Scared of weight gain on vacation

kathy9083

I'm going away to Disney for a week and I'm a little anxious that I'll regain some weight during this time. My weight loss has been super slow lately and I've lost 5 measly pounds in 2 months. Because of this, I am super scared that I'll erase all the progress I've made. How do you stick to your plan while on vacation? Do you still count calories?

anubis609

Enjoy your vacation. It's fine to be mindful of what you eat, but you don't need to stress about exact calorie counts unless you're planning to model for Disney or something that requires your physique to be at its peak.

Fat loss is easy, and for the average person, vacations are far and few between compared against the majority of the time where you have control of your intake. So, go enjoy your Disney trip, don't go completely crazy with food, and just go right back to your regularly scheduled deficit when you come back.

Danp

If I was going to Disney I'd be far more afraid of erasing fun, enjoyment, pleasure and memories than 'progress'. You can always re-lose any weight gained but you'll never get that time back. Weight gain is temporary, lost memories and missed opportunities are gone forever. If I went to Disney (or any vacation for that matter) and didn't come back a heavier I'd consider that a bit of a wasted holiday.

Stop viewing this as 'weight loss' where movement in one direction is success and the other failure and start viewing this with a long view of 'weight management' where movement up and down are both acceptable (and perfectly normal) depending on the circumstances.

No one got fat enjoying a vacation, that happens during the other 48-50 weeks a year

LyndaBSS

Depending on how long you've been counting calories, eating healthy should be second nature and you'll be able to stick to it, for the most part, without making it the focus of your vacation.

riffraff2112

I tend to do really well on vacation. We walk a lot and I usually skip a meal (mostly lunch or breakfast) because I am always afraid that my stomach will give me troubles when it is full, and I want to save room for a usually large dinner and some extra alcohol. I also try to get a workout in with weights at the hotel if possible.

If all else fails, get back to your routine as soon as you return and have fun. Whatever extra calories you consume will be minor in the grand scheme of things. In most weight loss journeys, people make mistakes and life gets in the way. This is no different.

snickerscharlie

You'll likely be walking a lot at Disney, so there's that.

I'm in the don't stress about it camp. It's a vacation - relax, enjoy, have fun. Try to make decent food choices. Worry about any fallout when you're back home.

Oh, and if you're flying there and back, don't freak out when you step on the scale when you get home. You will likely be carrying at least a few pounds of temporary water weight from flying which should dissipate within the week, and is very normal.

Duck_Puddle

I gained 4 pounds of fat in 10 days in the Canadian Rockies (And another 10 pounds of water bloat that disappeared quickly).

That works out to about a restaurant serving of poutine a day (for the calories needed to for that amount of gain). Plus a couple of BeaverTails.

We don’t have either of those here. I regret nothing. I would absolutely regret having spent my vacation time rationing calories and worrying more about making “good” food choices than just enjoying myself and knowing that 4 pounds is chump change and it’ll come off again now that I’m back home eating at a deficit.

Also-you’re likely to be astronomically more active on vacation (especially at Disney) than at home and that will help cover a lot of indulgences.

Go-have a good time-enjoy yourself. A few pounds here and there is nothing in the grand scheme of things.

Duck_Puddle

Also-I log everything on vacation. Or at least a best guess. Not because I’m a slave to my diary, but because I bloat a lot from carbs/salt/activity/flying and it can take several weeks for that to all normalize.

So I like having a record to know about how much actual fat I might have gained when all the water bloat has the scale showing 10-15 extra pounds.

dbanks80

snickerscharlie wrote: »

You'll likely be walking a lot at Disney, so there's that.

I'm in the don't stress about it camp. It's a vacation - relax, enjoy, have fun. Try to make decent food choices. Worry about any fallout when you're back home.

Oh, and if you're flying there and back, don't freak out when you step on the scale when you get home. You will likely be carrying at least a few pounds of temporary water weight from flying which should dissipate within the week, and is very normal.

All of this.

Shortgirlrunning

I’ve found I’m so much more active on vacation that even with out weighing/counting calories when I make healthy/reasonable choice I either don’t gain or even lose!

MercuryForce

I agree with all the other comments. I recently went to North Carolina and enjoyed the pimento cheese, hush puppies, and BBQ. When I came back I had gained about 5 lbs, but 4 of those were water weight that flew right off. The other pound was definitely worth it to enjoy that magic that is pimento cheese.

Basically, I look at this as a long term thing, and I don't want to long-term avoid things I enjoy out of fear of a pound or two. As long as I'm meeting my goals most of the time, it's fine to miss sometimes.

cupcakesandproteinshakes

Holidays for me are a diet break. Look on them as good practice for your future self when he/she is at goal weight and entering maintenance. You don’t need to go mental, just relax and enjoy a little extra food. Then when you return you will hopefully be refreshed and ready to resume dieting.

NovusDies

My vacation rules:

1) Always dampen my hunger with something lower calorie first.
2) Be really picky and if I do not feel something is worth the calories stop eating it.
3) Move more if possible
4) Enjoy myself - it is a vacation

I do not mind gaining weight on a vacation. I do mind gaining it for no good reason. I don't need to skip the salad and eat two steaks and I don't want to eat the pastry if it seems stale. Beyond that I will eat the steak and I will eat a fresh pastry if I am enjoying the flavor. I need my vacations and I absolutely do not want to come back from one feeling deprived. That would definitely be worse than gaining a pound.

With that said I usually lose weight at Disney.

dbanks80

I am going on vacation to Jamaica Oct 31st. My plans that I usually follow:

1. Workout for an hour 30 mins cardio 30 mins strength training. If I can get up and not hungover
2. Drink Vodka and Club Soda. Tall has more club soda than vodka.
3. Eat low carbs and more protein. This is what I eat anyway.
4. Enjoy myself. If I feel like eating it I eat it.

I usually end up maintaining and pick up where I left off.

PAV8888

Duck_Puddle wrote: »

... Canadian Rockies...That works out to about a restaurant serving of poutine a day (for the calories needed to for that amount of gain). Plus a couple of BeaverTails.

Where does one find good poutine and BeaverTails in the Rockies?

Please rank suggested locations for inquiring minds!

Thank you 😋

OhMsDiva

I think you have to find a happy median. I used to think oh its vacation Im not going to worry about it. I have learned that for me I cant do that. I normally exercise on vacation just like when I am at home, but because I allow myself to overindulge I gain weight. Again, for me, it does not just fall off. I would say enjoy yourself but also be mindful of what you are eating.

soofa93

Enjoy the vacation and the food and don’t think about weight loss and progress, enjoy yourself and don’t feel guilty, I never count calories on vacation🤷🏻‍♀️

missjck2

Enjoy yourself, we all deserve a little break. If you’re needing to stick with your regiment eat what you want, track and work out a few days - most hotels have fitness centers for this very reason 😉

brenn24179

my first vacation i gained 4 lbs, the next one I gained zero. The second one I did not drink soft drinks and I did not allow myself to get too hungry.

tuckerrj

I know that a majority of folks will tell you to relax and eat whatever your want. To tell you the truth, I "discovered" I don't have to over-eat in order to enjoy myself on vacation. Yeah, I try new foods, especially local specialties. But it doesn't have to be to great excess. Also I/we walk more, I'll use the exercise room and/or swimming pool if the accommodations have them. We've gone on vacation twice in the last 5 months (during my 40 lb. weight loss period) and I had no more than normal fluctuations in my weight loss progress.

Duck_Puddle

PAV8888 wrote: »

Duck_Puddle wrote: »

... Canadian Rockies...That works out to about a restaurant serving of poutine a day (for the calories needed to for that amount of gain). Plus a couple of BeaverTails.

Where does one find good poutine and BeaverTails in the Rockies?

Please rank suggested locations for inquiring minds!

Thank you 😋

The Beaver Tails were obtained in Banff. I don’t remember if I saw another beaver tails establishment? There were a couple in Banff and we stopped at one next to a place that made some kind of maple popcorn (which sounds pretty gross but it smelled like heaven-didn’t try any though).

The best poutine (IMO - of my samples) was in Jasper - at the restaurant at the top of the tram. I tried many (many) others but that was the one I liked best.

Second place would be some kind of diner-like/truck stop place near Lake Louise.

To be fair-I’ve never had poutine before this trip so I have no idea if any of these qualified as “good” poutine-but I thought they were tasty.