Getting Back on Track...
I just LOVE Holidays.
Who doesn’t?
Aside from the obvious, spending time with family and being in glorious sunshine all day… for me, the best thing about being on my hols is Food and Drink.
I don’t hold back on holiday. The breakfast buffet, all the Pastries (with extra Butter), mid morning Frappe with whipped cream, lunch by the beach with a cold glass of Wine (or 3), afternoon cocktail and Magnum ice cream by the pool, then three course dinner with Wine and Irish Coffee.
It doesn’t get much better than that does it.
BUT I am all about having balance, while I love all those things very very much, I also love me some healthy, balanced food and more importantly how I feel when I’m eating healthier. The perfect week for me is lots of fresh, healthy food through the week with some naughtiness to look forward to at the weekend. And I know if I ate and drank in holiday mode all the time, I wouldn’t feel too sassy.
Its always a bit sad coming home to an empty fridge, with only a few sorry looking spuds and condiments on the top shelf that have been there for longer than I’d care to admit, so nothing excites me more than writing my shopping list for the week ahead.
I’m one of those people who LOVES food shopping, like I literally cannot get enough. Food shopping is like therapy to me (must be child free, or its basically enough for me to need actual therapy…). So I curl up on the sofa with my meal planner (the ones from Fox and Moon are fab) and plan a week of seriously yummy food.
The best way for me to eat well, is to make sure its food I love, no scrimping, no cutting anything out, no skipping meals, just three balanced, healthy meals a day. When I cut things out, it makes me feel deprived and I’m much more likely to binge on crap. So I plan lots of yummy lunches and dinners, focusing mainly on food I know ill have time to cook on each day depending what I’m up to. Then I write my shopping list with the usual add ons at the end… Fish Fingers, freezer rubbish for Kieran, Nappies etc etc.
This is just what works best for me, I love cooking and eating and being organised… it just makes me feel like I have my shit together. I don’t stick to the plan every week, more often than not an extra meal out creeps in or I skip breakfast because well #mumlife!
Meal planning definitely helps with finding the balance and I would 100% recommend it being the first step to taking back control if your eating habits have spiralled and you are feeling a bit crap or if you’ve had some overindulgence and your balance is feeling a little wonky!
For the first time ever I have come home from a holiday with no desire to weigh myself. I know I’ve had a great time, I know I’m feeling happy and content, I know my clothes are a bit tighter but I’m not bothered… finding that balance for me means being aware but not feeling restricted… I have no need to crash diet or starve myself because I’ve over done it because I know inevitably that will also leave me feeling crap.
It’s all about finding the balance that works for you and your life. The only goal I’m currently aiming for is happiness, I have no need to stand on a scale to determine that or burst my holiday happiness bubble.
Hope this helps anyone struggling to feel good after a holiday, we all know that #holidaycomedown is real. This is just my way of dealing with it and easing back into reality and routine!
L x