What do you do while on vacation?

annette_15

I guess I'm pretty lucky as I dont drink at all, so that saves me a ton of unwanted calories. I've also learned to really like healthy food, and will pick that over anything greasy or fried whenever I can. I do however definitely splurge on sweets or desserts when I'm on vacation, but it doesnt do much damage in the end.

mbaker566

I eat healthy options when given the opportunity, or take healthy snacks
but I'm not too worried because my vacations tend to involve lots of hiking here and walking there and a stroll thru town.

fitchlets

Just to update you all, I went on vacation for 6 days and ate everything and anything I wanted. I was up 8 pounds when I came back, lost those 8 pounds in 2 days and down another 3 from my lowest weight. I don't know if it got my metabolism in full swing or what, but I'm super excited about it. I did workout 4 of those 6 days, but I was eating a ton of calories too.

SharonBrobst

I went on vacation last month and was worried since we had decided to eat out every night for dinner. (vacation means I don't have to cook!) Anyway I just made wise, healthy choices when I could, when I couldn't I just didn't worry about it. I even had dessert twice. (I've cut out added sugar) We were at the beach and I choose to walk a lot and even rented bikes. When I got on the scales at home I hadn't lost anything but I hadn't gained anything either so I was happy.

dubird

Vacations are supposed to be fun, and if I spend my entire time worrying about my eating, I won't have fun. Now, I don't pig out and I do watch what I'm eating what I can. I've partially retrained my body to what an acceptable portion is, so I do self-limit to a point. Doesn't mean I don't go over, I do, but I decided a long time ago not to worry about. But then, I also try to be a lot more active on vacation, so it tends to balance out. I figure as long as I don't gain, I've come out ahead!

Dead_Darling

I'm off to Canada in mid September, but I've already planned to go hiking and maybe take advantage of the gyms in the two hotels I'll be staying in. Usually when I'm on holiday I tend to swim and walk loads. I tend to eat a lot, but only because I like to try the local foods. This time though I will try to keep my eating under control.
I'm also off to Paris for a weekend at the end of August with my boyfriend, and we'll be staying at my aunt's place. However, because she lives in the middle of the city, there will be loads and loads of walking then!

cwolfman13

fitchlets wrote: »

do you go balls to the wall eating whatever you want or stay within calories strictly or maybe just have one cheat meal a day?

"balls to the wall whatever"...no...why does it have to be so extreme? I enjoy myself...I eat and enjoy whatever the local fare is...and I like trying different and new things...part of the fun of vacation for me...but that doesn't mean I have to run completely off the rails and just stuff *kitten* into my pie whole for the hell of it.

I've maintained for over two years and I don't log...that is largely a bi-product of maintaining the healthy eating habits I developed while losing. Yeah, I might have a day here and there where I over do it (i.e. feast holidays, etc)...but I seriously don't see a vacation as a reason to just stuff my face full of *kitten*.

ETA: most of my vacations also include a ton of activity...I'm always going...so I don't worry a whole lot about it...but no, I don't just stuff my face to the point of being so full that I feel like *kitten*. I hate that feeling.

nichalsont

Depends on what you are doing on vacation besides eating. Lying on the beach, you might want to watch it; touring Washington DC or hiking in the mountains, probably doesn't matter much what you eat.

StaciMarie1974

I ate what I wanted, which meant I was over on calories, but I was also very active. Note: I was in maintenance by the time vacation came around, so now I'm back to slight deficit for a week or two to make up for it.

fitchlets wrote: »

do you go balls to the wall eating whatever you want or stay within calories strictly or maybe just have one cheat meal a day?

ohgeeque

I always ask myself, "Can I get this at home?" or "Can I make this at home?" If the answer is no, if I want it, I eat it and trust that I will be active enough to create a balance. Chances are good that next year's vacation will be someplace else and I don't want to miss an opportunity to try something new. On the other hand, a cheeseburger in paradise is still just a cheeseburger.

Oh, yes, one more thing, there are no calories in vacation vodka or vacation wine.

Pcarsley

fitchlets wrote: »

I'm down almost 64 pounds since January 1. I really just want to eat whatever I want for the week, but so worried I would gain a ton of weight.

You didn't lose it all in a week, neither will you gain it in a week. "Diets" per se are a bad idea, better to adopt a balanced, healthy lifestyle. We're only human and some of us don't just see food as fuel, on holiday experiencing local food and culture is a good thing, indeed continental culture revolves around the enjoyment of food with family & friends, why deprive yourself?
I try to make relatively sensible choices but I'm on a break from work and from abstenance for a week or two.
If I fancy a few beers or a tempting dessert, I'll have it. I read on another thread that calorie consumption is a continuum, not a daily thing.

sadiebrawl

We call our vacation "bacation" because I make one bacon recipe per day.

Machka9

I started here mid-Feb with a goal to lose as much weight as I could on a NET 1250 cal diet by mid-June ... 4 months. I didn't really have a weight number in mind until I got to about mid-May and knew what would be possible.

I stuck firmly to that goal and lost 15 kg.

And then, mid-June ... I went on holidays.

While I was gone, I ate whatever I wanted to eat, and lots of it. But I also exercised a whole lot. In 3 weeks, I cycled about 390 km, including riding a century one day (161 km = 100 miles). I walked about 64 km, including a 9.5 km hike to the top of a mountain. And I went sea kayaking!

Losing the weight prior to going on holiday allowed me to do those things much more easily than I would have if I had not lost the weight.

I hoped I would not gain more than 5 kg, and I estimated that I might gain 2.5 kg, which would be all right.

The day after I arrived home, I had gained 2.5 kg, but the next day I dropped 0.5 kg, and the following day I dropped 0.6 kg ... so I think some of that was water weight. By the end of the first week back, I was only 0.5 kg higher than I had been before the holiday, and by the end of the second week (now), I'm back to where I left off.

I've got a new goal now ... the end of September. I'll reassess the situation then.

But going on holiday and taking a break from calorie counting was OK. It did probably help that I was very active ... and that I got right back into it when I returned.


BTW ... I made a few interesting discoveries when I was on holiday ...

1) We don't have good donuts in Australia, so one of the things I enjoy when I go to Canada is eating donuts. The first one I had was a Krispy Kreme donut, and WOW was it ever sweet!! Like sickly sweet. I know on other occasions, I've packed away a whole pile of them and thought nothing of it ... this time I could only manage 2.

2) There are no dill pickle potato chips in Australia, so that's another thing I go for when I get to Canada. But this time, I could barely finish the bag because while I like the flavour, they were so incredibly salty. Normally, I might go through 2 or 3 bags, this time I ate the one bag and that was it.


In the 4 months prior to this trip, I have faithfully stuck to CI<CO, and in order to do that, I cut out most (but definitely not all) sweet treats. I also did not touch potato chips in all that time because they tend to be a trigger food for me. Generally speaking, I ate a reasonably healthy diet ....... and it seems to have changed my taste palate. While on holiday, I found myself craving veggies of all things!!

dutchandkiwi

I always watch what I eat, but tend to focus on maintenance level then. However we tend to have very active holidays (hiking) and I continue logging

Machka9

fitchlets wrote: »

Just to update you all, I went on vacation for 6 days and ate everything and anything I wanted. I was up 8 pounds when I came back, lost those 8 pounds in 2 days and down another 3 from my lowest weight. I don't know if it got my metabolism in full swing or what, but I'm super excited about it. I did workout 4 of those 6 days, but I was eating a ton of calories too.

If you flew, much of what you gained (and then lost quite quickly) was flight-induced water weight.


But good job! Taking a short break from it all isn't the end of the world.

MondayJune22nd2015

While on vacation, I don't want to be strict about my nutrition; so I'd be strict about my fitness instead. I'd vacation at a work farm or an adult camp. If you'd rather relax/lounge on vacation, then I'd suggest staying strict with your nutrition instead of your fitness but I believe that it's important to choose 1 of them, to either help at least maintain your current success or to counteract each other, in order to continue to potentially achieve your goals.