She Returns...Well Rested And Relaxed!

Well greetings and salutations dear readers! Yes, I have returned from our two week California adventure, replete with driving (we put 1,500 miles on the rental car); hiking mountains; walking beaches; riding horses; and yep, you guessed it: indulging in some decadent meals along the way. I'll get right to a point you might be wondering about. How much weight did Melissa gain? Well, I had predicted I would pack on 10 lbs. but I came in a little below that. I think we're looking at a 7 lb. gain. And guess what.

I'm not panicking!

Hard to believe it's me saying this. Those who have read this blog know I have been anxiety-ridden over maintenance for months. Frightened of any weight gain. Convinced if I loosened up my controlled eating in any way, I'd plow my 80 lbs. back onto my body at record speed. But no, that hasn't happened. I returned two days ago and immediately fell back into my maintenance eating routine. It's actually effortless. And I like it! Things could change, but honestly, I'm comforted by my familiar eating schedule and the similarity of what I eat day to day. I feel balanced, and I truly believe this vacation helped "re-set" my state of mind about my body and myself. I needed this extended getaway more than I thought.

I know this may not hold, but I have lost 3 lbs. of the 7 lb. gain in just two days. You know I prefer my high fiber/low sodium/low calorie diet, and that's what I am following. Now, I ate lots of salty foods on the trip, so maybe this is just water weight coming off. Regardless, I'm happy and very, very relaxed. I'm picking back up with the two-mile "streaking" walk this week and that should expedite the weight loss even more. So there's no need to fall apart. This is Maintenance 101 and I'm doing it!

In line with my belief that I need to stay close to the clinic for accountability, I have an appointment to see Millie at 3:45 p.m. tomorrow, and then I will sit in on the class. I don't think I want to step on their scale...that reflects my "recorded" weight, and it could make me nervous. I will definitely be weighed next Wednesday. It just might be a good idea to hold off on weighing at the clinic until then. We'll see. I could change my mind tomorrow. That has happened in the past.

I'm thrilled to be back blogging again. I really missed it! I'm tired now, but in the coming days I will relay to you how I handled difficult eating situations and provide information about some bad eating habits that cropped up along the way. Just wanted all to know I'm back safe and sound, and eager to continue my Optifast maintenance journey. Have a great evening everyone!