Holiday

Hels35

Hi all. I have just started with mfp-day 3!. I am going on holiday in 2 and a half weeks. Any suggestions? - i don't want to lose my way but equally want to have a nice holiday and not deprive myself too much. What do you guys do? x

Derf_Smeggle

I'm on vacation this week, and it is a "maintenence +" sort of week. I'm choosing to log as best I can, but I'm in no way worrying about hitting a calorie target. Too many restaurants and too many scotches to sample

Next week I'll get resume my new (past two months) regular eating habits.

TavistockToad

I eat and drink what I like on holiday, walk loads and get back to my deficit when I get back home

LotusCass

I've just got back from a holiday in Croatia with friends, lots of wine and heavy Italian food. I ate a lot better than I would have previously, and logged the first few days (was around or just over maintenance) but tried not to worry about it too much. I weighed myself today and 1lb higher than before I left, but it may be water weight from all the alcohol.

Just enjoy it and refocus when you get back. Holidays aren't about worrying what you're eating.

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

No way do I care to log or think about calories on my holidays.

I eat and drink so much and just deal with the fall out when I get home. I'm normally up around 8-10lbs from two weeks but within days I'm down to a 2lb gain which I work off over the next 6 weeks or so.

Enjoy your holiday.

Old_Cat_Lady

One thing to know. Restaurants (and fast food) pack on the sodium on their plates. This can make your body retain water. It can take 3 days for that water weight to come off. Alcohol has same effect.

rachelleahsmom

Enjoy and be smart. Eat what you want, just don't finish your plate. Try to avoid deep fried dishes and the bread they bring before your meal. Drink lots of water and walk. Have a great time!

sardelsa

I don't go on vacation that often, but when I do I never log. I eat and drink as I please (within reason of course), keep active by walking and swimming (I don't go to the gym either). While the scale may jump up when I come back, I usually look better than when I left, so that is all that matters to me

ladyhusker39

I'm going on a 5 day getaway in September. It will be the first time since I started in February that I won't log. That's when I'll put those"eyeballing portion size" skills to the test. LOL.

Whatever the outcome I'll get back on track when I get home.

AliNouveau

I'm sure you've worked hard for your holiday go and enjoy it. You might be surprised when you return. Often I think I've indulged way too much but because on holidays you're often walking lots and touring and whatnot you surprise yourself

DaisiesandViolets

I just got back from a week long vacation, and I logged every day just to remain aware of what I'm eating. But I didn't restrict myself, and I just tried to pay attention to when I was actually hungry and when I just wanted that second icecream of the day. :-) I still dropped a pound, and I never felt like I was missing out.

DX2JX2

I'm not too strict with my counting while on vacation but I do try to keep things relatively reasonable. For example, I try to limit my indulgent meals to one per day to keep myself from blowing calories on things I don't really want just because the opportunity is there. It helps that we tend to take our vacations at the beach where finding healthy stuff is never that hard (because where else are people concerned about what they look like in their underwear if not the beach).

Snacks, etc. (especially regional/environmental specialties), I usually just go for it. I don't do it every day and sometimes use those to replace a meal but I'll be damned if I go to the beach and miss out on my frozen custard and boardwalk fries with vinegar.

kyubeans

I second what the others are saying: Don't let this ruin your holiday.
On the other hand, my personal experience is that I'll be on a good two week pattern and then the mentality of "Holiday! I'm going to enjoy myself!" has definitely de-railed me for more than just that holiday.

I think you need to think about your habit-formation patterns from previous experiences. If you're the type of person to pick right back up right after your holiday, then I think you can decide to be freer during the holiday. But if you're like me, and wouldn't be easily able to get back into the swing of things, maybe you can decide on a couple of modifications. For me, I decided that I was going to TRACK EVERYTHING no matter what, so even if I do go off, I'd still have the habit of tracking in me. Also, I might make a few rules like... don't get dessert every day, or no fried things, or something.

Enjoying life and holidays is important, but just in consideration of the fact that you are just starting out, building good habits and patterns is important too. Just make sure you think about that and make a conscious decision either way.

Enjoy!

LivingtheLeanDream

TavistockToad wrote: »

I eat and drink what I like on holiday, walk loads and get back to my deficit when I get back home

^^ this

Hels35

Thanks for all your replies. My main concern is coming back and then losing al.my willpower! So I thnk I will keep an eye on what I am eating abd just not go crazy! We are usually very active on holiday so it may balance out. X

rmgnow

Ok. What I do when I go on vacation is log log log.
I don't care how off the rails go. Bit I still log it.
I just want to have mathematical proof. Also I get to see what foods have what calories for next time.
So after I get back from vacation it's easier to log and be accountable

razzapool

I am going on holiday tomorrow and I don't want to worry about my calories to much so I have worked out every day and ate super clean all week and I will just get back to normal eating when I'm back

ceiswyn

I've gone on holiday a couple of times since starting MFP, and I stayed on my eating plan through them without any issues.

The problem is that you feel that not eating and drinking lots will be 'depriving' yourself. But that's one of the basic attitudes that got us all where we are; using food and drink as a reward and a pick-me-up. Eating small portions and not drinking much isn't 'depriving' yourself of anything; you still get to experience and enjoy tastes you don't normally have, just in smaller portions.

That said, going off your eating plan for a short time is unlikely to be disastrous; you'll likely gain more from holiday-related water retention than from eating. But I'd really advise that you stop thinking of your eating plan as deprivation.

Raysie1

If you're worried about not getting back to it, perhaps you could pre-log those first few post-holiday days now, get in the groceries that you can, prepare your shopping list or order a shopping delivery to arrive when you get home. Enjoy your holiday!