New Attitude to Holiday Eating

papillon71

I have read SO many posts where MFP people encourage those going on holiday to forget calorie counting that week or two and just eat what you want, enjoy yourself etc...

I wanted to share my own experience around this to help others. I used to think like that "I am on holiday to enjoy myself can eat what I like" and on most of those holidays over the years I GAINED weight and felt awful once home again, not so much fun after all.

I started my weight loss journey in January 2013 this time getting serious, my philosophy is not that I am on a diet but have changed my lifestyle choices FOREVER, this includes being on holiday. I went to Paris, France in March, I could not log and count each calorie BUT I made healthy choices from hotel buffet for breakfast and dinner, I found there was lots of healthier options to choose from and I watched portion sizes. When eating out again I just made good choices, hold the sauce, hold the butter, dressing on the side, again even in France, the home of the buttery croissant I found I could make good choices, still enjoy myself and feel good. Did not feel deprived. I even manged for find a healthy salad at Disneyland Paris when everyone else was having giant hot dogs and greasy fries.

I did lots of sightseeing walking, I did have alcohol in moderation. I just balanced everything out. The result? To my surprise, LOST 1.5lbs in that week away.

I have a summer holiday coming up in August at a holiday resort, I will be going in with the same attitude. For me thinking of it as a change for life is the key to the success this time, not seeing it as a diet and rewarding myself with food to feel good (that's what you do to dogs, give them food as a reward, I am not a puppy in training LOL)

So, food for thought (so to speak) let's encourage others to eat well and stay active and still have a blast on holiday instead of in a roundabout way sabotaging them by encouraging to eat what they want, stuff the diet and make it up when they get home. For some, a week or two off track may undo all the work they have done and be hard to get back into it.

Thoughts? I know all won't agree, but after years of yo-yo dieting, the change in thinking is working for me this time. Anyone else been successful on holiday in sticking to good choices and seeing results?

Love to friend anyone on the journey too. :-)

Francl27

I agree. I went to Disneyworld and didn't gain a pound, while still indulging for about a third of my meals (but to be fair the healthy options at the resort didn't seem that healthy either). The key IMO is not to totally let go, only indulge in what you really want, eat healthy the rest of the time, and be active.

Paris would be tough for me though, I'm from there and know the best places to eat, the best dishes, and it would be hard to go there and not have much of them.

sijomial

I'm going back in a couple of weeks to the same resort I visited last year....
Last year I used the gym 5 or 6 times, walked miles on the beach and swam several times a day.

But I also ate and drank whatever I wanted. I didn't gorge myself but just made choices based on taste and enjoyment.

Net result was:
A very nice tan.
7lb weight gain that was gone within 2 weeks of getting home.
Memories of a lovely and relaxing holiday.

Sorry but it just seems obsessive to me to think you need to be a goody two shoes all the time. Life is a balance after all.

As for the phrase "you are not a dog, don't reward yourself with food".... I just find that incredibly sad. Yes food is fuel but it's also a source of enjoyment and pleasure for me.

knitbytes

my philosophy is not that I am on a diet but have changed my lifestyle choices FOREVER, this includes being on holiday.

YES. This exactly.

Saying "screw it" and eating whatever I want whenever I want to is how I got to be 270lb in the first place. I don't want to go back to that, ever. A huge greasy fried meal is one thing, but a week of those meals? Completely different. I haven't taken a LOT of vacations since starting this, as I only began 6 months ago, but on what trips I did take I was careful to eat as well as possible, get lots of exercise, etc. I had one big carb-heavy meal on our last trip- think a huge open face hot turkey sandwich piled with mashed potatoes and drenched in gravy- and I still lost 2 pounds that week because I was careful about my choices the rest of the time and did a lot of hiking, canoeing, etc.

The reason studies keep coming out about how people can't keep weight off is because diets are temporary and after they stop dieting they go back to old habits. It has to be a lifestyle change to have permanency, and I am totally unwilling to spend a week undoing all my hard work!

drojen

I haven't faced this yet, but will be in a few weeks when we go camping. In the words of my nephew, camping has always been "junk food paradise". Not this time. I'm going to plan relatively healthy meals and make sure to keep moving . I definitely plan to run and have my son bike with me. We'll also walk a lot and bike and swim. It will be the keeping active part that will help the most.

For me, giving myself permission to overindulge is a slippery slope. Permission for one thing leads to permission for another thing. This is a lifestyle change, so I have to figure out how to make things work for the rest of my life. What works for me, won't work for someone else.

pkw58

I actually lose weight on vacation... I am so much more a.active than my desk job! To each his own, but i dont need a break from my new lifestyle. I can eat anywhere and walk and workout anywhere on my plan.

papillon71

I think it depends on you as a person, for me I am very all or nothing, so if I let go for a whole week and ate just anything I would probably go off track after seeing demotivating results. I have lost something every single week since January this year, an average of 1.5lb a week and I don't exercise due to severe lower back injury.

In the past the "treat myself" attitude got me yo-yoying all the time, including making holidays a pig out session. I LOVE food, like nice food, but don't believe it has to be calorie laden or send me off track. My rewards system is new, I buy a new outfit, or get my hair done or something when I reach goals along the way. The concept of rewarding yourself with a calorie laden meal as a "treat" when you have just done loads of work to get to where you are is strange to me. But that's just me. I am 41 years old and have done "diets" since age 20, only twice has it ever worked including this time. There is NO option for gaining weight back again this time, for health reasons I have to do this. Including not "letting go" on holiday, ever. Doesn't mean I don't have a blast just means the food is a minor focus of my memories.

dunnodunno

I might put my calories on maintenance calories when I go to Hawaii in July. That way I can indulge somewhat & hopefully maintain my weight.