After a week of vacation mid July I certainly had some challenges, but emerged unscathed and stronger in some ways. The beginning of the trip and early in the week I largely stuck with the program/lifestyle. It became difficult as the week progressed both logistically and mentally. I did forgo the walking each day, some of which was partly compensated for with ocean activities.
Driving Saturday ~8 hours and arriving were not a problem. I chose not to eat at any of our stops. I was pleased at my attitude change, that it felt normal not to eat at each stop after a lifetime of always “needing” to eat at every travel stop. I seem to have legitimately embraced that new mentally of eating less frequently. Saturday night was a challenge because of a long day and then to not have established food in the condo yet. At the grocery store I was able to buy mostly good food items, but clearly there was going to be a challenge with temptations purchased by others in our group. We ordered in and I could have made a better choices, but admittedly I was tired and frustrated from a long day and just picked something off the page. It was a burger and onion rings. Far from Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) but was still One Meal a Day (OMAD). I gave myself grace.
Sunday, the challenge that definitely emerged was reliance on others who were cooking dinners for the week as we all took turns. A taco dinner was my OMAD that was ground beef and Velveeta with Rotel tomatoes was definitely a test. I wanted to partake from a social perspective, but interestingly was not drawn to the food itself. The Velveeta really turned me off. I skipped the shells and tried to limit the Velveeta, supplementing with greens we had.
Monday I stuck to the lifestyle and we had dinner out where I happily had a Cobb salad with shrimp as my OMAD. Then the challenges really hit with temptations of birthday cake, ice cream and snacks partaking in some (I thought) limited.
Tuesday dinner was a spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread. Again, I wanted to partake for social reasons and, in this case, I found the food more appealing. That started a spiral. It was crazy the addiction kicking in and feeling I could not stop myself. The sugar and carbs were not satiating and increased hunger thus causing more bad decisions of more carbs and sugar. Over the next couple days I found myself stuffing myself with sugar/carbs, even when I said to myself I really don’t like this or does not make me feel good. This led to eating more often forgoing OMAD and Intermittent Fasting (IF) altogether. As I think about it I cannot accurately recollect when/what I ate the next 2 days.
Wednesday, after undisciplined eating during the day, I attempted to rebound at a dinner out. I chose what I thought was better selection, but regrettably the food was terrible and upon returning to the condo were some more bad decisions.
Thursday the spiral cycle continued with even more temptations of very decadent Duck Donuts someone bought morning fresh. Those really did me in and I continued unbridled snacking, particularly of sugar items, throughout the day. This was topped off with the carb laden dinner prepared that night of homemade mac and cheese.
Friday I steeled myself and regained control. I got up early and went for a walk to clear my head, thinking how I was not feeling well from what I ate both physically and mentally. I had a McDonald’s iced coffee with light liquid sugar (substitute for my typical Wawa) and had water all day. Dinner was “Frankenstein” to use up what we had in the condo before leaving Saturday. I stayed LCHF with eggs, avocado, salsa, and salad. I skipped the corned beef hash that was part of the meal offering.
Saturday we departed and I again easily chose not to eat at any of our stops. Upon arriving at home, after unpacking, I got back to walking and did 3 miles around the neighborhood. I was back to OMAD having avocado, 2 eggs, salad, 2 grilled burger patties for dinner.
Sunday morning was moment of truth with a weigh in to assess the situation. I was dreading it. Mustering my will, I told myself I will accept whatever it is and move forward in a positive fashion. Thankfully the scale provided much relief that I had emerged unscathed with no gain, holding steady at 55lbs lost. Now, being back home, I am able to control my situation and routine. Plus, feeling buoyed by the scale, I felt emboldened and motivated. I walked 3 miles that morning and again able to utilize OMAD dinner of avocado, 2 eggs, salad, grilled burger patty, and 2 beef hot dogs.
Monday I use as an “official” weigh-in, despite that I weigh myself every day. The only that thing that makes it “official” is that I say it is. It helps me stay motivated over the weekend knowing I have a weigh-in when I find it harder than during the routine of the week. Weight can vary up to 2-3lbs a day, so picking a specific day of the week helps me see and appreciate the downward trend. I keep a hand written log. I was rewarded this Monday with an additional 2lbs bringing me to 57lbs lost.
Now that I am able to reflect on the last week and having gone through it, I am feeling very confident I will be able to better handle situations like this going forward. I believe I could enjoy the occasional spaghetti and mac & cheese without the spiraling into chaos. I can reflect on how I felt terrible physically and mentally, thus making myself stronger to guard against a relapse.
The next short-term goal is visiting my mother on 12 August. This will keep me motivated for the next couple of weeks. Beyond that I have an appointment to establish a relationship with a holistic doctor in late August.
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