Vacation weight gain

flowersatlast

I went on a vacation (two of them actually!) a few weeks ago and gained back five pounds from eating out every night/eating with the in-laws. I don't normally eat bread, much meat or anything fried. I tend to rely a lot on protein shakes and protein bars (mostly for breakfast). I was so disappointed when I got back home from being away and realized I'd gained back some of what I'd lost, likely because I was eating over my usual 1200 by consuming big meals full of unhealthy foods and large portions.

How do you manage your calories while on vacation? Do you count and log them? Do you allow yourself certain freedoms on vacations?

Also, should I eventually wean myself off protein shakes (I use an all green powder) and bars (I only eat bars with high protein, low sugar, under 180 calories) and rely more on 'real food'? I generally hate breakfast and most breakfast foods!

RodaRose

You have noticed the problems with shakes and bars -- it is hard to move from them to the real world of restaurants and in-laws.
If you do not like breakfast, do not eat it. I skip breakfast.
Many restaurants have their menus and their nutritional information online. You can check online before you go to the restaurant and order something low in calories.

ChrisM8971

I am going on vacation at the end of next week for two weeks and the way I will manage calories is...........................I won't

At the end of the two weeks I am fully expecting to have put on 5 lbs even with my current eating habits

But it wont worry me because not only will I have enjoyed my vacation but I now know that I am fully capable of losing that 5 lb in a fairly short time once I get home

tanyoshka

That's a tricky one. In my family, you can't have a vacation without good food and lots of it (that's half the fun, right?). The last few vacations I've gone in with a "I'm going to eat whatever and whenever I want" mentality and it's kicked me in the butt. My long weekend vacation turned into a full week of junk food and no exercise. I remember thinking last time that it totally wasn't worth the mental struggle to get back into the groove of healthy eating a working out regularly. I'm headed out again next weekend and I'm going to try to be a lot better this time. Wish me luck!

sheedy17

when im on vacation, I am on vacation, I do not go to the gym, so why try to eat healthy when I am not giving 100 %. I just go back at it when I return

flowersatlast

tanyoshka: Oh, my goodness. Exactly! I was in such a slump when I got back, not to mention I felt so icky. My stomach ached for days and I felt all around gross inside.

flowersatlast

I am going on vacation at the end of next week for two weeks and the way I will manage calories is...........................I won't

At the end of the two weeks I am fully expecting to have put on 5 lbs even with my current eating habits

But it wont worry me because not only will I have enjoyed my vacation but I now know that I am fully capable of losing that 5 lb in a fairly short time once I get home

The hardest part for me is that we really don't have snack foods in our home aside from some 'Smart Pop' popcorn I like to snack on sometimes while working. On vacation, we had so many yummy things to eat that I normally wouldn't have around. I think my body had gotten so used to loads of vegetables (not to mention the lack of meat and dairy), that all the vacation food was a shock to the system and left me feeling outrageously sluggish.

I guess the answer, as it often is, is moderation?

But its hard not to just enjoy all the amazing food being offered to you! :-P

ashenriver

Those 5 lbs were also not all fat.

Check back in a week or so and see what you weigh then.

The 5 lbs gain was most likely water weight from the extra sodium.

Also unless you have an allergy or intolerance there is no reason to avoid meat or dairy. They are part of a healthy diet.

ETA: When I go on vacation, I go to enjoy myself. But I do think moderation is key, try to not go overboard.
However I am not much of a calorie counter (basically I don't, just occasionally) I am just trying to be more mindful of what I eat, and how much. Also to get my fitness activity up since that is my main goal, fat loss is just an awesome benefit.

Capt_Apollo

i don't do a lot of shakes and bars. if i do, they're to add to my diet for fueling work outs and aiding in recovery, not to replace meals.

i think thats why when i went on vacation just two weeks ago that i didn't gain a pound. i weighed the same the day after i arrived as the day i left. and i ate out a lot. actually, almost every meal. i was in spain, and every meal has bread and they have a lot of cured meats and a lot of alcohol.

i worked out every other day, and walked everywhere. i tended to skip breakfast, or keep it very light. Spain style of eating is to eat heavy during the middle of the day, and lighter for dinner, and i did that, mostly. some nights i knew we'd go out for dinner so i kept the midday meal a little lighter. i didn't drink a whole lot, but still enjoyed myself. i'd say about a half a bottle of wine a day. maybe a bit more.

ekahnicole

I was on vacation for 7 days last week. I knew I wouldnt be able to log accurately so for the first time in 460+ days, I just didn't log most of what I consumed. I ate and drank what I wanted, but in moderation. My goal wasnt to lose weight that week, but simply to not gain weight. When I got home my weight was 2lbs higher, but I knew it was water weight, and as of today I'm back to the weight I was at before I left. I'll probably be able to log a loss within the next few days.

The point of me sharing my experience is this: Sometimes it's not worth stressing out over logging every calorie, but you can't let that be an excuse to just eat as much as what the hell ever. You have to keep yourself accountable. You know exactly why you came home to find your weight had gone up, you made the decisions to eat what you did and the amount. However I would be willing to bet that at least 2-3 pounds of that weight is from water. Any time I know (or suspect) I'm holding onto water weight, I drink even more water than usual and it's gone pretty quickly.

At the end of the day though even if you truly gained 5 lbs, don't beat yourself up about it. Try to do better next time. Those 5 lbs will fall off again just like they did the first time, and hopefully having to do that work over will help motivate you to make better choices the next time you are in a similar situation.

nicklippa

I gained 9 lbs on my last vacation. Who cares, you're on vacation!

You're in a hotel, not cooking your own meals, eating and drinking at restaurants, not exercising etc., When you get back, you'll resume the lifestyle you had before you left.

I lost all 9lbs in 3 - 4 days. Easy On - Easy Off

ewhip17

I was just on vacation for a week and lost 2 lbs. I logged every single thing I ate - the entire basket of hush puppies, the ice cream cone, the lasagna and tiramisu.... It was important to me to keep logging and to maintain the habits I've started this year. I didn't eat as well as I would have while not on vacation but I knew that, for me, totally giving up logging and at least being mindful of food intake was a slippery slope. Too easy for me to come back from vacation and lose that momentum. I enjoyed myself and what I did to compensate, since I had the time, was to take long beach walks every morning I was there. Those walks combined with playing with my kids in the ocean burned a lot of calories. It was a great week and I came home ready to keep up my new lifestyle. Just my two cents. :-)

chele1028

I am on vacation now. Eating about the same, a little over and have exercised a couple of the days so far. It's all good! I am at the same weight, so will keep doing what I am doing.

yc4king

I have to maintain my eating style even while on vacation, which for me just means staying away from junk food, not having huge portions of anything, staying away from anything made with rich sauces etc, and having as many veggies as possible.

Sure I could let myself go ahead and eat anything and everything BUT:
1. Junk food, rich creamy sauces, and baking such as cakes actually make me feel nauseas afterwards now that my body is not used to them
2. the MAIN reason, "i'll just start eating good again tomorrow....." and tomorrow....and tomorrow....and you get the idea...

wannakimmy

I was just on vacation for a week and lost 2 lbs. I logged every single thing I ate - the entire basket of hush puppies, the ice cream cone, the lasagna and tiramisu.... It was important to me to keep logging and to maintain the habits I've started this year. I didn't eat as well as I would have while not on vacation but I knew that, for me, totally giving up logging and at least being mindful of food intake was a slippery slope. Too easy for me to come back from vacation and lose that momentum. I enjoyed myself and what I did to compensate, since I had the time, was to take long beach walks every morning I was there. Those walks combined with playing with my kids in the ocean burned a lot of calories. It was a great week and I came home ready to keep up my new lifestyle. Just my two cents. :-)

Sounds like what I will need to do come vacation time....

orangpeel757

I was also just on vacation. I didn't log anything ( most of the trip I was without internet access) and just ate when I was hungry. I did a rafting trip in the Grand Canyon so eating at a restaurant wasn't an issue. To make up for whatever extra calories I may have consumed at meal times, I made sure I did all the offered hikes and spent 2.5 days in the paddle boat. After the rafting trip, I spent a couple days in Vegas ( I hate the place but went because my friend had never been there). We did a lot of walking on the strip and even took the stairs up and down the pedestrian walkways. Anyway, my weight didn't change and I was more than thrilled to have just broken even.