huge setback!

I just got back from a 2 week long vacation during which i completely let go and haven't been keeping with my healthy lifestyle. i ate and drank a lot on this trip, and not very nutritiously---though it is mostly the drinking where i went way overboard. I was also incredibly dehydrated for most of the trip because we could only drink bottled water which was not always at hand. So now i'm back, feeling really disgusted with myself, and feeling really excited to get back to my healthy habits. I'm feeling discouraged though because i stepped on the scale today for the first time in 2 weeks and I've gained 6.5 pounds! Before my vacation, I had lost 11 pounds total... and now i'm halfways back to where i started! I can point to a hundred things I did wrong on my vacation, but I can't change them now, so what i'd like to know is where should I go from here? Any advice for getting back into the swing of things? Also... with how poorly I ate on my trip, it's feasible that I may have gained that much in 2 weeks... but do you think there's any possibility that some of it is water weight from my body's holding onto water because of dehydration? Also, I am on my period this week which usually causes me to gain weight. Did I really gain 6.5 pounds, or could a good portion of this be from the water and the period factors?

Thanks!

I gained 6 pounds at Xmas/New Years and lost it with in a week.  Give your body a chance to move salt and the physical weight of what you had over your trip and then see where you're at.  If doesn't drop off right away though you'll get it off and more.

BUT!

It wasn't a setback, it was a VACATION!  You went and it sounds like you had a great time and now you are back at it.  Nothing went wrong you had a good time, it is what vacations are for.

I hope you enjoyed the heck out of it...did you bring us anything back?

Everybody keeps doing this! Doesn't anybody ever learn? I mean, I'm sure we've all read these posts before. How come nobody ever says "Gosh, that's awful. I'm not gonna do that!"? There is no going off your "diet" if you're on the right "program." There is no "cheating" no craving, no nothin' if you're doing it right. I'm not trying to single you out -- it's just that everybody KEEPS doing this. It's like they just don't care. Well, if you play you pay ... :/ When people mess it up like this, they know it's wrong, but they just want someone to tell them it's ok. Makes them feel less guilty I suppose ...

Hey alayney, thank you for being a big support to your fellow members.  You are wonderful for sharing so.

Don't panic, just get straight back on track, try to get past the cravings that you are bound to feel now that you have given your body all the junk food again.  perhaps a little bit more effort at the gym, or a lunchtime walk.......... your weight will come off again.  Congratulations on your loss so far!!

i'm in the same boat as you right now.  i was on the road for a week and it started out really great with us eating healthy brown bagged meals and snacks.  Then we went out and had some tequila shots and before i knew it i was ordering a plate of fries of my very own (i usually would steal a few from someone elses plate - it doesn't count then right?  haha).  For the rest of the trip we induged way more than i normally would.  The scale says i've gained about 5 pounds (i'm now 12 lbs away from my goal instead of 7) which sucks the big one. 

But what's done is done.  I guess the only thing you can do is get right back on the wagon.  Get back to regular exercising and eating healthy.  Sometimes what helps me regroup and refocus is to go over my short and long term fitness/health goals.  Indulging on a temporary basis won't kill your plan, but not getting back to your healthy habits might do some damage.  Don't freak out about the weight gain - it's only temporary - you'll get back to where you were before you  know it. 

julie

I just came off of a bad weekend.  The key is to brush yourself off and get back with the program.  I wouldn't beat yourself up, some of it is likely water, maybe even 3 lbs or so.  It will come off pretty quickly.  You can also think about what to do differently on your next vacation.  It sounds like the alcohol was the main issue so maybe work on limiting that in the future.  That doesn't mean cutting it out.  But if you drink say 20 beers a day (my brothers actually do drink this much on our family trips) cut back to a more reasonable amount, say 6, or 10 if that doesn't work.  You'll kill your liver drinking that much anyway.  I don't personally enjoy drinking all day, so I'll start to join in around dinner time.  I end up having 4 at the most that way.

Ouch alayney....that is not what I call very supportive.  You are entitled to your opinion but putting other people down for their questions and inquiries is not what I consider encouraging.  I challenge everyone on this site to be supportive and helpful, let's build people up; not break them down.

Awigen, it could be a combo of water weight from too much sodium,  TTOM weight, and a little bit of vacation weight gain. Definetly wait a few days before freaking out over this: whenever I travel by plane, my weight dips upwards for a few days after my return. I blame the salty airplane snacks. :-)

With that said, to gain 6.5 lbs of fat, you'd have to have eaten 1625 calories over your maintenance allowance each day of your two-week vacation. If you were drinking all day long, and eating high-fat and sugary foods, this actually isn't all that hard to do!

I feel your pain because last April I went to Mexico for one week, an all-inclusive resort. We couldn't drink the water for fear of getting sick, so we ended up drinking sugary alcohol drinks all day long on the beach so we wouldn't dehydrate. (Yeah, I know, I didn't need the alcohol... but it was *vacation* for pete's sake, hee hee). And I gained big-time. I'm short and I don't normally drink sodas or juices or anything like that because if I do, I gain rapidly. I can't afford the excess calories from such drinks. Then add alcohol into them... ugh. The food itself wasn't an issue: portions were small and I didn't snack at all, in fact, I skipped breakfast most days. So it was the drinking that did me in! Not to mention the lack of exercise, since all we did was lie around on a beach towel all day soaking up the sun.

Alayney has a point. However, I will add that this is supposed to be a lifestyle, and you know what?? If I go on vacation, I want to be able to indulge. Okay so even if you did gain 6.5 lbs, if you get right back on the wagon again, what really counts is what you do the other 50 weeks in the year... not these two vacation weeks.  So what if by end of year you've only lost 10 lbs instead of 16.5 lbs??? In the grand scheme of things, you're still making out better than if you had treated all 52 weeks like a vacation, right?

wow alayney...not supportive AT ALL!! so negative...... i guess its cool that you dont have cravings or miss your fav foods....you may be one the lucky ones who enjoys eatting healthy foods all the time, etc etc....most arent (like me :D)...im of the belief that if you are on vacation....you can indulge..and not feel guilty about it....its not even a huge set back...the gain is probably mostly water weight anyway...

just because its not your way doesnt mean you can scold anybody for enjoying themselves....all this person was asking is for advice, not for a lecture....

arg.

OP - im glad you enjoyed your vaca!!! lord knows i need one :D haha...like i said and everybody else mostly..its probably mostly water weight...give it a week drinking plenty of water :D

Whatever happened to "If you don't have anything nice to say don't say it at all"?  Geez, if you don't like the post then ignore it.

On the other hand, as said previous - it is mostly waterweight and just get back on track and put it behind you.  Give yourself a big hug and all will be right with the world.  It is only food......

Does everyone in here always have to agree on everything??  alayney made her point and it was what she feels.  Not an attack, just an opinion.  That is what discussion boards are for.  I personally think mfchill's sarcastic comment was rude but thats their opinion as well.  This is a discussion baord, people are entitled to their opinion whether you agree or not. 

There are plenty of healthy foods to eat on vacation.  I am going on a cruise in a week and plan to keep eating the way i have been.  This is supposed to be a life style change and if someone is still induldging for 2 weeks, that change has not yet been made.   Cheating for a meal or two is one thing, but a long vacation without concern for what your eating is another.   Just my opinion

An eating plan that you can stick with for life allows for vacations, at least in my plan it does. You know how to lose weight, as is apparent by your 11 pound loss (fabulous!) so you'll get right back on it. I'm willing to bet that at least half the weight gained is from water.
For me, a lifestyle change doesn't necessarily mean that you won't splurge on vacation. It's about compromise, and getting right back on schedule once the vacation is over. I think habits like only picking healthy foods, even while going out for every meal while on vacation, take years (or at the very least months) to develop.
I don't consider it cheating, as long as you get back on your plan. I consider it compromise.

Hi awigen...

I'm with you on the current weight-add instead of weight-loss. I just let things get out of control for a couple of weeks (ok, a month...) and am trying to get back now.

I'm starting today!

I think that's all you can do...

(Oh, and I'm with you on the period weight gain too. Horrible, isn't it?)

Good luck and it's good to hear you had fun on your trip!

I just got back from vacation and ate and drank whatever I felt like eating and drinking while I was gone - I got on a medical scale at the hotel gym on Monday after a much needed workout and lost 2 pounds from when I left - complete SHOCK - I was drinking like 10 alcoholic beverages per day while away - 7 days (I don't drink at home) and eating cheesecake and creamy pasta etc. etc.  But we'll see what my gym's scale says today when I go (first day back) - I'll update you all.

Airports are also a good place to get some exercise - don't use a cart and haul all your luggage around yourself - that's what I did for two days of travel.

If it makes you feel any better I ate an entire boatload of food yesterday to celebrate my return to home - including 2 helpings of pasta and an entire medium pizza from Domino's - bad Jennifer.

We all binge - it's called being human - just jump back on the cardio bandwagon when you get home and it'll be all in the past in a few weeks.

Oooh, yeah, I love being able to eat whatever on vacation! But it's hard to get back on the wagon when I return. I tend to over-analyze overeating, calling it a binge and labeling myself constantly and getting super-anxious. Then, once I realize I'm in control and always was, I can finally breathe and get back into the swing of things. :-)

Good luck and don't sweat it. You'll lose the weight (heck, it's probably mostly water weight.) :-D

It's probably a bit of water wieght and I usually gain a couple lbs cause of TTOM. But then I usually drop one or two plus the extra when I get off of TTOM. hopefully that will happen for you too. But you still need to get back on track. I hope you had a good time!

Ok...I think Alayney could have worded it a little better, but had a  valid point, in certain respects. But lets face it - overindulging is something everyone does at some point or another. And not just with food. Who hasnt ate too much? Or spent too much money? Or had one too many drinks? Etc etc. And we all know at the time we shouldnt do it because it could have a negative impact on us somehow. But we do it, because we are human. We are not perfect. We make mistakes. I think we 'fess up, mostly in hopes that someone WILL tell us its going to be ok. Yes, we feel guilty, sad, mad, disappointed etc. Who doesnt when they make a mistake?

And as long as you learn from that mistake, it is OK. As long as you dont let this little "vacation from healthy eating" set you on a downward sprial on unhealthy eating, its OK. So lets say you eat in a healthy manner 90% of the time and you exercise...I really think your bosd is going to forgive that 10% of the time when you choose to have 2 slices of greasy pizza or you have an extra glass glass of wine or whatever it is you might overindulge in. Do you really think that every single thin person or uber healthy person doesnt cut up once in awhile. I highly doubt it. And alayney - I really think that no matter what "program" your on, everyone gets a craving once in awhile. I have thin friends/athletic friends/friends who eat healthy to the max - and they all get that occasional craving. And you know what - they DO NOT beat themselves up over it when they give in. The difference between them and most overeaters? They have one of the little bags of chips, not the half or even a whole bag of chips, like most of us overeaters or bingers do.

To wrap up this long post...awigen - yes, you overindulged and yes now you are paying for it. That what making mistakes and learning from them are all about. But that doesnt mean give up! You are doing a great job, regardless of any stumbling blocks. As long as you realize it was a temporary indulgence and continue on with eating as healthy as possible, it will all be ok. And next time Im sure you will find a better combination of eating healthy AND letting loose a little and next time you come back from vacation, that scale wont make you beat yourself up over it! =)