One of the most common questions I get asked is, “how do you get back on track with your diet once you’ve fallen off the wagon?”  Well! This is my answer:  You nip that shit in the bud!

As I’ve said like a bajillion times, I have NO WILLPOWER so I keep a very clean (eating) environment at home. I don’t bring junk food, processed foods (even things like Cliff Bars) or starches (bread, pasta, baked goods) into my house except on PLANNED occasions like at-home-movie-night or parties and even then, whatever isn’t finished by the end of the night goes in the trash…outside!

My rule is that I eat “clean” at home- protein, vegetables, fat and fruit (in that order) and enjoy “splurges” on special occasions like celebrations, fancy date-nights, and vacations. This works well for me. It allows me to feel in control, not deprived and makes my body happy!  HOWEVER, this past month has had a few too many splurges!

It started May 26th when we left for Wichita for vacation.  I gained 7 pounds during the five days we were gone.

This is typical for me and something I’ve learned to manage.  I come home, go grocery shopping, make my Meat for the Week, cook my veggies and bam, I’m right back to “normal”.

The problem is that this time I was only home for 9 days before heading out of town for an extended four-day girl’s weekend which included plenty of splurges and alcohol.  I have no photo evidence of that but trust me, the Southern Belles were a-plenty! And only 9 days after returning from that I left for FitBloggin (another four day splurger) which included High Tea, Ice Cream and THIS…

I was only home for two days before heading out AGAIN to the beautiful hills of West Virginia where I ran the 2nd Annual Ten Mile Triathlon and was THREE MINUTES SLOWER than last year!  THAT was a huge shocker!  I felt like crap.  Total and complete crap.  I was pissed at myself for letting my diet stay so consistently bad over the weeks leading up to the (unofficial, just for fun but still competitive) race that my “fitter than ever” body couldn’t beat last year’s time!

As tt turns out the problem was ACTUALLY that I had done the 8 mile VERY HILLY, off-road bike ride on nearly flat tires and when I redid the bike course a few days later with properly inflated tires I was barely winded so had I had proper tire pressure on race day it’s likely that I would have kicked some serious ass…but regardless, I HAD eaten like crap and my body DID feel like crap!

The following five days in one of my favorite places on earth was full of southern hospitality complete with starchy meals, an always full candy dish, and plenty of alcohol.

I know this all sounds awesome and while I certainly enjoyed ALL of it, my body has paid the price.  As of Monday night the scale showed 177lbs! Up eight pounds from my “holding steady” weight of 169lbs (with the exception of a few other vacation fluctuations) which is why I actually ended my West Virginia vacation four days early.

I couldn’t take it anymore, my body couldn’t take it anymore.  I didn’t WANT to leave.  I didn’t WANT to stop eating chips and cookies and sandwiches on gluey white bread! I LOVE all of those things but…

I couldn’t walk past the candy dish and grab another caramel again.

I couldn’t step into the kitchen and reach into a bag of chips and grab another handful of snacks.

I couldn’t drink another beer or Sweet Tea Vodka with Lemonade.

I couldn’t have another slice of toast with breakfast or piece of pie after dinner.

Although I don’t believe that being Fat is a Choice, I DO recognize that losing weight AND maintaining it requires decisions that set you up for success so I did what I had to do.  I packed my bags Sunday night and left first thing Monday morning.

After returning home with a cold and taking yesterday to just rest and do close to nothing, OPERATION NIP THAT SHIT IN THE BUD is in full effect with low carb eating engaged!  I’m ready to get back to my normal routine of healthy food choices MOST of the time, exercise I LOVE and very few splurges (planning on none actually, but I don’t want to set myself up for failure with unreasonable expectations)  until at least August 1st!

I have restocked my kitchen with all of the foods I (also) happen to love like chicken, eggs, beef, peppers, zucchini, spaghetti squash, salad, yummy cheeses and avocados and then it’s back to my “everyday” way of eating.  I’ve got my MEAT FOR THE WEEK and prepared my veggies!  I’m ready get back on MY wagon!

Remember!  I am not Cured of Being Fat! I am not ashamed of this.  It’s something I recognize and manage. I made a tough decision but I knew that’s what was best for me…leaving early was what I had to do.  It’s a choice that I am proud of and one that I can add to my list of reasons I am successful in my struggles with being a healthy weight.

Follow my “too-many-splurges” weight loss progress on Facebook where I’ll be posting scale pictures each day until I get back down to 169lbs.  You know you wanna!