Our vacation in Phoenix with family plus the me-and-hubs alone vacation to Zion National Park is officially over. And I am unofficially about two pounds heavier. I made some poor choices, which I regret. I indulged myself a little bit, which I don’t. Today, I looked at the scale and went “Bummer.” However, I am trying not to see it as a huge setback. Instead, I’m taking the steps I need to get back on track. Planned and shopped for a healthy menu on Monday. Started easing back towards my WW plan the last two days, and then started journaling my points again today. Baby steps. Baby steps.
The weight loss made the vacation more enjoyable in a number of ways. First, people who hadn’t seen me since I started my efforts were surprised and very complimentary about the changes. Second, I hiked with my husband like a maniac during our time at Zion and kept up well. We hiked 8 miles in one day. EIGHT MILES. Uphill both ways. Okay, okay, only one way, but it was not a trail for sissies. My body wasn’t quite used to that, but it was better conditioned for activity and thank goodness I’ve been exercising. Last, time alone with hubs in a cabin in the woods, plus a curvy, sexy look = grown-up fun. Yes, you know what I mean. *wink*
If I had sent you a postcard from our trip, it would have looked something like this:
And here’s us, in a self-portait half-way up the trail looking out on that expanse:
I learned some valuable lessons about how easily I can fall back into bad eating habits. Being at my parents’ house was hard; they are both overweight and tend not to stock the refrigerator well. Eating out at unfamiliar places made it difficult sometimes to make good choices. We were busy, and I wasn’t paying close attention to my water intake and healthy snacking needs, which made it more likely for me to scarf down whatever was offered when I got really really hungry. I also overate a couple of times and ended up with that “ugh” feeling that had become unfamiliar.
These aren’t excuses. I am in control, and I know that. But these observations are reminding me that this is not just a diet, but a process of behavior change. I developed my (poor) eating habits over the course of a lifetime, and five weeks on WW hasn’t changed them permanently. But I am learning, and I am trying, and I think that by the time I hit my goal (which is realistically at least 6 months out) more of this will have become habit.
Despite the diet setback, I am happier now than I’ve been in awhile. The Southwestern desert and mountains will always feel like home to me, even though I haven’t lived there in seven years. Getting hugs from my mom, planting my feet on the trail, and breathing some fresh mountain air have rejuvenated me in ways that can’t be measured on any scale.
I’m back, in more ways than one.
