4 Weeks Vacation

dpr73

Hey,

So I am going on a big vacation over the next month out of the country. I've been maintaining for 4 years now and am getting more and more of a handle on things. But I've never been on this big of a hiatus from the gym. I will hope to exercise as much as possible. But I'm afraid this next month will cause me to balloon back. I am trying to maintain between 140-145 and am currently at 142-143 (5'7, 22, male). How should I ensure I don't end up off track when I return?

TavistockToad

Just get back on track when you return...

dpr73

TavistockToad wrote: »

Just get back on track when you return...

Thank you for the help! Anyone else have tips for staying on track over vacation so I don't end up out of my range on returning?

sijomial

Enjoy your trip, enjoy new food experiences, don't go mad with the food quantities - if you gain a couple of pounds just sort it out when you return.

amtyrell

Let's consider what could happen.
Worst case you overeat by 1000 calories a day for 4 weeks. You gain 8 lbs. You are now 150 and 5 lbs over. This is highly unlikely as often on vacation you are walking around and moving more and as a maintainer you have a good idea of how much you can eat.
Most likely you will eat a little more exercise about the same and come back 1 or 2 lbs heavier.

HappyGrape

would you consider getting some form of resistance strap, cheaper equivalent of TRX? They are great to get quick 20 minutes workout when travel

Come up with realistic plan to allow you to enjoy yourself holiday but still feel good when your return

Keep active, keep your steps up high to enjoy extra few calories

Eat your veggies. I find having half plate of veggies or veggies and fruit with each of my meals helps eat as much as I want from the rest while away and I can come back without much damage to the scale

crooked_left_hook

There are a lot of ways to workout that don't require a gym. Buy some resistance bands to take with you (I travel with these so I can maintain my physical therapy routine, they pack easily) and/or body weight exercises. Use your phone or computer to find HIIT workouts online. Go for runs and/or find some stairs to run. I had a friend that said her morning runs were her favorite part of her trip to Italy. Log your meals to the best guesstimate so you have a general idea of what you are eating (if this helps you feel in control) or try practicing intuitive eating (I prefer this method on vacations). It's not that hard if you get a little creative and look at this as an opportunity to try some new things. That's what travel is for, right?

Macy9336

I usually would do an hour of power yoga every day in my hotel room. I know enough to just start with sun salutations and then go from there. I can time myself in positions by the lengths of songs. I'd spread out a bath towel as a yoga mat because hotel carpets are not the nicest things.
I'd also look up restaurants that are within walking distance and walk to dinner. If there's a pool...swimming is a great way to have fun and work out. I'd usually play with the kids...the cycle of jumping in, swimming, climbing out, jumping in...or pushing them around on an air mattress...or going to a water park and doing the slides with them...it's a workout but fun and can last for hours. We'd usually also book active excursions if on a cruise. Most cruise ships pack their own set of bikes and so you can book a bike tour of the city you dock in and just use their bikes, helmets, etc. All you need is to buy a couple water bottles and throw the, in a day pack.

NewCaddy

Try to be active during your vacation...I made sure to have lots of hiking, biking, swimming etc. I like the idea of doing youtube workout videos in your hotel room. Get the blood flowing in the morning before you start your day. Continue to log your meals.

Michelletrk

are you staying at hotels? Most of them have gyms, maybe limit yourself to one cheat meal a day? Even on vacations there should be some healthy options and watch your portions Good luck

PatanjaliTwist

Great advice here. A great deal depends upon where you're going, which environment you'll be in (city, countryside, suburbs) & what you're planning to do physically (lots of walking, water rafting, resting). For me, vacations are the opposite of my normally super-hectic life, meaning, I just want to sleep late, not do long hikes & runs & relax on a beach, spending only a bit of time doing physical pursuits. So, knowing in advance that my goal is to be fairly stationary for R&R on vacation, I still count calories.

One tip that may work for you is this: I eat breakfast in the room. Easy to do, even if there is no fridge, by buying fruit or sensible bread-ish foods (leave the chocolate butter frosted sugar muffins alone) & no matter where I go, my espresso maker comes with. If not possible, I'd buy a cheap local coffee pot & use it. This way, I'm not tempted by local bakeries & daily pancake cafes so that I'm beginning my days already in a calorie deficit. If I want to find a local cafe to people watch for awhile, I'll stop for espresso alone. If I've already eaten fruit & some carbs in my room, I'm not tempted by sugar cookies & cake to go with my coffee.

Secondly, I eat a decent lunch at a local restaurant. Why? Because many places everywhere have lunch specials. I spend less, don't have leftovers & get in 1 decent, hot meal/day. If you're being active on vacation, a good long walk after lunch would help burn off those calories, too.

For dinner, I drink some kind of healthy juice/shake or eat a salad from the local market & eat my "room fruit", if hungry & needing a snack later. Eating dinner out is a once/wk thing. By doing this, I spend less $$ & also have extra calories left over for a nightly ale.

I also bring old clothing with me, because I don't look like a tourist, so don't draw pick-pocketers, etc & toss it all at the end of my trip (or leave it somewhere for the homeless). I'm the only person I've ever met who returns from vacation a few lbs less & without needing extra luggage to fit in all my laundry & souvenirs.

I splurge once/wk, either b'kfast/brunch or getting dressed up to go for dinner... it is vacation, after all. That way I have something to look forward to & I don't chastise myself on the plane home, because the seatbelt won't buckle.

Have a wonderful time & enjoy your month! Sounds wonderful!

lorrpb

Portion control is your friend. Limit alcohol, bread, & pasta, and dessert because you can accumulate lots of calories fast. Calories = pounds. I'm not saying don't have any, but 1 drink instead of 5, 1 piece of bread/rolls instead of several, eat the protein off the top of the pasta dish and leave at least half the pasta & sauce. Share dessert and don't have one every meal. You literally can save several thousand calories (= extra pounds) per week doing these things, or similar. Really it's the same "pattern" as you eat at home, but with different foods. I also find that I can eat more at meals than at home because we are on the go and usually have fewer snacks during the day when travelling.

This is what I plan to do during our upcoming trip too. I really don't want to be faced with losing 5-10 lbs when I return home. I just don't. If you don't mind, then you wouldn't have to watch your portions as closely.

nowine4me

Sounds like fun. Who gets to take 4 weeks off? Enjoy and walk like crazy.

dpr73

Thanks for all the tips. Currently on vacation and starting each day with a 20-30 minute circuit. Trying to really work abs! Also will be looking to do more hiking/swimming when warm weather comes in. I have been having my usual breakfast and lunch which keeps the routine daily. I seem to be keeping control of myself better than I thought!

RoxieDawn

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MarvinsAMartian

dpr73 wrote: »

Hey,

So I am going on a big vacation over the next month out of the country. I've been maintaining for 4 years now and am getting more and more of a handle on things. But I've never been on this big of a hiatus from the gym. I will hope to exercise as much as possible. But I'm afraid this next month will cause me to balloon back. I am trying to maintain between 140-145 and am currently at 142-143 (5'7, 22, male). How should I ensure I don't end up off track when I return?

I'm interested to know how well you do. I'm doing a two month trip to Thailand and have posted about tips on how to keep up to date with logging so reading some of the tips here are helpful as well.