The Trouble With Holidays
Current Weight (4 September 2024): 120.5 Kilograms, 18.97 Stone, 265.65 Pounds.
Weight Loss So Far: 17.2 Kilograms, 2.7 Stone, 27.91 Pounds.
It’s All Gone Wrong!
The trouble with holidays is perfectly simple. They lead you to return to all those bad habits you thought you’d eradicated. You get home, feeling fresh but hopeless devoted to terrible eating. Time to address the problems and where it all went so horrendously wrong.
Many things in life are predictable: Cambridge United being rubbish, the cost of living soaring, not getting tickets to the Gallagher brother’s reunion, and losing a fighting battle with food if you’re a food addict. Right now, just about all hope is lost. It’s not just me, either. ‘Er indoors feels precisely the same. But, in the face of adversity, you should always look for positives.
Holidays are great, and we had a fantastic one; thank you very much. We live for trips away and work hard all year, so blinking well deserve them. But, in hindsight, holidays are nothing but trouble. Big trouble. I feel like a captain who abandoned a sinking ship. I’m more annoyed than angry. I had so many hopes and aspirations in the last blog that I could finally change my ways, and yet here we are, one month on, drowning in a puddle of despair and battling every day.
The Trouble With Holidays – Mistake #1
I said to weigh myself directly before and after the ten-day break, but a downward spiral descended before we’d even set foot on the plane. Alcohol was consumed on Saturday, and we flew on Wednesday. Overeating was in abundance before we’d even contemplated hitting the holiday buffets. Everything I preached disappeared immediately after I posted the last blog.
The Trouble With Holidays – Mistake #2
I left it a week after we returned before stepping on the scales and discovering I’d gained 3 kilos. I kept putting off writing and updating the blog. In a twist of coincidental fate, I’d started ignoring the finances. It was a bad combination, taking my eye off not one but two of the most important aspects of my life. A week went by, and my weight stayed the same at least, but that horrible feeling of feeling slightly fatter and frumpy with clothes a little tighter has returned. I was as low as 116.5 kg not so long back. But, as I always say, it is what it is! I’ve created this mess, and it’s my job to sort it out!
The Trouble With Holidays – Spiralling Out Of Control
My wife and I feel the same way. We’ve got a taste for the good stuff again. And the good stuff means too much ultra-processed, soft, chewy, addictive food. With this mindset, there’s no chance of losing weight when you cannot stop eating ultra-processed, completely addictive food. That is where we’re at—keeping the plane afloat, but only just.
The Trouble With Holidays – Pinpointing Blame
Of course, the holiday is to blame. Our minds change when basking in the sun with as much food and booze as we want on tap. I loved the idea of just doing ten days and then getting back into the diet, but sadly, being human, this never happened. Disappointed and annoyed, yes. In despair? Most certainly, but I’ve got a grip on this. The trouble with holidays is they allow letting yourself entirely go. And when you’re constantly battling weight, you don’t need too much of an excuse to eat! I know I should and could have lost a lot more weight by this point, but despite this latest wobble, I still feel in control. We constantly need reminders of how easy it is to get back where you were.
I’m still learning lessons all the time. The hard work—constant hard work—must begin again. Er indoors has given up counting, and my counting is sporadic at best, but yesterday, I took a tiny step to improving matters.
A Small Step
I’ve challenged myself to count calories every day in September – good, bad or indifferent! Okay, I missed the 1st because of the three-quarters of a bottle of vodka I downed Saturday evening, but from now on, I’m going to do the whole month counting whatever I eat. Yesterday wasn’t pretty, nor was Monday, but it’s critical to record when things are going badly and you’re a whisker away from giving up altogether. Remind yourself where you used to be and where you are now!
I must return to weighing myself on Saturdays and writing regularly. I felt I was losing my grip, but even this blog is a small step toward recovery. When things spiral out of control, it’s easy to give up. Things aren’t ideal, but I have a plan.
A Plan? Yeah Right!
My biggest enemy is weakness. I’ve gone back to pure calorie counting but not sure if this is the right way to go as it encourages eating ultra-processed foods (UPF) as I’ve proved these past couple of weeks. However, I know I have to make minor improvements to succeed. Too often, I fail because I’m weak. I’m vulnerable to UPF and alcohol. When combined, there is nothing by weight gain on the agenda.
The trouble with holidays is that they cause problems. You get so out of control that it becomes challenging to regain momentum. And this is where I’m at right now. I’ve had so many action plans and failed every single one. Determination and grit are needed! But we all know this already. It’s nothing new, but it’s frustrating all the same. The only person to blame is you. Be harsh on yourself when things go wrong, but equally, be good to yourself when things go well.
September – A New Horizon.
Can I do it? Can I count calories every day in September? I’ve eaten pretty severely the past couple of days but have recorded. Recording sticks firmly in the mind despite mini out-of-control sessions and biscuit consumption at work. However, I’m on it. The big question I’m asking myself is, can the plan be stuck to, or is failure around the corner?
Plan Of Action
Nothing spectacular, but recording food and slowly cutting down on UPF consumption while staying within calorific targets. Embracing fail days and working out what went wrong. Face the demons. A long month ahead, methinks! But one which could end up becoming incredibly rewarding.
I’m notoriously excellent at not sticking with plans but a new-found determination appears to be taking over! Here we go then….
- Count Calories Every Day
- Eat Less UPF
- 10,000 Steps A Day
- Two Blogs A Week
- Regular Updates on Facebook/Instagram
Phew! That’s the trouble with holidays. They taste too good!
