Back from holiday update and where do I go from here?

[jenwriter]

I was 10 stone 4 when I left and now I'm 10 stone 8.

I wasn't hungry all week and I didn't eat much and I was constantly on the go and did a lot of walking. But never mind. I wanted to eat healthy but if we bought salad it would've gone to waste. And when you eat out it's not healthy, although I did have sweet potato fries instead of chips.

I had a cold all week so it was either that or the heat which made me struggle to eat anything large- we went to a pub for a meal and I struggled to eat the chicken. But I guess I was eating unhealthy foods so that's why I've put on the four pounds.

I'm not sure where to go from here. The way I was counting calories before I went on holiday was proving very frustrating, I was using an app and I was logging my food after or before every meal. I had cut out everything unhealthy and I wasn't prepared for the affect it would have on my mood.

I may take it easy this week as I stikk have junk food left. I don't really want to go back to logging all my foods on an app and counting every calorie. Anybody got any advice? I know now about portion size but I don't know if it's possible to lose the weight without counting calories, despite the stuff I've read saying that calorie counting isn't accurate (the nutritional values are a guide and we don't know how our bodies react to certain foods) I did lose a lot of weight through that.

At the moment I have the post-holiday blues.

[IndigoBlue61]

Hello jenwriter

I too am back on track after four weeks of holiday followed by visitors followed by weekend away at a Food Festival!! Eeek! I've also gained almost 2kg (about 4 lbs) and like you, don't feel I overate 😕 Sigh . . .

Anyway, I am back on track, but like you, don't get on well counting calories, I follow a plan similar to the British Heart Foundation one (details on their website) I have up to 6 servings of fruit/veg/salad, 4-6 x25g servings low gi whole grain carbohydrates, 2 small portions meat/chicken/fish (each about 3/4 oz or 120 calories) and 2 servings of dairy (eg 1/2pint skimmed milk/25g low fat cheese) I keep added fat to a minimum but don't stress too much about counting. I allow myself about 100 calories a day in treats, although I try to save these up for the weekend.

I also aim to do 10x30 minutes of exercise each week, swimming/cycling/walking/yoga. (This has built up from 3x10 minutes daily)

Even with this small gain I am still 14 kg less than I was 10 months ago, so I focus on that to keep me motivated 😊 However, I Want to lose about another 10kg to get to a healthy BMI for my height.

Writing this out has really helped me to focus 😊 Being on this forum also helps, we are not the only ones trying to 're-boot' 😊 Go us!! We can do this 😊 Very best wishes

[jenwriter in reply to IndigoBlue61]

Thanks for the advice, and the support! I've just ordered the British Heart Foundation guide it seems easier to follow than calorie counting so I'll have this week to figure things out

[DartmoorDumpling Restart Feb 2024]

A lot of your holiday weight gain will be water and will come off quickly once you have a good week. Remember to fill up on water, tea, soups and plenty of fruit and veg. Watch the portion control on your protein foods and carbs and avoid sugary treats, cakes, biscuits etc. Focus on why you want to get slim and plan some activities to keep you busy and distracted from food. Start planning your next holiday too!

[Venusflytrap]

Hi jenwriter ,

Interesting post and 2 really helpful replies so far. Hope my musings will make a third.

I am with Dartmoor, in that if you can get straight back onto healthy eating, the 4lbs should come off quickly. Anna's suggestion is a great one too.

There are basically 2 ways of healthy eating: the first is to be able to eat anything at all, and to use kcal as a portion guide. So if it is high fat/high sugar chocolate - maybe 2 squares are a portion: if it is kale - as much as you are happy eating! This means no food or drink need ever be off the table, but you do have to faff around working out what your portion is, making sure that is what you have and keeping a running total.

The second way of healthy eating is to eat as much as is comfortable of a limited range of foods. So for this system, I would cut out sugar as far as possible, including in savoury sauces and chutneys. Limit carbs to portioned types and whole foods, if possible: like sliced bread, crumpets, thins, 100 - 200g of potatoes and so on. Proteins should be low fat or zero fat, or, for meats, have all the visible fat taken off them. Also consider using fish, eggs, pulses, quorn, tofu and some vegetarian options as they are good value if low fat. Dairy is difficult here, I tend to go for the very low end of the hard cheeses, or the flavour packed ones, like Parmesan when I just have 10g. I also use the full range of zero and low fat yogurts, spready cheeses, quark, skimmed milk, etc. I allow myself any type and amount of veg or fruit on this one, but nothing in syrup, and I dump the fruit juice from canned fruit. I measure my oils with teaspoons, aiming for 2 - 4 a day, preferably cold (ie not used in cooking) olive oil. It is worth having a weekly treat budget on diet number 2, so that you can fit in the the unexpected, odd tsp of ketchup/sauces/jams, extra light mayo, salad dressing that isn't fat free, more than 20g of cheese, some birthday cake, or a drink with kcal, etc.

This is a much easier way of managing food. I have used in on all inclusive hols and either had no weight gain or a small loss. And that includes a couple of cruises! I also use this system whenever I'm faced with an all you can eat, or a buffet. The principles work. It also avoids issues like your sweet potato chips being likely to be more kcal than potato ones. Compare the nutritional info on the two veges. Because they are both veg and you could have had whichever you preferred.

I used this method of eating every time I hit a plateau, which was 5 times in my 5 stone weight loss journey. I always seemed to stick just as I was facing a lower stone category. Surely it's psychological, rather than physiological? It always got my weight loss going again, then I could go back to kcals as I prefer the flexibility.

A nice holiday which you didn't make miserable with "dieting" would always tend to put weight on. I just decide before I go, how much weight I would be happy putting on, and that makes my strategies obvious. Your 4lbs is likely to be from carbs and drinks, if it was hot. Carbs seem to retain a lot of fluid, so if you can buckle down straight away, you should be able to shed them and be back to a weight loss on your second full week. Do drink as much water as you can manage either as well as or instead of other drinks. That will really help your body get back on track too.

Let us know what happens with your next weigh in.

Venus

[esull]

Hi Jen I am going on holiday in 4 weeks with my other half and fully expect a gain as I have NO intention of dieting whilst I am away I am going to let my hair down and work extra hard when I get back to get the gain off quickly. Don't feel disheartened we should be able to eat what we like when in our hols n 4 pounds will come off in no time 😀

[Mollydex 2st 7lbs Restart July 2024]

I don't think 4 lb on holiday is that bad . I m sure in the past I've put more on than that

Knowing you are back to healthy eating on your return is the thing to be proud off . If it's any help I have bought smaller plates and bowls at home, it seems to make quite a difference to my waist size

Being in the forum will make you focus on loosing the 4 lb .

[jenwriter]

Well, I'm now 10 stone 6! Thanks for all the advice, all I did was ease into it, I wasn't strict so maybe it was water weight

Now this week I'm not counting calories I'm just going to put what I learned when I was counting calories into practice, smaller portions and healthier options. Did low impact exercise just now and I'm hoping I'll lose weight this week too