Back to reality

It's great to be back in New England!

As if...

We were fortunate to fly back on a sunny day. It was 38 degrees out, and considerably warmer than it had been while we were away, so it wasn't a total shock to the system when we arrived in Boston yesterday.

The second I got back to MA, my sneezing and coughing and runny nose returned. It must be allergies, because it was instantaneous, so I am clearly allergic to cold winters, and I must find a solution.

I feel as bloated as ever, and I am up 2 lbs from before I left. The pre-vacation bloat never went away, so I am now technically up EIGHT lbs from my lowest weight a few days before I left. In the past, this kind of thing would have flung me right off the wagon, but not this time. There is no wagon; this is life. I'm not on a diet, although I am trying to lose weight.

This weight will be off me soon, and more and more will follow. I had a wonderful vacation, and with the exception of two meals that I chose to have, I ate perfectly healthy while I was away. I can't control how restaurants prepare their veggies or other foods, and I'm sure I had more oils and fats in even my healthy choices than I would have if I were cooking them myself. There is only so much you can do about these things, but I will say that eating out every meal is not the best strategy for even the most health conscious eaters. I usually rent places with kitchens to save money on eating out, and I didn't this time for a number of non-food related reasons. Next time I go away, however, finding a place with a full kitchen will be a top priority for me.

You live and learn, and I had a wonderful time while I was away, and I don't regret one minute of it, even though I now have more weight to lose than I did before I left. The memories of paradise will help me coast through this awful winter until the summer comes again and I'm in my own paradise! :)

XO

KC