Jenn loves to travel, sometimes to faraway places and other times it’s just for a quick trip back home to see old friends and family. Most recently Jenn took a trip to North Carolina where she went to visit family and friends in Raleigh — the city where she grew-up. Whenever she goes home to visit, Jenn’s dad and stepmom greet her with love, hugs and the comfort of some good old-fashioned southern cooked meals; or as Jenn explains it “more accurately they are southern fried meals.”
“My stepmom is quite possibly the best cook in the world,” said Jenn. “Their cuisine is predominately fried and there are wonderful things like pecan pie and corn bread.”
The challenge of maintaining your weight loss goal while travelling is a common struggle for those who travel often. Whether you take a trip for leisure or business, both remove you from your daily routine — but adding the temptation of pecan pie…that’s just unfair!
Jenn’s strategy for continuing her weight loss goal when she travels involves pre-planning and the support of others.
“Both my stepmom and my dad knew about how hard I have been working to lose weight, and they are really supportive,” said Jenn. “She (her stepmom) really tried to cook healthier for me, which really helped.”
Having people around you that support your goal instead of trying to coerce you to stray from it can make all the difference in the world. It’s a common theme that you see among those who make great strides and ultimately accomplish their weight loss goals. If losing weight were simple, then we would not see the massive amount of literature, products and programs that all exist to help us lose weight.
Anything that is difficult is easier to do with the help of others, and Jenn is a great example of the difference that healthy enablers can make. She effectively communicates with the people in her life that she needs to help support her efforts.
Jenn has an ace-in-the-hole too…her personal trainer Armando is relentless about keeping in touch with her while she is away to make sure she is staying on track.
“We are a team,” said Armando. “Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week I am available to communicate with her if she needs me.”
Before she left for Raleigh Jenn and Armando made a game-plan together that outlined how she would
continue to exercise and make healthy food choices while she was in North Carolina. His focus was for her to start with a bang as soon as she got there by having her work out from the very beginning and being meticulous with her calorie intake. His hope was that those habits would then resonate throughout the trip, or at the very least she would get some workouts in right away. Procrastinating and then trying to play catch-up for the rest of her vacation would be very tough; the longer you are away the more temptations surface and exercise is avoided.
Now she’s back in Arizona…So, how did she do while she was gone? Jenn did quite well actually. Even after a vacation to her hometown, and being surrounded by deep-fried goodies at every turn, Jenn was able to stay the course. She has lost another three pounds, and her weight is now down to 160 lbs.
Life doesn’t stop here though, so neither does Jenn’s hectic schedule and travel plans. Jenn still has ten more pounds to lose to obtain her next goal. In a couple of months Jenn will celebrate her birthday “Viva Las Vegas” style with friends in Sin City, and shortly thereafter she hops on-board a cruise liner destined for the glacial paradise of Alaska! Jenn is already mentally preparing for the challenges that she will face on each trip, challenges I am sure she will conquer…after all, what can possibly be tougher than homemade pecan pie!?
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