For the next three days (at a minimum), I have reason to celebrate. Tonight marks my last night working as the Features editor of The Daily Illini and it also happens to be St. Patrick’s Day. Tomorrow at midnight, I’ll be turning 21. On Sunday morning, I will be leaving with my mom for Las Vegas where I will be spending my Spring Break. Talk about a fricken awesome weekend!
While these next few days have the potential to be so much fun, they also have the potential to completely wreck my diet. I’ve known for a while that this would be a weekend full of heavy drinking, lots of eating and too much fun. What I didn’t know, up until a few weeks ago, was that I would be blogging for Her Campus and SELF Magazine about my diet. So, that changed my plans a bit.
I’ve come up with a few ways to stay on track the best I can while still allowing myself to enjoy the next week. Here’s what I’m going to do:
Continue working out: I think the worst thing I could possibly do for my weight loss effort would be skipping cardio for a week. I’ve already confirmed that the hotel my mom and I are staying at in Las Vegas has a fitness center, so that will make it a bit easier for me. On Saturday, I’m going to make my sisters run with me as a birthday gift (which actually means a slow jog because I’m the slowest runner of all time ever and I’m only a little embarrassed about it) and I’m also going to squeeze in a quick sizzler before going out tonight.
Count my calories: Since I’ll be eating at restaurants for a majority of the next week, I’ll have to pay special attention to my calories and portions. Most of the time I’m eating meals from the Jump Start Diet meal plan, so I know that the calorie count is in my range. I’ll just have to use what I’ve learned about portions and calories and be smart about what I order. Earlier this week I created an Excel spreadsheet to help me keep track of exactly what I’m eating more easily, so I’ll be using that too.
Don’t drink too much: Between tonight, tomorrow and every night I spend in Las Vegas, my caloric intake from alcohol will definitely add up. I’m not going to skip out on celebrating my last night as editor or my 21st birthday, and I’m definitely not staying totally sober in Las Vegas. What I will do, however, is try to limit my intake at least a little bit. Do I really need to be drinking during the day while I’m relaxing by the pool? I should probably read all of those books that I haven’t read yet this semester instead, anyway…
Chose drinks wisely: I’ve already talked about vodka water limes pretty extensively, so I think I can skip going into detail here. But, I might also have a few low-calorie beers.
Be realistic: While I want to lose weight, the reality is I probably wont. If I do, that’s awesome, but what I’m really shooting for is to not gain weight. I don’t want to torture myself on my own birthday, but I also don’t want to set myself back when I’ve been working so hard these last few weeks. If I come back weight exactly the same, I won’t be surprised and I won’t be disappointed.
So that’s my plan and I’m sticking to it! Or at least I’m going to try.
Celebrating so many things! Yay!
Samantha