What Happens in Vegas....
Well, what happened in Vegas is not going to stay in Vegas, because I am going to tell you about it.
Jody, Fred and I were all there this past weekend for the PlannerCon Party Las Vegas.
First of all, they don't call Vegas "Sin City" for nothing, especially where delicious, calorie-ridden food is concerned. Hello, buffet, anyone???? (No, we didn't.)
And actually, I feel pretty good about the last four days, although I think if Fred and Jody listened to me say just one more time, "No, because then I'll have to write about it in the blog", they would have "disappeared" me, and no one would have been able to find my body.
You know the story about how when you are planning a conference, all anyone really cares about is the food? Yeah, well, Louise gets an A+ for conference planning.
Friday night. snacks: ice cream sundae bar with both ice cream and gelato (which Jody helpfullly insisted taste "terrible", even though she spooned up every last drop of hers), tortilla chips with spinach and artichoke dip, salsa and guacamole and cupcakes and a coffee and beverage bar.
Saturday morning: Fresh fruit (hoorah!), assorted amazing pastries, yogurt parfaits and a coffee bar.
Saturday snacks: brownies, lemon bars, cake, cookies, fruit, soda, water.
I know, right?!?! And that was just in the conference room. Never mind the fabulous restaurants at the Red Rock Casino and Spa, and then all of Vegas beyond its walls.
BUT... still I managed to stay under 1500 calories all three days, and even under 1200 one of the days. Not gonna lie, pretty proud of myself. So how did I accomplish this, you ask? Here were my strategies:
1. You. I knew I would have to truthfully report my progress, and that was a huge motivator (just as Fred and Jody.) So, thank you for that.
2. Friday night, we knew Louise would have those tasty treats, so we stopped and had dinner before coming into the conference center. I was able to order a salad and enjoy a chicken lettuce wrap that filled me up and made the treats less tempting. That said, it was REALLY hard for this sugar addict to avoid the sugar at the pre-party. Also, I did have my own little cheat -- I tried several bites (which I estimated to be 1/8th) of Fred's Yard House Cuban sandwich -- oh man. So good, in the way that only Vegas can do. Unless you go to Miami, of course. Or Cuba.
3. We had breakfast at our hotel rather than at the conference. Again, much easier to make healthy choices (I chose oatmeal with almonds and fruit and coffee) , and then once we got to the meeting room, we filled a plate with the fresh melon balls, watermelon, pineapple and grapes that Louise provided and "snacked" on that throughout the morning as needed.
4. I really, really want to succeed at this. And okay, don't we always?? I mean, does anyone ever start a diet thinking, "Gee, I can't wait to crash and burn on this one, not lose weight, and face the same health problems I did when I started"? But this is where I really think the planner comes into play. There is something about writing down the goals, writing out the strategies and creating the pages that will help keep me on track, bringing my A-game to the process. I keep seeing that adage "A goal without a plan is just a wish." I really, really believe that.
As I type this, I am en route to the airport (no, Adam, I am not driving). I'll get home tonight, and for once I am kind of excited at the prospect of stepping onto the scale the morning after a vacation.
Here's an updated picture of my goals page.
Note that I am marking the daily goals I achieve by placing a sticker on the box. What do you think of that? I have mixed feelings. On one hand, it's fun, it definitely shows my overall progress, and I am using up stickers that I have. On the other hand, the sticker covers up what the goal actually was, where if I just crossed it out, I could still see it.
Which way do you think is best? Give me your preference in the comments below!
Finally, my difficult work of stay on the wagon leading up to and during the weekend paid off. Today marked the last day of my first week of tracking, and I am excited to report that I am 7 pounds down in weight. I KNOW!
I used our graph paper to create a neat visual for my progress.
Thanks for stopping by the blog -- so far, so good.
-Jennifer
Jody, Fred and I were all there this past weekend for the PlannerCon Party Las Vegas.
First of all, they don't call Vegas "Sin City" for nothing, especially where delicious, calorie-ridden food is concerned. Hello, buffet, anyone???? (No, we didn't.)
And actually, I feel pretty good about the last four days, although I think if Fred and Jody listened to me say just one more time, "No, because then I'll have to write about it in the blog", they would have "disappeared" me, and no one would have been able to find my body.
You know the story about how when you are planning a conference, all anyone really cares about is the food? Yeah, well, Louise gets an A+ for conference planning.
Friday night. snacks: ice cream sundae bar with both ice cream and gelato (which Jody helpfullly insisted taste "terrible", even though she spooned up every last drop of hers), tortilla chips with spinach and artichoke dip, salsa and guacamole and cupcakes and a coffee and beverage bar.
Saturday morning: Fresh fruit (hoorah!), assorted amazing pastries, yogurt parfaits and a coffee bar.
Saturday snacks: brownies, lemon bars, cake, cookies, fruit, soda, water.
I know, right?!?! And that was just in the conference room. Never mind the fabulous restaurants at the Red Rock Casino and Spa, and then all of Vegas beyond its walls.
BUT... still I managed to stay under 1500 calories all three days, and even under 1200 one of the days. Not gonna lie, pretty proud of myself. So how did I accomplish this, you ask? Here were my strategies:
1. You. I knew I would have to truthfully report my progress, and that was a huge motivator (just as Fred and Jody.) So, thank you for that.
2. Friday night, we knew Louise would have those tasty treats, so we stopped and had dinner before coming into the conference center. I was able to order a salad and enjoy a chicken lettuce wrap that filled me up and made the treats less tempting. That said, it was REALLY hard for this sugar addict to avoid the sugar at the pre-party. Also, I did have my own little cheat -- I tried several bites (which I estimated to be 1/8th) of Fred's Yard House Cuban sandwich -- oh man. So good, in the way that only Vegas can do. Unless you go to Miami, of course. Or Cuba.
3. We had breakfast at our hotel rather than at the conference. Again, much easier to make healthy choices (I chose oatmeal with almonds and fruit and coffee) , and then once we got to the meeting room, we filled a plate with the fresh melon balls, watermelon, pineapple and grapes that Louise provided and "snacked" on that throughout the morning as needed.
4. I really, really want to succeed at this. And okay, don't we always?? I mean, does anyone ever start a diet thinking, "Gee, I can't wait to crash and burn on this one, not lose weight, and face the same health problems I did when I started"? But this is where I really think the planner comes into play. There is something about writing down the goals, writing out the strategies and creating the pages that will help keep me on track, bringing my A-game to the process. I keep seeing that adage "A goal without a plan is just a wish." I really, really believe that.
As I type this, I am en route to the airport (no, Adam, I am not driving). I'll get home tonight, and for once I am kind of excited at the prospect of stepping onto the scale the morning after a vacation.
Here's an updated picture of my goals page.
Note that I am marking the daily goals I achieve by placing a sticker on the box. What do you think of that? I have mixed feelings. On one hand, it's fun, it definitely shows my overall progress, and I am using up stickers that I have. On the other hand, the sticker covers up what the goal actually was, where if I just crossed it out, I could still see it.
Which way do you think is best? Give me your preference in the comments below!
Finally, my difficult work of stay on the wagon leading up to and during the weekend paid off. Today marked the last day of my first week of tracking, and I am excited to report that I am 7 pounds down in weight. I KNOW!
I used our graph paper to create a neat visual for my progress.
Thanks for stopping by the blog -- so far, so good.
-Jennifer
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