Going on holiday - any tips?
newlark01
Posts: 474 Member
Getting ready to go on holiday (in UK) - I'm down 21 lbs with 10 to go and don't want to derail myself but also want to enjoy some meals out. We'll be partly self catering/packed lunches with lots of coffee/cake/ice cream cafe stops and a few meals out. Am thinking of aiming for maintenance calories or just below and "guesstimating" as best I can...
Any tips welcome!
Any tips welcome!
0
Replies
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pack your brolly :laugh:1
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TavistockToad wrote: »pack your brolly :laugh:
well that goes without saying (although first few days forecast just indicate occasional light showers) - also taking fleece pullovers, waterproofs, wellies... no bikinis needed here!0 -
I just got back from London. I pretty much ate and drank (beer) everything and lost 1lb over 2 weeks. (Not much, but I didn't gain so I'm happy). I also walked everywhere. If you know you're going to be way off on nutrition, bring a good pair of walking shoes and go exploring on foot.3
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TavistockToad wrote: »pack your brolly :laugh:
well that goes without saying (although first few days forecast just indicate occasional light showers) - also taking fleece pullovers, waterproofs, wellies... no bikinis needed here!
i honestly never worry about what i eat or drink on holiday. i have whatever i fancy and enjoy myself. we also tend to walk a lot so that balances it out, and if i have gained a couple of pounds its mainly water weight.
enjoy! :drinker:1 -
I would enjoy the holiday but keep doing some of the same things I do at home:
Have one dessert, not two or more
Make sure I have salad and vegetables when I eat out as well as an entree and fill up on them first
I tell the servers for no butter or cheese (my preference for health reasons, not diet, but I'm sure it saves calories)
Ask for salad dressing on the side and use half of what they give you.
Watch extras like fries, chips, and bread -- eat a small amount and stop.
Limit my fried food
Drink water
Enjoy the local dishes and treats, but eat a reasonable portion and stop there.
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I've been on many trips lately: London, Dublin and Orkney. I ate delicious food whenever I felt hungry, also had a fantastic piece of cake on Orkney but didn't have one every day to keep it special. I generally avoid softice as it's just ... well.. it doesn't taste well. If I find some real artisan icecream somewhere then I'll have one. Just one serving, not two. Think of the size of that thing! Even one is usually massive. So it's just about making the right choices I guess.
I'm flying to Svalbard next week and intend to have a multicourse dinner in a posh restaurant. It will be very rich in calories I'm sure, but I'm also sure I'll be able to offset it. Lets be honest, if you overeat by 500kcal, then that's the deficite of one modest day gone. If you overeat by 1000, then you might gain a fraction of a pound. Now waterweight due to sitting in a car for long hours or flying is something different. But it will go away in a few days.1 -
TavistockToad wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »pack your brolly :laugh:
well that goes without saying (although first few days forecast just indicate occasional light showers) - also taking fleece pullovers, waterproofs, wellies... no bikinis needed here!
i honestly never worry about what i eat or drink on holiday. i have whatever i fancy and enjoy myself. we also tend to walk a lot so that balances it out, and if i have gained a couple of pounds its mainly water weight.
enjoy! :drinker:
This ^^
I eat and drink what I like on my holidays and deal with any fall out when I get back.
Life is too short to not enjoy yourself.
The longest it has ever taken me to get back to my goal weight is 5 weeks. Well worth it.2 -
eat it all, drink it all?????????3
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KANGOOJUMPS wrote: »eat it all, drink it all?????????
That's a bit too much I guess, and one doesn't learn anything from it. Making conscious decisions seems a better approach. Stuffing oneself senseless might be what some people like, but what will happen once they go into maintenance? Do they stuff themselves senseless again?1 -
KANGOOJUMPS wrote: »eat it all, drink it all?????????
That's a bit too much I guess, and one doesn't learn anything from it. Making conscious decisions seems a better approach. Stuffing oneself senseless might be what some people like, but what will happen once they go into maintenance? Do they stuff themselves senseless again?
I've been in maintenance for over 10 years and eat all the food and drink all the drink on holiday.
The day I return I eat at a 250 calorie deficit until I hit my maintenance figure again.
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On the days you eat cake, give dessert a miss. Watch your alcohol intake. Loads of walking. Carrying lots of shopping counts as weight training.1
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I eat at maintenance and continue to log everything. You can find most things on the MFP database - if you get several results go for an average one, not the highest or lowest. As others have said, with plenty of walking you should be fine even if you go over. My golden rule is, if I'm eating something and not particularly enjoying it, I don't finish it as its a waste of calories that could be spent on something delicious.
As you've ben on a restricted intake you might find that actually you don't want as much, so if you have a big lunch you will only want a sandwich in the evening. If you're self catering then there's no big breakfasts to avoid (you know its illegal not to eat a cooked breakfast if someone else cooks and washes up!!) and on the days you're taking a packed lunch you can control what you take, so you'll know what calories to log. OK you might splash out on a nice pack of kettle chips instead of quavers, but you won't be going mad! And if you only pack the savoury stuff for your lunch, then your tea/cake stop is dessert not an extra meal.
Main point is, its your holiday, you've looked forward to it and PAID for it, so don't deprive yourself of something you really want (just don't eat a whole packet of biscuits "just because"!). You didn't put it all your weight on during a holiday before so you won't this time. Its not like you're going on a cruise/all-inclusive which can be a bit more problematic!0 -
Some really helpful tips - I want to enjoy myself but sticking to the things I will really appreciate (single scoop good icecream rather than huge soft serve) makes sense.1
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Following! This is about to be me!0
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Another vote for a little decadence in your diet while on vacation. Your goal of maintenance calories sounds reasonable, but you may want to consider not logging at all. When you're spending money on things like flights, hotels, activities and restaurant meals, you want to make sure you have great memories to justify that cash outlay.
The only real danger is if you were to get home and think "I blew it, I'm too upset about my gain to get back into a calorie deficit". Better to plan on gaining a little. I pack some looser fitting clothes to wear towards the end of the vacation to take the stress off, and I don't jump on the scales when I'm back home until 3 days of normal eating.1 -
KANGOOJUMPS wrote: »eat it all, drink it all?????????
That's a bit too much I guess, and one doesn't learn anything from it. Making conscious decisions seems a better approach. Stuffing oneself senseless might be what some people like, but what will happen once they go into maintenance? Do they stuff themselves senseless again?
Enjoying yourself, eating what you'd like and drinking what you'd like doesn't automatically equate to stuffing yourself senseless. I ate a lot more carbs and drunk massive amounts on holiday this year but looking at my weight afterwards and how quick it came off I was mostly around maintenance for the time I was away.
It is possible to still make smarter choices, I know I did, I mostly had low calorie mixers, I chose more protein based meals than I might have previously and I made an effort to drink plenty of water. Worst case you have had a thoroughly enjoyable holiday that puts your long term weight loss plan back a couple of weeks.1 -
I'm heading off on a US road trip in September, I know that I'm going to be eating badly as a lot of food will be convenience purchases. This month I'm trying to be really really good so that I can just relax and enjoy. My aim will be to gain 5lbs max over the two weeks, then smash it again on my return.
If you let your diet restrict the enjoyment of your holiday there's a good chance that you will resent it. In the long term that could be worse for your weight.0
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