March Madness (Back from the UK!)

I'm back from the UK!

I feel like I'm always writing these "back from the dead!" posts on here, so I apologize. Between being on vacation and just generally going off plan for both food and exercise in the past few weeks (or really past two months if I'm 100% honest), I've pretty much been too embarrassed to blog about my healthiness journey. Mostly because then I'd have to either lie or talk about my unhealthy choices. I mean, I wasn't eating whole pizzas or eating whole tubs of ice cream, but also wasn't saying 'no' to pain au chocolat, baguette, or cheese. For example, here are a few foodie photos from vacation in the UK:

Fresh sweetmilk scones at Helen's

Yummy dessert at Bill's restaurant in Brighton

Trying what the UK calls a "flapjack" in London

Cupcakes (there were other people eating them too) from London's Hummingbird Bakery

That said, I had a great time on vacation, though towards the end (after 2 months of essentially being on a vacation from being on plan) I was starting to tell a difference with how I was feeling and how my clothes were fitting. SO, as glad as I am to have experienced all that the UK had to offer without guilt, I'm kicking it back into gear.

So far, I've been on-plan and tracking everything I eat since Sunday (4 days). I wanted to wait and mention it until I'd gotten a few days under my belt since I don't think I've successfully tracked 3 days together in all of 2011. I've also started back up with P90X to get my muscles back in shape since I could REALLY tell a difference from my abs in December and my abs last week, even if the scale wasn't showing a difference. Instead of gaining weight (which would have been the next step, I'm sure), all my hard won muscles from the end of last year had been replaced by fat, making my clothes tighter and me feel generally blah.

Another difference is that I've cancelled my subscription to WW eTools and am using Calorie Count instead. I've done this for a few reasons:

1. To see my nutrient breakdown. I plugged in Day One on Calorie Count just for kicks to see what my actual calories/nutrients were and saw that, while I thought I was right on target points wise, I was actually too low in a few different categories. I'm now going to work harder to get the right amount of nutrients and not just points.
2. To save money. I haven't been good about tracking or using my WW materials since I got to France really, so there's no point in adding to my US credit card bill if I'm not taking full advantage of the tools.
3. To try something new (maybe this will help?)
4. Lastly (and not part of this parallel structure), WW without meetings isn't as effective for me. I know a lot of people (like my good friend Amber) have had stunning success using just the online community and eTools, but after 2 years of meetings, WW just isn't the same without them.

As a result, I'm trying out CC, saving some money, and really just thinking of the next four months as suspending my WW membership rather than cancelling it. I fully intend to go back to my meetings as soon as I'm back home! I miss my leader!

So far, so good. I'm already feeling a lot better after 4 days. I'm focusing on limiting my carbs in the form of sugars and bread (to wean myself from pastry and baguette) and am trying to incorporate as many vegetables as possible. I really do think that coming back from the UK to a really sunshine-y and spring-y Avignon is helping with the motivation since I can already feel (and see) swimsuit seasons creeping up on us over here! Plus, spring weather mean more fresh veggies!

More soon! I'm off to drink a cup of night time tea (lately I never can sleep the night before school) and eat a square of 86% dark chocolate.