I'm a YOLO dieter & lost 1st in 3 months… but 5 tips could have stopped me putting half of it back on in a WEEK on hols

The Irish Sun

17-07-2025

ADMIRING the Italian scenery in the sunshine, I take a piece of warm focaccia bread, dip it in olive oil and pop it in my mouth.
It is my third, but not final, piece as I enjoy some foodie foreplay to warm up for lunch.
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Mel Fallowfield lost a stone before a trip to Italy – only to put half of it back on boozing and bingeing
Credit: David Cummings
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Mel, 52, reveals she must have eaten and drunk her way through a 5,725 calories a day on the trip
Credit: David Cummings
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The writer enjoying a beer by the pool in Lake Garda, northern Italy
Credit: Supplied
Next
is a plate of spaghetti carbonara, liberally sprinkled with Parmesan, followed by the creamiest tiramisu imaginable.
It is all washed down with half a bottle of white wine that I share with my husband Brian, 53, who works in marketing.
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We were in Lake Garda in northern Italy on a rare holiday without our teenage boys, and as we strolled back to our apartment, we stopped for an ice cream, too.
Then came a siesta . . . and soon it was supper time.
That started with an Aperol spritz with crisps and a tomato and mozzarella salad with more focaccia, before a salami pizza and yet more wine.
At a conservative estimate, I must have eaten and drunk my way through a 5,725 calories a day, which is almost three times the NHS daily recommended amount of 2,000 for a woman.
Over a week, that's more than 40,000 calories.
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And that's without the incidental ones — the odd beer by the
pool
, the extra glass of wine as you linger over food so delicious you can't rush it.
By day five, I had to ditch any clothes with a waistband that bit into my tummy as I didn't want a constant and uncomfortable reminder I was over-indulging.
Instead, I wore long, flowing dresses that skimmed over my expanding tummy.
I lost half a stone eating cold chips
Frankly, you only live once — or 'YOLO' as my two sons frequently say.
My weight had edged up over Christmas
And sipping on mineral water while picking at some grilled fish and salad is not my idea of a fun holiday.
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So I put the scales out of my mind and ate and drank whatever I wanted.
When I got home I faced the reality — though it took me a couple of days to brace myself — and sure enough I'd put on 7lbs.
My holiday routine is about as far from my
real life
as it's possible to get.
Since March, when I tipped the scales at just over 10st, which is verging on overweight for my 5ft 3in height, I'd been on a rigid diet in preparation for donning my bikini.
My weight had edged up over Christmas, and the cold months of January and February saw me reach for stodgy pies and warming roasts.
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But a glimpse of spring sunshine was a timely reminder that in three months I'd be by the pool exposing my wobbly flesh.
I pretty much gave up alcohol, as it's my absolute downfall. It's not only the calories in wine and cocktails, but the vast amount I eat with a hangover.
It's a menu a sumo wrestler would be proud of, taking in everything from Pot Noodles to bacon sandwiches and adding up to some 3,500 calories per day.
I swim for half an hour every day, but I added in a 45-minute gym workout.
By day five, I had to ditch any clothes with a waistband that bit into my tummy as I didn't want a constant and uncomfortable reminder I was over-indulging
And I started the
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The weight dropped off and before I went away I'd shed over a stone and hit my
target
weight of 9st.
In many ways it was easy with a few changes to my routine. For example, rather than meeting friends in the pub, I'd suggest we went for a walk.
Many of them were trying to lose weight too and were more than happy with the idea.
And my sister and I dieted together, ringing each other daily to compare what we'd eaten and how much we'd lost.
She went on holiday a few days before me and was clearly letting her
hair
down, WhatsApping me pictures of the ice cream she was devouring.
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It made me even more excited about my own holiday. It was as if she was giving me permission to indulge.
WHAT I ATE IN A SINGLE DAY...
2 croissants: 600
Orange juice: 45
Focaccia and olive oil (both meals): 600
Spaghetti carbonara: 906
Bottle white wine: 750
2 Aperol spritzes: 354
Salami pizza: 954
2 scoops of ice cream: 400
Tiramisu: 500
Crisps: 300
Tomato & mozzarella salad: 316
Daily cals: 5,725
Weekly cals: 40,075
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Mel says she faced the reality of her 'YOLO dieting' once home, after realising she had put on 7lbs
Credit: Supplied
'Over-indulge'
Mindset coach Vivienne Joy (
'At home you're an adult, with responsibilities. You're anchored in a routine and you control what you're doing.
'When you go away, you switch identities and let go as you're in a different environment.
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'You often adopt your teenage identity, one that is carefree with no responsibilities. That's why so many of us over-indulge.'
According to Vivienne, the more controlled you are at home, the more likely you are to pig out when abroad.
'I advise people to not be so rigid at home so they don't feel the need to let go so much,' she says.
Those 7lbs I put on are now thankfully on the way out, and I don't regret a second of gaining them
'Because you will have to come home and face the music — or the scales.'
Vivienne's words resonate. When it comes to food, my holiday and home personas are poles apart. While I feel guilty if I eat even a Malteser at home, abroad I didn't think twice as I dithered between two flavours of ice cream . . . then plumped for both.
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It feels as if nothing counts while on holiday, and I'm certainly not going to
It helps that cocktails are cheaper too
When you're warm and happy, it's hard to care about anything more taxing than whether you fancy beer or an Aperol spritz.
It's a completely different mindset to when you're constantly juggling the needs of work and parenting two teenage boys.
At home I'm in a routine. I have to be organised, and in a way it's easier to be on a diet as I don't waste headspace and time deciding what to eat. It's going to be chicken or fish and vegetables.
Abroad, you drift blissfully from your breakfast — in my case, freshly baked croissants from a favoured cafe that you can smell as you walk down the street — to exploring local eateries to see which does the best pizza or pasta.
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FIVE WAYS TO STAY IN SHAPE ON VACATION
TO stay trim on holiday, sustainable weight-loss expert Harriet Morris (
You will be surrounded by cues to overeat, so aim for weight maintenance, not loss. Nobody goes on holiday every month, so cut yourself some slack.
Before you go for dinner, look at the restaurant menu online or as you stroll past, and plan your meal ahead. Allow yourself the food you want, but eat it slowly. This will help you digest your meal better, which keeps you fuller for longer.
Instead of denying yourself dessert, ask for a separate side plate when it arrives. Put a third of it on the plate and give it back to the waiter before you eat. That really is having your cake and eating it.
Everyone's metabolism is faster at lunchtime, so eat bigger, more indulgent meals then instead of in the evening.
Relax as much as possible. Stress raises blood sugar levels which – unless you do vigorous exercise – sends a message to your body to store fat. So make your holiday a time to unwind, not rush.
Everyone seems so happy, and warm-from-the-oven bread arrives just as you sit down at your table to peruse the menu.
That menu is devoid of the nutritional information that holds me back from ordering calorific treats when I'm out in London.
And it helps that the cocktails are cheaper, too, so just one more isn't going to break the bank. Everything that encourages restraint at home has gone.
And of course, I'm not in a rush, so the brisk walk to the Tube that helps shed the pounds isn't happening.
I still swim, but with no time restraints, I float happily on my back. But getting home was a rude awakening.
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Those 7lbs I put on are now thankfully on the way out, and I don't regret a second of gaining them.
I loved my holiday and you only live once. After all, there's no point spending money going away if you just do the same as you do at home.
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She has now lost those 7lbs but reveals she doesn't regret gaining them and enjoying her holiday
Credit: David Cummings
The 5 best exercises to lose weight
By Lucy Gornall, personal trainer and health journalist
EXERCISE can be intimidating and hard to devote yourself to. So how do you find the right workout for you?
As a PT and fitness journalist, I've tried everything.
I've taken part in endless fitness competitions, marathons and I maintain a regime of runs, strength training and Pilates.
Fitness is so entrenched in my life, I stick to it even at Christmas!
The key is finding an activity you love that can become a habit.
My top five forms of exercise, especially if you're trying to lose weight, are:
Walking
Running
Pilates
High-intensity interval training (HIIT)
Strength training