Wednesday, August 07, 2013

How Real People Lose Weight: The Vacation Edition

Hi, guys!

Hope you enjoyed the reruns the past couple of weeks.  I was back home after an awesome vacation to Europe.  (Now, that's a sabbatical!)  My husband and I fulfilled a bucket list item by taking an Eastern Med cruise, then hanging out a week in southern Spain.  We went on a lot of tours, relaxed on the deck, read books, and enjoyed each others' company.  When we came back, Rob had lost five pounds and I'd only gained 1.6, but I lost 2 percent bodyfat.  It is possible to stay fit on vacation without a lot of extra effort or sacrifice.  Here's how we did it.

Exercise:  the cruise ship did have a gym, and we went, but not nearly as often, as long, or with as much exertion as we do at home.  However, Rob and I walked everywhere and took the stairs as often as possible, which, since we were on Deck 10 and our dining room was on Deck 3 and the Promenade was on Deck 5, we did a LOT of stairs.  At the resort, we walked around the little town as much as possible as well.

Diet:  We ate the most incredible food on the cruise ship.  (The resort buffet was awful.  Seriously, how do you mess up a grilled steak and bread?) The sad result for me was that I had desserts every night, sometimes two because I could not make up my mind, and resorted to pastries for breakfast because they were the only edible thing the resort made.  However, I tried to keep my meals low calorie.  Also, in Europe the serving portions are smaller, and even then, I did not eat everything on my plate (to be frank, I saved calories for dessert!)  We also had a lot less junk food than normal, which makes a difference.  I also forewent Coca Cola, my personal vice, for much of the vacation.  That's a lot of calories.

Anyhoo, here's the results for July/Aug.  It's a slow, steady progression, so I'm hoping it's one that will endure.  My next goal is 145 before we move, and 140 as an enduring goal.


Remember, I am not sucking in my gut (obviously) or trying to do anything to make myself look thinner.  I have to say, I don't see that much difference in the photos, but I do when I look straight in the mirror.



15-Jan 3-Aug
total loss





weight 169 148.6
16.8 lb dec
body fat 38.5 29.3
9.2 dec
chest 38.7 34.5
4.2 dec
bust 41.1 37.4
3.7 dec
waist 39 31.4
7.6 dec
hips 42.8 37.5
5.3 dec
abs 42 36.5
5.5 dec
thigh 22 23.2
1.2 inc
calf 15 14.5
.5 dec
bicep 11.6 11.1
.5 inc
forearm 10 9.4
.6 dec
neck 15 14
1.0 dec
Total loss


29.6 inches

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