Post-Vacation Mode

OK, so my family and I went to Vegas for a few days, and I applied my 75/25 vacation-mode eating plan. Here's how I did.

We stayed in a suite and ate breakfast in each day, so I was able to stick fairly close to my at-home breakfasts (although it was hard to gauge just how much cereal I was pouring without my trusty small bowls). Lunches and dinners were almost all eaten in restaurants, so that was tougher. I stuck to salads for lunch as much as possible and ignored the fries that came with my daughters' meals, but portion sizes were definitely an issue. I also only asked for dressing on the side about half the time. I usually got 1-2 servings of fruit in for snacks or with my morning cereal and tried to avoid starchy refined carbs as much as possible.

Dinners were trickier. With the Memphis BBQ one night, the steak dinner with all-you-can-eat salad bar another (I DID stick to salad from the bar but had some bleu cheese dressing on it), and the all-you-can-eat buffet a third, it was hard to stick to reasonable portion sizes. And I didn't say no to dessert, but almost always shared or just had a bite or two. But when you have kids with you, the alcohol consumption tends to go way down (we didn't have a drop), which also helps keep weight in check.

We were about as active as usual, did a lot of walking up and down The Strip and did some swimming, so that helped work off the extra calories. My husband and I each got at least a 45-minute workout in each day, too, taking advantage of the treadmill and/or bike at the fitness center, and I brought (and used!) a couple of workout DVDs with me. But since we drove, the days we made the 4.5-hour trip there and back were not super-active.

Fortunately, snacks in the car were fruit, Clif bars and Nature Valley nut clusters (yummy!), so our fiber intake was up. However, we did stop at M&M World on our last day there, and I did eat my share of those little nuggets--during the drive home and after arriving home. Well, they had coconut and dark chocolate peanut flavors--a girl doesn't get those every day!

So the upshot? I gained about a pound when all was said and done. And I'm right back on the wagon today, so that should be gone soon. All in all, a fairly successful vacation--fun, but not out of control. Time for a long run tomorrow!