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

[Plumers]

I can see this being the undoing of my weight loss.

Over the last 12 months I have very slowly lost 65
pounds naturally. I was feeling amazing and had got close to my goal weight. I loved fitting into my pre kid work outfits and not recoiling at my reflection in shop windows etc.

Anyway, my sister lives in America and we took the opportunity to do a once in a lifetime American road trip. I was good for a few days - eating eggs, fruit and chicken salads. But at one point I decided to fuck it. We ate out A LOT. We did long road trips where we would eat out at fast food places and then restaurants in the evening. I was eating massive piles of pancakes for breakfast when I had become accustomed to just eggs 😳. Plus ice creams/snacks during the day etc. I started having a few drinks also at night (stopped altogether when losing weight). I really could have controlled myself but I enjoyed trying all the new foods.

i looked up one of my dinners I had one night and it was 950 calories for a tomato based
seafood pasta with salad!

I have definitely gained weight. I can see it on my thighs, face and my love handles have somewhat come back.

I don’t know why I’m posting. I’m just really freaked out. Obviously not all is lost. I can still fit into my old work clothes but they are definitely tight around the arms and boob area

Should I just bite the bullet. It’s really hard to get back into sensible mode. I find myself getting a lot hungrier than I used to.

Any kindness / advice would be lovely as I’m really stressed and upset

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

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’!!!

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’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.

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!

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?

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.

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.

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

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 is precisely what I’m convinced will happen!

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.

Im just far too much a coward. I’m tempted to not look and get my dh to note it down. And just ask him to tell me the change for a month or so

Ive been fairly good today. Had eggs and fruit for breakfast with a slice of wholemeal toast. Lunch was a tuna salad. Snacked on some pickled veggies and a hard boiled egg (random but it’s my go to).

I have to admit I was STARVING by dinner which was a pork stir fry. I’ve definitely had hunger pangs which I’ve had to ignore. But I had plenty of energy which I didn’t necessarily have when I was eating crap). I was about to have a magnum but the flavour I like wasn’t there so had a milky tea instead.

i used to eat this amount and not feel ravenous pre holiday. The first few days are torture!

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.

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

I almost didn’t post cause I thought no one would care to comment. You all have been lovely. This is the part of mumsnet that is utterly wonderful!

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

Sorry, meant to quote OP not myself 😆

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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 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.

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.