Back from vacation

Hey all, nice to see you again. Just catching up a bit on the threads that have been posted this week.  We just got back from a trip to Europe that was a little over 3 weeks long - we went to Denmark, Germany and Netherlands. Had such a great time!

It was interesting travelling post-RNY at goal.  First of all, it was really difficult to plan meals at all since we constantly ate out and had no idea where we would be eating, so I didn't. I just tried to make sure to order things with protein in them. But I also ate things that I wouldn't normally eat. And I discovered that yes, my stomach is quite sensitive to sugar and fat still. I still dump. And I had a few episodes, some of which were unpredictable and some of which were entirely predictable!

One of the things I did when I was away was eating larger meals at longer intervals apart. I didn't really mean to do this but it kind of worked out that way, because my husband doesn't need to eat as regularly as me, and because I didn't notice the time since we were out doing stuff all the time.  I walked a lot more than usual for the first couple of weeks of the trip, and even the last week was pretty good for walking, although we spent more time relaxing. But one thing I did, even though I was having larger meals, was that after a couple of upset stomach episodes, I tried to really be conscious of fullness and stopped eating when full.  And that worked nicely.

I also didn't shy away from rice and bread and carbs. Of course, I didn't eat huge portions of them, but I didn't avoid them either. I had a lot more carbs than I'm used to.  As a result, I thought when I got home I would discover a few extra pounds on the scale.  Nope. I actually LOST two pounds. The day I left, I was 180 lbs. When we returned, I was 177. So, I spent three weeks not tracking my food, eating a higher percentage of carbs than usual, making the occasional mistake and suffering for it, and yet I still managed to maintain.  This is a huge victory for me, because I didn't throw caution to the wind - I did my best to eat moderately while enjoying a few things I might not normally eat (very small portions of them), and it worked out.  It's the first time since surgery that I've felt "normal" - not obsessed with every bite, every calorie, but still able to moderate my intake, eat properly, enjoy my food, and not gain weight.  

This surgery has been such a gift.

Hope everyone is doing well! Looking forward to catching up with everyone here.

Welcome home! I'm so happy to hear you had such a wonderful time - what a dream vacation!

Thank you! Yes, it really was. My first time in Europe, and first really long vacation like that. :)

Welcome home.  Have any photos? Glad the food worked out for the most part. All that walking probably helped.

Hope to see you n Wednesday

Yes, tons of photos! I'll bring my tablet and show you some on Wednesday night. :) 

Congrats on a great vacation!

Judy

Thanks!

Welcome back! it might not have been the first time saying this..but isn't it great LOSING weight on vacation? :-)

Yeah, it's really something else. And totally unexpected.  I thought I would gain weight.  And the losing continues - I was 174.4 this morning. Not sure how that happened. I was pretty active on Saturday but a slug yesterday. I guess the secret is, lots of heavy food and wine. LOL. (Kidding of course!)