Does Your Fitness Take a Vacation?

When you go on vacation or a business trip, do you try to keep up with your weight loss and/or fitness? We were recently away for a weekend with friends and I was adhering to my points tracking. I went over on one day (lasagna, yum!) and one of my friends said "Oh well, you're on vacation."

Does that matter? Sure, one day is not going to make or break anything, but it's a slippery slope. If I'm on a 10-day cruise and subscribe to the "on vacation" philosophy, I'll quickly put back at least 10 of the 50lbs I've lost so far. As I've mentioned in many a post before, I am lazy. I already LOST that 10lbs and I don't want to have to do it again!

We've been away a few times since I started this journey and each time I've put some pretty significant thought into the planning where food and exercise were concerned. Significant, but worth it every time. It's really not that hard once you know what to think about, what to look for, etc.

Below are some things I have done and/or will be doing in our upcoming trip planning. Let me just say, I am not trying to be a Debbie Downer, guilting you into working out on your vacation or denying yourself some holiday treats. I just know that for ME, I can't indulge in a big way without paying the price on the scale and that's something I'm not prepared to deal with. Enjoy your vacation time, enjoy your family and friends, and do what is right for YOU.

Staying with friends:

• If you belong to a gym at home, do they have a reciprocal program with any gyms where you will be staying?
  
• Ask your friends about local community centres that have gyms, pools, etc.
• Is there a good, safe area for walking?
• If you're driving, take along a set of 5lb weights. Do not attempt this if you're flying, as these days you need all the baggage allowance you can get. Not to mention they might consider it a weapon...
  
• Ask your friends to talk you through the food plans for the time you'll be there - whether they're cooking or you'll be eating out, it's way better to be able to plan ahead and track/eat accordingly.
• If your friends aren't typically low-fat eaters, ask if it's okay to bring some snacking veggies, low-fat salad dressing, etc with you.
  
• Take a favourite workout DVD with you. Steal an hour in their TV room or alone with your laptop (get your mind out of the gutter) to get in your workout.
  

I know it's a stumbling block sometimes, but I find it makes things easier if you're open about your process and goals. If your friends understand what you're going through and working towards, they will (I hope) be happy to help you however they can. I know it can be a challenge to find the balance between being a courteous houseguest and asking for a few selfish concessions to help you stay on track, but you can do it. Our friends made the MOST delicious sausage pie while we were staying with them. She took me through the recipe and the whole pie was over 100 Weight Watchers points. Yowza! I has 1/12 of the pie and a LOT of salad (with my dressing), it was awesome, and I didn't feel I'd missed out.

Staying at a condo or timeshare:

• Make your own meals as much as possible. You'll be in control and you'll save money!
  
• Does the property have a gym or a pool?
  
• Is there a DVD player? I take my copy of the Biggest Loser Last Chance Workout along just in case. It's only 40 mins including warm up and cool down, so it doesn't eat into your vacation time too much.
• Check out the list above, as a lot of those ideas will apply no matter where you're staying.
  

Staying at a hotel:

• Almost all hotels now have a gym of some sort. A good portion of my current workout can be done without machines, so I can make a routine out of even the most basic equipment. Even if the workout is short and not as intense as I would do at home, I still feel better for have done SOMETHING.
  
• If your hotel doesn't have a gym, ask at the front desk if they have any arrangements with nearby hotels or fitness centres to allow guests to use the facilities there.
• If your room has a mini fridge that isn't stocked with over-priced snacks that you get charged for the minute they're moved, consider getting some on-plan breakfast food to eat in your room. Breakfast is one of the most challenging meals at restaurants, as the toast will invariably arrive slathered with butter and God forbid you send that delicious piece of heaven back!

No matter where you're staying, you can also look for active tourist activities. Mr. Awesome and I are planning a kid-free escape (Hell YEAH!) to Napa and San Francisco in a couple of months. One of the activities we already know we want to do is to rent bikes and ride across the Golden Gate Bridge into Sausalito.

Are you kidding me?! Six months ago you could barely have paid me enough to even consider this type of activity, but life looks a lot different on this side of that 50lbs. This is why I make an effort to keep on track, even if we're on vacation. I have made a lifestyle change. I'm not on a temporary program that I will finally be "done" with when I reach my goal. This is for life.

Not to mention, all that bike riding will make up for all the wine I intend to drink in Napa. After all, I'm on vacation, right? :)

The Debfit Method - A Book Review

I was recently given the opportunity to review a new fitness and weight loss book, The Debfit Method© Weight Loss Secrets by Deb Leblanc. Given my new found love of fitness and my weight loss success, I was curious to see what it was all about.

Leblanc is a Canadian author, and 20 year expert in the fitness and weight loss fields. There is a history of obesity in her family and she herself has struggled with weight issues over the years. Knowing that she's been through the journey and can identify with the challenges her readers may be facing makes the book really accessible. That and her frank, easy writing style make it feel more like you're getting advice from a friend that knows her stuff, as opposed to some distant doctor or muscle head that doesn't understand what you're going through.

A big component of The Debfit Method© is the 3-Day Cleanse, but given the fact that I'm still breastfeeding I wasn't able to try it. The cool thing about this particular cleanse is that it doesn't have you popping 40 capsules of supplements a day. In fact, it is basically supplement free. The one thing she does recommend is acidopholus, and has included acidopholus capsules in the cleanse "menu."

Leblanc does stipulate that the 3-Day Cleanse will work best if you can lock yourself away for the whole time, running all your errands, doing all your cleaning, etc before you start. Perhaps one day Mr. Awesome will take the kids away for a weekend and I will actually be able to try it. For now, and until the little man stops interrupting my bathroom visits, I'll have to wait to give it a try. I did read through the recipes and the plan, and not only does it look easy enough foodwise, but she also includes lots of time for naps! THAT is definitely enticing, so I may need to look at shipping off the family sooner than later...

A large portion of the book is 26 Trainer Tips, with everything from a "dry brushing" cellulite fix to strategies for managing cravings. They are all common sense concepts, some you will have heard before and some that might be new information, but put together it's a great list of tips aimed at making your fitness journey better and your body and mind healthier.

One of the things I like best about this book is her direct approach. She doesn't beat around the bush and basically tells her readers that it is going to be hard work. There is no magic pill, no quick fix to losing weight and getting fit. If you only answer "I think so" to the question of whether or not you're dedicated to losing weight, Leblanc goes so far as to suggest putting the book away for a while until you're ready to fully commit. I like this style, because as you know from my post about excuses, I'm tired of people complaining and making excuses for why they can't get fit. If you're going to do it, DO IT! There is no time like the present!

To learn more about Deb Leblanc, you can visit her website at www.debfit.com. You can order a copy of The Debfit Method© Weight Loss Secrets on Amazon.

Well, Excuuuuuse Me!

I used to be the Queen of Excuses. I always had reasonable explanations for why I didn't work out, why I didn't lose weight that week, why it was okay to quit Weight Watchers... I could explain away anything. I was really very good at it. Maybe that's why I ended up in marketing. I could "spin" anything.

In early 2002 I started dating Mr. Awesome. I had been on WW for a few months and had lost about 25lbs. Immersed in the honeymoon phase of my new relationship I began to forgo workouts, neglect my points tracking, etc. Who could blame me? I was newly in love! I would have WAY rather spent time with my man than (God forbid) leave him for an hour to go to the gym. That was the beginning of the end of my fitness regime.

In June of that year my dad passed away. I was understandably devastated, had to take a leave from work, and the last thing I cared about was taking care of myself. Slowly but surely, Weight Watchers and the gym became things of the past.

Thinking back to who and how I was back then, I hadn't truly made a lifestyle change - I was just on a diet and exercise program. The necessary mind shift hadn't happened so I was likely doomed to fail at some point. I'm not saying I would have powered through my grief with workouts, but I may have gotten back on the proverbial horse after a few months.

Fast forward to 2008. I started thinking about getting in shape and FINALLY getting rid of (most of) the excess weight when the little man was just over one, but I knew we were planning on having a second baby in the next couple of years and I just couldn't fathom working that hard to lose the weight and then gaining back anywhere from 20-50lbs. I knew then that when I finally made the decision to change my habits, it was going to be for good. If I didn't get there for another couple of years, so be it. When I DID do it, there would be NO EXCUSES!

The little miss was born in late October 2009. I'd only gained 16lbs during this pregnancy (no idea how or why, but that's all I gained) and then pushed out a 9lb 6oz bundle of love, so by the time she was three weeks old I was already lower than my pre-pregnancy weight. It was time. Two years is a long time to plan to do anything, so I was pretty psyched to get going.

Before beginning, I had to acknowledge a pretty undeniable fact: I am lazy. If this was going to work, I had to have reasonable expectations and not make anything too difficult to achieve. If it got too hard I was likely to let the excuses creep back in and be back where I started.

So here I am, 20 weeks in and 42.6lbs down so far. Suffice to say, it's working and there have been very few excuses. I am nowhere even close to perfect at this. I've missed a few workouts and eaten over my points allowance quite a few times, but I've made up for any slips within a few days.

When my dad quit smoking after 50 years, he smelled smoke everywhere. We'd get into elevators and he'd know that there had been a smoker in there minutes before. It was like his nose was now fine-tuned to smell smoke. I feel kind of the same about excuses. Not only did I not notice (or let's be honest, admit) when I was making excuses before, but I didn't usually notice when other people were making them too. Actually, I kind of welcomed other people's excuses, because I could then either use their excuses for why I couldn't do something, or use them as the excuse. Jen can't go to the gym? Well shoot, then I can't go either.

I was sitting in my WW meeting a couple of weeks ago and the leader was trying to get a discussion going about ways to find time to exercise. I could not believe the excuses I was hearing. Yes, absolutely, life does happen and get in the way. I get that. But these people were complaining about how hard it was to find time to exercise, or to resist temptation, basically victimizing themselves and defending their choices with excuses. It's like they wanted the leader to tell them "It's okay, it's not your fault you gained this week. You didn't bring those brownies into your work lunchroom."

If you really and truly want to get healthy, you WILL find a way to make it happen. You will find at least a little time each week to be active. You will resist the treats in the lunchroom, or if you do indulge, you will track it! Yes, it might take a long time to get there, but you will do it. It's about planning ahead and thinking things through. At my work, I KNOW that come Christmas time there will be trays and trays of goodies in the lunchroom. But it is MY decision whether or not I eat something.

Don't get me wrong. I am tempted every single day and I do indulge. I do miss the occasional work out. But I accept responsibility for that. I don't make excuses because I have to OWN my behaviour. It will be my own doing if I don't succeed. No one is going to lose weight for me. If they did, then they would look fantastic and I would still be 230lbs.

Excuse me? I don't think so. I'm the one who is going to look fantastic, thank you very much!

22lbs down, 28 to go.

Our second child, our daughter, was born on October 23, 2009. I have always been overweight but just couldn't commit to losing the 50lbs needed until after the pregnancies were done. I couldn't bear the thought of putting in all the work, only to gain back 30lbs while expecting. By the time she was 3 weeks old, I was itching to get started.

I'm on mat leave until October 2010 and I intend to reach my goal weight before I return to work. The plan is actually to reach goal by August, so I have 2 months of maintenance and figuring out new routines before I go back. I'm a creature of routine, and I need to know when I'm going to work out, what I'm going to do, what I'm going to eat, etc. Before I'm back at work 35 hrs a week and tempted by all the fast food outlets and goodies in the office kitchen, I'd better have been living this new way for a while!

I started Weight Watchers on December 18, 2009. So far I have lost 22lbs, and I'm feeling good about the lifestyle changes. There is no way in hell I would ever succeed at a program that imposed strict limitations that weren't realistic for the long term. WW makes sense to me, I've done it before, and now I'm finally in a place to make it last.

22lbs down, 28 to go!