Returning home after a trip is something I appreciate so deeply. For several years, when my husband was in the army we would meet up with family for vacation and then when it was done we'd have to say goodbye and go back to wherever we lived at the time. These last few years since we moved back to Maryland we've gotten to understand how it feels to come home. To me, that is even more of a blessing than being able to go on vacation. We made it back safely late last night after being in the car all day. Unfortunately, I think I am sick now. I'm wondering if I was so tried the last couple days of the trip because of whatever this bug is. Probably just a cold. At one point, my Fitbit told me I needed to rest and my daily readiness was super low. So, now I plan to give myself today to get a lot of rest and recover and hoping I'll feel better tomorrow. Happy Easter to those who celebrate and have a wonderful day everyone🖤 (A few photos from our last day)

I'll be travelling for over a month to multiple cities and have been so caught up with planning, booking and coordinating with everyone that I've not had the time to think about how I should/want to prepare myself. I'm emotionally spent and a word away from balling my eyes out. My main worry is being consistent while my environment is changing and unknown. The plan to feel like I have some control: - 10k daily minimum. - Measure every other Saturday/Sunday + progress pictures. - Use the hotel gym if it's available - Stay hydrated - Try to research meal options in advance for balanced meal options - Track meals on MFP (even if I don't have a scale) But here is the thing, I've consistently been weighing myself since November 2025 so it's feels like I will be missing out on valuable data if I don't. I don't have the luggage allowance to travel with a weighing scale 😅. I'd be happy if I can find a scale for most parts of the trip and if I miss a few days, I will be sad but I'll manage. Am I overthinking this? Is there another option? Because I can't think of any. As for my meals, I've been using MFP but also been under guidance of dietician. The guidance ends coincidentally on travel day and I'm happy and equally worried. I have planned my meals for a month without the dietician during the holidays and lost weight too but I was home so it felt like I had more control. Planning meals while travelling and not being familiar with the surroundings feels a lot more intimidating. Overthinking again? Maybe🤦🏽‍♀️ I've been focusing on weight loss but with the trip I'm thinking I should try deficit but focus on maintenance. Is it too ambitious to want to loose weight on a trip and enjoy social meals even if I may not be able to weigh myself or my food?🙈 Maybe you can see things clearer than I am able to at the moment.. Any advice and tips are welcome. I maybe missing the obvious stuff too🙈😭 so please feel free to point it out. Also sorry for the super long ranty post🙈🫶🏽 and thank you in advance for allowing me to pick your brains.

My niece has had such a scary week 💔 what started as an abscess quickly turned septic, and she ended up needing an operation. She really went through it, but I’m so relieved to say she’s now on the mend 💕 Yesterday, I went in to see her and brought along a little pamper session 🧖‍♀️✨ — gentle cleanse, soothing products, and lots of love 💚 She absolutely loved it… and it worked its magic because she drifted off to sleep 😴 But this morning brought everything rushing back. I got a call from my sister in tears saying, “Please come, I need you… her blood pressure is dropping again… I’m scared.” I didn’t think twice — I rushed straight out the door and got to the hospital as quickly as I could. When I arrived, my sister was an emotional wreck 💔 I stayed with her, made her laugh where I could, and reassured her she wasn’t alone. I sat with my niece, talked to her, kept things calm, and made sure everyone was being looked after. Moments like this really put everything into perspective. It’s not just about the big things — it’s about being there, bringing comfort, holding it together when someone else can’t 🤍 I’m so grateful she’s being cared for and that we can be there for each other through it all 💫 If this reminds you of someone going through a tough time, check in on them. Your presence means more than you’ll ever know 🌿

I wanted to share this, because it's a testament to the fact that you can eat all kinds of food and enjoy living while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Darren recommends incorporating treats into our diet so that we can find a sustainable way of living that allows us to feel both healthy and happy. I want to share my real-life success story of doing just that. In the past, when I went on a vacation I would have stomach issues, gain several pounds, feel bloated and uncomfortable from overheating, and return home with regret over the choices I made which would result in feeling bad about myself and emotionally beating myself up over it. This Disney trip was our first big vacation since I've made this shift in my lifestyle, and I am so amazed by how much of a difference I noticed. Wins: -Stomach issues gone (this alone is life-changing) ✔️ -Lost 2.1lbs and 0.6% body fat (I know these numbers will continue to fluctuate some as they do)💪🏼 -Tried and appreciated every food I wanted to try without guilt🥨 -Mood overall better🧘🏼‍♀️ -More patience with kids (though not perfect of course)👧🏼 -Confident in my appearance = overall more comfortable = better experience🏆 Here are the things I did to achieve those wins: -Steps!!! The power of walking is so underrated. Step count ranged from 13,430 to 24,433 (not including travel days)🚶🏼‍♀️ -Tracked everything I ate in MFP, even when I only tried a bite of something 📝 -Planned for balance. Looked at what foods I wanted to try at each place the night before. If I knew I wanted nachos, I chose to have an apple and a protein shake that morning and skip the Mickey waffle platter I've had many times before⚖️ -Ate slowly and mindfully, stopping before I felt overly full🧠 -Drank lots of water and mostly only water💦 -Prioritized taking time to rest. Averaged around 8.5 hours of sleep/night (not including travel days)💤 -Incorporated my daily apples and protein shakes🥛 -Skipped the foods that didn't feel necessary (didn't just eat it because it was in front of me)🙌🏼

Most people don’t fail because they lack discipline. They fail because their environment is still designed for the old version of them. What’s one thing in your daily environment that’s quietly working against the person you’re trying to become? Let’s start the week strong!