But, I'm on Vacation

To Celebrate the end of the semester, hitting it (metaphorically) out of the park in terms of grades, and because my sister got tickets to the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, I am currently sitting on her couch in Brooklyn. We have a big day today. We may see a movie. I have a spa appointment this afternoon. (I'm getting a manicure! This is great because I've cracked one of my nails down in the nail bed and I'm hoping if they can't save it, they can at least trim it in such a way that it will stop snagging on things and it won't be sore.) And, this evening we are going to a book signing.

I love this city. It is a town of hills and stairs and people who love giving you directions, even if you haven't asked. I'm on vacation, so we've been living it up. Which brings me to the concern of this post. What do you eat on vacation?


I find this to be a particularly troubling question. I've done all this hard work up until this point and fought and clawed for small gains that have been real victories. Its a diet. But, really its a process meant to help me mend the errors of my ways. I don't want to break the habits I've working so hard to establish. And, I don't want to get home and feel regret or guilt. But, I'm on vacation. So, what do I do?

I have no solid answers, only the rules I've laid out for myself. They are pretty basic and I meant them to be accommodating. It is important to me, after a long semester, to really enjoy this time off. But, its also important that my short term fun not be counterproductive in the long term. So, here are my rules:

1. If you really want it, go ahead and order it. I came into town with a serious red meat craving. The first day I was here I had a hamburger and curly fries (which were magnificent) and then later in the evening a steak spinach salad. It was not the best spinach salad, but as far as steaks go in the States it was a reasonably sized one. I'm not sure I would have chosen so well if I hadn't just let myself get stuff.

2. If there is a healthy option that sounds pretty good, shoot for that. New York City puts calories after things on menus, so you have the numbers staring at you while you're making your decision. Yesterday, I was hungry but I wasn't craving anything. The chicken pesto sandwich looked good, but so did the fire roasted veg for 200 calories less. I went with the veg. Although, I did have half a cookie at Barnes and Noble later in the day.

3. Eat Breakfast. Its so obvious and yet its so easy to forget or to skip it.

4. Take water with you! We forgot this the first day, so we had to buy water after we'd explored the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I've been reusing the bottle, actually. I've made it my goal to finish at least one bottle of water every day. Plus, the more you drink, the lighter the bottle gets. So, at the end of the day when you don't want to hike up the hill to go home, at least you're not carrying a full water bottle. (Of course, it makes no difference if you're first stop of the day was Lush and you bought the whole store.)

So, this is what I've been working with on this trip. I'll let you know Friday morning, when I'm back to my scale at home (and my regular weighing in time) how much damage I've done. Even if I've put a few pounds back on, I figure I've not done too badly since I've remained conscious of my eating.