Up 10 m# after 3 weeks in Europe

redhead

redhead

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So…. the family and I did 18 days in Europe. No peps came with me.

deliberately, so it doubled as a break from all of it — Tirz included.

We were walking 20k daily and eating light. Istanbul - Hungary - Croatia meant decent choices at every meal.

I was shocked — SHOCKED — to be up 10 after those 3 weeks away. All the more because we were on our feet so much, 19 floors and 30k on some days. Only the final two days were chill swim days. And Croatia meant the lightest food, fresh fish and cucumber salad wherever we went.

Alright, I did drink more wine than usual. Which is to say - a glass with dinner, not every time. Mostly Budapest, since the wine there is great.

So I'm curious — am I one of those people who'll have to stay on tirz at the highest dose for life ?! I was at top dose but at my lowest weight / maintaining when we left for Istanbul. Curious how others fare during a travel break. Or while maintaining….have at it. Whatcha think?
 
For the vast majority of people, I believe these medications function as a temporary fix rather than a permanent solution. GIGO. Therefore, needing to stay on them continuously shouldn't come as a surprise. Bringing them along isn't difficult (once reconstituted), particularly when you're booked in short-term rentals or hotels that have mini-fridges. On one occasion, I requested that a small hotel store my vial in their kitchen fridge; they appeared to know the drill.

I recently picked up an RXCoolers Mini Medicine Electric Travel Cooler (found on ebay, but brand new in an unopened box), which I'm hoping will outperform the whole icepack-in-a-cooler-bag approach. Essentially, it's a little fridge of its own.
 
Was the trip enjoyable and full of memorable moments? If so, those 10 lbs were justified 😉

Beyond that, when your routine shifts that dramatically for close to 3 weeks, even if you eat well and make smart decisions, your body will sometimes respond however it pleases. Personally, I believe pausing the medication occasionally serves as a useful reminder of why we rely on it and why we should be grateful for it.
 
Hold off another 3 weeks, then take another look. Most of those 10 lbs likely isn't fat — at most a little — and it could disappear by then.
 
Enyola said:

Hold off another 3 weeks, then take another look. Most of those 10 lbs likely isn't fat — at most a little — and it could disappear by then.
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I'm with you on this. More carbs means the body retains extra water, so that's likely the bulk of it — and if your legs are sore from all that walking, those muscles retain water too while they repair. Add heat you're not accustomed to, or a place without aircon, and the body holds even more water. That could be a triple whammy all at once. Still, like @Enyola suggests, give it a few weeks and reassess where things stand. It's easy to get discouraged, but this is simply what happens to 'normal' people — they just aren't as sensitive to holiday weight, since it drops back off once their usual routines return. Those of us on GLP peebs need the medication to make that happen.
 
When it comes to calories, most folks guess too high on the burn side and too low on the intake side. Those dishes from Eastern Europe may look healthy and light, but oil, fat, and butter get used heavily in their cooking and even when they toss salads, despite it not being very obvious. I know this firsthand—I have Eastern European friends, and they'll hide butter in every dish they prepare, leaving me sitting there puzzled why a salad drenched in olive oil tastes so delicious.
 
redhead said:

So…. the family and I did 18 days in Europe. No peps came with me.

deliberately, so it doubled as a break from all of it — Tirz included.

We were walking 20k daily and eating light. Istanbul - Hungary - Croatia meant decent choices at every meal.

I was shocked — SHOCKED — to be up 10 after those 3 weeks away. All the more because we were on our feet so much, 19 floors and 30k on some days. Only the final two days were chill swim days. And Croatia meant the lightest food, fresh fish and cucumber salad wherever we went.

Alright, I did drink more wine than usual. Which is to say - a glass with dinner, not every time. Mostly Budapest, since the wine there is great.

So I'm curious — am I one of those people who'll have to stay on tirz at the highest dose for life ?! I was at top dose but at my lowest weight / maintaining when we left for Istanbul. Curious how others fare during a travel break. Or while maintaining….have at it. Whatcha think?
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While I was going through that opening paragraph, the thought crossed my mind that this individual was consuming alcohol. At least it’s clear what likely caused the problem for you. I’d bet the majority of the weight you put on was just water. It drops off quickly. Happy to hear the vacation was wonderful. Last year we took a nearly identical journey. Definitely a bucket list item. Isn’t it something how Europeans have such affection for Americans? Honestly, every one of them treated us so warmly. The Austrians in particular. There’s nothing quite like learning about history that stretches back thousands of years.

Bill
 
I figure this could be water retention as well.

My reason for sticking with a maintenance dose long-term isn't holidays — it's ordinary everyday life. What that dose will end up being, I still don't know.
 
Same thing happens on my end whenever we head to another US city for 5 days, and that's without any alcohol. The problem is every meal comes from a restaurant, plus I've got that habit of feeling like I have to clean the entire plate.
 
The idea of coming home from vacation 10 lbs heavier is something I can't handle, so I put together a small kit to take with me. All that's left to throw in is a few alcohol wipes plus a 15mg Tirz vial, and then I'm ready for 3 weeks.





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Once you enter a calorie deficit, your glycogen reserves get used up. Your body draws on them before anything else, and they are also the first thing restored once you go back to eating in a surplus.

Each gram of glycogen that is stored holds onto 3-4 gams of water. When you start eating in a calorie deficit, several pounds usually come off fast. That happens because those stores are drained and the water tied to them is lost. Going the other way, into a surplus, brings all of it back.

If you gain 10 pounds after coming out of a deficit, only about 2-3 pounds of that at most is fat. The rest is mostly glycogen and water, which will disappear quickly once you are back in a deficit.
 
My family lives in Croatia, and whenever we go there I'm on my feet walking the entire day, since cars aren't permitted in the area where we spend most of our time. I've never come home lighter, because my body clings to water — I'd even feel somewhat puffy from it. Some meals are at home and some out, and they pour a lot of olive oil over everything. That cucumber salad is one I know well! Like the people above have said, it's likely some mix of water retention and the fats that are easy to miss in the food. Once you're back into your normal routine it should drop off quickly, because putting on 10 pounds of actual fat isn't very likely. I wouldn't stress about it too much 🙂
 
5byfive said:

Once you enter a calorie deficit, your glycogen reserves get used up. Your body draws on them before anything else, and they are also the first thing restored once you go back to eating in a surplus.

Each gram of glycogen that is stored holds onto 3-4 gams of water. When you start eating in a calorie deficit, several pounds usually come off fast. That happens because those stores are drained and the water tied to them is lost. Going the other way, into a surplus, brings all of it back.

If you gain 10 pounds after coming out of a deficit, only about 2-3 pounds of that at most is fat. The rest is mostly glycogen and water, which will disappear quickly once you are back in a deficit.
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That perspective is new to me. Great way to put it!
 
Appreciate all the responses and different angles. The trip gave us wonderful memories, so it was absolutely worth it, and I'll restart everything and return to my target weight—but I did want outside opinions. I felt foolish expecting only ~4, so seeing 10 hit me hard.

Every meal out packs in calories. Our first meal cooked at home just now—rice, salmon, and cucumbers from the garden—felt amazing.

Next trip I'll pack a kit similar to @BBA1969. Smart suggestion.
 
That vacay sounds awesome! I'm a bit jealous over here. But yeah, like everyone else said, some of it will likely be water weight and drop off quickly.

Your profile pic made me seriously lol
 
Whiynot20026 said:

redhead said:

So…. the family and I did 18 days in Europe. No peps came with me.

deliberately, so it doubled as a break from all of it — Tirz included.

We were walking 20k daily and eating light. Istanbul - Hungary - Croatia meant decent choices at every meal.

I was shocked — SHOCKED — to be up 10 after those 3 weeks away. All the more because we were on our feet so much, 19 floors and 30k on some days. Only the final two days were chill swim days. And Croatia meant the lightest food, fresh fish and cucumber salad wherever we went.

Alright, I did drink more wine than usual. Which is to say - a glass with dinner, not every time. Mostly Budapest, since the wine there is great.

So I'm curious — am I one of those people who'll have to stay on tirz at the highest dose for life ?! I was at top dose but at my lowest weight / maintaining when we left for Istanbul. Curious how others fare during a travel break. Or while maintaining….have at it. Whatcha think?
Click to expand...
While I was going through that opening paragraph, the thought crossed my mind that this individual was consuming alcohol. At least it’s clear what likely caused the problem for you. I’d bet the majority of the weight you put on was just water. It drops off quickly. Happy to hear the vacation was wonderful. Last year we took a nearly identical journey. Definitely a bucket list item. Isn’t it something how Europeans have such affection for Americans? Honestly, every one of them treated us so warmly. The Austrians in particular. There’s nothing quite like learning about history that stretches back thousands of years.

Bill
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We felt genuinely welcomed everywhere, and the trip was wonderful. Picking just 1 place is tough, though Budapest won the kids over — it's a real gem. The Soviet history also captivated me. For me, nothing beat sailing the bosphorus and setting foot on Istanbul's Asian side. Turkish tea and their warmth are what I miss most.
 
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