Vacation Tips Requested

Check out the cocktail menu for a slightly lighter but still enjoyable option - off the top of my head I'm thinking of mojito vs piña colada for example.

And alternate cocktails with plain sparking water with fresh lime and/or lemon.... plus ice, straw and even maybe an umbrella if your waitperson is kind enough

Ah...my lovely state. There are plenty of outdoor activities to do like kayaking, canoeing, snorkeling, go for a run on the beach, paddle boarding, etc. Just try to log your food, don't eat like you'll never have another meal in your life, and try to stay reasonably active. Good luck! Have fun!

cbstewart88 wrote: »

I have been on MFP since 4/1/16 and am down 14 lbs. Going on vacation in two weeks to visit sister in Florida. These vacations have historically included:
1. Mostly SITTING around the pool gabbing and laughing.
2. Lots of calorie-laden umbrella COCKTAILS
3. Erratic meals/ restaurant meals/ bar-b-ques.

I don't want to come back with an additional 5 (or more!) lbs., but I don't want to be one of those "diet" obsessed, buzz-kill types either. Thinking about finding a nearby gym that might let me use the facilities short-term so I can fit workouts in the early AM while everyone else is sleeping.

Any advice for walking this fine line? Thank you in advance....

For every cocktail drink 2 large glasses of water.

Vacation is a time to relax and enjoy yourself. Of course this doesn't mean that you can eat an entire cake in one sitting, but I think worrying about how much you may or may not gain kind of kills the whole vacation vibe. So enjoy yourself. Splurge a bit. But don't go over board. If you want a slice of cake then have a small one. If you want some ice cream then have a scoop. If you want some drinks go right ahead. But just be cognizant about how much you are eating/drinking. Try to take a nice stroll in the morning or evening. Do some laps in the pool in between gab sessions. Drink a glass of water in between each cocktail. One vacation isn't going to ruin everything that you have accomplished.

I've got a vacation coming up too, and much like you I have been trying to figure out how to tackle my "diet" while away.

I've already made the personal choice that I probably won't be exercising to the extent that I do now. I will be doing lots of outdoor activities so hopefully that will help to counter the food/alcohol lol.

Even though I always say I'm going to sleep in I'm usually up early by habit...trying not to wake anyone else; so if I'm going to workout it'll probably be in the AM so it's out of the way, and I'm ready to get to the day's activities once everyone else gets up. The resort I'm staying at has hikes or bike rides in the early AM, so I might try to get those in as a way to get some dedicated cardio. They also have a gym, so if I want I can do that. I've got a Fitbit, so I think that will at least make me mindful of steps and calories burned so if say I've only burned 1900 calories (normal goal 2500) it will make me think twice about having another cocktail or that late night snack.

It is not acceptable to me to come back 10 lbs heavier....that just means I've gone way overboard! But I'm not going to be upset if I come back a few lbs heavier than when I went. I think for me the biggest thing I'm trying to do is not slack off on diet/exercise prior to me going, and then making a conscious effort that when I get back I get right back into the routine...no excuses!

Enjoy your vacation!

If you only gained 5lbs for a few weeks excess that's not too bad I'd just say, go and enjoy the holiday to the full and get back on track the minute you get back.... any gain will be history within a few short weeks, most of it will probably be water related anyway. Have fun

I don't like to gain more than a few lbs on holidays, so I be mindful of portion sizes and I walk loads. It works well for me

cbstewart88 wrote: »

I have been on MFP since 4/1/16 and am down 14 lbs. Going on vacation in two weeks to visit sister in Florida. These vacations have historically included:
1. Mostly SITTING around the pool gabbing and laughing.
2. Lots of calorie-laden umbrella COCKTAILS
3. Erratic meals/ restaurant meals/ bar-b-ques.

I don't want to come back with an additional 5 (or more!) lbs., but I don't want to be one of those "diet" obsessed, buzz-kill types either. Thinking about finding a nearby gym that might let me use the facilities short-term so I can fit workouts in the early AM while everyone else is sleeping.

Any advice for walking this fine line? Thank you in advance....

1. You have access to a pool? Use it. You can still spend time lounging around it gabbing, but maybe get up early and spend an hour or so swimming laps before your travel companions wake up. Site seeing usually involves walking and may not be as objectionable to your companions as more intense activities, but still gets you moving.
2. You decide what and how much you drink. Plain hard alcohol (no mixers or chasers) either straight up or on the rocks tend to be the best bets in terms of calories (the only calories are coming from alcohol and most people don't drink these kinds of drinks fast). Sipping slowly on a bourbon on the rocks (or two) poolside shouldn't break your calorie bank (and sounds simply lovely). If you do go for higher calorie drinks, pace yourself and drink a big glass of water between each.
3. Approach dining out or bbqs the same way you approach them when you aren't on vacation. Filling the majority of your plate with simply cooked proteins and veggie sides are pretty safe bets. Just keep your portions in check, especially of the more calorie dense sides (potato salad for example). Indulging a bit is fine, but decide when and how often you will do that. I don't know how long you are staying, but going over a bit on calories once or twice in the span of a week won't put a ton of weight on you! Keep in mind travel tends to make us retain water (especially air travel) so when you get back don't take the scale seriously until you've been home and back in your normal routine at least 3-4 days ( to allow you to shed excess water and see what the true "damage" was).

You've done great to lose 14 lbs in since April 1st! Enjoy your vacation!

Do things vs just sitting around the pool...I mean, do that too...but do other things that involve moving around.

cbstewart88 wrote: »

These are GREAT ideas everyone. I knew you all would not disappoint. If I were on vacation by myself - it would be filled with healthy activities. However - I would unfortunately have to drag my husband, sister and brother-in-law kicking and screaming to go kayaking, hiking, cycling, swimming etc. Maybe I should, eh? Be that as it may, thank you for your thoughtful ideas, much appreciated.

Typically just having my kids with me makes it impossible to have an 'active' vacation, so I hear you loud and clear. I was in the same boat 2 years ago, went to visit my brother in law, but thankfully we stayed at a hotel so I got some time to hit the gym there, otherwise I would have gone nuts just sitting and not doing anything all day. But we did end up eating out all the time, which sucked.

Can you suggest some activities though? Maybe going for a walk somewhere, or just hitting the mall or something... anything to get you off the chair. Or offer to go to the store and make them dinner or something (and pick something from Skinnytaste, they won't know the difference).

It's REALLY rough when you're not on the same page as your family anymore! My sister is coming tonight to stay for a week but at least she's fairly active so she won't mind going to the mall/walk in town/go to the outlets or whatnot... which is good because I doubt I'll be able to get a workout in (I'd go first thing but I have to get the kids ready for school and my sister will be up early anyway).

cbstewart88 wrote: »

I have been on MFP since 4/1/16 and am down 14 lbs. Going on vacation in two weeks to visit sister in Florida. These vacations have historically included:
1. Mostly SITTING around the pool gabbing and laughing.
2. Lots of calorie-laden umbrella COCKTAILS
3. Erratic meals/ restaurant meals/ bar-b-ques.

I don't want to come back with an additional 5 (or more!) lbs., but I don't want to be one of those "diet" obsessed, buzz-kill types either. Thinking about finding a nearby gym that might let me use the facilities short-term so I can fit workouts in the early AM while everyone else is sleeping.

Any advice for walking this fine line? Thank you in advance....

Just walk more swim more dance more.

Here are a few things I like to do
- Stick to neat drinks, either scotch or brandy neat or on the rocks. Or light beer. Red wine is not bad either. Get buzzed without getting fat .

- Buy fancy scotch or cognac and take it with me. A room service or bar will charge me a lot for a pedestrian scotch, like say a Black Label or a Glenlivet 12. Instead if I buy and take with me, I can get a super special bottle of something like Highland Park 21 or Martell XO cognac. Its a sin to mix anything in these premium drinks anyway, and they are so delicious neat, so the question of mixing doesn't come up!

- Generally breakfast/brunch is where I tend to binge eat. Those diner style breakfasts can come up to 1000 - 1500 calories PER MEAL. I still enjoy food on vacation, but I try to log before eating it. It helps me stay under maintenance.

- I eat a lot of steak! That's win-win because I love steak, and I still get my protein in!

- Sometimes I "cheat" by doing low protein, and use those calories on carbs. Its amazing how much junk food you can fit in under maintenance, if they are all carbs!

- Another thing you can do is "save up" calories for a week by eating say, 200 under what you would normally eat for a week before the vacation - and then add those 200 on top of your maintenance during the vacation. DON'T BORROW THESE FROM PROTEIN! Borrow these from carbs.

Sometimes, vacations even give me a whoosh . Which makes sense because they act as carb refeeds without going over maintenance. Its all good as long as I don't go crazy with the alcohol .

I don't bother with the gym for vacations one week long or less. I can actually use the rest, and when I come back I am even stronger in the gym!

Hope this helps.

Shoot I never watch anything on vacation. My SO and I went to New Zealand and Fiji two years ago for 3 weeks and I didn't watch a THING. I came back and had gained 6 pounds, but IT WAS WORTH IT.

I never worry about that stuff. I know how to lose weight and I get so little vacation time to worry about a few pounds.