Maintaining on Vacation

cyoka13

I just returned from a 1-week vacation to Mexico. I stayed at an all-inclusive resort, which meant I could eat or drink anything I wanted. When I came home, I was at the top range of my maintenance weight and back down to the bottom within 2 days. These two things worked for me:

1) Stay active! Walk, swim, play beach games, shop, dance..whatever! All of this activity builds up.
2) I did not log at all. But - I kept my "calorie budget" in mind. I ate a lot of vegetables and lean meats, drank a lot of water, etc. Also, I did not really eat extras like bread with dinner because I would rather "spend" those calories on dessert or wine. Think about the foods you really enjoy and save your cals for that. If you are in maintenance mode, you should be at a point where you have a sense of the rough number of calories in most food. Just keep this in mind.

Have fun! Don't stress too much over it - just stay active and eat what you enjoy within reason

nxd10

I traveled abroad for almost two months altogether last year and logged fine. I even lost weight (walking is wonderful). You can do this.

Keep logging. Chain foods are in MFP. Do your best at guessing the rest. Snap pictures of your plate so you can look up menus online when you're back at the hotel. It's not that hard. A guess is better than nothing.

Make a plan for breakfast and lunch that are pretty low calorie and just go with it. You can buy cereal and fruit for your hotel, but most restaurants serve it. Drop the cheese and mayo - or even the bread - if you're eating out for a lunch. A plain quarter pound burger isn't that bad - even at McDonald's - if you skip the cheese and the soda and the fries and the . . . Fish. Salads. Roast beef or turkey sandwiches are fine foods. Dressings on the side. Plain food in reasonable amounts. Save half your calories for dinners.

Split meals. I do this all the time. If you can't, order appetizers.

Avoid cream and cheese sauces.

Eat anything you really want in small amounts.

Have fun!

hgycta

I just want to thank all of the new posters, these tips are really going to save me!!
Thankfully I've already taken some precautions: I lost a pound I don't mind gaining back if it happens, and I made sure to lose it recently. Hopefully by cutting back a little this week has made my stomach more adjusted to smaller portions so I'll be able to tell easier when I'm full (I used to eat so many raw veggies, so I was used to consuming more food than a small plate of full fat fried goodness). Luckily I've never been a fan of dressings, and I have good self control with pastries as long as I don't allow myself that first bite. But we'll see, I'll let you all know how it goes! I'll be staying in a full blown house my mother rented, with a pool, kitchen, and everything, so hopefully that helps! My only problem is again those home cooked meals, everyone in my family seems to love their meats and carbs more than their veggies unfortunately :c but I'll hold myself accountable, try out some of everyone's tips, and try not to let you guys down! We're exchanging gifts tomorrow before we leave, and my mom blurted out she got me a fit bit since I've been wanting one, so hopefully that helps! The weigh in when I return will be nerve wrecking I'm sure, but I've been playing it safe on here for over 400 days, so a test to see how much I've learned could be good for me I hope everyone enjoys their holidays!

Laura3BB

Helpful tips -thank you, all!

paleojoe

I take a jump rope with me on vacations and try to squeeze that in even if it's only a few minutes at a time. I also head out for a quick run early in the morning at least once or twice while there. If your lucky a family member may care to join you.

This is great advice. Find ways to keep active on vacay and use that fuel.

With the food, I take a cue from Michael Pollen's, The Omnivore's Dilemma–

"Americans are amazed to learn that some of the cultures that set their culinary course by the light of habit and pleasure rather then nutritional science and marketing are actually healthier then we are–that is, suffer a lower incidence of diet-related health troubles.

The French paradox is the most famous such case, though as Paul Rozin points out, the French don't regard the matter as paradoxical at all. We Americans resort to that term because the French experience–a population of wine-swilling cheese eaters with lower rates of heart disease and obesity–confounds our orthodoxy about food. That orthodoxy regards certain tasty foods as poisons (carbs now, fats then), failing to appreciate that how we eat, and even how we feel about eating, may in the end be just as important as what we eat. The French eat all sorts of supposedly unhealthy foods, but they do it according to a strict and stable set of rules: They eat small portions and don't go back for seconds; they don't snack; they seldom eat alone; and communal meals are long, leisurely affairs. In other words, the French culture of food successfully negotiates the omnivore's dilemma, allowing the French to enjoy their meals without ruining their health.

Perhaps because we have no such culture of food in America almost every question about eating is up for grabs. Fats or carbs? Three squares or continuous grazing? Raw or cooked? Organic or industrial? Veg or vegan? Meat or mock meat? Foods of astounding novelty fill the shelves of our supermarket, and the line between a food and a "nutritional supplement" has fogged to the point where people make meals of protein bars and shakes. Consuming these neo-pseudo-foods alone in our cars, we have become a nation of antinomian eaters, each of us struggling to work out our dietary salvation on our own. Is it any wonder American's suffer from so many eating disorders? In the absence of any lasting consensus about what and how and where to eat, the omnivore's dilemma has returned to America with an almost atavistic force."

–Michael Pollan, The Omnivore's Dilemma

Juggernaut_D

Thanks for posting this topic, Hgycta! I'm headed for vacation soon and I find this thread very helpful! Now I can enjoy my vacation even more with this peace of mind!

hgycta

Hello again everyone, I just got back from vacation and am giving you an update as promised!
Initially, I had thought I did a lot better than I was thinking I would. For the most part I resisted most temptations, logged mostly everything I consumed, and only went over my calories for one day, by about 1,000, which in retrospect I could afford to do anyways. I packed most of my meals when in the parks, and drank SO MUCH water! I was actually hungry very often, which I was luckily able to prevent later on as I had discovered the beauty of 40 calorie wheat bread xD
However, I returned early this morning around 4 am, fell asleep until now (8:25 am), and weighed myself... Not so good. Just as I had feared. According to the scale, I gained 5.2 pounds! Now I doubt I was THAT inaccurate when logging, and I'm hoping to see most of it (all would be nice, too) disappear once I catch up on my sleep and begin consuming less foods high in sodium. My last day there my family insisted on ordering Chinese take out, so I had quite a bit of wonton soup, and then the drive home was ALL fast food. But we'll see! Even if worst case scenario, I actually did somehow pack on that much weight, I guess I shouldn't freak myself out too much, it was a vacation and 5.2 pounds isn't anything that'll kill me to lose (especially when I look at some profiles on here and see 50+ pounds lost! Seriously, some of you are incredible!)
I hope you've all been doing good and Happy New Year's Eve!