Post-Vacation Recovery Plan

I was feeling pretty good here, on the first day of our family vacation to an all-inclusive, super fun beach, pool and water-slide resort! Definitely no shortage of fun, exercise and… crappy food.

But this ain’t my “first rodeo”! I knew what I was up against, I “practice what I preach”. I did all the pre-vacation prep (checkout my social media posts about this) to get my insulin at the best level possible to help me make better food choices while on vacation. I even started hormone-optimization just a couple weeks before (thanks Ilona 🙏🏼 ) to help with sleep and mood, and it’s definitely working!

Then the vacation started. My usual 2mad IF days turned into 3mad and the “unavoidable” sugary drinks 🍹 made their inevitable appearance by day 2. Eventually the “Insulin Beast” joined my vacation and took total control over my cravings, what I ate and when I ate. Absolutely normal! Nothing wrong with me, not my fault!!! I won’t harp on it. This only proves that I, too, am human and not an alien 👽!

As I sit here waiting for our transfer bus to the airport (to board our delayed flight), I’m setting my intention for what my recovery plan will look like!

I’ve written about this before in the “Don’t feed the Insulin Beast” blog post and often reference TFM’s resource on “What is a Fat Fasting and when should you do it”. Nothing new here, simple and repetitive. I’m a big fan of repetition.

At this point I’m eager to get back on track, back to feeling like myself, and not bloated and constipated. Sorry for the TMI but carbs will do this to you, at least to me! I don’t even care about the weight factor. I will NOT weigh myself when I get home. It’s a pointless exercise that will only tell me what I already know. Insulin goes up and the body goes into retention mode. No surprise there. Six pounds, ten pounds? Who cares? I’m a solution-driven person. I will not harp on the problem. If the problem is high insulin, then the solution is to lower insulin.

I know I cannot depend on my “will-power” right now. Nothing wrong with my will-power. I’m a head-strong person, but I know this is not about will-power, it’s about hormones. As it stands, I’m in a hyperinsulinemic state (like PMS) and no matter how much I want to feel better inevitably the carb-cravings will kick in and I’ll feel “weak and powerless” against them, UNLESS I do something about them. So I’ll fight the Insulin Beast, like “David and Goliath”. I’ve proven to myself time and time again that I can “tame” the Beast with Fat Fasting. If you’ve ever tried it, you know what I mean.

Fat Fasting is a “Fast Mimicking Diet”. What this means is that you choose from a list of very rich and nourishing foods that have an insignificant insulin response. Remember that you’re starting this plan in a hyperinsulinemic state, meaning your insulin is high and you’re likely craving sugars/carbs and feel hungry ALL the time. You’re fat fasting not because you’re craving these awesome healthy foods (I know you’re not) but you’re fat fasting so that in a couple of days you’ll feel better and your cravings will be gone (and your blood sugars and other health markers will also improve). Fat Fasting is like taking an antibiotic for a bladder infection! You do not want to take the antibiotic, you’re taking it because it is the solution to the infection, and even though it will likely take about 48h for you to feel better, you keep taking the antibiotic. It’s not an immediate fix…but it is THE solution! If you don’t take the antibiotic, the infection will spread and you will feel much much worse in 2-3 days. The same will happen if you do not lower that insulin with a fast-mimicking approach after a trip or any other hyperinsulinemic state. Your insulin levels will keep rising and you will feel much much worse a few days after your trip. Remember that 6-10 lbs weight gain from the trip? With a fat fast that retention will quickly be eliminated, within a week you’ll be back to your pre-vacation state (or better). The alternative is that a week later that weight will still be there and the Insulin Beast will make sure you keep storing fat for the next weeks to come. That’s what “The Beast” does. No, not today Beast! Ain’t nobody got time for that!

If you haven’t tried a fat fast as a recovery plan, or a starting plan for that matter, do yourself a favour and try it! All it takes is 2-3 days and you yourself will see and feel the difference!

Quick Guide (for the complete guide go here)

WHAT TO EAT

Food List (choose 2-4 of these foods)

-leafy greens

-healthy fats

-avocado

-olives

-eggs

-bacon

-salmon

-sardines

HOW TO EAT