“The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray (or awry depending on whom you talk to).”

This phrase holds true in so many aspects of life… especially dieting! This week, I have been on my family vacation in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. It’s a great family-oriented beach with amazing amenities. I just love it here. I hope to one day retire here… it’s so peaceful.

Funland

The boardwalk at Rehoboth is like my own personal heaven. They have carnival rides, carnival games, arcade games, souvenir shops… oh yeah, and TONS of food stands and restaurants.

Now, I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m on a diet; I’ve just changed my eating habits dramatically. Nevertheless, I’m still trying to cut back on my portions and eat healthy foods instead of the greasy fried foods I used to eat constantly… I guess that’s pretty much a diet, isn’t it.

I made a vow to myself that I would do whatever necessary to avoid gaining weight while on vacation. Last year, I gained 5 pounds while I was there for 2 weeks!!!!

Gotta love boardwalk games!

I’ve been pretty good so far. One vacation night a year is always designated “eat ‘til you pop” night. We go to the Rusty Rudder, which is a really nice restaurant/seafood buffet. The entire family orders the same thing each year… the land and sea buffet. This year, I opted for the grilled chicken salad.

I was quite content with my salad, even though family members constantly tried to make me “taste” various things off their plate. I kindly refused and felt great about myself at the end of the night.I’ve been good all week and didn’t eat any of the local cuisine that I love.

Gus ‘n Gus – Best cheese steaks around!

Each day before heading to the beach, I packed a little cooler filled with fresh veggies, water and tuna salad so I would never be tempted by the boardwalk food. Everything was going great, I even lost 1 pound!

However, today was a completely different story. I leave Delaware tomorrow night and as soon as I woke up yesterday morning I started reaching for the Dollies Saltwater Taffy!

I made my way to the beach and plopped down in the sand. Around noon I started catching a whiff of Gus ‘n Gus’ famous cheese steaks. Then a group of teenagers sat down next to our umbrellas with a big box of

Grotto pizza with their legendary swirl of sauce and American cheese.

Grotto pizza, Thrasher’s boardwalk fries and a large gelati.

There were so many “native” Rehoboth foods that I didn’t even get to enjoy this vacation… I had to eat them all before I left or vacation just wouldn’t be the same! So starting at 12:15, (I resisted my urge for 15 minutes… that should count for something right?) I started my binge through Rehoboth.

First up was a small cheese steak from Gus ‘n Gus, then some fries from Thrashers. For a snack I had passion fruit polish icewater, then mango gelati for good measure (obviously, I ate over the course of the day… I didn’t go “hog wild” all at once). For dinner, I chomped down a slice of Grotto pizza and a Kohr Brother’s frozen custard for dessert.

Now, as I sit writing this, I’ve got my hair pulled back and a trash pale by my side. I couldn’t sleep at all last night. I guess my system isn’t used to all the greasy foods and the large portions anymore. Why, oh why did I do this to myself?!?!

This is what Kohr Brother’s thinks a “small” looks like.

I guess I’ve learned my lesson. I’m sure if I would have eaten the same foods in moderation, I would have been okay. It’s interesting how we can associate food with memories…. That’s my biggest problem. Food has always had an emotional pull with me.

From eating chicken ‘n dumplins at my grandma’s house every Sunday to eating Grotto pizza in Delaware, each dish represents a happy time in my life. It’s sort of sick if you think about it.  I know this is something that I must continually work to overcome. Maybe I’ll get the hang of it one day. But for now… I’ll spend my last day in Delaware with my head hung over the toilet bowl.

So, there you have it… my cautionary tale of diets and vacation.

Remember: In this game we call life, moderation is everything!

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