Weight Loss ~ When a Holiday Gets in the Way

Tags

101 in 1001, Health, Low Carb, Weight loss

Last month, I was really positive about my weight loss progress and confident I could continue this path in June. On June 5 I completed my goal of not eating any sweet and salty snacks and sweet desserts for three months. Completing this goal was a milestone for me, but also a start of a new challenge. I didn’t have the goal to guide me anymore now. Would I really be able to moderate my sugar intake on my own? I was afraid I would go back into my old bad habit (read: addiction) and gain weight again. June has passed now, so it’s time to see how things went. Cross your fingers guys, and read on!

I was wondering if I had to set some restrictions for myself regarding snacks and desserts. Some rules, such as only allowing myself to eat desserts when eating out, and only eating snacks on a Sunday, those kinds of things. But at the same time I was also wondering if I’d really need these restrictions, or if I was able to maintain a healthy lifestyle on my own now. The only way to find out was to try, so I did.

I must say, it went surprisingly well! I ate some snacks from time to time, but only when I really cared for it. Not the binge eating kind of snacking I did in the past. If I took some potato chips for example, I filled a small bowl instead of emptying the whole bag. If I was offered something on a social gathering, I asked myself if I really loved that particular snack, before accepting it. So I ate snacks from time to time, but still I saw my weight dropping on the scale every day.

I also kept on eating a lot of low-carb lunches or breakfasts. Dinners not so much this time, but that doesn’t matter. As long as my carb intake was lower than usual, I was satisfied. I cannot imagine eating carbs all the time anymore, I love these low-carb lunches so much better!

So all went well. I must be thin as a rake right now, right? Well… As you may have read, the last weekend of May I went on a little holiday to Texel. If you know anything about dieting, you know that holidays are the worst. I wouldn’t be the first one giving up my diet after vacation, because all pounds came flying back.

I was determent though. I would allow myself to eat a dessert when eating out. I also accepted a delicious slice of carrot cake our host had made. But I would not allow myself to lose myself there (just some pounds would be nice). It felt very scared not weighing myself for a couple of days, because I really need the feedback from my frenemy The Scale to see if I’m on the right track. I had asked my weight to The Scale the day before I left though, and it was a smashing 102,5 kg (225,5 lbs)! That was 1,3 kg (2,9 lbs) less than the previous month! I was on the right track. It would be almost impossible to let that get screwed up by a three-day holiday, right? RIGHT?

Hmm, what can I say? After the weekend I went on my scale, my heart pounding heavily in my chest… waiting for the numbers to appear in the screen… which were… 105,0 kg (231 lbs). Holy fat cow! That was 2,5 kg (5,5 lbs) more than a few days before! Ugh, how did that happen?

In the past, this would be the moment where I would throw in the towel, cry myself a river and empty a bag of chips and some candy bars in my mouth. This would be the moment where I would tell myself I was a failure, someone without perseverance and someone who would stay a big fat hippo for eternity. I would give up and become depressed and smash all of my self-esteem into the ground. But I have surprisingly grown throughout this weight loss journey. I did none of these things, although some of them briefly crossed my mind. Instead, I consulted the logical side of my brain this time and asked it how this could have happened. The conclusions:

• I ate more snacks/desserts during this weekend than I normally would have done. Although I didn’t eat crazy amounts of them, it still might have caused some weight gain.
• I ate bread during both breakfast and lunchtime these days, so no low-carb meals for me this time (except for one unexpected low-carb dinner at a restaurant, but I had cheese cake afterwards).
• I hadn’t done a Number 2 all weekend.

Oh! That’s right! No Number 2! For three days! Somehow I couldn’t do it, while being in a house with ten other people all wanting to go to the bathroom some time. Everything I had eaten was still stuck inside. Obviously that doesn’t help losing weight, does it? But if this was the case, it should only take a couple of days before losing it all again, right?

I decided to give myself a few days to see what would happen (because normally I write these weight loss updates on either the last day of the month or the first day of the new month). Yesterday evening I decided that today would be the day I would be writing my update, no matter what my weight would be. And this morning the scale said… 102,9 kg (226,38 lbs)! I am not completely where I was before my trip, but mind you, I have lost 2,1 kg (4,6 lbs) in just three days! I am very proud of myself for that. And not only for that, but also for the fact that I didn’t lose all hope this time. I’m proud of persevering and conversing with my logical side instead of the irrational overly emotional one. Imagine giving up a diet and eating yourself a diabetes disorder just because your bowels decided to go on a strike for a few days!

I hope this story will not only inspire myself, but also some of you struggling with your weight. If so, please share in the comments. I’d like to hear your story as well!