Do you track on vacation?

Don't worry about it for the following reasons:

1) You are going to walk so much in Paris it's ridiculous
2) Portions in Europe are much smaller so even when you're enjoying French food you won't be over eating
3) You won't snack as much because snacks in France are a) expensive b) smaller and c) less available. Obviously they have snacks but you won't see vending machines in your hotel or a mcD's on every corner they way we do in North America.

Enjoy your vacation. Paris is unreal.

I recently went to Florida with my son. I tracked every day. I also walked about 10 miles a day so I had tons of extra calories to use up. Tracking my food helped me make better choices but I still enjoyed awesome meals. I didn't lose or gain, maintained so it was worth it to me. If I hadn't tracked, I would most likely have gained.

It depends. I don't track when I'm on vacation in the US because there's so much stuff I want to eat and I'm there for such a short time that I'd rather just experience everything without worrying about the calories. Last vacation I put on almost 10lbs in 3 weeks and it was all gone after 3 weeks back on track.

That's a good question/thread topic. I don't have a real vacation (week or more away) in my sights for some years. I am going to TX for a few days in April and I will be logging. Honestly, whether I make good choices or not, I think I am one of those people who needs to log every day. I don't think I can trust myself not to log. Logging has been crazy helpful for me to see where I am during the day, and where I am heading if I go over. I'm not saying I would deprive myself, but it would help me to not completely lose control. I don't know if I will ever stop logging as it is a tool that I need to keep myself in check now and possibly forever.

I track, but I don't count.

Last time I vacationed I was still using a paper journal for food, so I carefully tracked everything I ate and drank, but I didn't pay much attention to the totals. If I wanted another beer, I had one, and didn't sweat the calories.

Part of it is I make a distinction between logging my food and counting calories. I do the same on holidays and my Christmas day generally looks horrific if you added all the numbers up, but a day or even a week isn't going to send you off the rails so long as it's not every day, or every week.

Enjoy France!

Not a chance.

I don't track while on vacation. I also allow myself to indulge. And 9 out of 10 times I come back "skinnier" than when I left. Most likely due to all of my walking and being in a relaxed environment.

Cell phone service is a 'biggie'. We take a lot of cruises - can't get service when you're out at sea - and I don't feel like paying the $50 a day to get service! That's the only time I don't log!

DKG28 wrote: »

Portions sizes are smaller; prices for dining out are very high in Paris. That'll help. I would taste as much as possible -cheese, baguette, wine, you name it. It's part of the attraction of going to France

I don't find Paris that expensive for eating out in, but I'm English and we seem to pay too much for everything.

Portion sizes are small though, and there are plenty of healthy options. I love France. I did a French degree and spent my third year of uni in France (Avignon).

I haven't been on vacation since using MFP, but I think I'd take a break from logging. I'd still eat healthily, but I don't see the point in logging when you don't know how much things weigh, exactly what ingredients are in meals etc.

I ate healthily when I went on my all inclusive 2 week honeymoon to Cuba back in 2008 and I only gained 1lb, and I think that was from the Dominos pizza we ordered when we got home.

You'll also do a lot of walking in Paris, you can walk pretty much everywhere.

BFDeal wrote: »

Most people are going to say "it's a short vacation/birthday/holiday, no big deal. it's just one/a few days." But if you ever run in to problems and ask for help you're going to get "I see these empty days on your diary, you're not tracking, you're lying about your intake, etc etc." Double edged sword.

Sad but true

@ 970Mickaela1, LOL!

I do not track on vacations. They tend to involve a lot of walking or other physical activity, so I allow myself that mental break from my food diary with no guilt. That said, we tend to keep our trips under a week long. If I were planning to be gone for several weeks I would want to at least track for some of that time to keep the habit.

The only reason I will still track on vacation is because I don't want to lose my streak.

I lived in France for a year when I was 21. I came home thinner.... I'd never heard of MFP then and I certainly didn't up weigh my food. You can maintain/lose weight/enjoy a holiday without logging you know!