how to not gain weight on vacation?

brenn24179

I did not want to gain weight on vacation but come back 3 pounds heavier. I have learned from my mistakes. I went TOO LONG in between meals and was starved before I went to restaurant. I should have eaten a snack before. I think I got into CELEBRATING eating, not wanting the happy to end so be mindful. I usually DRINK tea or water at night when I get hungry but got into bad habit and did not do that either. I wish I had this thread going before I went on vacation! HOW do ya not gain weight on vacation, tips appreciated?

moogie_fit

I would reframe your question to be more positive and solution focused.

How can I stay on track while on vacation?
How can I stay active while on vacation?
How can I ensure I will continue CICO when on vacation?

These have behavioural solutions as they pass the dead man's test. A dead man will not gain weight on vacation, therefore there is no behavioural solution to not gaining weight. A dead man cannot stay active on vacation, track macros, etc. Therefore that's how you will meet your goals.

MikePTY

I honestly would not worry about it so much. Most of the weight you gain on vacation is a lie. It's water weight from a change in eating habits. You don't actually gain 3 or 5 or however many pounds of fat. It will all usually be gone in a week or two after you return to your old habits. So try not to stress too much about it, and don't let it get in the way of enjoying your vacation. Part of the fun of vacation is the eating.

Here are a couple of tips I use though to keep things relatively on track while still enjoying myself:

1. Be active - vacation usually involves a lot of waking around. That burns calories, which allows you to eat more. Use the hotel gym too if you have one.
2. Try to balance your day. One strategy I like is "one low, one high", where for one out of lunch or dinner, I'll pick it to be my "good" meal, where I will get the low calorie option available. Then the other meal, I will enjoy and not worry so much about the calories.
3. Limit alcohol - this one works for me because I am not much of drinker, and I know it will not be for everyone. But I usually either don't drink, or drink very little alcohol on vacation. I will try to only drink water. That leaves me more calories to spend on my food.

But above all else, have fun. I've been on vacation multiple times during my weight loss journey, and even though I didn't worry much about what I ate, and gained some weight, it never set me back for long. It always continued downwards once I got back home and back on my routine.

Machka9

Exercise lots!

rickiimarieee

It’s mainly water retention and other factors. You don’t normally gain fat that quickly (depending on how long your vacation was for). But I just make healthy choices and watch my portion control and only eat when I’m hungry. After awhile of using a food scale you get an idea around what size your portion should be, but it’s not guaranteed to be perfect because other factors play into how much calories are in it. But I find those my easiest. Also when I’m on vacation I’m constantly walking around and sight seeing so I’m constantly exercising.

yirara

Most will likely be water retention from travelling. Especially flying is evil! Eating different food can also result in not going to the toilet so often, again only an apparent weight gain.

Be honest with yourself: if you're on a vacation for one week: how much weight do you think you could realistically gain? Do you really overeat by more than 1000kcal every day over your maintenance calories? And if you really do: why do you do that? Does the world end if you don't have three ice creams every day?

I would say: sample the local food, enjoy it. Have something different every day and remember what you had before instead of having the same again, and then some because you want something new. You won't be able to get it all, but what's the problem with that? I can't have everything I want either.

cmhubbard92

I just got back from a week long vacation. Three days I hiked or did other activities. The remaining four were days mainly in a car or just spending QT with my brother(which I wasn't going to panic about not being at the gym!). We ate out almost every day, and I allowed myself to eat what was probably maintenance or a little over. I had drinks(32oz margaritas, anyone?), desserts(a few throughout the week), and whatever else(ice coffees, local farmers lemonades, chimichangas, etc). After almost 5 months of strictly counting calories, I said that I deserved it! After I got home and weighed myself, I was up 1.6lb from when I left. Two days later, I am back down to where I was when I left.

Your 3lb "gain" will wash away-most of it is going to be from sodium/water weight. A vacation is supposed to be fun, and you should be able to enjoy yourself! Don't beat yourself up over a gain, because you'll be back on track before you know it!

NovusDies

I keep it really simple:

1) Move more
2) Dampen hunger with lower calorie food first
3) Be picky and only eat things I truly enjoy
4) Enjoy myself

If I gain a little weight by eating stupidly like being ravenous before I tear apart a meal of fried food or eating something I don't enjoy then that is not okay. If I eat a piece of fruit, a salad, some vegetables, etc before I eat anything heavy and I don't eat the overdone steak or whatever then I am okay with a minor weight gain.

How much I gain, if any, won't be immediately obvious when I return. It may take a week or more of being back in my routine to clear out all the vacation related weight water/waste fluctuations.

If I came back and only saw 3 pounds up on the scale I would probably think I had not gained any (fat) initially.

brenn24179

yes I was only up 1 lb today so it was not necessary to worry, ya were right. Thanks for all the replies. I am always active on vacation so that is no problem.