How do you all cope on an 'All Inclusive Holiday'??

For the last all inclusive I went on I fasted until my evening meal on most days. For some this could be seen as a waste of the "all inclusive" aspect of the holiday but my family still benefited from that aspect and I ate whatever I wanted in the evening. I really enjoyed that holiday and maintained weight within a few lbs.

If this is impractical or unappealing I would suggest some rules might help (make up your own but something like):

• Breakfast = 1 plate of food. No return visits. Drop the fruit juice in favour of Tea/Coffee/water.
• No snacks during the day.
• No daytime alcohol.
• One Dessert per day.
• 45 mins walking per day.

Another thing I do when travelling is that I do not eat on planes - at all (although I always have a tomato juice from the drinks trolley). Not even the transatlantic flights I've done. Airline food doesn't appeal to me (I think I read somewhere that our sense of taste is dulled at altitude so maybe that is it) but the saved calories come in handy.

Have a great holiday

The first time you go on vacation will be a challenge when first "dieting". This is no lie. Your fears of gaining weight and possibly over doing it are normal. You do not have to give your self permission to overdo anything you do not want to do. Realistically if you are true to your goals, you will already know what sort of choices you want to make when eating out, drinking and exercising. Just let your self be as natural about this as you can be, and what you must NOT do is put shame and guilt on your self about any choice you make. This is sure to make you and others around you a bit miserable and not enjoy the holiday.

Please try to enjoy it and not overthink this too much.

minniestar55 wrote: »

I was on an all-inclusive week last December; I used MFP & my FitBit the entire time. I tracked my food; had to estimate because I didn't have my scales, but didn't use it as an excuse to pig out & chose smaller portions; had big salads & veg for lunch, didn't eat loads of sweets/desserts. I don't drink much, so having a glass or 2 of wine or a shandy was my big treat. Took my running shoes so did loads of power-walking, jogging, etc to rake up some exercise calories. Still lost a lb.

Running when on holiday is a great way to see a different slice of local life - especially early morning runs.

I run a lot less that I used to but I still get some early morning runs in on holiday just for the sight seeing aspect.

Don't worry about it *too* much, it's your holiday. But don't go crazy either. Use your calories on the foods you really enjoy rather than mindlessly going back for more so-so food, just cos it's there. Do extra walking or go for a run. Or you could have 2 meals: a late breakfast, no lunch, and more calories to spend on dinner. Switch to vodka or gin to keep your alcohol calories down.

don't worry about it. if you start focusing on it, you'll do exactly what you don't want to do - overeat. just keep doing what you're doing; exercise, log your food, count your calories... and relax. you're on holiday. if you want to drink during the day, stick to spirits and try for low cal mixers. you'll probably find that being somewhere hot (assuming) you'll not be in the mood to eat loads so listen to your body and if you're hungry, eat in moderation, if you're not, don't.

have a fab time, and don't stress is.

If you can use one more opinion: it sounds as if you go on all inclusive resort trips occasionally (more than just this one). If I were going, here is my imaginary self talk: this will not be the last time I will be at an all you can inhale resort...there will always be more food, more booze...I can choose to be picky, it doesn't mean I am wasting money. I want to feel good and enjoy myself. I can always get more if I want it later.

On Holidays I just have fun & don't have a care in the world about how much food & drink that I consume. Life is too short & you have the other 50 weeks of the year to be disciplined...

As someone above said, just remember that you don't have to pile your plate high with everything at once because it will be there on the next mealtime!

Personally I find I eat quite healthy on AI holidays as there's something about buffets that overwhelm me and I end up taking salads, veg and seafood because it's easy (and I don't eat chips with everything etc etc at home anyway). It's the booze that's my downfall! ETA - and I don't skimp on the booze...

I just got back from one.

My rules were...
maximum one dessert a day
don't forget about the veggies
don't forget to drink enough water
if it looks better than it tastes I don't have to finish it
if I get full don't continue eating.

One plate of food ended up being enough most of the time, I ate a variety of things I wouldn't normally, and came home at the same weight, thanks in part to increased activity level.

I take my scale with me on vacation. I eat when it is great, and pass when it is not. I eat really small for two meals a day and save for the one big meal. I try to exercise while on vacation. Either swimming or hiking.

1. Continue to exercise first thing. a. High intensity interval training: sprint 30 seconds. Rest 90. Times 10. a. Or jump rope. c. Or calistenics. d. Go on lots of walking tours. 2. Typically when on vacation I only eat brunch and linner, and have a snack of dried nuts or fruit in between because I am out there seeing everything. Also, on my days off I fast from 2000-1200 and only eat during an 8 hour window so that my body starts burning fat after the first 12 hours and not just sugar. 3. Study out the food offered and only pick your favorites. Eat a highly nourishing meal so that you aren't starving by the time you hit the dessert table. Wait 15 minutes and only then Go BACK UP for the dessert. Don't take any on your first trip. They will look much less attractive after your hunger is satiated. 4. Eat a HALF portion of any treat. That way you can try both the eclair and the cream puff. You can also only eat the cream, and not the puff. I don't "waste" or is it waist? calories on drink whether they be alcohol or soda. 5. Keep posting, if only in a journal. You want to keep you good habits and hold yourself accountable.

To each his or her own, I understand that, but I do not understand the "throw caution to the wind" approach to eating on vacation. If that works for you then have at it but it seems to me to be completely counterproductive to what we are here for - losing weight. If your new way of eating is truly a lifestyle change, then you dont bounce from mindful eating to pigging out over night, maintain that for two weeks and then go back to the straight and narrow path - thats like vegetarians indulging in bacon every sunday. And I dont understand how the focus of a holiday, whether it is all inclusive or not, is food. Are you going on vacation just to eat? I would think you would be able to do that far more cheaply by staying home and going restaurant hopping.

When I go on holiday, my focus is on the activities I am hoping to participate in, the people I will meet, the sites I will see, not what am I going to eat next. On my last vacation (Alaska cruise - it was marvelous) I had my phone with me so I used the app and tried to estimate as best I could. I avoided what I knew to be carb or calorie dense stuff, ate lots of chicken, simply prepared things, watched my alcohol intake, and didnt have desserts or any splurges until the last day. I reasoned that if I started into the desserts from the first night, I wouldnt be able to control it, so I avoided them! One thing I will note is that my trip did not have buffets.

Even without going over my calorie budgets each day, I had a fabulous time, and the food is the last thing I will remember about the trip (though the crab was exceptional). And I got back home without gaining an ounce. Actually, with all the extra activity, I think I lost a pound or two. Sorry, I dont want to sound holier than thou, but it is entirely possible to have a good time without food being the focus.

So I guess you have to decide whether you are a short term or long term gratifier - can you accept that you will gain weight and abandon all moderation, or maintain your vigilance and go home with confidence?

I try not to eat many if any sweets, that is just me, seems to help

I eat when I want and I don't eat when I don't want. I don't eat anything for the sake of eating it, I just eat when I'm hungry. I probably drink a little too much, but frankly I tend to maintain on these trips so I can't be drinking too over my TDEE.

I don't track...but then again, we swim, we snorkel, we do stuff, we walk a lot and most of all make sure to get full use out of the amenities in our hotel room.

AKA, we boink a lot.