How do you handle vacation eating?

theCarlton

Oh man, please enjoy yourself there.There will be plenty of salad when you get back. Reign it in on your way home, plan a workout or something to get you back in the swing of things.

trud72

nothing bad about seafood a lot of it is already low cal/high protein right!
and you say its a biking holiday so as long as you offset the fair wack of beer with biking no problem! :bigsmile:
have fun x

eep223

I just did this last weekend. I tried to log pretty much everyday, but didn't really limit what I ate. I ate over my calories and gained a little, but got back on track when I came home. Just don't freak out about it, and you should be fine.

I do want to add, though, raw oysters are pretty good for you and also pretty much the most delicious thing ever. Maybe try limiting the fried, but eating dozens and dozens of the raw! Jealous!!

ChristyRunStarr

I just got back from a mini 5 day vacation in Disney-if I wanted something, I had it and I made smarter choices than I would have a year ago. I worked out every day while there (my typical running and weight days) but remember, it's a vacation. It's supposed to be fun. I enjoyed myself and the only reason I made time to workout is cause I enjoy it so much and I love running around new places.

MinnieInMaine

During my first vacation while "dieting", I was very careful. I didn't specifically count points (was doing WW at the time) but I did write everything down mentally guesstimate to make sure I was in the ballpark. I was also very conscious of my choices and made sure I got a ton of activity in. And in the end, I managed to lose 2 pounds! That said, we walked pretty much everywhere (Williamsburg VA area) so on top of gym time I was burning a huge amount of calories which I'm sure made a big difference.

The last couple of vacations, I've decided to just let it be. I'm still conscious of my eating choices but I don't keep track of everything. I make sure I get in 30-60 minutes of dedicated exercise a day and try to do something else active if I can. And I allow myself one meal/evening to just let loose - drink lots, eat lots and have fun! I've always been up a few pounds after these vacations but it's mostly water weight from restaurant food and that last blast drinking and it goes away in a few weeks time as long as you get right back on track.

docdick9120

Don't worry about it too much. Just do the best you can and try not to get in a "binge mode". When you get back from vacation, get right back on track. Most of us did not get to be overweight just by eating too much on vacation.

Sunnyjb

HAHA! I'm going the beach for 3 days this weekend. I am bringing my own snacks and breakfast, will be going to CHOW DOWN on seafood I'm also doing a 30 day squat challenge. Sending you a FR

Absonthebrain

On vacations I like to relax and just eat but I usually eat without stuffing myself, leaves more room in my tummy for drinking that way. You work hard for a vacation so you might as well enjoy yourself and you can workout and exercise when youre back home

coachDidi

i often go on business trips and in the past, it meant PIG OUT time. and i would be paid to eat junk food and be alone to do it and not have to hide it from people! yay! what a disaster.
ive since changed all that, am doing p90x/insanity hybrid, and am eating clean, and on the first trip i took since changing my life around, i was very worried that id screw it up by eating crap food.
i did a few things to control the situation
1) shakeology. i brought a portion for every day i was away and id literally just put it in my shaker cup and add water and that was my breakfast. one meal down.
2) i brought lots of protein bars, and pre-measured out portion of nuts for me to eat as snacks instead of stopping places and eating muffins and donuts and sandwhiches and chips and pizza etc
3) i have been so afraid of restaurants because you just never know what they have hidden in their plates. for example, you can order a healthy salad and then find out you just ate about 1000 calories without realizing it, THINK you made a smart healthy choice, not be full, and then eat even more later that day because you think you ate less than you did. You can order an egg white omelet with vegetables and not know that a lot of places add pancake batter, cream, or butter to it so the eggs are nice and fluffy! and again you think you had a nice healthy meal. so now, as much as possible, i will ask how things are prepared and give strict instructions like say not to cook it in oil or butter, dont add any cream, dressing on the side, meat only grilled, no added stuff. but honestly, sometimes it gets really embarrassing to do all that if you're out with certain people. so my other trick was to go to subways. now... im not really a fan of subways. i dont crave it. i dont find the food to be awesome. BUT, with subways you know what the nutritional value of your food is, and you can get a very filling meal for about 400 calories, and you can still log your food choices. so in my 4 day business trip, i went to subways 4 times, just because i didnt have the option of cooking my own food and knowing exactly what i was putting in it. a lot of restaurant chains post the nutritional value of their food online so its a good idea to check it out and choose wisely.

now its gotten to the point where i just dont feel its worth it to have that 600 calorie dessert with 40g of sugar and 15g of fat. the pleasure from the food lasts 5 minutes, and then i need to do a very high intensity workout for about an hour to burn those calories. but the sugar and fat is already in my system and causing a cycle effect of more cravings and sugar levels spiking and the wrong enzymes being released to make the cycle continue!

its hard!

AllonsYtotheTardis

- it's only 4 days
- it's a vacation, not a penance
- have fun, and stop overanalysing FFS

darwinwoodka

Ate what I wanted and didn't worry about it. Didn't lose, but didn't gain either. Back to diet...

girlfromOklahoma

I assume that like me you are not independently wealthy and do not take vacations monthly or anything like that. With that being the case, I'd say splurge! It's what 5 or so days out of an entire year?! Eat what you want.

Then when you get home, it's back to work you go!

bugaha1

I eat and drink anything I want and I usually gain weight then I come home and get back to my routine. I gained 5lbs this month on vacation and I took it off and more in two weeks. Fit for life means just that so why would anyone not enjoy a vacation and eat anything you want?

I still worked out in the mornings, it's more fun to work out in a new location. I'd love to run on the beach someday.

iysys

i am pretty adamant about no cell phones or internet on vacation so i don't log anything. i do indulge to an extent. i do usually come home from a week long trip up a pound or maybe two. it is vacation. it only happens once or twice a year. what is life if you aren't living it!

i do always try to keep my water drinking up high. the salt levels seem to be a lot higher on vacation. i usually see that pound or two drop off within a week of being back.

coachDidi

im not selling anything, just explaining what ive been doing. does this post not give my thoughts on how to handle her situation?
i may use shakeology, but someone who doesnt use or or isnt interested in using it can use whatever protein shake they prefer.
everything else i mentionned had nothing to do with beachbody but just tips that have helped ME and that help many others.
have i mentionned other beachbody products like insanity and p90x in my other posts? absolutely. but im just one of hundreds of thousands of people who have used them and found they work well. personally, if i come to a forum ask am seeking advice on how to get healthy or lose weight, im not interested in someone just advising me to eat well and exercise. anybody can figure that one out on their own.
p.s im a full-time lawyer, beachbody is not a business for me, i genuinely just know what its like to struggle with all of this and have been helping people and keeping them motivated while i go through the same process myself. i have not made a penny with beachbody and thats the god's honest truth. ive only spent my own hard earned money and if i can suggest something that has worked for me after it seems like nothing else has, which is essentially promotion healthy eating and intense workouts, why not??

AllonsYtotheTardis

blah blah blah

i may use shakeology, but someone who doesnt use or or isnt interested in using it can use whatever protein shake they prefer.

blah spammy blah blah

Take your spammy sales pitch elsewhere.

Oppy4722

For my last vacation I still tracked my calories, but I wasn't necessarily doing so to lose weight... but rather to keep myself in check. I still had the "treats" and indulged a little- but I kept my calories in "maintaining" range rather than weight loss range- so at the end, I hadn't Lost weight but I hadn't gained any either... And I still had a great vacation!

In the end you will have to choose what is going to work best for you, what plan You can live with while you're on vacation AND when you get back home. It is only 4days, so no matter what you decide it wont be the end of the world! And I hope you have a great time!

RipperSB

I have a mini vacation coming up next week for 4 days and not sure how I am going to handle it. I am heading to the beach for Bike Week which usually means lots of seafood, including oysters fried, raw, baked, and steamed, beer, tropical drinks and beer. I'm sure I can locate a salad or something very light for lunch but the evenings are going to be rough. Exercise won't be a problem because I will take daily walks on the beach and continue the 30 day squat challenge, but the food will be a hurdle. So how do you deal with vacation? Do you still count calories, carbs or whatever you are watching? Do you let your hair down and just have everything in moderation?

I've been through summer camping vacations, Thanksgiving, Christmas and a trip to Disney and through it all I maintained my log. I continued to exercise daily even if it was just walking the dog but, as far as food is concerned, I say enjoy everything in moderation. You might gain some by the end of the vacation (I certainly did after Disney) but you also know how to lose it!

jjgirl76

If you want to log... I tend to use my camera on my phone. I simply take a pic of what I'm about to consume and can log it later (I do this at independent restaurants too when I have to make a guess at calories). This way I still keep track. It keeps me mindful or what is going in my mouth, but I don't sweat it. Enjoy the mini-break!

TammyS327

Thanks for all of the replies. A couple of responses to the advice posted..........

It is hard enough to pack clothes for 2 people for 4 days on a Harley, so taking food with me is out of the equation.

It is a motorcycle rally not a bicycle event, so my exercise will come from early morning walks on the beach while everyone else recovers from their crazy night out.

I generally only eat raw, steamed or grilled seafoods so that shouldnt be an issue.

I LOVE salads and have them several times a week and always have, so it is not unrealistic for me to eat salad for lunch for 4 days.

I'm going to pass on the fruity drinks and have a few beers.

As far as Shakeology goes no thanks.

I believe the best advice I have seen is basically everything in moderation, log it and claim it no matter what.

THANKS EVERYONE FOR LETTING ME KNOW HOW YOU HANDLE VACATIONS.