Back To The Real World

I have been on vacation.  It was a vacation from life, vacation from work and a vacation from my diet.  My daughter and her friends were on spring break from their various colleges so we planned a girls trip to the beach with moms and daughters.  Now I am back from my very relaxing week and headed back to the the real world. 

For the most part I was careful on my vacation when it came to eating.  I was thoughtful about what I ate but I did not restrict myself.  I was at the beach so it was easy to do seafood.  I was the cook all week so I was able to control what I ate and how it was prepared.  I used a lot of Cooking Light recipes that everyone could enjoy and they all loved the food I made.  The few times we ate out, I passed up the Cheeseburger in Paradise and went for the grilled fish with steamed veggies.  I ate steamed shrimp but also enjoyed baked oysters.  I stepped out of bounds on occasion but it was a conscious choice.  I ate dessert and I drank some pina coladas and had a few beers and enjoyed some chips and dip.  

But the difference during this trip was I made the dessert and only made enough for one day rather than every day.  I had a few chips and some dip rather than a bag of chips and a container of dip.  I had one pina colada instead of the whole blender full.  I shared an order of fries rather than getting my own.  I brought my hula hoops and hooped on the beach.  We went for a walk.  I made an effort to stay moving rather than just sitting in a beach chair or on the couch.

But I will not be getting on the scales for a couple of weeks.  I don’t feel like I gained, more likely I maintained.  But because I reached a milestone of 50 pounds the week before I left for vacation, I don’t want to get wrapped up in the number on the scale or the inevitable guilt that might result.  I don’t do guilt and I don’t need it affecting my progress.  The next time I weigh, it will be a lower number than the last time.

Tomorrow I will be back to food tracking and wearing the bodybugg and attending dance classes and moving my butt more.  I am excited to be back to my routine.  I am thankful for the time I had with my daughter and her friends and my friends.  But I love my routine of healthy choices and focused effort to make changes in my life.  I really don’t want go back to my old way of living.  I like things the way they are now.  I have learned so much and have come so far.  And I have a really long way to go so I know I can take a vacation and come right back and stay on track.

It was a good week.