Vacation Healthy - Tips Needed

HealthyInside1st

Hi My Fitness Pal Family,

I will be going on vacation for 8 days in a month and am trying to prepare NOW mentally and physically for the temptations. Any advice for how to stay fit and healthy while on vacation? I'm going from eating out once a week now to every single day and every meal. I'm dreading not having nutrition labels in front of me. I'm okay if I maintain my weight that week, but I can't gain any. I have worked so hard to get this far over the last 5 weeks. HELP!

MinnieInMaine

When you go out to eat at restaurants, avoid the usual culprits - anything fried, breaded, smothered in sauce and/or cheese, etc. Don't believe salads are the best choice - between high fat dressings, added cheese, fried toppings, etc, they can have more calories than a decent steak. Try to stick to things like lean grilled meats and steamed veggies. Even ask your waiter to omit any sauces that they might usually add to save you the calories. If you must have dessert, share with the whole table. Be careful of cocktails as the calories can add up very quickly. If you have a choice, stick to mostly chain restaurants that have calories on the menu.

Keep healthy snacks on hand - low cal snack bars, fruit, even portions of popcorn or dry cereal.

Be VERY active to burn off any slight indulgences.

When I first started 4 years ago, I went to Virginia on vacation with some family members. We stayed at a timeshare condo type place that had a gym so I'd hit that every morning. Since we were doing the Williamsburg area thing, we walked practically all day long - my pedometer said I did 18000-20000 steps per day! That helped too. We also went swimming a couple of times that week. For eating, I pretty much followed the advice I gave you above...

When I got home, I'd lost 2 pounds!!!
Haven't been able to manage that on any other vacations since but I haven't tried that hard again either.

Good luck and above all, have fun!!

blc1971

First of all, you're doing the right thing by planning ahead!! I took a trip to Jamaica in April for a week and truly enjoyed myself. I weighed in at 7 lbs heavier when I returned, but I lost that within a week. It was water weight and fell off quickly when I got back to my routine. These are some of the things I did:

If possible, get in some extra workouts and watch your calories/macros carefully during the time leading up to the trip.

Continue to log your foods and exercise daily while you're on vacation, even if you have to estimate. This was tough for me as I had no access where we were and didn't log for the entire trip. Many people take a break from logging, and that's fine too.

Fit in exercise where you can. Swimming, walking, hiking and other normal vacation activities all burn calories. Try to fit in as much as you can.

If you drink alcohol, limit your intake to 1 or 2 a day. You can still enjoy a cocktail without going overboard and drinking your calories is less satisfying than enjoying a delicious meal.

Choose the healthiest options available most of the time.

Be selective about your treats and make sure they are worth the calories. I tend to binge on what is available, but for our trip I really focused on eating things that I enjoyed rather than just what was in front of me. I worked to stay mindful of what I was eating while still allowing myself to indulge a little bit.

Drink plenty of water!! It will keep your system flushed and you will retain less by the time you return. Also helps if you're flying anywhere.

Finally, have fun!! Don't stress about every bite or sip because you will get right back on track when you return. You've done great and yes, you don't want to undo all your progress, but you also want to be able to enjoy your life.

Good luck!!

jwooley13

Enjoy your vacation, otherwise it won't feel like one. I look a 10 day vacation to an all inclusive and ate and drank as I pleased. I actually wound up losing weight because I was swimming and walking the beach all day.

I mean this in the most respectful way possible, but five weeks is not a long time in the world of weight loss and fitness. That being said, neither is 8 days. You truly can't do a ton of damage in that amount of time. Have fun, log if you can, and stay active. Be ready to pick right back up where you left off when you come back and everything will be totally fine!

Jeneba

Check if there is a gym nearby that will let you pay by the day.

HealthyInside1st

Thanks everyone for the awesome tips!