On vacation... should I just enjoy myself?
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Have some fun, eat what you want, your body needs a vacation too once in a while. 3500 Cal is only a pound
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pianoplaya94 wrote: »I was planning on doing "good" on vacation but yesterday I just couldn't resist myself at the desert table and today I'm not doing any better. So I'm just thinking... should I just "screw it" and enjoy myself? I do feel really bloated right now. If I did gain a bit of weight over the course of the vacation (5 days) would it be enough that people notice?
Thanks!
Don't do it! I've been where you are, and it's a viscous cycle.
If you're on vacation, then you could be a little more liberal with the foods you eat, but track everything to a degree, and know when to stop. I know it can be harsh, but health and fitness is much more a mental battle than a physical one. There will always be excuses. Good luck! 3 -
This is awesome to here, guys! It's great to know how quickly the weight will disappear too!... maybe I'm not actually eating as much as I'm thinking. I'm a huge desert person but barely eat anything for the main courses lol.0
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Enjoy yourself, but if you can abstain here and there, bonus. In the end, it's just five days! Worst case scenario, you gain one or two lbs, those can come off fast enough when you get home again xo0
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Wow, I guess I'm the outlier here, but I wouldn't go wild at all. Eat at maintenance, sure, maybe even a special treat here and there, but i would definitely still log.
The thing is, right now you say, "oh, it's just a 5 day vacation." That's going to turn in to, "oh, it's my birthday, I can eat whatever want." Then it's the 4th of July. Then it's memorial day. Then it's Friday. It's the holidays. It's November. Any day can turn into a day to binge, which is what you're doing. I looked at my diet as a lifestyle change, which meant making vacations and holidays and special occasions all work within my calorie goals. It sucks, but if you want to lose and maintain that loss, you can't eat everything you want.
Sorry if I sound preachy but I feel this is important. I have maintained my weightloss for 8 years, and this is a tactic that is very important in maintenance for me. I might have a different perspective than others on this thread or those who have been at it for less time. What you eat is always your choice, but this is what has worked for me.3 -
Enjoy your vacation. You can resume your weight loss journey when you return.0
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When I go on vacation, I go on a planned diet break.
I exercise quite a bit more on vacations than I do in at-home life ... lots of cycling, hiking, swimming and other sports. But I don't log and I eat whatever I want.
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Me too! Walking around taking photos, going on tours, hiking or biking, and swimming when possible are great, fun ways of burning some calories while on vacation.0
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I think the real question with holidays is not the effect on your weight - there's only so much damage to can do in a few days - but the psychological effect. And it's very personal.
Some people can quit logging for a week and it doesn't bother them at all, they get back on the horse when they get home and no harm done.
For others it knocks a hole in their logging habit, and combined with the scale increase afterwards (which will be exaggerated by water weight) can end up discouraged, making it hard to build up momentum again. I've been there.
If you do decide not to log on holiday be prepared for some extra effort to get going with it again afterwards, and be prepared for the fact that the scale may jump more than you expect when you get home, and to remind yourself that you have not actually put on 6lb or whatever, it's just water from all the yummy carbsy treats and it'll be mostly gone in a few days.
Enjoy your holiday!2 -
I am going to Germany in July for 3 weeks to see my mom. I already know she tries to stuff me with all that good food I missed out so long. I don't like the food here in the US very much so it was easy to lose a lot of weight. My plan is to eat everything I like over there but only small portions. No calorie counting. I also only eat 3 times a day and no snacks in between. I definitely don't want to gain more than 2 lbs over there. Good luck to you!0
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Enjoy yourself. You're on holiday just don't go crazy so you feel bloated and hating yourself ha you can easy lose an extra couple of pounds that creep on on vacation if you get straight back into it when you are home0
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Well, I know I did on my vacation. Uhg! Have fun!0
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sunnybeaches105 wrote: »How long have you been dieting and how much have you lost? Do you normally have issues with adherence and bingeing?
Normally, I'd say enjoy but don't go overboard, but that means different things to different people, and if you have been having troubles adhering to your diet then your vacation turns into just another excuse.
Agree. Are you going on vacation to eat or to see/do new things, have fun with friends/family, etc? Eating can be part of it, but don't make it the highlight.
Have fun.0 -
I recently went on vacation for a week in Mexico, all inclusive. Four days before that I was out of town at a work conference and while I tried to to adhere to my diet I did indulge somewhat as we all ate out. I just plunked quick calories to MFP and didn't track closely. I had a goal weight prior to my vacation which I exceeded by a few pounds (had lost 87 altogether). I figured I'd experiment and see where I would be at when I got home. I didn't hold back at all and had a great vacation. As soon as I got back the scale said I gained 23 pounds (I'm 6'2" and my lean body mass would be around 190lbs). I knew most would be water weight, etc. and dropped 10lbs in the first week or so back on my normal routine. The rest has come off and I'm back to where I was after a month and a half.
For me it was totally worth it and was a much needed break. I won't say it didn't affect me both physically and mentally afterwards but it was pre-planned and I was prepared. I have around 15lbs to go still on my original goal weight and yes this did push me back time wise but I had a helluva good time.2 -
I went on vacation to the Dominican Republic. It was all inclusive as well. I ate very well and I drank very well. However I was in the ocean or the pool every single day. I just love the water. Turned out I lost 1.5 lbs. that week. Go figure.0
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Enjoy the vacation and when you're home get back on track you'll find within a few weeks the holiday gain is gone.
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I'm going on vacation next week and not really changing anything. I'm even bringing my yoga pants and finding a gym down there. For me, I've lost all this weight and worked my butt off...but that's not really the issue for me.
For me, I'm addicted to food. I wouldn't have been fat originally if I wasn't. For me, I don't want to sabotage it.
But this is me. Everyone is totally different. You could eat like a queen and be fine. I don't have that willpower lol 0 -
I took 10 days in France..ate and drank as much as I wanted. Gained about 10lb but most of that was water, took me about two weeks on diet home to get back down to normal...moral of the story: worth if
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I am also an outlier like @zoink66. I don't weigh my food at all or log much when I am on vacation because I don't use the app; I only log in the MFP database using my husband's laptop at the end of the day. I don't estimate anything because I think that it is a waste of my time and a very ineffective way of counting calories. If I didn't make it, or if the restaurant or MFP doesn't have the nutritional information, the food doesn’t get logged.
If I stay away or limit deserts and alcohol (neither is a problem for me), the battle is partially won because I am not a foodie.
What always surprises me is that people associates vacations with large amount of food and lots of drinking in order to have fun. What about enjoying the new city, town, or whatever area you are visiting? What about enjoying the companionship of your family and friends and all the activities that the place has to offer? Why is enjoyment always associated with food?
I don't get it, and I don't think that I ever will.
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pianoplaya94 wrote: »I was planning on doing "good" on vacation but yesterday I just couldn't resist myself at the desert table and today I'm not doing any better. So I'm just thinking... should I just "screw it" and enjoy myself? I do feel really bloated right now. If I did gain a bit of weight over the course of the vacation (5 days) would it be enough that people notice?
Thanks!
Some people try to eat at a deficit / maintainance across a day, some do a week. If you're on a vacation, perhaps a month time span is appropriate.1 -
What always surprises me is that people associates vacations with large amount of food and lots of drinking in order to have fun. What about enjoying the new city, town, or whatever area you are visiting? What about enjoying the companionship of your family and friends and all the activities that the place has to offer? Why is enjoyment always associated with food?
I don't get it, and I don't think that I ever will.
I think it comes down to personal mindset.
For me, it's not that the food is the highlight of a vacation. It's that I don't believe that a vacation is time to be overly concerned about the boundaries I've set the rest of the year, and fret about a couple of ephemeral pounds that'll probably be gone in a week.
But then again, what I personally consider indulging isnt an all-out, no-holds-barred binge. I also go into a trip knowing that I won't have to mentally struggle to get back on track when I come back home.
I think others on this thread probably think about it similarly.
But with that being said, I realize that everyone is different and has their own relationship with food.
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I personally never eat desert when I'm on holiday. The sand gets stuck in my teeth.3
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CattOfTheGarage wrote: »I personally never eat desert when I'm on holiday. The sand gets stuck in my teeth.
I sea what you did there!0 -
The reason I let go a bit on vacations is that it's basically impossible to stick to my diet when I eat out at every meal without driving yourself (and everyone) crazy. Obviously it depends on where you go though and how much you can spend but when a sandwich is $8 and grilled chicken and veggies $15 (when there's even some on the menu), well... Unless you're someone who's fine with eating bunless burgers and side salads for a week, which I'm definitely not.
Buffets would be dangerous but at least there are options, I'm guessing I'd end up indulging a couple times then sticking to the plan once I've tried everything I wanted, lol.0 -
It's your VACATION. I would let it stand at that. Eat and have a good time but maybe you can eat a healthy meal out on the town or something. I'm going to try not to chart my meals this week at the beach myself, but I will still eat my rice cakes, veggie chips, and clear american water...lol.0
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Yes you should. I think allowing yourself breaks for things like vacation are part of having a sustainable diet. I allow myself to indulge pretty much as much as I want for vacations and occasionally at family get togethers, and I've lost 162 lbs.
If you are dedicated 90% of the time, the 10% doesn't matter.
Edit: I will add that I do still log most of my food when on vacation, but it's a lot of guestimating and is nowhere near as accurate. And I don't try to stay under my goal, I stay just mindful enough to not go really over the top.2 -
I think it comes down to personal mindset.
For me, it's not that the food is the highlight of a vacation. It's that I don't believe that a vacation is time to be overly concerned about the boundaries I've set the rest of the year, and fret about a couple of ephemeral pounds that'll probably be gone in a week.
But then again, what I personally consider indulging isnt an all-out, no-holds-barred binge. I also go into a trip knowing that I won't have to mentally struggle to get back on track when I come back home.
I think others on this thread probably think about it similarly.
But with that being said, I realize that everyone is different and has their own relationship with food.
This is exactly how I feel about it.
It's important to know your own limits. For me, having a family size bag of bbq chips in my house has a stronger effect on my resolve than indulging while on vacation.1 -
personally? yes, but I would do it with some sort of moderation and not go all out as it were0
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