Vacation's Over...Back to Reality

I have noticed, while I've been away on vacation, the distinct sound of crickets comming fromt the comments section of the Monday Weigh In. Can I take this to mean that others took a weight loss vacation too?

Well, I stepped on the scale this morning (in an unofficial way) and saw the ugly truth that has come from all my holiday eating. Put it this way, I have a lot of packets of crisps, fish and chips, pizzas and pasta to burn off.

While we were in England, I was on a crazed mission to try every unusual flavour of crisp I could find. I sampled such delicacies as, Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding, Haggis, Teriyaki, Paella and my personal favourite crisp flavour, African Chutney. That's a lot of crisps when I look at it all written out like that and I know the odd other packet or two crept in there as well.

I spent our week in Italy in food heaven. The whole country is delicious. I wanted to eat it all and I tried. I ate pizza, spaghetti, ravioli, gnocchi, and a different gelato every night.

Mmmmm tiramisu at Ciao Toto

I have to face the consequences now, however. The scale is a heartless master and it's time to get to work.

I'm inspired by the fresh foods that are appearing in the grocery stores, just now and by the approach of the May 2-4 weekend which is the traditionally accepted start of the gardening season around here. I will be planting veggies this week, mark my words.

As a result of this surge of inspiration, I have decided to investigate the Eat Clean Diet. I don't know very much about it and i don't know if it's a good fit for my family, but it sounds like a good idea, so I'm going to check it out and see.

I have been trying to get back on the workout train for the past couple of days. I have definitely lost some of my athleticism over my three week hiatus. Activities that should have been easy weren't so easy at all. It'll take a week or two, but I'll bounce back. I'm not looking forward to strength training today. I have a feeling I'll be exposed as a weakling. At least there won't be anyone around to watch.

Know Yourself and Do What Works For You

Let's be honest...if you're reading this, you have some weight to lose, or you know someone else who does. It's the 21st century...this is North America, we all know there's a problem. We've all strolled through a WalMart and had to negotiate our shopping cart around someone in the isle that's two or three times as wide as they ought to be.

That was mean. I'm just in a nasty mood...ignore me. No, don't ignore me. Keep reading. I'll try to be nicer.

Anyway, from time to time we make the decision to shed our extra pounds. So we reign in our behaviour. We eat a little healthier and we exercise a little more, we loose some weight...we get bored, we lose our resolve, we return to our old habits and we gain the weight back. We've all done it. I've done it a bunch of times.

What I've discovered is, (now pay attention, this is important) success comes from knowing yourself. I'm not telling you to sit around contemplating your navel and the pounds will magically fall off. I'm saying you have to know yourself and your lifestyle and what will work for you over the long haul.

Allow me to use myself as an example. I am not a meeting person. I may be expected at a meeting, but I will move heaven and earth not to be there. So an organization like Weight Watchers, at first glance, seems like a bad idea for someone like me. Not so. The Weight Watchers Online program was ideal for me. It comes with all the tools you need to calculate your 'points' and keep your food journal as well as a database of helpful articles, recipes, inspiring stories and friendly message boards. Weight Watchers Online worked for me.

There are plenty of diet plans and theories out there and as long as it's healthy and it's working for you AND will work for you in the long run, go for it. Find the one that's best for you.

Likewise, you have to find a way to get some exercise and you have to get it, pretty well, every day. I live out in the boonies, so there's no point in joining a gym. I'd never go and I certainly couldn't commit to going six days a week. It would take too much time out of the day and it would cost a fortune in gas. I can, on the other hand, pop in a DVD six days a week and workout at home. That's what works for me.

Lot's of people love the gym. Other people will go for a run, rain or shine. Whatever works. Find something you love to do, that you have time to do and that you can stick with.

Losing weight is a long process and keeping it off is a life-long commitment. Be flexible and change things up from time to time. Keep learning new things and continue to learn about yourself. It's a big job, this weight maintenance stuff and you have to enjoy it or you're setting yourself up for disappointment.

Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games

Say what you want about the Olympics. I know there are a lot of issues to debate. Different groups oppose the Olympics for a bunch of different reasons and some of the opposition is probably justified. But, you really have to hand it to the athletes...the honest ones that aren't doping.

I get so inspired by the athletes. Not just for their physical abilities and not just for the daring feats they attempt when the stakes are high. I admire them for their dedication. Most people can't stay dedicated to a regimen of diet and exercise for a month. This elite group manages to, literally, keep their eye on the prize and join the ranks of the best competitors in the world.

I'm jazzed up after watching the opening ceremonies last night. I'm going to dust off my cross country skis this week. I like to zip around on them pretending I'm a medal contender. Grownups can make-believe too. I'll wait until nightfall and do my skiing under cloak-of-darkness so the neighbours won't see me fall. I prefer skiing at night anyway. For me, nothing is more invigorating than skiing on a crisp, cold, clear winter's night. It's a workout and a meditation in one.