You have set a weight goal. 
One challenge is how to stay on track when you are on the road. It can be vacation, a one day travel to visit friends or family, or doing your business and have meetings, client appointment and errands. What to eat?
My story: Steve and I drove two hours to visit his father and see his two sisters last Sunday. One sister was visiting from North Carolina. We had a wonderful visit on a beautiful fall day. The foliage was almost at its best. So we decided to visit Clifton Gorge on our way home. It took us a little longer to find it as the entrance is on one side and Siri was unclear where to direct us. We finally arrived. After our picture taking, it was 7PM and getting dark. Home was 1 ½ hours away. We were hungry now. And eating after 8:30 is just not a good idea anytime. So Siri to the rescue. We chose the Hibachi Buffet. There would be no waiting for food so we could eat and be on our way. The choices were terrific and the food tasted great. Problem: When eating at a buffet I feel I need to eat my money’s worth, and I was hungry from our active day. Good thing: My stomach has shrunk so I am eating smaller portions. Dilemma: Food choice and portion size. Who won? My old self. I did make healthy selections of food, but I also ate too much of a good thing, including very small pieces of 3 desserts. Results: The food was yummy. I got my money’s worth. The price of buffet was very reasonable. We were on the road in 40 minutes.
Monday morning. Ouch! The scales told me the results of my one meal food binge. I gained 3 pounds. Do you see how easy that was to do? Have you attended a wedding, graduation, or a party and thought “one day won’t matter,” or “I’ll eat very light all day so I can eat at the selected event.” Guilt: I was so close to reaching my weight goal for this month. Do you realize it is so much easier to put on the pounds than to take them off? For example it takes over 60 minutes of activity (like brisk walking)* to burn off just the 260 calories of snack bar. And oh my gosh, when I add up all I ate at the Buffet, there are not enough hours in a few days to accomplish this.
So after 5 days, I have released two pounds. I have been logging what I am eating and have exercised faithfully every day. By day 7, I am now back to even. Three pounds are gone thanks to exercise and clean eating.
Commitment. Are you like me? Your mind knows what to do, but your stomach takes over? So rather than beating yourself up here are a few steps to take the next time you go somewhere where there is unlimited food.
- Be sure to exercise this day as it increases your metabolism for hours afterwards.
- Decide ahead of time how you will eat.
- Visualize what your food choices will look like on the plate.
- It is ok not to eat everything on your plate.
- After eating wait thirty minutes before a second helping. It takes your stomach about that long to let your brain know you are full. Amazing what a little patience can do for your daily eating plan.
- Plan to take some food home with you. If that is appropriate. That is the advantage of going to a restaurant. You can ask for a to-go box and take food off your plate before you even start eating. Bonus: you have food for another meal already cooked and ready to go. You have kept to your diet plan on your food portions. And this second meal is free!
- Have some desserts or food you don’t eat on a regular basis. It is ok to eat without guilt. You have planned for this. You may also have eaten fewer calories for a few days ahead to allow for your party foods. Remember vegetables and fruit are the perfect foods to eat, and I love that the calorie value is low.
- Drink water 30 minutes before your meal, so you have lowered your hunger level.
- Shakeology to the rescue. Take in a thermos. You can drink some of this before eating and it takes the edge off your cravings.
- Have fun at the party!
What worked? What did not? What’s next?
Weigh yourself the next day. Review what you did. What are your action steps going to be for the coming week?
Personally, I am proud that I have released the three pounds in 7 days. I have kept to my exercise routine and eating plan (with a few poor choices). I have had my daily Shakeology drink. Yep, I am far from perfect in this weight loss journey. I have lost the same ten pounds over and over. But this time my story is different. I am committed to my goal weight. I track my measurements. How will you know you have improved if you don’t this?
As your health savvy advocate, I have a plan just for you that can help you become fit for life so that you can live the life that you desire. You can check out my Facebook page, www.facebook.com/activehealthylifestyles as well as my website www.activehealthylifestyles to get to know me better. I can make a difference in your health goal of fitness. Ask me about “The Plan.”
*Here’s a website that calculates your activity, your body weight and calories burned. www.myfitnesspal.com/en/exercise/lookup
