Ep: #72 - Your Ultimate Guide to Having Food & Life Freedom on Holiday - Part 3

Faye Casement Author

Aug 03, 2023 |

Hello hello hello and welcome to Episode 72 of the Wellness 4 Women Show. Part 3 of ‘Your Ultimate Guide to Having Food Freedom on Holiday.

In this episode, we are: unpacking, reflecting, and embracing your post-holiday self. We have washing to do and we have to get back to work.

We are getting back to REALITY!

DUM DUM DUUUUUM!

So how was your holiday? Have you been on one recently, let me know.


How are you feeling? Bit sad? Bit deflated? Day dreaming about sun beds and margaritas? Thinking about the black run you did and apres ski? Are you looking at your holiday photos with glee or cringing?

As your holiday adventure has comes to an end, it’s time to address the aftermath and any life or ‘weight loss’/well-being related concerns that might be arising.

In Part 3, we’ll explore how to gracefully navigate the post-holiday period and how your ‘weight loss’ with love journey is going.


As usual, I really do want to know what comes up for you post holiday so comment under the video or if you are on the podcast hop into either the free or member group on Facebook share with the community.

At the risk of oversharing as usual 🤣

Coming back from holiday for me this time coincided with a visit from ‘Mother Nature’ gawd bless her, and so my mood was very low.

Although Cape Verde only had a 2 hour difference I have a tendency to get migraines when my sleep is impacted so I had a sicky headache and body aches to boot which felt like jet lag as daft as that sounds.

Touch wood I have escaped the post holiday cold that can sometimes happen so that is a bonus. All in all though I have to say I was feeling pretty shitty!

There were tears and a lot of sulking. I was missing the sun, missing the pina coladas and of course, I had to do washing plus I needed to dive back into my home and work duties again.

There were definitely a few thoughts about needing another holiday!

Most of my mood was hormone related I know this because it is a specific type of mood and I am working on it but boy can I have some rough days, the mindfulness helps take the edge of it thankfully and I spent time listening to mind and body whilst it passed but it gave me an opportunity to really think and explore post holiday blues.

I also made the decision prior to going I was not going to be focusing on 'weight loss' and so I was observing the chatter I had going on about hopping back on the scale. I also took a few extra days off work after the holiday to transition back into routine and so these are the hot topics today.

Holiday Blues

We had a fantastic time away. It is always nice to spend time with friends, the weather was gorgeous, the staff at the hotel were lovely and I didn’t have to think about cooking or cleaning… living the dream!

Coming back to the UK, often to rain and cold can be a bit of a buzz kill.

Reality sets in and the post-holiday blues start to creep in. It's common to feel a bit down after returning from a holiday or time off, as you miss the carefree days and relaxation.

The holiday blues can hit hard, a sense of emptiness and longing for what you just left behind. The thought of getting back into the routine of everyday life suddenly feels monotonous and uninspiring compared to the excitement and adventure of your recent trip.

As you unpack your suitcase, memories flood back - the laughter shared with loved ones, breathtaking sights witnessed, and new experiences that enriched your soul but then you remember you have to do the bloody washing.

The reality of post-holiday responsibilities begins to sink in, and the mountain of dirty laundry stares back taunting you as you sort through your clothes, separating them into piles ready for washing, it is easy to let the amazing memories and adventures you have just had slip away.

The holiday blues, can if you get them not only impact your well-being as you feel so shitty but also knock into your food as the emotions can then lead to overeats, eating off your plans or full-on f’it moments and binges.

I want to give you some possible ways you could try to release the blues:

Look back regularly at your holiday snaps and revisit the memories. Do so in order to celebrate and relive the moment rather than allowing yourself to use them for further regret. Why not try visualising yourself back in those fun moments and feel that joy again.
Journalling - Journal on your holiday and all the things you loved. Express gratitude for your time away and the people What things do you want to keep and remember? Tell your brain how you want to feel and act.
Scrapbooks/montages/slideshow - Why not get your creativity on? The holiday may be over but the memories can live on.
Focus on your wins and celebrate the shit out of everything - life is only monotonous if you think it is monotonous. Even putting the washing out can be an act of celebration if you want to make it that way and let's face it some days that can be all we can manage and that is ok. Did you notice earlier I said about getting back to home and work 'duties'... the language we use is telling. If I think they are duties naturally I will feel restricted as the word 'duty' implies obligation. So swapping this out for what I get to do in a positive way can help to be the blues. So rather than 'urgh I have to do the washing' you could say 'I am choosing to do my washing to have fresh smelling clothes;.
Up your self-care: Ask yourself what do I really need right now? What will serve me the most right now?
Don’t forget your presence. Being present, getting present and living in presence is not a once in a lifetime never to be repeated you can do it over and over.

Get Into The Groove…

…Boy you got to prove…. Channeling some old school music vibes there from Madonna but really in this case you have nothing to prove. Getting into your groove after a holiday can be song and dance or you can just try to dance your way through it.

The question is what groove are you trying to get back into? What was your routine before your holiday is that still going to serve you now and what is it about it that you need to work on getting back? Are you navigating the change in your body clock, your eating routines, your exercise routine? work routines? Each one will have its own little solution.

Sometimes a holiday, no matter how short, can really throw us off kilter and in some cases can lead to a long period of sabotage which you will want to avoid.

The key is to find the resistance. What is it you don’t want to do and why?

The sooner you can identify this and work on it the sooner you will get back into your ownunique groove.

This is where the Triple-A-Way™️ can help. All you need to do is gather that awareness, step into small doable actions and get it done with love couldn’t be simpler in terms of process and super sleuthing your life and ‘weight loss’.

Remembering also that Rome isn’t built in a day because often it is our expectations that are out of whack.

Don't get me wrong we are bloody capable but sometimes we think we are Wonder Woman and can just get off a plane and poof be miraculously back to what we were doing before our holiday but our brain needs time to adjust.

Just like getting on holiday and finding our zen as I talked about last week getting back into ‘normal’ life & working on ‘weight loss’ can take time and so sometimes you need to nudge it along and you can super sleuth it if you want to.

For me the hardest part was getting back to shopping and cooking, if someone could just present me with food like on holiday I would be a happy as Larry. A life goal would 100% be a personal chef! But sadly that is not reality. So I hit up Pinterest, had a brainstorm for my fav foods that I could cook with ease to get myself back in gently.

We also have a fish mongers in our local Morrisons and the daughter loves Squid so we increased our joy levels by experimenting with making our own salt and pepper squid. It was surprisingly easy and fun and this again got me a little more excited for the week ahead.

I also knew I was likely to need a day a two after a holiday to get myself together and so booking the extra leave either side worked well for me too.

What I really did though was used my methods to I worked on changing my reality. I gathered awareness of what needed to change and took small action steps to try and move me forward to where I want to be and you can use these too.

To Weigh or Not To Weigh?

As a coach and in the membership you do not have to weigh. You do not have to work on ‘weight loss’ at all and can focus on your relationship with food.

After being on holiday you may worry you will have gained ‘weight’, popped on a cm around the waist, eaten foods you were changing for health reasons or that your trousers are feeling a little tighter.

Of course, you may not be worried at all as you know you have honoured your body and eaten as per your physical needs intuitively during that period.

Regardless your body may still feel different.

On one holiday I went on I gained 6lb, this was whilst I still had a difficult relationship with the scales and I was devastated initially. The usual thoughts of 'I've blown it flooded in'. I was disappointed too especially as I had been mindful throughout my holiday and felt like I ate mostly with my physical body needs. Thankfully I used my mind ninjary techniques and didn’t panic. I kept doing what I was doing, I was mindful yes but also didn't feel restricted and then by the next week I was 6lb down again.

So it turned out it was water weight likely from the heat and plane travel. Did you know this can happen? I didn't at the time?

Plus I had used my body differently, eaten differently and done things differently and so it makes sense my body was confused. Often big losses and gains and quick changes, such as, this are water related.

For the holiday I have just been on it was a maintain and I am happy with that as it shows I was trusting my body. My plan for the week back was to incorporate more power ups, be mindful of what my body needed and try to give myself grace as I came back to reality.

Whatever happens you work on ‘weight loss’ with love now, this means working on treating yourself kindly and with compassion.

It means using mind ninjary techniques when your brain is saying ‘I blew it’, ‘I am such a loser’. It is about resisting the urge to fad diet and being called back into the diet cycle and about just continuing on.

Often when judgment occurs we are making whatever has happened mean something about us hence thoughts like ‘I am such a loser’; ‘I’m a failure’; ‘I blew it’ The keyword to look out for there is ‘I’. One solitary letter but boy can it pack a punch. Really hit you in the feels if you are not careful.

I want to demonstrate this in action so let’s work on an example.

The scenario... You see a gain on the scale. Your brain is saying ‘I am such a loser, I'll never lose weight’

We are going to use my TLC method:

What is true?

The scale is showing a higher number than it was. That is it. This does not mean anything until you start putting thoughts into it making it about you personally. If you were giving yourself some TLC on the thought ‘I am a loser’ and really asked yourself if that was true what evidence could you find that you are not a loser? Everybody is good at something. I would say something to myself in response like. 'I am not a loser... I am figuring it out. I have been on holiday and the scale is showing a gain. I am not a bad person or a loser as a result' and turn that negative chatter into kindness.

Are you being loving?

No clearly not, calling yourself a loser is not very kind. It will make you feel rubbish, even if you are saying it in jest and likely lead you into some emotional eating. When I ask myself this question I would say something like 'No, it is not loving. Beating myself up about the number on the scale will not help'

C - Get curious

What else can you think? Setbacks and slip-ups are simply part of the journey. I have just had a bloody fantastic holiday I do not need a shit spiral of self-criticism, I want to feel compassion for myself and also be curious. Maybe this is a blip. The only way to know is to continue following my daily doubles and observing with love.

The other thing to bear in mind is that even if the scale poops out a number you do not like you will still have achievements you can acknowledge no matter how small they may seem. Work on celebrating progress rather than fixating on perfection and scale. Maybe give yourself credit for making some healthier choices, for not having that extra scoop of ice cream you knew you were not hungry for, for keeping your hydration up, even or even just for doing this mini TLC exercise.

If you feel better about yourself and your journey you will build motivation and momentum.

Don’t forget to check out Episode 18 on gains, plateaus and stalls, members there is an additional resource being added this week called ‘What Does This Mean About Me?’

Time To Put Away The Suitcase

That’s it folks, time to put away the suitcases until your next hollibobs. You’ve completed the three-part video series on having food freedom on holiday. Remember, you have the power to embrace your authentic self, find joy in every bite, and maintain a healthy relationship with food. Stay tuned for more adventures and check out the membership. This week's 2nd Complimentary resource is called ‘What Does This Mean About Me?’

Adios for now

This week's bonus member resource:

'What does this mean about me?' A mini exercise to help you process and release some stinking thinking.

Members <<<Click Here>>>

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