Going away for 2 weeks and ery stressed:-(

nagniho
nagniho Posts: 132 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I have to go India for 2 weeks for a wedding and I will have no avenues to work out and food wise it will be a nightmare (Carb heavy rich Indian food). I am getting so stressed that I have no sense of enjoyment even though I am going to attend my nephews wedding who is like a son to me! I am so sacred that I will end up gaining weight and looking all soft and squishy:-(

Any suggestions/recommendations??

Replies

  • syk731
    syk731 Posts: 34 Member
    I just went on a week long vacation. I also cut down on my working out (but didn't stop completely) for about 2 weeks, due to needing time to get ready for my trip and settling back into home after returning.

    I ate well some days and definitely indulged other days. I still tried to log, but without a food scale and eating in restaurants, I mainly guesstimated portion sizes and calories.

    Despite all of that, I was amazed to find out that I was the exact same weight when I returned home as I was the day I left.

    Try to exercise as much as you can and be active. Make good food choices. Allow yourself some indulgences but don't overdo it.
  • nagniho
    nagniho Posts: 132 Member
    Hi syk731, I have done that when I have taken vacations. I have always exercised ( easy access since most hotels have gyms) and I eat healthy. This time its different since I doubt that my home town has any decent gym and my family back home is vegetarian and not necessarily focused at all on healthy foods. If you know Indian food, it is full of carbs. I am not saying that its unhealthy but its not the way I eat any more. Plus Indian weddings are 4 to 5 days of heavy partying.........

    aaarrrggghhhh!
  • foleyshirley
    foleyshirley Posts: 1,043 Member
    This is just very sad to me. You have a chance to go somewhere most of us will not get the chance to go. Plus, it is the wedding of someone who means a lot to you. GET OVER YOURSELF. It is a short time. Do the best you can, but enjoy it. Then come back and do what you need to do to get back on track.
  • pkw58
    pkw58 Posts: 2,038 Member
    When you are actually traveling, try to walk the airport or the airplane as much as possible. give yourself an early Christmas present and I buy a fitbit flex or nike fuel band and let it count steps for you. (or a pedometer). try to walk all you can and stand as much as you can.

    Food wise. Never be without a water bottle or glass of water. and try to keep the food portions small and don't go back for seconds. Enjoy everything in depth besides the food.
  • nagniho
    nagniho Posts: 132 Member
    This is just very sad to me. You have a chance to go somewhere most of us will not get the chance to go. Plus, it is the wedding of someone who means a lot to you. GET OVER YOURSELF. It is a short time. Do the best you can, but enjoy it. Then come back and do what you need to do to get back on track.

    "GET OVER YOURSELF" - That is exactly what I needed to hear!!!!! He is my nephew who i luv as my own son!!!!

    Big hugs:-)
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    This is just very sad to me. You have a chance to go somewhere most of us will not get the chance to go. Plus, it is the wedding of someone who means a lot to you. GET OVER YOURSELF. It is a short time. Do the best you can, but enjoy it. Then come back and do what you need to do to get back on track.

    "GET OVER YOURSELF" - That is exactly what I needed to hear!!!!! He is my nephew who i luv as my own son!!!!

    Big hugs:-)

    Win.
  • burlingtongrl
    burlingtongrl Posts: 327 Member
    This is just very sad to me. You have a chance to go somewhere most of us will not get the chance to go. Plus, it is the wedding of someone who means a lot to you. GET OVER YOURSELF. It is a short time. Do the best you can, but enjoy it. Then come back and do what you need to do to get back on track.

    I have to agree, but I'd also like to add that you can exercise. Walk, do jumping jacks and push ups in your room, and better yet...dance. Please try to remember that this is not about you...but it is about someone you love. Best of luck.
  • quietlywinning
    quietlywinning Posts: 889 Member
    ENJOY yourself. Most likely you will get tons of walking in. Help with food prep or whatever - just be a part of it. Vegetarian food is probably not very high in calories, even though those calories come from carbs. Go easy on the rice and eat those veggies! There is no way you can possibly gain much weight in two weeks, even if you went crazy - you could still take it back off in 4-5 weeks when you get home. Being with family and celebrating a wedding, being enriched by Indian traditions.......it's worth being "off track" for two weeks. There are things in life that are SO much more important than how our bodies look, and you are on your way to some of those more important things. Just enjoy it. Fully.
  • syk731
    syk731 Posts: 34 Member
    You can always walk or run for exercise, right? No equipment or gym needed. If you really are stressing about working out, bring some DVDs to play on your laptop and resistance bands with you.

    Eat smaller portions of what you know isn't great for you and fill up more on stuff that is. There have to be some relatively healthy options to choose from.

    And know that you can work on weight loss again when you return - but the more careful you are while there, the less you'll have to do when you come back.
  • 1longroad
    1longroad Posts: 642 Member
    The food may not be the way you eat now, but I bet you have a good idea of the calories in the foods!! If not you can look them up and write them down, so you have an idea. Then, while you are there, instead of filling your plate with large portions, take a spoonful of each item, so you can enjoy tasting everything, without completely going over your calorie goals.

    If there are healthy choices, concentrate on filling your plate with those first, then just fill in with the items that are higher carb and not as healthy!!

    Most of all, have fun and know that even if you gain 5 pounds, you have your healthy habits for when you get back home!!
  • foleyshirley
    foleyshirley Posts: 1,043 Member
    This is just very sad to me. You have a chance to go somewhere most of us will not get the chance to go. Plus, it is the wedding of someone who means a lot to you. GET OVER YOURSELF. It is a short time. Do the best you can, but enjoy it. Then come back and do what you need to do to get back on track.

    "GET OVER YOURSELF" - That is exactly what I needed to hear!!!!! He is my nephew who i luv as my own son!!!!

    Big hugs:-)

    :). Enjoy.
  • bubaluboo
    bubaluboo Posts: 2,098 Member
    This is just very sad to me. You have a chance to go somewhere most of us will not get the chance to go. Plus, it is the wedding of someone who means a lot to you. GET OVER YOURSELF. It is a short time. Do the best you can, but enjoy it. Then come back and do what you need to do to get back on track.

    "GET OVER YOURSELF" - That is exactly what I needed to hear!!!!! He is my nephew who i luv as my own son!!!!

    Big hugs:-)

    Too right!

    Also if it's 4 days of partying, does that mean dancing? If so, get out there and do your thing at every opportunity. Enjoy showing off your gorgeous figure.
  • starrylioness
    starrylioness Posts: 543 Member
    I say just have fun and enjoy yourself and watch your portions. You can still indulge and enjoy some of the foods without going too crazy. And I agree with several others who mentioned dancing! If it's days of partying, then that sounds like the perfect chance to dance some of those calories away. Most of all, just have fun!
  • MickeyCastello
    MickeyCastello Posts: 269
    I'm gonna be gone for two weeks next month, and you know what? I'm not gonna sweat it at all. I'll do what I can to be moderate, and then I'll just climb back on the wagon when I get back. Simple.
  • jalara
    jalara Posts: 2,599 Member
    I'm getting ready to go to India in 2 weeks myself :)

    Because of a change in weather I plan to make sure I'm drinking plenty of (bottled or boiled) water, and there are a lot of really great high fibre options in India. Stay active, don't overdo it and you'll be great!

    And remember to have fun at the wedding :)
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    get your dance on. that's one of many good things about indian weddings
  • jackielou867
    jackielou867 Posts: 422 Member
    You want to be a role model to your girls, so go, relax, have fun :-)

    If you put on a couple of pounds, you will quickly lose them again with your healthy lifestyle.

    I went on a cruise a couple of years ago. All you can eat 24 hours a day. I ate what I wanted in moderation, lots of healthy options. And I walked everywhere, stairs not lifts, and a dozen laps of the deck at night. Never gained a llb

    Have a wonderful time :wink:
  • 2essie
    2essie Posts: 2,861 Member
    My Weight Watchers teacher used to say 'There are two ways of doing a vacation. You can either go and count everything as best you can, cutting down where you can, or you can go and have a good time, eat what you want and deal with it when you get home' I usually choose the latter option because you only live once and this is a lifestyle change. After three holidays I have still managed to keep my weight down with just a few gains after my holiday which I got straight back off on returning home

    Go and enjoy your wedding and worry about it when you get back. Life is too short.
  • zensugi
    zensugi Posts: 76
    Several years ago I spent 5 weeks in India and did not put any weight at all. Sure, you'll be in a wedding (as was I) but then there is so much to do, so many people to talk to, so many opportunities to walk around and get lost. Enjoy it; two weeks is nothing if you already are under control.
  • Ideabaker
    Ideabaker Posts: 517 Member
    When you are actually traveling, try to walk the airport or the airplane as much as possible. give yourself an early Christmas present and I buy a fitbit flex or nike fuel band and let it count steps for you. (or a pedometer). try to walk all you can and stand as much as you can.

    ^^
    This! My Fitbit (I use the Fitbit One which is more discreet than the flex since it clips to your bra) keeps me in check exercise-wise by reminding me of how I am doing with movement. Write what you eat down, and log it when you are near a computer. Have small portions, and try to eat at least five fresh fruits or veg without sauces each day. Try to engage someone else there to work with you in healthful eating (surely there is some relative interested in losing a bit of weight or just eating more healthfully). They may be interested in taking walks with you during the day.

    I also find that walking in place, dancing, or doing basic calisthenics in my room alone can be helpful when travelling. If you won't have that privacy, then walking it is, which you can do throughout the day, and doesn't look out of place.

    Are you allowed to bring food into India? I like to travel with protein bars and fiber bars that fill me up and make me less likely to eat large quantities of more calorie dense foods.
  • 2spamagnet
    2spamagnet Posts: 60 Member
    Don't worry about the carbs - most of them will be complex and good for your energy stores. Enjoy them. They are not evil.

    It takes 3,500 calories in excess of what you burn in order to gain 1 lb of fat. So, let's say you indulge and come out with an extra 500 cal/day that you eat (which is quite a bit), in on week that is 1 lb of fat. In two weeks, that is 2 lbs of fat you might gain from indulging a bit, or being less active. Not much. You can drop that quickly when you return home. You lose the same amount by having a deficit of calories, which is what you are doing now. With a weekly deficit of 3,500 cal (or 500 per day), you lose 1 lb of fat. No problem.

    If you have a good feel for how "hungry" you are on your current deficit of calories, try to use that as a gage of when/how much to eat while there. That might help keep you close to your goals.

    Or, when possible, "sleep in" and skip breakfast (or just have some coffee). Or just skip breakfast (hard to do when with family, but look for opportunities). Eating zero calories is a good way to help meet your goals when you know large meals are ahead of you (like lunch or dinner). Then do not over-indulge.

    India would be a great place to visit! I've been to Haiti twice, and I LOVE the food! When I go back, I'll not worry about any weight gain. I'm going to eat as much as is available (which is really not in excess - it's Haiti), and drop any gains when I get home. We have the tools to do it - reduce how much we eat below what we burn.

    Have a great time!
  • Kyog
    Kyog Posts: 32
    Hi syk731, I have done that when I have taken vacations. I have always exercised ( easy access since most hotels have gyms) and I eat healthy. This time its different since I doubt that my home town has any decent gym and my family back home is vegetarian and not necessarily focused at all on healthy foods. If you know Indian food, it is full of carbs. I am not saying that its unhealthy but its not the way I eat any more. Plus Indian weddings are 4 to 5 days of heavy partying.........

    aaarrrggghhhh!

    Wish I could go and eat authentic veggie indian food!

    Know what you mean though, went to Japan for two weeks recently - lots of carby noodles, white rice etc...just didn't weigh myself before and after, was just reeeally strict and healthy the week before, and really strict a few days after I got back.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    I travel internationally all the time. And last week went to a wedding. I came back bloated from salt and it all went away in four days. Then I lost a pound.

    Portion control. Choose delicious food that is very flavorful and eat it in small doses.

    Watch the sauces and go for the heavily spiced vegetables.

    Two weeks without exercise will not kill you. If you really want to, this NY Times Scientific workout can be done in a hotel room. It's not fun but it is really intense: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/the-scientific-7-minute-workout/

    Have fun. It's only a few weeks. There's more to life than weight.
  • Wegottahavethis
    Wegottahavethis Posts: 7
    These are great tips. I will use these on my own family trips. Walk everywhere, drink lots of water all the time, watch portion size so I can sample everything. Dance whenever I can.
  • sola24
    sola24 Posts: 334 Member
    Believe me.. with the wedding at house and running round.. u will burn almost all the stuff u will be eating coz u r gonna be busy busy busy :) dont worry about it.. enjoy the few days.. your nephews wedding is not going to happen again..
  • Rogstar
    Rogstar Posts: 216 Member
    A work colleague moved out to Bangalore last year to head up our engineering office there. Every time he's come back (every 4 months or so), he's lost enough weight for it to be noticeable. And he's not really into working out.

    He's mentioned that local food is so incredibly filling and delicious that he rarely overeats. Very big on veggies. I think (at least from what he has said) that India may be the last country you need to be worried about maintaining your weight.

    And, as always, it's always possible to hop back on once you get back! Have a wonderful time!
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,965 Member
    Bring a jump rope.

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