Vacations and Eating Too Much

I recently took a trip with two of my sisters to visit a fourth sister out of state. It was a fun trip. We shopped and ate, talked and ate, and sat around and ate.

Now that I've been working as a health guide I paid more attention to our eating habits than I ever did before, and much of it was appalling.

I knew I'd be in trouble when we went to the all-you-can-eat buffet. Although I tried to survey the culinary landscape before choosing what to eat and not waste calories on something I didn't really want, I ate too much. Yes, I went to the pig trough three times, one for appetizers, one for main entrees, and alas, one for desserts. Were I counting calories, I am sure I went much higher than 2000 in that meal alone.

What did I do to try and keep things under control for my waistline and cardiovascular health? I suggested walks, which we did a couple times, but other than a few low-mileage strolls on the gravel roads near her country home and walking through the stores, I didn't get much mileage on my step counter.

I took a jug of skim milk in an iced cooler and found a spot next to my sister's 2% in her frig. I drank mostly water at the restaurants, except for that one beer at the brewery restaurant in downtown Lawrence. I ordered a fruit and cheese plate appetizer and tried to hold back on the cheese. At one meal, instead of meat, I ordered a black bean and portabella mushroom burger, which was really good. I avoided using any butter on the luscious bread, which I happily ate. I said no to the candy and ice cream my sister offered when I was still full. So, I overindulged I will admit, but with some restraint here and there.

This afternoon, after a fairly light lunch, I plan to take my dog Bella out for a very, very long walk.