The last few weeks I've really upped the intensity of my workouts. This is wonderful but it also means that my hunger levels have increased as well. I've had to learn how to balance my hunger levels much more effectively.  This has not been easy. I've also had a ton of client events recently. I end up leaving the office early to travel into the city, missing my snack which leads to finding a healthy dinner option more challenging because I end up absolutely starving. 

What have I done to counteract this increase in hunger you may ask?  I've resorted to such tricks as eating frozen grapes as an example. They are zero points and very juicy so they fill me up. You just have to learn to fill up on foods that are zero points and drink lots of liquids.  It's kind of like shopping and getting the most for your money. For those that know me it is quite typical for me to relate anything to shopping, one of my favorite activities :) This new way of eating isn't easy but I continue to fight the fight!

Below are a few extra tips to deal with business dinners, cocktail parties and just not feeling motivated. 

Find polite ways to refuse fattening cocktails and passed hor deuvres. After a few occasions these methods will become ingrained and natural responses. 

Keep some inspirational quotes or music on your phone or at your desk for days you don't want to work out. 

Sometimes I feel absolutely ravenous like I could eat three meals in one. When this occurs I eat my planned meal and wait 20 minutes to see if I am still hungry. 99% of the time I am satisfied-it really works! (Note:  I didn't use the word "full" because I haven't felt "full" since I started this plan :))

Back to work these past two weeks after my wonderful vacation in California. As I mentioned last week I saw lots of plastic surgery even on the nannies. The thing with plastic surgery is unless you go to a top surgeon you usually end up looking worse afterwards. I am not saying I would never have plastic surgery but I believe in trying diet and exercise before you resort to those measures. 

The other great thing about California is the weather and the beauty of nature all around. It is impossible not go hiking, camping, cycling and swim because it is just too beautiful to stay inside. People have much more active lifestyles out on the West Coast. 

On one of my recent flights I sat next to someone very overweight. So heavy that in fact I was physically uncomfortable because her arms and legs went into my seat on the plane. Then she ordered the most fattening foods possible on the menu times two. This didn't make me angry though. Instead I could relate. I was never over 300 pounds but I probably ate like I was and I was certainly uncomfortable in confined spaces.  I had a long talk with my neighbor on the plane and she gave me some great advice on some things I was struggling with and I also feel that I helped her with her food issues. We exchanged contact info and have been corresponding about our different goals relating to weight loss. What I learned from the experience was that you never know when you will make a difference in someone's outlook or when someone unexpected will inspire you. 

This week I am blogging from my vacation in beautiful Newport Coast, California. It is so beautiful in fact that I am considering moving to the West Coast. More on that next week though. When trying to lose weight vacations can pose some very serious obstacles. Those obstacles and how I overcame them this week is what I'd like to talk about today.

I am lucky in the fact that I am vacationing with friends that are extremely fitness oriented. The first night I arrived my friends downloaded a two week free pass for me to their gym and we went everyday except for one. Obstacle number one of not exercising on vacation was avoided. Additionally, the great thing about being at a different gym was that I switched up my cardio routine for the whole week. I even tried another new class called Zumba. One of my girlfriends is a Zumba instructor and now looks like she could be a Playboy model so it is a pretty grueling workout. It is a combination of high-impact cardio with tons of lunges and core work set to Hip-Hop and Latin music. I loved it but was extremely sore the next day in all the right places. I now understand why my friend looks the way she does.

Another obstacle of vacationing can be eating out a lot and being in unfamiliar places. For the first time in my life I had a great vacation with my friends and didn't focus the whole trip on what disgusting fattening food I was going to eat. I ate healthy local produce in conjunction with fresh seafood and meats and was 100% satisfied with my healthy choices. Go me :). I also kept skim milk, almonds and a few Larabars around just in case starvation set in. You see I planned ahead so there were no pitfalls.

I will have to wait until I get home to weigh myself but no matter what the scale says I know I had a very successful week. Next time I'd like to discuss all the plastic surgery I saw (huge fake breasts everywhere I looked but mine were still bigger :)) and a very interesting plane ride I experienced.

As of this morning I have lost 25 pounds.  I am very excited as I have met my first goal and surpassed it.  I think I might have mentioned the importance of small measurable goals.  You shouldn't say to yourself I am going to lose 50 pounds by such and such date. Life and weight-loss unfortunately don't work like that.  You don't want to set yourself up for disappointment because that could trigger feelings of failure. A better way to set-up your mini-goals would be to say I am going to lose 20 pounds but with no specific deadline or if you are the type of person who needs deadlines to function or get motivated make them about exercise. 

An example of this would be an exercise goal I set for myself for the month of June. I promised myself I would workout at least five times per week.  I also said I would track my exercise and my food intake.  More on food tracking later.  Each day I recorded my workouts, what I did and for how long.  Now when I look back at the month and see the classes and hours of exercise I've logged it is incredibly motivating.  This will be something I continue to do. 

I also diligently tracked my food intake. Anything that went into my mouth was recorded, portion sizes, quantity and time of day. I've realized from past failed attempts to lose weight that this element is essential.  When you measure or weigh your food and try to eyeball it or write it down later you are always eating more quantity wise. Tracking my food will also be key to meeting my next set of goals. 

Remember, it only takes 30 days to form a healthy new habit :)