Dear Alice,
I just got back from Miami and I am so disappointed. For the first time ever, I actually stayed on my plan while on vacation. I didn’t touch the bread basket or desserts at restaurants, stayed away from the late-night munching aside from my “treat,” and chose sugar-free frozen yogurt instead of milk shakes. However, when I came to weigh in, I found that I had lost less than half a pound despite all my efforts! What went wrong?
Signed,
Devastated about maintaining
Dear Devastated,
I understand your frustration! You were surrounded by temptation for five days straight and did not cave in even once! Surely the scale should appreciate everything you sacrificed! However, as far as the scale/reality is concerned, your week in Miami was good, but had some issues.
Eating out at restaurants for several days straight, even when choosing the most diet-conscious items from the menu, usually brings along with it extra calories in the forms of sauces and fats used during preparation. Additionally, there is a good chance your dinner was later than recommended. Also, treats are meant to be eaten only when needed, and if used nightly, can slow your weight loss down a bit. Finally, traveling, particularly flying, can throw your digestion off a bit, and being constipated can definitely slow weight loss.
For these reasons, we tell our clients that even with tremendous effort, your goal on vacation should be to maintain your weight! So the fact that you lost even a bit is excellent and proves that you truly were on your game! Be proud of yourself and keep up the excellent self-control! The weight loss will continue, and you will get to your goals!
Best,
Alice
We also discussed Raizy’ s upcoming vacation to Miami and made a realistic plan for maintaining her weight. I recommended that she focus on three things:
Sticking to the recommended timings, meaning, eating breakfast within two hours of waking up and not going longer than three hours without eating something.
Being smart about eating out at restaurants: Don’t get there too late, don’t starve beforehand, and choose protein and vegetable options with sauces and dressings on the side. Not giving up at any point: We discussed that it is common for dieters who go off track to wait until they are back from a vacation, or Monday, or after the holiday, etc. to get back on track, but that is a mistake! I told Raizy that if she “cheats” or eats poorly, she should just forgive herself and keep going.
Raizy left the office excited about her weight loss, excited about her upcoming vacation and ready to both relax and eat well.
Alice Harrosh, Alice Harrosh is a Nutrition Counselor and Manager at Nutrition by Tanya, with 12 locations, including one on Main street in Queens! Alice knows that making healthy choices is not always easy, as she has been through the struggle herself. As an optimistic person, Alice’s favorite quote is: “It’s never too late to start eating better. If you have a bad morning, make it a better afternoon.” For more information on Nutrition by Tanya or the TAP (Tanya-approved products) food line, please visit www.nutritionbytanya.com or call 844-Tanya-Diet (844-826-9234). For daily tips and inspiration, you may follow @nutritionbytanya on Instagram.