Challenges, Schmallenges!!!

Well, Ugh!! Thank gosh I don't do a lot of travel for work, because it is one thing I have yet to Master in this journey of weight loss and quest for health! For 4 days, all we did was EAT!! Well, and SIT!! Here's how it went:

Monday - TOM arrived, just in time to join me for my travels.  :(  And it was a BAD one!  Extremely bad back pain, very very heavy..... I'm convinced things have changed and I may have a fibroid.  It could explain how I became anemic out of the blue.  Well, I see the gyn soon so we shall find out.  Anyhoo, I get to deal with this on top of EVERYTHING else this week.  Boo.....  So, up at 3am to leave for a 6:30am flight. Ate a regular breakfast at 4am. Actually felt okay and wasn't too hungry. Ate an apple around 10am. Packed a healthy lunch, but by the time I got to eat it (now 3pm East Coast Time), it was warm. A warm tuna sandwich and yogurt (oopps!) that the TSA made me throw out. At this point, skipped the lunch and checked in to the hotel. What? You have to give me a large chocolate chip walnut cookie? And it's warm?! Why sure, I'm STARVING! Then, met up for dinner with colleagues at 7pm. I actually did pretty well. One bit of appetizer, fish dish with veggies, a few bites of dessert, and a sip of wine. 

Tuesday - Was a disaster! Ate breakfast at the hotel at 7am (omelette, potatoes, bacon, toast). Then, got to meeting to only find THEY had ordered breakfast for us. I resisted for several hours, but then complete boredom and overwhelming tiredness set in. The carbs were calling.... Slice of pound cake. Then, it was lunch. Sandwich, chips, pasta salad, cookies, and REGULAR Coke! No one believes in Diet out here! Next, the 3pm slump set in and coffee and a brownie sounded great! At 6pm, it was straight to dinner with 10 people. You know, one of those fancy let's order everything on the menu, wine and cocktails flowing, and desserts all around to share! I was full. No, I was OVERFULL!! NOO, I WAS ILL! A bad bad sign when things are spinning and the stomach is turning. I sooo wish I had my adjustable bed at this moment! Had a horrible night sleep because had to sleep sitting up due to acid reflux, was in pain from being so full, was wide awake because all of my body's energy was being spent trying to keep everything down and digest it!! Ugh, tomorrow can't come soon enough!

Wednesday - Not again, will we have a day exactly like Tuesday! At least this time I learned fairly quick! Usually I repeat Tues for the whole trip and then wonder why I'm up 10 lbs! Sooo tired from no sleep. But, ate a very light breakfast at the hotel. Coffee at the meeting and a 1/2 danish at 11am. At 1pm, time for lunch: small sandwich, water, salad, large cookie. Ignored the candy! 5pm drive back to the hotel. We stopped at Dunkin Donuts on the way back. Ice coffee and a chocolate cake donut. The thought was better than it was! Way too sweet and the donut just wasn't very good. Soo disappointing. :( Skipped the invitation to another dinner out at a fancy restaurant, and went to the gym at the hotel. :) 40 mins of walking. It was painful. But, glad I did it. Except now, it was 9pm and I am hungry! Ordered room service, except they don't have great healthy stuff at 9pm at night! Grilled cheese sandwich and fries. Not a great choice. Gosh this sucks. Not full like last night, so hopefully sleep will be a bit more restful tonight.

Thursday - Slept better last night except for loud tv's blaring on either side of my room!  Vowed to make this a pretty OP day. Most of the group had left already and we were to leave at 6pm, so there wouldn't be as much available food. Or, so I thought.  Did a light breakfast at the hotel. Stopped at Dunkin' Donuts (again!) on the way to the meeting.  Why?  Because it was there.  Not a good answer.  Got a different coffee and donut this time.  Coffee was still WAY too sweet!  Boo......  Got to the meeting, and they had brought in all sorts of Starbucks pastries.  Go figure.  Ignored them.  Before I knew it, it was time to order our lunch.  All they do is EAT back here!!  I ordered a Philly chicken cheesesteak.  Why?  Because it seemed like the thing to do.  Not a good answer.  It was HUGE!!!  I ate half and threw the rest away.  It was now time to head to the airport.  I was getting a little hungry so I got a pretzel before the flight.  On the flight I ate the donut I had bought earlier that day.  It was better I must say.  Got home around 10pm and went straight to bed, skipped dinner.  Friday it is completely BACK ON TRACK and hit the gym! 

Friday - Oh holy heck do I have to go to work??!!!  I am soooo tired.  I have a sinus headache from HELL!!!  And, I'm starving.  Stopped at Starbucks to get espresso but that was it.  Managed to stay on plan Friday.  The headache finally went away in the afternoon.  Then, I had to go to my first PT appt for my knee.  I think it helped.  Then, made my way to the gym and did a 5K+!  Didn't expect to do that, but I felt pretty good and heaven knows I needed the exercise and calorie burn after all that!  AND, TOM has finally left town!  Woo hooo!

Saturday the scale will be what it is going to be, and then MOVING ON.  It's only a blip, a pebble in the road. Step right over it and keep on going!!! It does not define you, you are not a failure! Vacations and work travel are hard. I will have to keep trying to find a way to be successful with them, but there were a few tiny victories along the way. Just need a few more, and then a few more, and eventually it will be success! :)

Step over those pebbles in your path and keep on going! 

Cheers,
Jessica