our own backyard with the sprinkler going.  

Around age 20 I enjoyed canoeing and even owned a canoe.  But now?  What a sight that would be, and who would be brave enough to even try it with me?

Although I loved flowers and talking gardening with others, I couldn't kneel and regain my footing again to actually do any. Besides, I didn't want to be seen stooping with my huge rear end stuck up in the air!  Even taking a walk around my neighborhood seemed like something I should not subject other people to seeing.  This old joke totally applied to me:  If you see me running you'd best be running, too, because there's something scary chasing us!

It was spring around the time I had lost about 30 pounds, and having just moved into new townhouse a few weeks earlier I wanted to check out the neighborhood's park which couldn't be reached by car.  So I set out to find the park but headed back home winded and aching legs and ankles after going just a few blocks.  But back at home in my recliner I decided feeling the sun and gentle spring breeze on my skin was pleasant, and I would try to reach the park in a few days.  I'm not sure what was motivating me, but the third time I set out I reached the park and sat on a bench by the sandbox area; I was worried though about my legs carrying me all the way back home.  And little by little I’d get out walking over my lunch hour or before dinner so that by fall of that year I could consistently make a one-mile loop through my neighborhood.

One day I met a fellow over-weight friend for lunch, and she was excited about going on a beach vacation planned and paid for by her grandparents as a small family reunion.  Surprised, I said "How can you go to a beach like that and not swim in the ocean?"  She understood what I meant immediately and carefully responded that regardless of her size she was not going to miss the opportunity to swim in the ocean.  "I know you're thinking about what my family will all say, but I've decided not to care."  She was brave, followed through, and seemed to really enjoy the vacation.  

I think that was the turning point where I began mulling over in my head the dilemma of being too fat to participate in activities that would actually help me feel better and perhaps even lose weight.   Other people would see me, and what would they say?  But I started noticing more and more large-sized people engaged in outdoor activities and felt a little envious. Maybe I, too, could care a little bit less about what others thought of me.  And exactly who were "they" anyway?

That winter I started having a personal trainer come to my house once weekly.  This was a huge step but I started to feel stronger and more confident within weeks.  I kept it up, and also added an indoor fitness bike in my TV room, riding it in 5-minute stints that turned into 30 minutes within a few months.

Next spring I hit the sidewalks and trails again, and then by mid-summer I was successful at walking the two miles to my office and asking someone to give me a ride home afterwards.  I started to listen to podcasts, TedTalks or audio books which added to the experience.  

Mid-summer I had the idea to find a three-wheeled bike and strangely enough, the first specialty bike shop I called had one!  Bill's Bicycle Shop in St. Paul had a used trike with electric assist, alleviating some of my fears that I wouldn’t be able to handle hills or would tire too quickly to get myself home. It was hard to pedal but before too many tries I was able to ride it around a loop in my neighborhood to visit garage sales and even to the grocery store and back (the back basket came in handy!)

I often had to remind myself to hold my head up and cut short the voices in my head cat-calling and tsk-tsking about what an obese woman looked like out trying these activities.  Many times I’d hear people make judgmental comments as I walked by, but the shouts out of car windows while I was riding my trike were the worst. Some days those voices would get the better of me, and I'd decide to stay in, but often enough I went ahead anyway and soon found it getting easier and easier to not care what I looked like when others saw me.  Instead I felt some pride that at least I was doing something with a semblance of healthiness to it. 

For the past two summers I’ve walked two miles to and from work several times per week or to a store or restaurant.  And I’ve rekindled my love of swimming and am grateful my townhome community has a wonderful pool just blocks away. Last summer I upgraded my trike to a two-wheeler and can ride an invigorating six miles.  I participate in a small group fitness class once a week with a 3Click Fitness trainer and really miss it if my schedule doesn’t allow it.  And I went canoeing twice with my kids in August-- so cool!

It’s all been so worth it.  Since losing so much weight (159lbs now) I'm naturally more active and love it.  When I don’t get active on a daily basis I feel like my day is lacking.  And most of the time I don't even think about the fact that I'm exercising-- I'm just out enjoying the day, relaxing, or getting from one place to another.  Has this activity helped me lose weight?  Yes, I think so. But equally important are the other benefits that include increased strength and stamina, stress relief, and sunnier moods.