Consequences, Life and Balance

The good news is that I lost 4.6 pounds of the 6.4 pound vacation gain. I still firmly believe that part of that was water retention from more sodium than normal the last few days before weighing in, but obviously I am happy with the loss.

The bad news? There is no bad news.

I splurged not only on vacation but at a family birthday celebration last week. I had two Coney dogs minus buns, ice cream for dessert and a Miller Lite that evening. Perhaps paring that down and skipping some of the chocolate floating around due to Valentine's Day, I would have lost the whole amount gained but I am okay with what I've done.

I have more weight to lose so I'm not in maintenance mode but I am learning how far I can stray when the occasion arises. Sometimes the best choice will still be a high number of WW points but there is more to life than counting points. Don't get me wrong, they ARE important but we do have our weekly reserve that we can dip into, and sometimes a person just has to do something off the chart.

The consequences of overeating is weight gain. I don't plan to do this often, I've worked too hard to get this far.

Life is to be lived. That doesn't mean eat whatever you want all the time or you'll gain an unhealthy amount of weight again and that will shorten the life you are anxious to enjoy living.

Balance is not a cookie in each hand, as tempting at that can sound. Balance is knowing when you can take a cookie, eat it and not slide back into bad habits (I could have sworn that column of Oreos was full a minute ago!) and when you need to remind yourself that you don't really need that cookie. It is just a cookie. It is not unconditional love. It is not world peace, the cure for dreaded diseases or anything at all magical. Balance is enjoying it if you do decide to eat it, but knowing having four more won't improve the taste you had with that first bite.

Onward and downward.

After the cruise...

Our vacation was wonderful.   Wonder. Full.    Won. Der. Full.   However you spell it or break it down, it was great.

While I didn't track, I was aware of what I ate, even the days I had ice cream numerous times. Yes, a cruise can be a dangerous place for a weight watcher, but I gave myself permission to cut loose and found that I didn't eat as much as I thought I might. I just plain don't feel good if I am too full and lord knows I don't want to outgrow my clothes!

At Monday's weigh in I was up 6.4 pounds. Based on how I feel this morning and by our home scale, I think part of that was water retention. My fingers felt pudgy on Monday and that is a definite sign for me. I'll know for sure how much damage my vacation did at my next weigh in. I have gone back to my new normal this week, nothing drastic to undo those 6 pounds. This is life. It will happen from time to time but I won't let it happen week after week.

 

Feeling regal enough to wear horizontal stripes later at Pirate Night on the Disney Cruise

 

With my favorite beach buddies

For my so-called friend who informed that I'd never get rid of the excess skin without surgery: See those bat wings (as you referred to them)? Bite them you lousy nay-sayer. I don't give a bat wing or a rat's hind end what you think. Don't like them? Look away. 

 

Rare moments with my mouth closed (not smiling or laughing) although I do appear to me smirking in the first photo. I bet I was thinking that ice cream weight surely melts in the sun!