Need your help in making a decision

[MelanieC]

Ok, my vacation starts two weeks from tomorrow and I am so confused on what to do about eating.

I have done so good on making a lifestyle change, and am getting so close to my goal. Last year I lost 37 pounds, and went on a long weekend vacation to Alabama and Tennessee and didn't recover and gained almost all of it back.

This Disney vacation is so important to me since DH had to go to Kuwait for several months this year. It's my "prize" for making it through that extremely difficult time.

So I am working myself into such confusion over wether to just go and enjoy myself and eat whatever I want, or to be good and watch what I eat.

I keep going back and forth, one day I am going to eat whatever I want. Enjoy myself etc, not count points. One day I will enjoy myself, but count the points and the next day I am saying I should really watch what I eat, and make the majority of it fit into my points.

Why am I obsessing so much over this. I guess it's because I finally feel in control, and I am afraid of loosing the control when I am so close. I also would hate to loose a lot of ground and have to re-loose. I hear of people going away, and not worrying about what they are eating and it sounds great. Many of these people are not gaining, or only gaining a few pounds. I could live with that. I have to make choices everyday to not eat anything I want, to take a vacation from that too sounds heavenly.


What are your thoughts. You all are such inspirations in my life and I really value your thoughts. DH has already made it clear that he doesn't want to me obsessing the whole trip over should I or shouldn't I eat this. I need to make a final decision and stick with it.

If I eat whatever I want, I will still probably choose healthier options most of the time. Many of our meals are at places that have lower fat choices that I love. Tepenyaki, Kona Cafe, Ohana's, etc. There are quite a few that scare me. My favorite sandwich at AK is a Hot deli sandwich with pesto tomatoes and ceasar dressing. I keep trying to talk myself into the veggie sandwich at TUsker house, but I keep going back to that other sandwich that I love. Another spot I am afraid of is Sci Fi. There are not a lot of great options there. I sort of feel like having a hamburger and french fries, but that feels like I am so cheating. Other spots are Chef Mickey's and Bomas (probably the only two spots I would feel like having desert. Also, do I forgo steak at CRT & Le Cellier. I could have Salmon at both and probably be just as happy. But I do enjoy a good filet. I think at the Cape May clam bake there is enough seafood that I should be ok. I just have to stay away from the ribs.

Thanks for any input.............I really wish my mind wouldn't turn this into such a dilema. Not sure why this is affecting me so.

Melanie

 

[tiggerlover]

{{{{HUGS}}}} Melanie. I know how you are feeling because I have been there and I just wanted to share with you my thoughts. I have done it both ways, I have gone away and eaten what I wanted and have gained 2-3 pounds and I have gone away and watched what I ate, but still enjoyed different treats and lost. By far my choice again would be to watch what I ate while still enjoying myself because I find if you deprive yourself of things you are setting yourself up for disaster. By now I am sure you have a good handle on the points in different foods so you could mentally calculate what you are eating each day, make healthier choices and still leave room for a little splurge. Plus you will be exercising more than usual and that should more than make up for the little splurges. Don't obsess over the food or you are liable to ruin your trip, you are right, this is a lifestyle change so you need to learn to incorporate going on vacation into your new lifestyle without driving yourself nuts.

 

[disneygals]

I think you should enjoy your vacation!! The last time I went, we were there for 10 days and I ate whatver I wanted and didn't gain a pound. You will be doing so much walking, that will help burn the calories.

The hardest part for me was the vacation let-down AFTER the trip!

Have a great time!!!

Vivienne

 

[DoeWDW]

Melanie, could you come up with a compromise??

You could choose one meal of each day to splurge and choose to eat healthy for the other meals.

You could choose to watch your points every other day or every third day.

There are lots of options between "eating everything and anything all the time" and "watching every morsel and counting every point."

You'll be getting lots of exercise so make sure you give yourself a few extra points a day for that, OK?

Let us know how it goes! We all have to face this same problem so maybe we can learn from what works for you.

Above all, have a wonderful, relaxing and magical trip with your family. It isn't about the food - it's about making special memories with your loved ones that you'll all hold in your hearts forever. Whatever you decide about the food, we'll be here to help you get back on track.

 

[minniecarousel]

I agree - don't worry too much about staying on program. There are a lot of us who have been able to pick right up again once we get back home and re-lose our gain quickly. I believe that I gained around 5 lbs on my Disney/Cruise vacation this past summer and even though I found it a little difficult to get back on track, I still lost that gain within a week or two. (I KNOW that I didn't drink enough water while in Florida!) Don't go "hog wild", but don't pass up stuff that you know you'll want. You'll end up feeling deprived - and that's no fun!!
Good luck Melanie - you & your family deserve a great vacation!

 

[kasar]

Another thing you could try is to save one meal to eat anything you want and then eat sensibly for the other two. I'm not a big breakfast eater, so I'd choose fruit or yogurt for breakfast, maybe a salad or sandwich for lunch and then have a nice dinner without worrying. You may want to have one "treat" every once in a while to keep away the cravings - is it possible to go to WDW and not have a Mickey Head ice cream? This is my plan for our cruise and park visit in Dec. It may not work but at least it's better than not trying at all. I'm afraid to go too crazy and then not be able to get back on track. You'll be fine, just do lots of walking.

 

[KathyTX]

You've got some great tips here!

You said it yourself: you've made a lifestyle change.

Now you get to practice how you'll handle vacations and special occasions for the rest of your life!!!!

All I can do is echo what's already been said, but my recommendations are:

* Plan only 1 "larger" meal each day. If you're having your yummy-licious sandwich at AK for lunch, just plan a light and healthy dinner that night.

* If you can eat "on-plan" at breakfast, you'll still have LOTS of room to enjoy your other meals and snacks!

* Grab a bottle of water anytime you are thirsty.

* You can lighten even that big old SciFi burger and fries by only eating half- cut it in two and have the server REMOVE the extra, or share.

* If there's something you REALLY want- get it and enjoy EVERY bite!

* You can get fruit all over the place at WDW- as a snack in the parks or as a side instead of fries.

Really, I think you'll be fine! I wouldn't *plan* to pig out, but I wouldn't stress about counting points on vacation, either. Just try to make mostly good choices and enjoy your wonderful vacation.

 

[WDWLVR]

I'm going to be facing the same thing in 5-6 weeks. My plan is to try and watch what I eat, pay attention to portions, but at the same time enjoy myself.

Water is the key so if I have to spend $10 a day on bottled water I'm going to do it!

I know that I walk a lot more at Disney than I do on a normal day so that will help as well.

If I gain a few lbs. I will work hard when I get back to take them off!

 

[maryliz]

For my last trip, my body decided it was "on vacation" about 5 days before So it ended up being almost 2 full weeks. In that time, I did not worry about counting points. I ate french fries (lots), a shake at Steak 'n Shake, pizza, one and only one Mickey Bar, drank some Coke, etc etc. And when I got home, I found that I had lost 4 pounds! I did drank LOTS of water, made healthy snack choices, and if I wasn't hungry, I did not finish everything on my plate (you know, you're paying for a meal so you feel compelled to clean the plate???). I especially enjoyed the biscuits during the 2 trips to Cracker Barrel. Do not deprive yourself of something you want (that deli sandwich ) 'cause you'll just end up being sad. You will find your motivation back if you do gain a little bit because you have come so far. What you will discover is that you will automatically make more healthy choices than you did in the past. Yes, I said above all that I ate, but I actually made some very good choices many times too

Have a wonderful time!

Mary Liz

 

[mowsie dreamer]

Melanie, my thought was the same as KathyTX's. You have done a super job of staying with WW and learning a new way of eating. This is your chance to put what you have learned into action!!

Is there anyone you can split some of your meals with? The portions at WDW are so large that my MIL & I found that we could easily split a meal and get enough to eat. We also split desserts-most of the time we got just one for all 4 of us. It was just enough! I also tried to drink only water or iced tea (unsweetened) and avoid soft drinks. When all was said and done, I ate pretty much what I wanted. But I found that what I wanted was less (and better choices) than what I used to want!

There is a lot more walking than you would normally do, so you will be working off a lot more calories than usual.

You will be fine!! You have such commitment and determination that I know you will be able to pick right back up where you have left off! Have a great time on your vacation!!

 

[cheyita]

I'm just seconding what some others wrote. There is a middle ground. You don't have to have three big meals and ice cream for snacks every day. Save your indulgences for what you'd really like, and even then watch your portions (if you have a steak, do you really need a dessert? Or if you have the salmon, treat yourself to a little dessert.)

And you will be walking a ton, so that will help you to at least maintain!

Now the question is, will I follow through on my own advice when I, too, am there in two weeks? I better!!

 

[lulu201]

Hi, Melanie! I read this post earlier in the week, but didn't get a chance to respond until now. Things were busy at work, but also, I spent a lot of time thinking about your situation, because I've been in the same predicament!

Almost two years ago I lost about 27 lbs. at WW and was feeling great. Within a year I'd gained 26 of it back! In June of this year I tried to lose again and had lost 8 lbs. by the time I joined the WISHers in August. By the time I was ready for our cruise vacation, I was down another 7 and began to worry about what would happen on the cruise. Would I lose total control and begin that awful upward climb that I can feel totally helpless to fight?
Would I be able to refocus after the trip at all??? Unless you've experienced these eating patterns (and I know lots of us WISHers have), then you don't understand why someone would WORRY before going on vacation.

This is what I learned from my cruise:

At some level, the trip IS about the food. Now, not totally, but in my day-to-day life, I'm not eating at restaurants like the Sci-Fi or Le Cellier or whatever that wonderful French restaurant is in Epcot. When I'm in WDW--or on the cruise--the eating out part of it is FUN! I want to enjoy it! So, I did. I ate whatever I wanted.
Unfortunately, I think I had an on program/off program mentality.
And I think that mentality is what keeps me a yo-yo dieter. As Doreen and most of the other posters suggested to us--there IS a middle ground!!! If we could guide ourselves toward the middle ground, the "damage" of some slight overindulging would be minimal! In my case, after a week at WDW/DCL, I gained 4 pounds.

Here's where my problem was, though: I didn't want to face the scale when I got back. I avoided it. I thought, I'll just eat a little less for a few days and THEN I'll get on and then that number won't be so high--well, the day to get on went by one day, two days, three. . .I was afraid of what I'd find and that fear almost sabotaged me (like it's done before). When I finally did get on, I realized that it wasn't THAT bad and it's been something I've almost said good-bye to (one more pound and my cruise weight will be gone)!

So, my advice to you is to try the moderate approach, but most importantly have fun and have confidence in yourself. When you get home, face the music right away. Get on the scale and get back into the program. Make a bee-line for the WISH boards and your WW group--get the support that is here waiting for you if you need it! Vacations are a real and wonderful part of life--enjoy and celebrate and then come back to your wonderful REAL life--a life of healthy living! Look back on your previous trip to Alabama and ask yourself what you did then that you could do differently now. Did you push yourself to get back into the program? Did you have a wonderful support system in place to HELP you?

So,Melanie, those are my thoughts. Please have a super trip--can you believe it's almost here? You'll be in my prayers for a safe journey full of pixie dust magic! Can't wait to hear from you when you get back!

Hugs,
Erin

 

[nativetxn]

Just make the best food choices you can and don't obsess. Focus on making some <b>magical</b> memories and having as much fun as possible.

 

[Beanie]

You have some great advice here and I can't offer anything else to this, but just wanted to say that you should definitely enjoy yourself and not worry about it so much ! I am sure you will do great while at Disney! Hugs to you and we will all be here when you return!

 

[Chattyaholic]

I've already decided what I'm going to do on our upcoming cruise. I will "be careful" but I will also indulge a bit too. Like the creme brulet dessert, it is my MUST HAVE and I will eat it ALL! But the other desserts I will just have 1-2 bites and be happy just to taste it.

For breakfast I will have the croissant that I love, but rather than half a dozen (or more) slices of bacon, just ONE slice, and more fruit.

And I won't fret about leaving food on my plate. On our past cruises I have sometimes eaten until I was so stuffed I was very uncomfortable. Not THIS time. If I only eat half my entree, that is fine. When I'm full, I will STOP.

Walk...walk...walk...8 times around the ship each day (2 miles) and taking the stairs ALL the time. Exercise will help, I know.

If I gain a pound or two, so be it...I will take it right back off when we get home.

So, I say go on your vacation and have a good time. Try and be careful most of the time, but if you don't indulge yourself a bit you might feel deprived and totally give up and you don't want to do that, right? Have FUN!!