How to Stay Loyal to Your Weight Loss Goals on Vacation

The Reality…
Has this ever happened to you?  You have a plan to lose weight and you’re doing great, but then vacation time arrives!  As excited as you are to go on vacation, you fear you will lose the momentum you have achieved with your weight loss thus far, and worse, you fear you will gain weight and be discouraged to continue your efforts after vacation. The reality is that it’s hard to maintain a weight loss plan while you are on vacation, but there are strategies you can implement to combat the challenge.
The Challenge…
While vacation plans can involve physical activity, they often time also include lots of eating and drinking.  And more importantly, they take you (and your body) off your usual routine, which includes whatever you have decided to incorporate in terms of diet, exercise and stress management techniques to achieve weight loss.  How will your weight loss plan and your vacation peacefully co-exist?  The key is to plan in advance rather than make decisions on impulse during vacation.  There is no wrong decision so long as it is made in advance with your long-term goals in mind.  And for sure, you must abandon any thoughts that going on vacation will spell the end of your weight loss journey.  Below are a few options for you to consider in advance of your vacation. 
The Solution…
1.     Creating a Deficit.  I recently took a vacation to Peru, and I LOVE Peruvian food.  Needless to say, my advance planning involved creating a deficit for myself so that I could indulge in the local cuisine without feeling totally guilty about it.  So, what do I mean by “creating a deficit”?  My usual exercise routine includes daily walks and a weekly salsa lesson, and more intense cardiovascular exercise three times a week.  I also enjoy a relatively relaxed eating routine, meaning that I eat healthy most days, but I also indulge in dessert a couple of times a week and take in the calories and sugar of the occasional alcoholic beverage.  In the two weeks leading up to my vacation, I increased the number of intense cardiovascular workouts and I passed on all dessert and high caloric or sugary drinks.  By doing this, I created a deficit that I was able to use to offset a little extra vacation eating (and drinking…. Has anyone ever tasted a Pisco Sour??  Yummy, but not the best choice while trying to lose weight!)  It only took two days post-vacation to work off the two pounds I gained while intensely enjoying my travel to Peru.
2.     Incorporate Physical Activity into Your Vacation Plans.  Another way to stay on track with your weight loss plan while on vacation is to plan for some form of daily (or at least frequent) exercise.  In reality, we should have more time for exercise while on vacation than we do when we are at home juggling work, home and other commitments.  The key is to plan it out in advance so that your vacation schedule isn’t so jam packed that you can’t fit it in.  Also, be sure to bring whatever gear will need to make sure it actually happens, such as exercise bras, clothing and shoes.  Using Peru as an example, I knew we would be doing a lot of hiking and walking tours, so the time I needed to spend in the hotel gym was limited.  With advance planning, I was able to fit in some form of exercise each day, which definitely helped limit my overall weight gain during vacation.
3.     Be Intentional with Your Food and Drink Intake.  The truth is you can stay dedicated to your diet while on vacation if you choose to do so.  Even if you make a conscious decision not to be completely on point with your eating and drinking, the track is to be intentional with the specifics of how you will indulge.  As an example, one of my clients who enjoys frequent vacations with her husband makes a conscious choice in advance, depending upon where she is with her current weight, as to how many alcoholic beverages she will enjoy during the vacation, and in how many desserts she will indulge.  She also makes a commitment not to eat beyond the point of feeling full regardless of how much food remains on her plate and how much “free food” is made available.   She only gained a half pound on her last vacation, and she was thrilled since she usually gained on average at least 5 pounds per trip.  She also reported feeling completely satisfied as to food and drink for the entire trip, even though she is now indulging a lot less than she used to while traveling.   
4.     Put Your Weight Loss Plan on Hold During Vacation.  Last but not least, you can make a conscious decision to be lazy and eat like a glutton while on vacation if you choose to do so.  And that is entirely your decision to make.  Of course, the natural consequence of that decision is that you will experience a delay in reaching your weight loss goals, which is fine so long as you are making the decision in advance rather than on impulse.  The key is to make a conscious choice in advance about how you will handle diet and exercise (and stress management if you’re one who experiences stress with travel).  With that said, part of your advance decision making must include a commitment to yourself to get back on track the day following the end of your vacation. 
The Invitation….
I would love your feedback on this blog or any questions as a comment below! 
   
To get started on a deeper dive into permanent weight loss, click on the calendar below to schedule a FREE mini-session with me.  What do you have to lose but some weight??  

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How to Abandon Your Closet Eating Ways

The Reality…
Closet eating is the act of intentionally eating in solitude the unhealthy foods that are keeping you overweight so that others will not judge what you are putting in your body.  While some overweight people freely consume whatever they desire in front of friends and family, closet eaters feel an unbearable shame in their eating choices and prefer to secretly indulge.  Closet eaters tend to eat healthy foods in front of others, so it may seem to friends and family that their weight challenge must be something outside their control since they seem to be doing all the right things to maintain a healthy weight.  But in reality, they are consuming a lot of unhealthy foods in private that keep them overweight. 
The Challenge…
I had a roommate once who was very overweight.  We routinely made healthy meals together, and also exercised and took walks together, all in an effort to help them lose weight and get healthy.  Nothing seemed to work.  The roommate seemed genuinely confused about why they weren’t losing weight with all the healthy eating and exercise.  They speculated that perhaps some sort of hormonal imbalance was preventing them from losing weight.  One day I found a McDonald’s bag in the outside garbage can and it all made sense to me.  My roommate finally confessed that every time they were in the car alone, they would stop at McDonalds and indulge lots of unhealthy calories in the form of fast food.  Mystery solved.  Our efforts at healthy eating and exercise never stood a chance against the frequent stops at McDonalds.
In the case of my roommate, who was a classic stress eater, there was so much shame involved in the inability to stop overeating that they decided to take it on the “down low.”  What my roommate didn’t understand was that the shame they were feeling about unhealthy eating was just a feeling that came from a thought, and that thought was thought with such repetition, that it eventually became a belief system about weakness and shame and no possibility of every having a healthy body.  Once your mindset becomes fully entrenched in this type of thinking, the results achieved are not too hard to predict. 
The Solution…
The only solution anyone can legitimately offer to someone who is indulges in closet eating is that they must change their thinking about all the factors that are leading them to closet eat:  for example, the thoughts that are making them feel shame and fear of judgment about the unhealthy foods they want to eat, the thoughts that are making them believe it is better to be secretive about unhealthy eating than to make conscious choices to eat healthy and lose weight, and the thoughts that lead them to feel that the indulgence in unhealthy foods is the only thing that will make them feel better about “whatever”.  The starting point for the closet eater to abandon their closet eating ways is to identify what they are thinking when they make the decision to indulge.  Once the closet eater has identified the thoughts they are thinking at the moment they make the decision to go through the drive-through at McDonalds, for example, they can then work toward changing their thoughts and belief systems from disempowering thoughts that are causing them to closet eat and stay overweight to empowering thoughts that will cause them to eat healthy and lose weight.

The bottom line is you implement different strategies to make closet eating less convenient, such as making a commitment to yourself only to eat with others, but the truth is as soon as you are alone and craving you will be right back speaking into the box at McDonalds unless your change your thinking!

The Invitation….
I would love your feedback on this blog or any questions as a comment below! 
   
To get started on a deeper dive into permanent weight loss, click on the calendar below to schedule a FREE mini-session with me.  What do you have to lose but some weight??  

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How to Craft a Healthy Go-To-Can’t-Refuse Meal

The Reality…

There are really only two things you need to know about me to get a glimpse into my soul.  I love, love, love EGGPLANT.  And I love, love, love SHRIMP.   I have been gravitating towards any dish featuring one of those two items for as long as I can remember.   
One day it occurred to me as I pondered my struggles with maintaining a healthy weight that I really actually do love healthy foods, but like many of us who struggle, I realized that my go-to choices in a pinch were typically something sugary or something salty.  And I was ALWAYS making eating choices in a pinch because I NEVER took the time to plan my meals in advance.  I have come to learn that there are chemical and hormonal reasons we make those sugary and salty choices, and I will explore that in further detail in another blog.  For now, I just want to share with you a recent epiphany I experienced related to my two all-time favorites – eggplant and shrimp, both of which are healthy choices.  
Here’s how the epiphany unfolded in my head….What if I had developed a recipe that included not only one of my favorites, but both of them?  Would I not want to make this healthy meal over and over again, and indulge in its deliciousness as often as possible?  And in doing so, would I not be making better choices for myself than the dish of chocolate that seems to magically refill itself at the office, or those darned snack sized bags of Cheetos and Doritos, neither of which I can get enough of during the work day until they are all gone?  Right then and there I crafted the most delicious salad I have ever tasted, which incorporated so many things that I naturally I love to eat, and only one thing I didn’t particularly love….lettuce!    It’s no surprise that the lettuce happens to taste absolutely delicious surrounded by all my favorites.
The Challenge… 

So maybe you don’t salivate over and crave eggplant…or shrimp…the way I do.  But development of my own healthy recipe was a really effective way for me to incorporate one of my most unfavorite things…salad….into my diet on a regular basis.   Of course, you can short cut this process by finding simple recipes online that feature your healthy favorites.  If you are a fellow lover of eggplant and shrimp, I hope you will give my recipe a try.  Either way, I am going to recommend you develop your own “Go-To-Can’t-Refuse” recipe, which will feature YOUR personal healthy favorites.  If you think you don’t have any healthy favorites, think a little harder because we all do!  If you had a personal chef at your disposal who would prepare for you any healthy dish you desired, what would it feature? 

The Solution… 

Well…this was my solution, and with a little advance planning, has worked wonders for helping me avoid the unhealthy choices available at my office in favor of a healthy homemade choice I bring from home.  If you enjoy eggplant and shrimp, maybe my solution can be one of your solutions to permanent weight loss and healthy eating.  If not, I urge you to take the challenge to develop your own “Go-To-Can’t-Refuse” meal!  Bon Appetit!
Debby’s Signature Shrimp and Eggplant Salad

1 medium to large ripe eggplant
1/2 lb. large uncooked shrimp
Package of Romaine lettuce
Grated Parmesan cheese
Lemon
Old Bay Spice
Garlic salt (to taste)
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Garlic butter (to taste)
Fresh basil
Tomatoes (optional)
Olive oil
Lemon

Put quart or so of water on stove to heat. Add two tablespoons of old bay spice, salt and pepper, garlic salt, and garlic butter into water while waiting to boil. Rinse shrimp but leave shells on.

Preheat grill to about 400 degrees.  Outdoor grill preferred, but you can broil your eggplant as well, or use an indoor grill on your stove.
Slice eggplant about 1/2 thick and place in gallon zip lock bag. Mix together about half cup of olive oil with sea or kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. Pour mixture into bag with eggplant. Zip bag leaving air in the bag and shake together eggplant with mixture.

Put eggplant on grill and add shrimp to boiling water (leave uncovered). Cook shrimp for 6-10 minutes – do not overcook. Test one by taking it out of water and running under cold water. It the shell peels off easily and the outside skin is pink it’s done. Turn eggplant frequently but let it get grill marks.

Chop up romaine lettuce and tomatoes, and put in large bowl. Tear up several basil leaves and add. Mix with lemon and remainder of bagged oil mixture for eggplant, if any.

When shrimp are done remove from heat and water. Run cold water over then and take off shells and any veins. Cut into bit size pieces and put in a bowl. Squeeze lemon over the shrimp and let sit.

When eggplant looks a little melted on the inside but crisp on outside take off grill. Cool for 2 mins and then cut into quarters. Add shrimp and eggplant to the bowl and toss. Squeeze rest of lemon over salad and drizzle additional olive oil if desired.
Add grated Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste.
The Invitation….
To get started on a deeper dive into healthy eating and permanent weight loss, click on the calendar below to schedule a FREE mini-session with me.  What do you have to lose but some weight??   

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