Real People Don't Diet

Vacation Wrap-Up, 2008

2008-10-05T19:47:00.004-04:00

Well, there you have it. Everything I ate or drank for 9 days during Vacation 2008.

The end result? Well, I don't own a scale, so I can't tell you exact pounds gained or lost. But I can tell you that my clothes fit more loosely, it seemed, on the way home. I'm confident that I didn't gain weight.

I did consume carbs and fats and sugars I don't usually consume: moderate alchoholic beverages, milkshakes, ice cream. But I also cut down on portions and substituted or skipped those extra calories whenever I didn't really miss them, such as avoiding the mashed potatoes with my steak dinner.

Hopefully I've convinced you that you can indulge once in a while, enjoy yourself while on vacation, and still lose (or maintain) your weight!

Now, it's time to start planning next year's vacation...

Going Home, Saturday, October 4, 2008

2008-10-05T19:43:00.002-04:00

Bummer. We were up and out by 9 a.m. Goodbye, Myrtle Beach! Everyone is depressed.

BREAKFAST
2 Burger King wraps: eggs, bacon, cheese, hash browns
1/2 bag of hash browns
Black coffee

LUNCH
Chic-Fil-A
--Chicken sandwich with lettuce and tomato
--Fruit cup
--Unsweetened tea
Starbucks grande pumpkin spice latte, nonfat

DRIVING
2 lemon-lime seltzers

DINNER
McDonald's
--Big Mac
--1/2 box of fries
--unsweetened tea

DRIVING
a few Fritos
SNACK

Last Day (Sniff), Friday, October 3, 2008

2008-10-05T19:38:00.003-04:00

The only thing DH and the kids wanted to do on our last day was hit the beach--so we did. All day. From 10 a.m. until around 4 p.m.

Then we went to our favorite restaurant for dinner: Outback. DH's mom and dad came along and we had a great time.

Sadly, we had to go back home and begin packing. But we did a last-minute outing to see a late movie with my aunt and uncle, while the kids watched a DVD with their grandparents.

BREAKFAST
Bowl of Lucky Charms
Skim milk
Black coffee

LUNCH
Small bowl of Italian pasta
Orange seltzer

BEACH
Small pina colada
Orange seltzer

DINNER
Small glass of Foster's ale
Small plate of cheese fries
Small piece of dark bread with butter
Tossed salad with spicy ranch dressing on the side
9 oz. sirloin with steamed veggies

Golfing, Thursday, October 2

2008-10-02T09:21:00.004-04:00

Today DH, myself and the three kids went golfing. We had a great time! I even let my 10 year-old drive the golf cart--but not near the lakes. She and I combined for a 48 on the back nine, which pretty much makes it a perfect day, considering I hadn't golfed in over a year!

BREAKFAST
2 fried eggs, once over
1 slice rye toast with butter
Black coffee

LUNCH
Cheese
Triscuits
Green grapes
Orange seltzer

SNACK AFTER GOLF
Chic-Fil-A chocolate milkshake

DINNER
Cincinnati chili over penne
One glass of Carolina Vineyards blackberry merlot (light and delicious)
Tossed salad

Wastin' Away in Margaritaville, Wednesday, October 1, 2008

2008-10-02T09:15:00.003-04:00

Gorgeous weather, and time for another beach day.

We took a walk down to the IGA a couple blocks from our beach house to buy sandcastle molds and shovels for the kids, as well as marked-down beach chairs for us. You gotta love off-season clearance!

Then we lathered up with sunscreen because the sun is lower in the sky and more intense than mid-summer. It's not as hot as July (for sure) but we're looking toasted!

I'm reading Jane Austen's "Mansfield Park". I love it.

BREAKFAST
2 fried eggs, once over
1 slice rye toast with butter
Black coffee

BEACH
2 orange seltzers

LUNCH
Bowl of chili
Pasta salad (rotini, pepperoni, cheddar cheese, olives and Italian salad dressing)
Orange selzter

DINNER
Jimmy Buffet's Maragaritaville
--Raspberry Rita
--1/2 "Cheeseburger in Paradise" (with lettuce, tomato, ketchup)
--a few fries
--a few bites of dill pickle

Barefoot Shopping, Tuesday, September 30, 2008

2008-10-02T09:10:00.004-04:00

Today we decided to take a day off from the beach and head to Barefoot Landing for some shopping and browsing. It was hot and humid, but we didn't mind!

BREAKFAST
Maple and brown sugar mini-wheats
Black coffee

LUNCH
Combos
Two slices of ham
One slice of salamai
Two slices American cheese
Orange seltzer

SNACK
Decaf vanilla coffee

DINNER
Homemade spaghetti sauce
Homemade chicken parm with light breading (egg, milk, bread crumbs, fried in vegetable oil)
Barilla angel hair pasta
Tossed salad with peppercorn ranch dressing
1/2 slice Italian bread with garlic butter
Orange seltzer

Let The Golfing Begin, Monday, September 29, 2008

2008-10-02T09:06:00.003-04:00

Up before dawn this morning, as DH and DS were going golfing with some of the guys from next door. The rest of us did the beach.

BREAKFAST
Maple and brown sugar mini-wheats
Black coffee

LUNCH
Red and green grapes
Triscuits (rosemary and olive oil)
Sharp cheddar cheese
Orange seltzer

AFTERNOON ON THE BEACH
Pina colada
Combos

DINNER
Chic-Fil-A
--3 chicken strips
--fruit cup
--unsweetened tea
Grande Starbucks Pumpkin Spice latte, nonfat and decaf

First Beach Day, September 28, 2008

2008-09-28T21:08:00.004-04:00

Today was supposed to be sunny and 84 degrees, but it turned out to be nice during the morning only. The rest of the day was around 80 but very cloudy. Unfortunately, we spent the morning shopping at WalMart, getting our groceries for the week. Then, after a quick lunch, we hit the beach--only to watch the sun disappear behind clouds.

But not to fear! We played bocce ball and horseshoes, listened to beach music and just enjoyed being near the ocean.

For dinner we went to Dick's Last Resort, a restaurant we've been wanting to try. Except no one warned us it was rated PG-13 (bordering on R). Not so great with three kids. And they didn't hold back. It was...different.

BREAKFAST
Maple and brown sugar Mini-Wheats
Skim milk
Black coffee

LUNCH
6-inch homemade Italian mix sub on sourdough roll
--all-natural cold cuts free of nitrites: ham, turkey and salami
--provolone
--tomatoes
--Italian dressing
baby carrots
Cape Cod potato chips
orange seltzer

BEACH
2 Heineken Light beers
bottled water
a few Combos

DINNER
Nachos
1/4 BBQ chicken
1/2 rack BBQ ribs
coleslaw
Michelob Ultra beer

SNACKS
orange seltzer

Moving In Day, September 27, 2008

2008-09-28T21:01:00.006-04:00

Today was DS's 12th birthday! Our oldest childest is nearly a teenager. Wow.

DS was allowed to decide where we would eat for breakfast and lunch. Then we took all the kids miniature golfing at the famous Hawaiian Rumble course. And yes, the volcano did rumble!

Once we finished golfing, we called the rental agency and found out our beach house was ready and waiting. So we drove over as fast as we could! We unloaded and got everything ready for the rest of our family, due to arrive around late afternoon.

As soon as my brothers and my sister-in-law arrived, we headed down to the beach to walk and play and wade in the surf. Soon after, my in-laws and their guests arrived (they are renting the house next to ours). And soon after THAT, my aunt and uncle arrived from VT. The house was full and vacation had officially begun!

We ordered dinner in and enjoyed evening on the beach. What a great start to what I know will be a great week.

BREAKFAST
Chic-Fil-A: chicken strips, fruit cup, unsweetened iced tea

LUNCH
Pizza, two slices of mushroom, no crust
orange seltzer

DINNER
8 chicken wings, medium
celery stalks
salad with ranch dressing
orange seltzer

After-dinner sherry
Glass of Chilean chardonnay

What Do You Mean We Still Aren't There Yet?

2008-09-28T20:56:00.003-04:00

On Friday we remembered why we like to drive all the way through to Myrtle Beach: staying at a hotel makes the trip seem endless! After breakfast, we drove another 5 to 6 hours before we reached Myrtle Beach, sometime around 4 p.m.

We only ate two meals on Friday, as our breakfast was mid-morning, and no one was hungry until around 3 p.m. or so.

Here's what I ate all day Friday, our first full day on the road:

BREAKFAST
Friendly's Big Two-Do breakfast: two eggs once-over, two sausage links, two slices of French Toast
Water
Coffee

SNACKS
more Combos
Orange seltzer

LUNCH/DINNER
Chic-Fil-A (my favorite fast food restaurant in the WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD):
--Chicken sandwich with lettuce and tomato, no condiments
--cole slaw
--unsweetened iced tea
--chocolate milkshake with whipped cream

Are We There Yet?

2008-09-28T20:51:00.002-04:00

Well. It SEEMED like a good idea to leave a day ahead of time, and then a few hours earlier, at that. We wanted to avoid traffic by driving through the night as we usually do, but because DH had to get up at 4 a.m. to go into work early on the day we left, we just didn't think we could stay awake long enough to make the 13-hour trip safely.

However, we weren't counting on how nasty that coastal storm was going to be throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. On Thursday we drove into Virginia around midnight, experiencing whatcan only be called a North American monsoon. I've never seen water blow across the road like that! And we were barely going 40 mph on I-95. Between two exits we saw three major accidents, including an RV totally off the road into the trees.

Anyway, we reached Chester, VA safely and fell into our hotel beds around 1:30 a.m.

Here's what I ate on that first leg of the trip:

McDonald's Angus 1/3 pound burger with lettuce, tomato, pickles and ketchup (no mayo)
Unsweetened iced tea
Orange seltzer
1/3 bag of Combos (cheddar cheese flavor)

Getting Ready for Vacation 2008

2008-09-23T12:29:00.004-04:00

Well, it's finally here. We've been planning this for nearly a year, and anticipating it since the moment we drove away from the beach house last year.

We head for our lovely 4 BR, 4 BA home on the beach right after dinner this Thursday. We'll drive all night. Unfortunately, it looks like it won't be the best driving weather, as a big storm will be hitting the East Coast. Oh well!

We decided to go a day early, so we can could hang out and get into the beach house as early as possible. Plus, it's my son's 12th birthday Saturday, and we really didn't want him to spend it wedged between his two little sisters for 12+hours as we drove south.

So, we'll land in North Myrtle Beach, SC around midday Friday.

This year I decided to avoid doing the grocery shopping at the local Super Wal-Mart on the Saturday we arrive. Even though we're visiting just past tourist season, it was a total nightmare last time, and I'm not going to repeat it. I'll spend Saturday night making up a food list with PSIL (pregnant sister-in-law) and MAA (my awesome aunt). Then we can head out Sunday morning in a leisurely fashion.

However, this means I need to plan ahead and bring food. I need to cover snacks for the trip down, snacks and food in the hotel, and meals for an entire 24 hours in the house.

Here's what I bought and what I'll be packing for the car:

--Fritos (I'm sure you're not surprised)
--Combos (I always eat these on our trips to Myrtle Beach, no other time)
--Snyder's pretzels (no corn syrup)
--apples
--Pop Tarts for kids' breakfast (they get to eat them once a year, on our trips to MB)
--seltzer (Adirondack mandarin orange and lime)
--bottled water

For the house:

--kids' cereal (they get to choose sugar cereals, no-holds-barred, on vacation only)
--our cereal (Maple and Brown Sugar mini-wheats)
--Green Mountain Pumpkin Spice and Southern Pecan coffee (mmmm.......)
--seltzer

With around 8 boxes of cereal packed and ready to go (they were half-price!), I think we could survive for days on Lucky Charms and Reese's Puffs!

We will take advantage of fast food quite a bit, too. We usually do burgers with no mayo, chicken sandwiches, chicken nuggets and salads. We try to minimize fries or skip them altogether. We save money and don't order drinks; we use the seltzer and water we packed instead.

On Saturday night we'll order big buckets from MB's Buffalo Wild Wings. Yum! We love, love those wings.

And during the day Friday and Saturday we'll stop at our very most favoritest fast food place in the whole entire world: Chic-Fil-A. Chicken sandwiches, fruit salad and one of their awesome shake dessert thingies.

Oh my gosh, I am literally salivating.

So, that's the food plan right now. Check in Friday to see how the trip went! I'll let you know a post has gone up.

Saturday, September 1, 2007

2007-09-05T09:42:00.001-04:00

Travel day! We left town around 12:30 p.m. EST and pulled into our driveway at 2:35 a.m. EST the next day. Long trip but no snags, just the way we like it.

BREAKFAST
(Great Friendly's food, terrible service with long wait)
veggie omelette
home fries (large chunks of seasoned white potatoes)
some ketchup
water
black coffee
one slice rye toast

LUNCH
Hardees! Wow, it's GOOD!
one burger, couldn't eat it all, maybe 2/3
cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions
a few seasoned fries with skins on them
unsweetened iced tea

SNACK
Fritos
unsweetened iced tea
black coffee while driving for a few hours

DINNER
ate late, around 8 p.m. in Baltimore, MD
Chic-Fil-A, we LOVE YOU!!!
chicken club sandwich with no dressing or topping
lettuce, tomatoes
fruit cup
unsweetened iced tea

Friday, August 31, 2007

2007-09-05T09:39:00.000-04:00

Last day of vacation! Boo hoo...

BREAKFAST
bowl of Maple and Brown Sugar Mini-Wheats
skim milk
black coffee

LUNCH
ham and cheese sandwich with mustard
whole wheat bread
baby carrots
unsweetened iced tea

SNACK
Fritos
1/2 Mike's Hard Lemonade
green grapes

DINNER
homemade spaghetti sauce with meatballs
Barilla thin spaghetti
tossed salad with olive oil dressing
unsweetened iced tea

Thursday, August 30, 2007

2007-08-31T10:05:00.000-04:00

Another sunny, beautiful day at the coast!

The guys/boys all went golfing and the ladies/girls piled into the minivan and headed a bit north into North Carolina to my friend's mother's house. We enjoyed the pool at their clubhouse and an awesome barbecue. Then we headed back to our beach house to shower and get the kids some dinner.

"Grandma" came down to watch all six kids while my husband and I and the other couple we're vacationing with went out for a quiet dinner and a night of entertainment at Crocodile Rocks (dueling pianos). The dinner was terrific and the pianos were fun--albeit a little too raunchy for our taste.

BREAKFAST
black coffee
sinful bowl of Lucky Charms
skim milk

SNACK
green grapes
pizza-flavored Goldfish

LUNCH
Bubba Burger with cheese
small helping of chips
small helping of fries
pickle
cucumbers
tomato
lettuce

DINNER
one slice homemade bread
large house salad with small amount of Parmesan Peppercorn
one-half of 12 oz. center cut sirloin
small amount of mashed potatoes
small glass of light merlot

SNACK/DESSERT
Grande Starbucks pumpkin spice latte, nonfat

COCKTAILS
two small Stoli raspberry and cranberries (over four hours)

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

2007-08-29T09:31:00.000-04:00

What day is it today? Oh yeah, today's Wednesday. We're so relaxed we're having a hard time remembering what day or even what time it is! We came up from the beach about an hour later than we wanted to yesterday because we just lost track of time.

Even though the morning was perfect for swimming we headed out to the Tanger outlets for a bit of shopping. I didn't buy much--for some reason GAP feels the need to make jeans that will only fit women who are over 5 feet 10 inches tall. After a couple hours of walking around, we piled back into our cars and headed to Barefoot Landing for another shot at River City Cafe's burgers!

We wrapped up the day on the beach, coming in at the last possible moment, around 6:30 p.m. After some hot showers and a quick dinner of the BEST buffalo wings I've ever had in my entire life, the family came over to play a rousing game of Balderdash that lasted until 1 a.m. Yikes.

The only downside to yesterday was the Yankees beating the Red Sox, 5-3. Sheesh.

BREAKFAST
bowl of Maple and Brown Sugar Mini-Wheats
skim milk
black coffee

LUNCH
River City Cafe Little Jack burger (cheddar, onions, Thousand Island dressing)
one-half fries
unsweetened iced tea

SNACK
two Mike's Hard Lemonades on the beach

DINNER
nine Buffalo Wild Wings, mild
four pieces of celery
unsweetened iced tea

GAME PLAYING
black coffee
whole-wheat Ritz crackers, sharp cheddar cheese, couple pieces of pepperoni
one-half Mike's Hard Lemonade

Monday, August 27, 2007

2007-08-28T09:11:00.000-04:00

Can I just tell you how much I love the beach?

We were a little bummed when the day dawned, as it was cloudy and looked like rain again. Still, we decided to suit up and head down for beach action. The plan was to get as much ocean time in as we could before the storms started. The cloudy skies actually made the beach pleasant--lower temps and fewer sunburns! After lunch the sun came out and we had an absolutely perfect afternoon. Lots of boogie boarding, swimming, sandcastle-building and sun-soaking. We stayed out as long as we possibly could before going in to dinner.

I have a feeling I am never going home...

BREAKFAST
black coffee
scrambled eggs
one piece of whole-wheat toast with butter

SNACK
Fritos

LUNCH
two pieces of vegetable pizza
orange seltzer

DINNER
Carabba's chicken parmigiana with spaghetti side, one-half of total portion
glass of merlot
house salad with ranch dressing
glass of water

Sunday, August 26, 2007

2007-08-27T08:48:00.000-04:00

Sunday dawned bright and sunny and we enjoyed a terrific morning at the beach. Thunderstorms popped up just before lunch, though--bummer. Showers lasted throughout the afternoon so we just went to the beach anyway. We were already wet!

Other than getting stung by a jellyfish (just like last time I was here) I really enjoyed beach time. We played "the chair game" with our in-laws, who are vacationing in the house next to ours. Here's how you play: place your beach chairs in a line at the edge of the water (but still in the water). As the tide comes in, the waves grow stronger and try to knock you over. Strategically bury your chair, feet, whatever in the sand...last one to fall over wins!

BREAKFAST
strawberry Pop-Tarts, toasted
black coffee

LUNCH
ham and cheese sandwich on wheat bread
baby carrots
tablespoon of macaroni salad
orange seltzer

SNACK
one cracker with cheese

DINNER at T.G.I. FRIDAY'S
Chinese pot stickers (4)
blueberry mango margerita
Sizzlin' chicken and broccoli (chicken with cheese and steamed broccoli)
one-half Cinnabon cheesecake
water

Saturday, August 25, 2007

2007-08-27T08:23:00.000-04:00

We're on the move again...this time heading from the hotel to our rented oceanfront home. In between check-out and check-in, we toured Barefoot Landing. We found out River City Cafe has amazing burgers...but they let you write all over everything in the place (including the ATM machine) and throw peanut shells on the floor. Given my type-A and formerly perfectionist tendencies, I nearly broke out into hives. Once I realized I didn't have to clean it up--what FUN!

There's nothing like that moment you tumble out of the car and take that first load of "stuff" up into your beachfront house...cross the room...and realize you're looking right at the ocean. Pure heaven. Unfortunately, after our friends and their family arrived, we destroyed that tranquility by deciding to go to Wal-Mart to purchase our week's worth of groceries right away. BIG MISTAKE. If I wanted to visit the lower level of hell going to Wal-Mart really isn't the most fun way to go about it. :-)

Here's what I ate today...

BREAKFAST
bowl of Maple and Brown Sugar Mini-Wheats
skim milk
black coffee

LUNCH
hamburger with onions, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle, mustard, ketchup
coleslaw
unsweetened iced tea

DINNER
Chic-Fil-A chicken club
one-half fruit cup
orange seltzer

Day 1 - Friday, August 24, 2007

2007-08-26T21:27:00.000-04:00

Today was golf day. We played in a family tournament at Black Bear Golf Club. It was my husband and son on a team and my oldest daughter and I on a team. Our youngest daughter rode along in the cart.

Normally I love golf but it was so incredibly hot and humid, we were MISERABLE. Or should I say...I WAS MISERABLE! Making some pretty awful golf shots didn't help either.

So here's what I ate on a really hot, really awful golfing day:

BREAKFAST
bowl of Maple and Brown Sugar Mini-Wheats
skim milk
black coffee

LUNCH
Snickers bar
orange Powerade

SNACK
Fritos
orange seltzer

DINNER
Ultimate California Pizza - two slices (both with sausage)
mild Buffalo-style chicken wings (5)
orange seltzer

Okay, so the Snickers wasn't the best thing. But we were in the middle of a tournament and didn't have time to eat anything else--we had to rush as it was. Bad day for all of us!

Travel Day, August 23, 2007

2007-08-24T16:56:00.000-04:00

We left around 2:30 a.m....boy, was I tired, because I stayed up to finish cleaning and packing while everyone else was sleeping! But it's great to drive when there's no traffic on the road.

Not too many mishaps on the road, unless you count our daughter dropping her pillow in a muddy parking lot or realizing I left my golf shoes at home "mishaps".

We arrived in Myrtle Beach around 5:30 p.m. Total drive time was 15 hours, with around three stops, I think. The weather was alternately cool (for this time of year) and cloudy or rainy. There were severe thunderstorms in Myrtle Beach when we arrived, so we opted for dinner at a Fuddrucker's located literally right in front of our hotel. We didn't feel like doing additional driving or being out in the rain.

Here's the damage done on Day 1...

BREAKFAST
McDonald's Breakfast Burrito (2) with mild salsa
small black coffee

LUNCH
Burger King Whopper with cheese, no mayo
1/2 regular fries
unsweetened iced tea

SNACK
orange seltzer
cashews
Fritos

DINNER
Fuddrucker's grilled chicken salad
unsweetened iced tea

NOTE FOR THOSE OF YOU WITH CRAVINGS:
It was really hard to order the salad at Fudd's with all the gorgeous hamburgers and seasoned fries flying by. Usually willpower isn't a tough issue for me, because my body knows when it needs to eat healthier--I actually crave crisp salads. The more we've eaten the "Real People Don't Diet" way the fewer cravings we've had. But I was very tired and fighting a cold, so of course the "comfort foods" seemed much more appealing.

However, when it arrived, the salad was huge and the chicken absolutely tantalizing. The meal was very satisfying and I felt tons better after eating it. I didn't have that "heavy" feeling after a meal loaded with carbs at the end of the day. It gave me the energy I needed to hit Wal-Mart and buy some inexpensive shoes to replace the golf shoes I forgot to bring--and need in order to golf in the family tournament tomorrow.

All in all, a reasonable day of eating, I think.

Back On Vacation

2007-08-21T11:31:00.000-04:00

Hard to believe two months have passed since my last trip.

It’s vacation time and we’re heading to the shore! It’s Myrtle Beach, SC for nine days. Can’t wait!

Follow along as I blog my meals. I hope it proves that you can enjoy vacation, have a few treats, and go home just as slim–if not slimmer–than you were when you left.

Happy end of summer!