I used to follow Leigh Peele, a trainer and fat loss guru (would still follow her, but she's kind of given up on online stuff - think mostly got tired of the nonsense that goes with it) and she also said this! If it's between getting adequate sleep and dragging yourself out of bed for a workout, choose sleep. Better overall for appetite regulation and metabolism. I didn't even trust her when she said focus mainly on diet and keep workout intensity low if fat loss is the goal, but she was also right about that. Combining reduced intake with high intensity workouts always just led to me regaining the weight because I'd be so hungry and just crack! Activity is great, but doesn't have to be HIIT by any means. Even walking and trying to stay active during the day counts.
My sister took my nephew transatlantic at around 10 weeks...for Christmas because her husband was working it, and my Dad hadn't even seen him yet (nor had I). Think she was also secretly in need of some family support and my Mum. The child plumped up nicely with a bit of extra encouragement. It was hard for her, and definitely not a jolly. Can't imagine just heading off on an unnecessary holiday to somewhere further away like that, with 3 of them!!