By LMQC Battle of the Bulge blogger, Alan Sivell, St. Ambrose communications professor, RAGBRAI-er, pizza lover and longtime weight watcher.

I was nervous about getting on the scale recently. I didn’t know what it would tell me.

That’s because for the previous 10 days, my kids and I were on a car trip back to my hometown in Connecticut.

Let’s face it: vacation can be hard for those trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle!

It’s kind of like that period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, when our healthy habits are tested every day. Routines go out the window.

Don’t get me wrong. I love going on vacation.

But I hate to get out of my exercise and eating routines. There’s danger there. And it doesn’t help when your family and friends keep saying, “Hey! It’s okay. You’re on vacation!”

As if that magically gets rid of the extra slabs of pizza at the Plum Tomato for you. Or the extra-large portion of Alfredo at Rossini’s.

Oh, we started out with the best intentions. Lots of fruit and healthy snacks filled our car cooler. Peanut butter on whole wheat rounds had been made ahead for breakfast.

But after a few days, the healthy supplies were depleted. Junk began to take its place. And trying to get a workout in while traveling is quite a challenge. Most motel “fitness centers” have earned those quotation marks with few, antique and often broken-down pieces of equipment.

At our destination, we ate the healthy (and delicious) food my sister and brother-in-law prepared. But it’s hard to turn down extra portions, especially if it’s steak and fresh vegetables coming off a grill just 15 feet away. (And, “Hey! It’s okay. You’re on vacation!”)

We were at a lake house, so I did swim, kayak, and paddle board every nice day. I rode bikes a couple of times, too.

But by the time we left, I doubted I had balanced everything out. When I got home, my wife didn’t help matters when she casually (if such a remark can be made casually) asked if I had gained weight on the trip.

I hit the scale at the YMCA Monday morning as nervous as an American Idol contestant. Yes, I had gained weight. Half a pound. Whew! That can be tackled pretty easily as I get back to my regular routines.

Oh, my gosh. That part of vacation was so stressful, I am happy to get home and back to work.