One month holiday in US - scared to get back on scales

Yeah just don’t weigh yourself until you are ready to look. Meanwhile get back to what you were doing before you went away.

eating healthy in the US is difficult. Especially if you’re on the road. Try not to dwell on the gain but the amazing time you had with your sister. I’m sure it was worth it.

Ignore the pp who said you’ve messed up. You haven’t messed up, you’ve had a nice holiday which I’m sure you deserved. Try to think about how much you enjoyed the food rather than feeling bad about it. We all need a break and a treat sometimes and it sounds like you’re doing really well already to get back into the healthy eating so I’m sure you’ll lose the weight again soon.

It’s a ‘going on holiday’ thing. I live in the US and just came back from 2 weeks in Europe where I ate everything I wanted, and surprise! I gained weight.

Been back 2 weeks and lost it all. I did have to retrain my appetite, and get back into good habits, and it was hard at first. I find it helps to get on the scales and face up to reality.

They really are tortuous but you can do it!! x

I find it helps too see food as another part of the post-holiday blues. On holiday I love not having to set the alarm, but back home it's not an option. I loved taking my time over a leisurely lunch, not an option back at work. I loved evenings chatting to family/friends, back home its an evening of ironing and running the kids to their clubs.

In the same context "I loved being able toinduge myself on holiday (andI'm really glad that I lost all that weight before I went), but back home, that's not an option."

I find it helpful during the challenging first week to try out some new recipes so it's not quite so 'back-to-boring'. If you're a chatGPT person use that to help you with menu and recipe planning (and your shopping list so you're not buying the tempting stuff).

I think getting your DH to note down the loss is a good idea. I've gone from 0 to running three times a week and going to the gym twice a week, since May. Still haven't weighed myself before or after as I feel amazing now and if I got on the scale to find I was still over my old "overweight" weight I'd be so upset! So I understand the psychology part. We got back from holiday today - today was a McDonalds breakfast, baguette for lunch and creamy pasta with garlic bread as an example so I need to get back on it.

Oh this is totally normal for America ! I remember going to Miami for a week and I must have gained half a stone. The portions are just naturally much bigger. I agree it's frustrating. I've put on a tonne of weight this year so I'm now going to go into a more sensible way of eating and shift the weight. Best thing is to remove the shame and just focus on the actions of healthy eating and the rewards it will bring. That's my plan anyway!

I think if I saw my weight above a certain number it would cause me a lot of distress.

That may be so, but then you'd get over it and get on with it 🤷‍♂️

Or you might be relieved that it's not as bad as you think.

This is a good response, I agree with this one.

You aren't a criminal. You don't have to feel guilty or bad.
You went on a holiday, what a lovely time, and you enjoyed yourself. Now you're back to normal life, you'll get back to it.

If it were me, I’d hold off weighing myself for at least two weeks. Get right back on the wagon and then in two weeks, see where you are and take things from there.

I do the weighing at my Slimming World group. I can't tell you how many people come to group after their holiday and say they're terrified to get on the scales. It is almost always not as bad a people expect. That gives them a boost and they get right back on it and the weight comes off over a week or two.

For the people who have put on more than they dreaded it's a kick up the bum to get back on it and again within a couple of weeks it comes off.

You're not alone OP. You've done it before and you can do it again. You'll soon be right back where you were and will have lots of happy memories of your holiday into the bargain.

I know your holiday has been and gone but, for the future, what works for me is eating a good but not indulgent breakfast of protein and fruit. I’ll pick up an apple to eat later but skip lunch. Then a dinner of protein and vegetables/salad. No ice cream or dessert unless I’m sure it’s worth it. Alcohol ditto.

But I do have the odd indulgent meals a few times along the way, and I definitely drink more wine and Asprol than usual.

Once back I’m careful about what I eat until I’m back to my target weight - intermittent fasting (brunch + dinner plus an apple, melon or a boiled egg in between), plus at least 30-40 minutes exercise every day.

If it was me I would give myself one week to get back into my usual eating habits, then weigh. If you're still craving the treats then seeing a gain might push you into hopelessness and giving up altogether, but if you've already got some control back a gain could be a motivator to keep trying and you will feel more confident that you can lose it after a week of healthier habits. Also I have found weighing in a different unit can take the emotional heft out of the number e.g. if you usually weigh in lb switch scales to kg (and don't try to convert it!) good luck you can do it!

I'm sorry but I can't stand cowardly attitudes.
You messed up. It happens. Do the honourable thing and start fixing the damage. And start doing so but find out how much the damage amounts to. If you can still use the same clothes I bet you haven't gained back more than 5 kgs which is hardly the end of the world.

This is what I do when I've had a bad few days. I just give myself a week back in track then weigh.

ETA: My goal has been to eat the way "normal" people eat. Because that what is what has been missing from my life. I binge. And normal people with a normal relationship with food eat healthy most of the time but then if they go on vacation or to a party or something like that they eat what they want. That's my goal, to be able to do that too, and that sounds kind of like what you did on the holiday. So you overindulged, but people do on holidays, you just need to get back on track now.

You lost it before and you can lose it again. It won’t be as much this time!

The fear is real. Just weigh and draw a line. You had a once in a lifetime trip this isn’t the norm. Don’t beat yourself up x

I agree. Don’t begrudge any of it, you had an amazing time. Don’t ruin it by getting on the scales but go back to your normal eating pattern (as others have said) and weigh yourself in a month.

So many of us have been in exactly the same position, OP - you've chimed with us!

Sorry, meant to quote OP not myself 😆

Weigh yourself, get your baseline, make your plan and stick to it. There’s no point in putting it off.

I once read a good tip, that even if you've indulged for the entirety of your holiday, be sensible on the journey home - make that start before you step through the door.

It's happened to me more than once. As pp said, don't bury your head in the sand - weigh yourself. You'll feel better once you know, and as soon as the scales start going down again.