Maintenance on vacation

nichell88

I am about 5lbs away from my maintenance goal, but I am going on vacation in early July and was hoping for some tips about maintaining while on vacation. My plan is to be in maintenance by then, and I certainly want to be able to relax, but I don't want to ruin any of my hard work up to this point. I plan to workout in the mornings, but want to find a good balance. For reference, I am 5'6, SW-205lbs CW-160lbs GW/maintenance range-150-155lbs

simonplanehotmailcom910

Great work, to be fair you will most likely be more active overall on holiday so I'd say a few extra calories everyday should be ok. I tend to pick one meal/ treat though. So if I have an icream durin the day birthing after dinner or the other way round.

rsclause

Do the best you can and have fun because you clearly know how to lose a few pounds if needed when you get back.

rosebarnalice

I do my best to keep logging even on vacation just to stay mindful. If I eat out, I'll take pix of the dishes (my companions think I'm going to post foodie pictures on facebook) and then do my best to estimate the calories/ ingredients at the end of the day.

But I also allow myself to have a good time knowing that I can always cut back on my calories for a couple of weeks after I get home if I do, in fact, put on a couple of pounds.

Have a great trip!

cwolfman13

I've never gained actual weight (fat) on a vacation. I'm always far more active than I otherwise would be at home/work and I typically end up eating a couple times per day...usually a brunch and dinner.

nichell88

rsclause wrote: »

Do the best you can and have fun because you clearly know how to lose a few pounds if needed when you get back.

Thank you for this. Strangely, I didn't really consider that. Not for nothing, I don't want to get into the habit of overindulging then having to lose weight again, but worse case scenario, this is true.

leajas1

I don't skip workouts when I go on vacation. I pay the guest membership for a gym (searched for ahead of time), or if there is no gym I bring videos with me to do (downloaded onto my Kindle, Youtube, or I have a mini DVD player I can use).

I tend to stick to protein throughout the day and then eat whatever looks good for dinner - one regular sized meal that includes dessert.

I loved what the other poster said though, you know how to lose weight and whatever you gain will come off quick when you get home.

ETA: You look great! Your hard work has definitely paid off!

JJS1979

This happened to me last year when I went away for a week. I continued to go to the gym, made healthy choices when I could and other times just enjoyed myself. I got back and had "gained" 4 pounds, within 10 days of getting back to monitoring my macros I actually weighed less then I did when i left. The point is, unless you REALLY overeat, and that is only something you know if you can control or not, having some dessert or a few higher calories meals will not really have an impact on you as long as when you get back, you get back at it.

Goodluck and Great Job!

nichell88

Wow, thanks guys. This is all super helpful

nowine4me

If you're flying, avoid the scale for a few days when you get back. I swear getting on a plane is good for 5# just on its own.

Stick to grilled local food and seasonal veggies, but splurge a little on something you love. Walk, walk, walk and lots of water.

lorrpb

I try to limit the amount of bread, rolls, pasta, & booze because those calories add up fast. I don't have dessert every day and try to split it with hubby when I do have, unless it's chocolate mousse! You are often more active on vacation so that helps off set some of the eating. Also, take or buy at least a few healthy snacks if the situation allows.

HappyGrape

I had 3 vacations since I am in maintenance. I ate similar to home and tracked 2 of them and felt great aftee. I didn't track or put much effort on one 4 day vacation and came back feeling rubbish

Consistency works better for me

CaliMomTeach

I was at my goal weight when I went on vacation for 7 nights in April. I ate so much. I ate whatever I wanted including big steaks, milkshakes, drinks, bacon cheeseburger, desserts etc... I do not regret it. It was vacation. I planned to gain because I realized that I knew how to take it off. I gained about 3 pounds. I am only telling you this to let you know what happened to me by forgetting completely about how many calories I was taking in for a week. So, I can't imagine that it will be any worse for you, especially since you aren't planning on eating as much as I did. I cut my calories back down to 1200 this past week and I was just a pound away from where I was before vacation this morning. There is only so much damage you can do on a week long vacation. You have obviously done an amazing job. You can handle anything!

rainbow198

Awesome transformation!

On vacations I still stay mindful and I don't go way over on my calories.

I eat what I want, but I stop eating when I get close to getting full. I plan ahead (look at menus online, try to have somewhat of a meal plan for the day in place). I might have a light dinner and eat all the dessert or eat a big breakfast and keep it light the rest of the day. I use the hotel gym the early mornings, in addition to being more active (walking around, being active etc.)

Planning is key for me. It may sound like a pain ("oh you're on vacation, live it up!!!!"), but this is my new normal, plus I like staying slim and not being bloated so this works for me.

I usually come back a couple pounds heavier due to the extra sodium. Sometimes I've even come back the same weight or even lighter on some trips which amazes me!

Enjoy your trip!