Why I Didn't Gain a Pound

During the month of April I was out of town for ten days. Ten days of not exercising, not eating my regular food, and being at the mercy of someone else's schedule. Yesterday when my life had somewhat returned to normal, I found myself starting at the scale in my bathroom. I mean, I really did not want to get on it. Like....at all.

But first, let me tell you all the things I ate while traveling:

• ice cream sundae ( 3 scoops)
• popcorn
• Disneyland churro
• cheese enchilada platter
• pizza
• bagels
• red licorice
• starburst
• sugar cereal
• root beer float
• french fries
• crackers
• kettle corn

Ok, I know what your are thinking...."That's no too bad." Well considering 90% of my regular diet involves vegetables, it is fairly extreme. I was with my little girls, having a blast and not focusing on how much protein (or lack thereof) was in my churro. However I would say my biggest complaint after eating these foods (trust me, there were no complaints while I was eating them) is how they made me feel. I was uncomfortably full most of the time and my digestive system wasn't happy. 

So, lets get back to how much weight I gained while on vacation... I hardly could believe my eyes, but when I stepped onto the scale, it was EXACTLY the same as before I left....even down to the ounce. So naturally I stepped off and stepped back onto the scale thinking maybe it was a mistake...nope still the same.

As confusing as this is to most people I would like to explain how this can happen. You see, I spend A LOT of time eating healthy and working out. I am at the gym for 2 hours every morning, come home and spend the rest of the day fueling my body with good, nutritious food. When I tell people I eat my weight in protein every day they have a hard time believing it, but I do. If you lift weights, eat your weight in protein, you will lose weight....scouts honor. Some people call this the 80-20 rule of dieting, but that would mean you eat whatever you want 4 times a week, which I think is a little high. I tend to only have one "freebie" meal once a week, sometimes once every two weeks. Also people listen up...vegetables are your friend!! Want to feel full without loading up on calories and unhealthy fats? Vegetables are your answer. They are full of fiber, help flush out water weight, and have tons of vitamins and minerals to keep you fueled for the day. 

Since we are headed into the traveling season, I thought I could give you a few pointers to help you not stress about throwing your diet out the window when you drive off to your destination.

1. Most of the weight gained on vacation is water weight. For every carbohydrate you eat, your body requires 3-4 additional ounces of water to support it. So if you step of that scale post vacation and are up 6 pounds, you most likely didn't gain 6 pounds of fat, but your body is retaining most of that weight in water. 
2. Drink up. Water is your friend. Especially if you are out in the heat, your body is most likely sweating and you need to keep hydrating. Anything with carbonation will more than likely dehydrate you faster.
3. Walk every where you go. I was at both Disneyland and Disneyworld and walked roughly 25k steps a day. Even though I wasn't exercising, I was able to keep moving. 
4. When you get back, get right on track. Looking at this list of food I could say "Oh well, I've blown it" and just keep eating junk. That is where pounds are gained!! In your mind! Instead I came home and jumped right back into my normal routine. This step is crucial when maintaining weight loss. 
5. Relax, you're on vacation, right? At the end of the day, we can count macros or calories all day long, but the truth is you probably don't vacation every month. It is most likely one to two weeks a year where you get to enjoy your loved ones, beautiful scenery and fun activities, so do just that. Enjoy... There is plenty of time to exercise and eat right, in fact 52 other weeks to be exact!