What do you do when you’re on vacation?

mrk34
mrk34 Posts: 227 Member
edited September 28 in Health and Weight Loss
What do you do when you’re on vacation?

I am on vacation in Florida and two conflicting thoughts are on my mind.

First, I know that I am going to have to go home and get on the scale. Second is “what the heck I am on vacation” kind.

Are you concerned with the possibilities of gaining weight, when you’re on vacation, or you go with "vacation is for me to enjoy and relax" attitude?

Do you keep thinking about this, when you’re on vacation, or you decide not to stress and enjoy your vacation?
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Replies

  • sbwood888
    sbwood888 Posts: 953 Member
    Don't stress. Enjoy your vacation. Just don't go BUCK WILD! :laugh:
  • kbanzhaf
    kbanzhaf Posts: 601 Member
    Hi,
    I try to do a combination -- enjoy myself because I am on vacation :happy: , but also try to get in some extra walking and eat sensibly whenever I can.
    That being said, I also don't beat myself up if my weight is up at the end of the vacation. I just try to get back with it when I get back home.
    Kaye
  • anthony438
    anthony438 Posts: 578 Member
    Just came back from vacation on Saturday. I was gone for a week and didn't even think about the scale.

    The day I got back I weighed in - up 12.8 lbs

    As of this morning, I was only up 3.

    I'm glad I didn't stress too much about it over vacation. I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it as much if I had,
  • The_Saint
    The_Saint Posts: 358 Member
    I try to plan ahead. Yeah, I look like a major drug trafficker, but hey big deal. I make sure I take protein shakes. Then when I'm there I'll stop and get some almonds, maybe some sunflower seeds.

    If I have a place that has a mini-fridge I stock up on yogurts, low carb preferred. I try to eat low carb throughout the day to support the fact that I'm certain to get a high carb meal at night.

    Yep, I worry about it. But I try to plan for it. Ultimately though, I'm not sure it matters. At the end of the vacation, if I added a couple of lbs. Just gives me something to work back off.
  • SACox65
    SACox65 Posts: 6
    I am going to South Carolina next week and I just started my life style change yesterday - YIKES! So... this is what I've decided to do. We are driving down so I am going to pack lots of fruits and healthy snacks. We won't be stopping at any fast food joints on the way down or back. While on vacation, I know it's going to be hard to calculate my calorie intake if I go FAR off the map so I am going to stick to things I know are good for me and easy to calculate: chicken, vegetables and fruits. Rumor has it, there is a killer ice cream shop that we will visit over and over and over. Instead of dreading it, I plan on getting frozen yogurt or sorbert. And excercise? That wil be a piece of cake (yummy.. cake!). My girlfriend and I have made a deal to walk every day in the morning or evening and we plan to spend plenty of time in the pool - those laps will help burn a bit of that ice cream! I think that if you go on vacation with a "I'm going to fail" attitude, you will. Make the most of it but rememeber, a healthy you is more important than the extra helping!
  • Syntax_Error
    Syntax_Error Posts: 77 Member
    Historically I eat a lot, drink a lot, and lay on the beach a lot...



    This year I'll probably spend a lot of time on the beach, but am looking to control my food/beer intake a lot more. I'm also planning on doing some walking and swim laps every morning to stay active.
  • Buddie616
    Buddie616 Posts: 167 Member
    I just came back from vavcation... didn't gain a pound. When we ate out, I chose food off the low cal menu...etc. We done tons of walking and hiking. If we ate at the cabin, it was grilled.
  • staceyo1211
    staceyo1211 Posts: 163
    Im on vacation in Virginia right now and those same things are going thru my mind. Im just eating the way I know I should and ive dropped my calories some just to be "sure" I dont gain.
  • SandersWifey
    SandersWifey Posts: 387
    ENJOY YOUR VACATION!!!!!

    BUT......don't over eat.
    TREAT YOURSELF....just not at every meal.

    Plus if you are spending your days playing at the beach or walking around amusement parks, then you are burning mad calories the whole day!!

    Have a good time!
    The point of vacation is to RELAX!! :bigsmile:
  • maggiemyst
    maggiemyst Posts: 11
    I usually have the best of intentions, give up while on vacation, and am up per the scale when I get home... I'm hoping this year will be different.....
  • lindsaylove07
    lindsaylove07 Posts: 444 Member
    Ditto! I am going to Florida for labor day weekend, and I am DYING to get into a bikini, but I know that I probably won't ever be happy in a bikini.

    But I digress, I have noooooo idea what I'm going to do while I'm there...However, I am going to Iowa for a family reunion in July and I am taking my running shoes and go for a run while I'm there
  • jaeone
    jaeone Posts: 649 Member
    I went on vacation the week of Memorial Day. Four days straight of invites to bbqs and parties. I came home and ended up here on mfp! No joke!
  • BRANDYLYNETTE
    BRANDYLYNETTE Posts: 192 Member
    I went to DC for a few days and was worried because the trip we went on....the meals were paid for...etc. I was unable to choose. I just worried about portion size......didnt over eat...and when I got home and weighed myself...I was the same. Didnt lose....but didnt gain....so....that was ALL I was hoping for. Have to say though....we did ALOT of touring....and that was by foot! You will be fine. Just enjoy yourself...and dont stress! : ) Hope you have a great time!
  • foxxybrown
    foxxybrown Posts: 838 Member
    When I take my trip to the Bahamas in 2 weeks, I will be working out and watching what I eat. I haven't been the weight I am now in the last decade and I don't want to screw that up!
  • LauraDubbleya
    LauraDubbleya Posts: 79 Member
    I'm going to Vegas in two weeks.. the land of BUFFETS!! I'm definitely stressing about that, but I'm getting myself into a mindset. I'm trying to lose 5 lbs at least, so that IF I gain it back, I won't have lost or gained anymore than I am now. However, I plan to try to make better choices at meal times, there'll be alot of walking in Vegas and the friend I am visiting has had bypass surgery to help her lose weight so we're both going to be on the same page when it comes to eating.

    I'll also remember that it's vacation, so if I eat something decadent, I won't beat myself about it. I'll be back on track again when I come home.

    Good luck and enjoy YOUR vacation!
  • IrishHarpy1
    IrishHarpy1 Posts: 399 Member
    I don't know if this would work for *everyone*, but the couple of times I've been on vacation during the past six months I switched my goals here on MFP to "maintenance" level for those days. It gave me a few more calories to work with, I felt a lot less pressure -- and both times I still managed to lose during the times I was away. I was still careful about making healthier choices, but managed to enjoy myself throughly!
  • mosneakers
    mosneakers Posts: 343 Member
    Plan ahead - you don't want to do all that work to look good in that suit, dress, whatever when you're on vacation just to have to suck it in after some huge dinners or horrible eating. That's what I'm doing for my trip to Boston for the 4th of July. I know what I want to take with me, and I'm going to wear it, damn it!!!

    We planned ahead. Gym in the hotel. Am I crazy? I"m on vacation!!!! We went away this weekend and did the same thing - I was so glad we got a hotel with a gym! I needed it on Sunday morning.

    Also, I think people are a lot more active when they're on vacation than they think they are. Sight seeing can burn many calories and your legs should feel it at the end of the day. If there's no gym, you should at least feel the effects of all of your work at the end of the day.

    Have a great time and enjoy!
  • knapowell
    knapowell Posts: 230 Member
    I'll be on vacation next week. I "unofficially" hit 90 pounds lost today. I am planning most of my meals ahead of time, and still plan to log and bump up my exercise for those beach "extras." I realize that this is not everyone's idea of a stress free vacation, but then again I am going with my inlaws! The extra exercise will keep me too tired to do away with them on the first day!
  • iAMaPhoenix
    iAMaPhoenix Posts: 1,038 Member
    Going on a cruise in 19 days and a wakeup. I plan to eat whatever the heck I want, drink what the heck I want, and chase fast women so I can lose it all off. I did not spend all that money not to.

    The way I plan on combating it is to take MFP with me, exercise a hella lot, and make sure I am still using the same belt notch daily. In fact, I have challenged myself to do whatever I want, including work out, and come off the cruise at the same weight, or an ounce less.
  • iplayoutside19
    iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
    Our vacations are always more active than our normal lives. Hiking and climbing all day with children, usually at higher altitude. I'm always worried I won't eat enough on vacation.
  • mom23nuts
    mom23nuts Posts: 636 Member
    I usually make sure we stay some where with a small gym and a pool so the kids can swim with dad and I can get in some workout time

    with 3 kids most of our vacations are planned around active kid type things anyway so I get a little of exercise and fun at the same time.

    I would love a vacation to relax, but who am I kidding, even if there weren't kids around, we would be doing something to see the place we chose to go and to stay active.

    I am sure you must be getting in some extra walking or activity somewhere.
  • cenafan
    cenafan Posts: 398 Member
    this is circling around in my head like crazy. I leave for Florida in a week and a half. My friend has bought all these restaurant.com coupons. argghhhh! two days will be ok...cause we'll be a theme parks. The sunday brunch...not sure how to deal with that one. LOL I'm going for maintenance at this point.
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
    I've recently come back from a 2 week holiday where I eat and drank whatever I wanted, be that waffles with chocolate sauce dusted with icing sugar for breakfast or curry for dinner accompanied by beer.

    I haven't weighed myself (I don't bother these days) but the way my clothes fit and how I look tells me I probably haven't put on a thing.

    I think if you ridiculously binge on holiday then yeah it can be a bad thing. However, realistically you won't undo months of hard work in two weeks (specifically fat gain as opposed to water gain) if you are vaguely sensible. In addition, if you have been eating at a calorie deficit for a while then physically I think it is hard to gorge yourself everyday anyway. I found that I was like a kid in a sweet shop for the first few days but after that my eating fell away to normal levels and the only things I really wanted was an omelette, fresh veg and fruit!

    In addition, whilst I wasn't in the gym once I was generally far more active on holiday than I am at home weirdly. I spend a lot of time sitting at a desk here but over there I was swimming, walking and sweating (it was damn hot!) a lot more. This balanced out the additional eating at not being in the gym.

    Relax. Enjoy yourself. Make good choice the majority of the time. You'll be just fine.
  • Just1forMe
    Just1forMe Posts: 624 Member
    I just got back from a 13 day florida vacation and I did both. I ate lots of things that I don't normally eat at home: Cheesecake, real ice cream, chocolate covered bananas, frozen yogurt, brownies, etc. This was our nightly big splurge. (Oh, did I mention at least 6 slices--over the course of our trip--of Giordanos stuffed pizza??) During the daytime, I ate big bowls of fresh fruit, yogurt, seafood, turkey sandwiches. I tracked everything on here as best I could from our condo. I also made sure I took 2-3 long walks on the beach every day and walked where ever else that I could (easy to do on vacation!). I skipped the gym because I would not have enjoyed it so I did what I liked..walking. I thought I'd probably gained a few pounds...but I actually lost a pound! I think that is the difference for me now...I've been working on this slowly for 2+ years and it is now a lifestyle. I know I have to balance my eating with exercise forever. I can still splurge (& I do!) but I earn it or work it off. If I had chosen to just go hog wild and stuff myself silly, I would have gained 5+ lbs that would take me (personally) 2 months to lose. I chose to be aware constantly of what I am eating, enjoy it...splurge, but I am willing to pay for it :)

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/262648-vacation-success


    P.S. Weight watcher magazine just had an article this month about how walking on sand burns 50% more calories so if you are at the beach, take advantage of that!!!
  • Schraudt814
    Schraudt814 Posts: 496 Member
    I'm trying to figure out the same thing right now! I'm going on vacation to visit my family in Texas in about 3 weeks...there's ALWAYS lots of food and drinks and laying by the pool...I plan on playing in the pool as much as possible and hopping on my parents treadmill to keep my workouts going; as for the food, if we're eating at their house I'll be more careful about what I eat, but when we go out I'll probably be bad. I know that's not the best plan but it's San Antonio and the food is SO good! If I go up a few, I'll have to reign it in when I get back. The most important thing for me to personally remember is portion sizes- it's so hard for me to break the habit of eating too much when I'm on vacay!
  • Mveler
    Mveler Posts: 274 Member
    Leaving for vacation Friday Morning. Only a Weekend trip to Williamsburg Va. Plan to eat healthy all day, enjoy a nice dinner. Swim some laps at the hotel each night. Also will be getting in lots of walking at the amusement parks all day so I am sure there won't be a problem as long as I don't go overboard.

    I won't be checking in to MFP or weighing my foods but I will use good judgment.
  • Shirley61
    Shirley61 Posts: 7,758 Member
    I went to Florida for a week in April, took our laptop and still
    tracked exercise and food. Yes I was over but only gained
    two pounds, while my hubby gained five.
    I took yoga on the beach twice a week and walked the beach
    everyday.

    I still ate and drank alcohol but didn't go crazy and ate
    sensibly and we still had a good time and I also ate
    ice cream.

    You can do this will a little planning. :bigsmile:
  • hammersue1
    hammersue1 Posts: 96 Member
    I had my holidays in may and it was all inclusive so I had whatever I wanted. I managed to gain 6 pounds as well.
    Damn thing is I didnt get back onto losing weight and carried on as if I was still on all inclusive. Greed is such a bad thing. I know I am proof and have been for too many years (being a yo yo dieter). Not a good thing. Today I have now started back here and need a big kick up my backside to keep me at it. I have no willpower at all it went out the window one day and didnt come back.
    I sit and watch the tv programs about losing weight etc. how the hell do I sit and eat a oversized scone with margarine and jam on it while the program is on I know exactly what I am doing. I just cant stop sometimes. I have so many health risk factors. I do not want to loose my life sooner than need be. Can anyone tell me why I do it. What makes me do it when I know I need to be good and have been so many times. I loose it then gain it all the time. Its such a shame as I am so proud of myself once I get to it right.
    Any suggestions will be great. i do have hobbies I make cards and jewelery. so its not like I dont have things to keep me busy.
    Oh well I promised to start monday but didnt. so I have managed to start today. I just need to keep it up once again as last year did so well. Any help would be great moan over lol. Sorry went off the subject a little there lol
  • Alidecker
    Alidecker Posts: 1,262 Member
    As far as the nutrition part goes, I enjoy my vacation and don't think about the scale, but in the back of my mind, I try not to overdo it at every meal. I went on a cruise in December and gained 1.5 pounds. I considered that a win. With all the food options I had, I was happy with that. I did exercise while on the ship though.... got my but out of bed 4 mornings and worked out, plus we walked a lot on the islands and did a zip line/obstacle course tour on one of the islands that was a great workout. Leaving for South Carolina this week and my plan is similar. Work out when I can, but enjoy some good meals, maybe even eat a dessert ot two along the way. My niece and nephew are 10 and 8 and will be with us, I am sure they will keep me active!
  • greeneyed84
    greeneyed84 Posts: 427 Member
    Hey! So with this I can help! I just got back from Florida yesterday. Today I stepped on the scale and I stayed the same weight.
    I had a 3 day car drive, 5 days at the Disney Parks and then 2 days on the road again.
    I didn't count calories, I ate healthy & not healthy foods, alcohol but lots of water.
    I walked 8-12 hours a day those 5 days plus went swimming.

    Enjoy, don't feel guilty and don't go crazy. Even if you gain a few lbs, you will lose them again!
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