On Vacation - Should I 'Cheat' on my Calories?

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arumia
arumia Posts: 14 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I've been pretty successful at losing weight with my current calorie goals (1200 per day). However, we're on vacation at the beach for a week. Should I up my calories to 1500-1700 (still below my TDEE) while we're here? I normally eat fairly healthy, but our family has been cooking up some pretty unhealthy (but delicious) meals.

Will upping my calorie goals for a week and then lowering them back to 1200 when we return mess with my weight loss/metabolism/body chemistry/other voodoo?

I should add that I nearly always eat back my exercise calories.

Thanks in advance! :) I know there are a lot of people on this forum that are very well-schooled in issues relating to calorie fluctuations.

Replies

  • piratesaregrand
    piratesaregrand Posts: 356 Member
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    When I went on holiday - overseas so limited access to mfp, I just ate the best I could.

    Came back a kg lighter, and didn't stress over eating
  • fairestthings
    fairestthings Posts: 335 Member
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    Depends on your overall goal. Are you just trying to lose weight, or is this a lifestyle change? If you're just trying to lose weight, a bit of a "binge" won't hurt. Actually, I doubt that you're small enough (I mean by height and bone structure) that 1200 is your BMR, so your body will probably be ecstatic to eat at your BMR (which I assume is around 1500-1700 anyway). (Let me just note, someone who has a BMR of 1200 would be incredibly short - under 5' - and have a very small bone frame, like a child).

    If you're on this for a lifestyle change, up the cal's, but don't eat poorly the whole time. If you have to, peel of the skin or batter if it's fried. Skip dessert if the meal is dense in butter and whatnot. Opt for healthier options if you can, and eat the veggies and fruits before the unhealthy portions. Of course, do enjoy yourself, but remember it's a lifestyle change...

    When I went on holiday I went up to 1600 without knowing because I was starving (felt like it) and ended up losing weight on vacation because my body needed to eat BMR!

    (find it at fat2fitradio.com)
  • yogapeach
    yogapeach Posts: 7
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    enjoy vacation, don't stress every day but be mindful if your vacation is more than a week. Enjoy.

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