How do you vacation?!

a0akley
a0akley Posts: 36 Member
edited July 2016 in Health and Weight Loss
Vaca coming up and I am feeling nervous about ruining my already dismal progress. (2.2lbs in 3 weeks) torn between wanting to say eff it and enjoy myself and relax, eat yummy local food and catch a buzz or two after a long stressful summer so far- but then feel almost panicky about coming home ten lbs up and having to start over. Curious how you all like to approach vacation? Thanks!

Replies

  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    Last vacation my family rented a cabin with a kitchen by a lake. We ate out just once. It was planned for. We brought food and drinks with us to the cabin. Our focus of the vacation was really more on enjoying nature, hiking, etc rather than eating at restaurants or drinking alcohol.
    2.2 lbs in 3 weeks is not dismal progress. If you are female be aware that water retention due to period is common.
    You could make a plan to eat/drink at maintenance level for your vacation. You won't lose but won't gain either. Regardless of what you do you can get back to a deficit when you return to your normal routine.
  • janjunie
    janjunie Posts: 1,200 Member
    I'm going on vacation on Sunday. I know there is going to be continental breakfast and we are planning one buffet lunch. I plan on eating everything, enjoying every bit of it. I treat every vacation as if it were my last. Saying all that though, I will be getting plenty of exercise. Lots of walking and I'll be in the hotel gym while husband and the kids are in the pool.
  • sunnybeaches105
    sunnybeaches105 Posts: 2,831 Member
    I've gone from sitting on my butt on vacations and eating and drinking everything in sight, to more active ones but still enjoying good food and drinking. I do consume less than before, but I don't count calories during vacation.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,559 Member
    I take a diet break when I go on vacations. :)

    But, although I eat whatever I want, I exercise a lot on vacations ... more than I normally do.
  • emdeesea
    emdeesea Posts: 1,823 Member
    I eat whatever I want on vacation. Then come back and get back on track and just lose whatever I've happened to gain.

    I get so very little vacation time that it doesn't make it worth stressing over. The days are long but the years are so short.
  • Sjs8906
    Sjs8906 Posts: 6 Member
    edited July 2016
    If I'm just going away for the weekend I tend to eat what I want to. I try not to go overboard but I want to enjoy myself. If I'm going on a longer vacation we usually rent a house or cabin or something similar with a kitchen, so we try to eat at "home" as much as possible, and when we do go out we really enjoy it. I do tend to gain on vacations though so I could do better. I usually just drink a ton of water the next week and try to work out enough to make up for it. :smile:
  • dlcshan
    dlcshan Posts: 45 Member
    If you do decide to let up during the vacation, I would say get back in good habits as soon as you get back but don't weigh yourself for at least a few days. That weigh any water retention would have smoothed itself out and you won't have that part of any weight changes contributing to any extreme discouragement.
  • bekim123
    bekim123 Posts: 391 Member
    I just try to not gain when taking a vacation. I don't eat as well as normal, but also try not to over indulge (I enjoy some "bad" vacation food, but in lower amounts than my pre-MFP days...not that there are bad foods, but I think you know what I mean). Remember that this is a long-term thing, so maintaining or even gaining a little isn't going to kill you as long as when your vacation is over you get back on track.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I usually end up losing weight on vacation even though I'm not trying to...I'm just way more active on vacation than I am in my day to day at home...there's lots to see and do. I eat and enjoy myself and go see all the things.
  • dutchandkiwi
    dutchandkiwi Posts: 1,389 Member
    edited July 2016
    I go into maintenance mode on a holiday. That said the last two years we went on a hiking holiday and it turned out to be nigh on impossible to overeat then as we were hiking 20-30km a day.
    Coming holiday I have lots of walks planned but it will be harder as it also will involve intercontinental travel, a business dinner and a wedding.
    That said I do intend to enjoy myself and to not be too panicky
  • a0akley
    a0akley Posts: 36 Member
    Thanks for all of your thoughtful responses! I think I will not track, avoid processed junk and enjoy my drinks and special time with family. We are renting a cabin so I can have lots of healthy choices. Plan to splurge a few times too, lobster soaked in butter baby!!!!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Ah, the good old days when I actually had vacation time...best employers for this were the USAF and a small liberal arts college.
  • markrgeary1
    markrgeary1 Posts: 853 Member
    Last two vacations were awesome. I logged as best I could, came back 5 pounds lighter. I attribute that too no snacking.
  • ninjachicken4000
    ninjachicken4000 Posts: 26 Member
    edited July 2016
    Unless you go ridiculously overboard with the amount you eat and drink you're not going to again 10lbs in a week or two.

    You'd have to massively overeat/ drink in terms of calories. 3500 extra than your maintenance TDEE calories =1 lb of fat. So 10lbs = 35,000 extra calories. If you're there for a week that's an extra 5000 calories day MORE than your maintenance TDEE. So yeah, unless you basically take the absolute mickey, you're not going to gain that much.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    i eat what i want on vacation. no calorie counting, no being overly mindful.

    what i gain is in water weight and falls off within a week or so.

    2 years, 80+ pounds gone, several vacations, and no long term damage done ;)

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