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

I have lost over 10 stone (hate admitting that but being completely honest because my heart goes out to you)

My personal advice is to get on those scales now. Have a word with yourself ‘I can deal with this, I have enjoyed a wonderful holiday that I will
remember forever and my weight is a small part of who I am and how much I am loved and love in return’ cry if you need to.

But, don’t panic! Don’t crash diet, go back to what you were doing already because it worked. Some of that extra weight will fall away anyway - salt, water retention etc.

It’s a marathon, not a sprint!

This can derail things as much or as little as you let it.

You made the right call in enjoying your holiday.

Personally i never weigh myself to start a weight loss. You know you've put on weight, thats all you need to know, the number is irrelevant.

If you weigh yourself abd dont like the number youre more likely to think fuck it altigether

Don’t bother, just go by how your clothes feel. You say they’re a bit tight, you infer you’d like them to be looser. You know what you need to do, so do it. You had a great trip and the number on the scale is irrelevant.

Also a lot can be fluid retention/ water weight which comes off quickly so if you don’t alarm yourself right away and just weigh a bit later you can skip out the most alarming bit.

Well you don’t need to look really. You could just get back on the wagon and start up healthy habits again. You don’t need to know how bad the damage is really do you?

Thank you ShodAndShadySenators my strategy is indeed to try and hit this sweet spot! I have already made sure we are staying in a service apartment rather than a hotel where the whole buffet breakfast scenario would be a temptation to overeat - this way I can be sure to have more or less the same muesli, fruit & yoghurt breakfast I always have at home which gets the day off to a good start and leaves me some latitude for later in the day!

I’ve just had two weeks of pigging out really going for it after staying the same weight on a plateau for months despite being really good. I’ve lost 3lbs I couldn’t believe it and kept it off. And I was dreading it, weighing no matter what has helped me lose weight.

When I go on holiday, I relax a bit and have more treats than I would on my home diet. But I don't have everything that I'd like to have, so it's like damage limitation... more fun than total abstinence but not going crazy either. And a touch of abstinence makes it easier to climb back on the wagon again

The trick is, and I've used it well, spend the first few days eating very well, making a mental list of the things you want to eat the second week When you get there, you pick the things that are 'worth it' from the list. I normally eat keto so the main food I had on the list was pineapple. Every day of the second week. And yes, I understand that's weird. And sounds healthy. But I also had tacos and chips!!! I ignored the pasta, for example. Worth it in Italy, not where we were. I would have eaten it in the first week. just because. By the second week, didn't seem as delicious.

But when I get back, straight back to keto, straight back to weighing. Planned off plan is planned gain and I'm fine with that. Relapse isn't in my future.

Just like when I gave up smoking I wasn't 'trying' or 'giving up' I had given up, I was an ex-smoker. Language trains your brain!

I have been in your position many times. Don’t bury your head in the sand. If you know where you are starting it will be easier to keep track of getting it off again. Also, I find weight I put on quickly comes back off quickly. Don’t let it ‘cement’!!!

Minus the holiday temptations you'll soon get back into good habits.

You put your healthy eating on pause and thats ok. Life is a journey and so is weight loss and maintaining.

Get on the scales. Take a breath and resume where you stopped

You lost the weight before, you can lose it again. Go back to the same regime you used prior to your holiday, accept that you're going to feel hungrier until you get used to it again and see it as the "price" you paid for not holding back and having a fab time.

Most of us have fallen off the wagon for a special occasion, it's a big club. But you can get back into it and do it again, you've proved it to yourself.

@HideousKinky When I go on holiday, I relax a bit and have more treats than I would on my home diet. But I don't have everything that I'd like to have, so it's like damage limitation... more fun than total abstinence but not going crazy either. And a touch of abstinence makes it easier to climb back on the wagon again

Weigh yourself. I have fallen into that trap after a period of indulgence - "I won't weigh myself again until I have had a couple of good weeks" and then before you know it you are back where you started. Been there, done that, bought the enormous t-shirt.

But don't feel guilty for enjoying yourself on holiday. Keep it factual - you've gained x lb, now you're going to lose it again. It should come off quite easily, some will just be bloating.

Just going slightly off tangent as I know this doesn't apply to a road trip type holiday but is more akin with a sun/hotel holiday.

Have you ever noticed that no-one else in the hotel appears to have gained weight whilst you are convinced you have turned into the local heifer? 🙄

Back to OP's question. Personally I would forget the scales and judge by your clothes. 3-4 weeks of 16.8 always does the trick for me.👍

Just get back to your normal way of eating before the holiday and then when it feels right hop back on the scales. You’ve shown accountability to yourself and that is important. Look at NSV like how you feel in your clothes.

When I have done this I found it very difficult not to think ‘it’s ruined, so I might as well give up’. I’d get on the scales and face reality. The reality is that you can lose any weight you have put on, and you probably will do it quite quickly once you get back in your good routine.

I would suggest not weighing yourself again. The number is just data, but it becomes emotionally tangled around us and is hugely detrimental in terms of our psychological wellbeing and as an influencer of our behaviour.

Give yourself a month to re-adjust back to normal life, including your usual ways of eating. Your body will respond if you just give yourself a little grace, practice some patience and remember to make choices in terms of how you want to feel in your body and mind afterwards.

Ive just returned home from two weeks away - I’m up 10lbs on the scales but that’s not all fat gain and I know it’ll disappear over the next two/three weeks as I do nothing more than what is my daily normal life. So don’t panic, don’t overthink, just do what you were doing before your trip.

I'm reading this because I am about to go on holiday which includes attending a wedding with a whole weekend of celebrating and have been worrying this is going to happen to me....
2 years ago I lost 10kg and have managed to keep it off through shorter holidays, but this is 3 weeks which is making me nervous

Don't panic! I’m only back from 3 weeks in US and had lost 130lbs prior to going!

I didn’t deprive myself of anything - was 10lbs up when I got back but this went in about 3 days, it was just bloating. I'm actually down 14lb now in ten days, so I’ve lost weight. I think the relaxed eating has got me over my stall!

JFDI!

You did a GREAT job losing all that weight

You had a GREAT holiday

Now you can just get back into a healthy eating habit and do a re-set.

Don’t look back, stop criticising yourself, be happy that you enjoyed your holiday and now be happy to look after yourself again.

It might take 3 or 4 days to stop the hunger and cravings til your body stops expecting all that carby sugary food but you have done it before and you know it works, so use your d pretence and build on your success!

Absolutely do this!

And remember, the number on the scale is just information. You know what’s happened, you know why. The number is just a number.