I am taking a vacation soon.
I was thinking how much easier it would have been to do this before starting Weight Watchers, but I am determined to remain on plan so I am planning my meals before I pack my bags.
So, the game plan so far is to take my own cereal. I will use my Gladware bowls, and have it pre-measured. I will have to find some skim or 1% milk. I'll even have it pre-sprinkled with Splenda. I will also take three bananas. That takes care of breakfast and mid-morning snack for about 6 points total.
Lunch can be Subway. Sometimes the meat at Subway makes me retain water. I don't think highly processed lunch meat is as healthy as they want you to believe, yet it's still better than fried burgers and fries. 6 - 8 points for lunch, depending if I get chips. Will get veggies on my sandwich.
So that puts me at 12-14 points, so I'll have 20-22 for snack and dinner (plus flex points if I decide to use them.) That's easy if I go to a restaurant that lists points, but I really want to go to the Olive Garden. Years ago I knew a gal who worked there and she said that the Cheese Ravioli which I love so much was 14 points. Now that was years ago, but I think I'll be safe with that figure. A bread stick is 3 points, and I'll get the dressing on the side of my salad.
So all I'm worried about now is an evening snack and morning coffee. We don't have a Starbucks where I live. We had one for a short time, but it was one of the 600 or so that shut down. When I went there, I always ordered a decaf with cream. I tried looking on their website but I couldn't find nutritional information for what I want. Does Starbucks have a fat-free creamer? A light creamer? Unflavored for me, thank you. I guess I can ask when I get there, but I'd rather have my points planned out ahead of time. If it doesn't work, I can always drink my coffee black, though.
Secondly, I am a big fan of air-pop popcorn. My husband thinks it's gross, but I enjoy it. So I'm used to 80 grams of unpopped kernels equaling 4 points. I am simply not up on the microwave popcorn. The room will have a fridge and microwave, so I could enjoy a microwave popcorn if I can find one that is low in points. Favorites, anyone?
The one thing that is most important to me on this vacation is to remain true to myself. Right now being true to myself means remaining on plan. I am worth it. Sure, I could indulge and "really enjoy myself." However, if I want to really set myself up for life with healthier eating, that means taking the focus off food and on to other things. This vacation is not about food, it's about rest, rejuvenation and fun. I can still enjoy the Olive Garden without going blowing my plan.
I'm glad to hear you're going to try to stay on plan while you're on vacation. When I first started WW in Sept. I was like "Oh no, I have Halloween, my anniversary, Thanksgiving, Christmas, my birthday, inventory" etc to get through. There is always something. So I think learning how to eat less while doing special occasions really helps :)
ReplyDeleteGood for you! I think it is very smart to plan your meals before you go. Maybe you can use some of those flex points to splurdge on a thing or two while you are on vacation.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite microwave popcorn is Pop-Secret 100 Calorie Pop, Kettle Corn. I love it. My daughter and I love to eat it as our after dinner snack.
Have fun on vacation. I can't wait to hear some advice about how you stayed on track. My vacation is coming in a few months and I'm sure I will need some advice on how to keep myself in check. :)
You're on the right track. I've been telling myself that "failing to plan is planning to fail" a lot lately.
ReplyDeleteTo answer some of your questions...
Microwave popcorn varies from 4-1 point for the whole bag. Look for the mini-bags. They're convenient if it's just you.
Creamers are 20 calories per tablespoon regular and 10 cals for fat-free.
Restaurant eating is tricky, but Dotti's Weight Loss Zone (http://dwlz.com/) has an amazingly complete listing of restaurant chains and their menus with all of the points values calculated. Check it here... http://dwlz.com/restaurants.html
Sounds like you have it well planned! Like Dina says, there's always some special occasion that will come along. Better to start now and learn to deal with it right. Good luck!
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