All Inclusive Holiday - My PLan

sam_juggins
sam_juggins Posts: 45 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Tomorrow I fly off on my annual 10 days in the sun and again its all inclusive. Now I know that I will drink as much as I want which the last few years has been the local lager. I am heavier than I want to be and know full well I will be even heavier when I get back. We do walk a fair bit when we are away but we also do have lazy pool days, it is our holiday after all. so here is my plan to at least try to limit some of the weight gain.

Still aim for at least 10,000 steps per day, even if this means just walking around the block a few times to get the numbers up.

Breakfast - No full english breakfast every day (I did this 8 of the 9 days last year), I will limit it to 3, i am being realistic and know a full ban will not fly with me! :D

Lunch - Salad and a protein or full fruit salad

Dinner - Salad, rice and a protein. Limit the chips! On Saturday its my husbands birthday so all these rules for dinner will go out of the window but it is a 3km walk to the resort centre so additional exercise to be had, plus I'm guessing a high alcohol content so the walk back will be a wobble affair and not a straight line :D:D:D

Dessert - I'll have it the first night, realise they're rubbish (they always have been) and not bother again

Drinks - Try to drink more water, swap out some the lager for amaretto and diet coke (less calorific but still a boozy drink) and reduce the cocktails.

Well that's the plan and at least I am trying to have a plan this year rather that "sod it" and tucking the buffet tablecloth under my chin and dig in. ;)

Anyone else have some tips to an all inclusive but not actually feel to restricted?

Replies

  • Saffyra
    Saffyra Posts: 607 Member
    Only eat what you love! Dont eat it just because it's there. If you take a bite and it's not fabulous, toss it. Why waste calories on less than stellar food when you can just drink them in an alcoholic form!? ;)

    I also found I was a lot more self limiting thinking about having to lose it all over again. Why is it so easy to put on and killer to get back off!?
  • sam_juggins
    sam_juggins Posts: 45 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    On holiday I usually have a full English every day, and then don't need lunch at all.

    Doesn't work for me. I'll be back at lunch and dinner so hence the limit.
  • sam_juggins
    sam_juggins Posts: 45 Member
    Saffyra wrote: »
    . Why is it so easy to put on and killer to get back off!?

    Tell me about it! :/

  • sam_juggins
    sam_juggins Posts: 45 Member
    Runaroundafieldx2 wrote: »
    There is no way I'm going to limit anything I want on my holiday.

    I have to do something or I'll be the size of a house on the flight back. They'll put me in the hold as excess baggage!!! :D
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    I tend to cruise, AI, so a similar thing.

    Shore days I'm active, sea days all loungers and lagers.
    (had to say that but a goodly amount of bubbles and fru-fru drinks too)

    I try to stay close to my portion sizes, and like already said above, don't waste my cals on mediocre food.

    I also check out what I am having for dinner at the beginning of the day. If I like all 5 courses, I go light during the day. Otherwise I split my meals into high low and medium, or a variation of, and rotate where my high cal meal will be.

    On my first cruise I ate everything, and, to be honest came off the ship a good few lbs heavier and not wanting to eat for years, or so it felt I was so bloated
    . Now I don't stint myself, but also don't have the need to gorge.

    Enjoy your holiday, eat the food you like, just in appropriate portions.

    Cheers, h.
  • sam_juggins
    sam_juggins Posts: 45 Member
    [quote="MelanieCN77;c-42885394"

    Not everyone's relationship with food is normal and overeating is a habit that is comforting and tempting to go back to. I respect all the posters who have been at this for a good minute and have come to a place of calm management with their food, but the very fact that someone posts about reaching for this control is a good indication that it's something they have trouble with sometimes and are therefore making a plan for it.

    OP I would also be so looking forward to an AI holiday but there would be this undercurrent of stress as well. I get you![/quote]

    Thank you, I appreciate your comment. It is something that is stressing me and I'm just trying to put in my head how to control the stress and myself!

  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    I'd personally try to be as active as possible, eat small amounts of the things I wanted with an eye to the usual "safe" volume foods that I find filling, and then worry about it when I got home. Like at breakfast, eat your fruit first and lunch and dinner, salad first, then get to sampling :smile: I'd probably also log tbh. A lot of the game is mental for me so seeing the number directly affects the desires. Sometimes it's not even about the food but more about this feeling of loosening the reins.
  • ghudson92
    ghudson92 Posts: 2,061 Member
    OP I completely understand why you are trying to strategise, all inclusive hotels are a mecca of calorific goods! When I go to such hotels, I make sure to use the hotel gym before breakfast and also get a swim in around midday. Walking as much as possible helps as well, though I can see you are planning on walking. As for the food, just try and approach the buffet sensibly. I like to make sure I have a protein and at least three servings of veg.

    Also, don't forget to enjoy yourself, you don't want to let food stress ruin your time away :smile:
  • KatayoonPN
    KatayoonPN Posts: 3 Member
    I gained 8 lbs on 1 week of all inclusive in Mexico. I must say that I completely took off after 2 years of strict diets and self deprivation which had led me to lose 65 pounds in total. And it was deliberate as I wanted for once in my life to sit down and eat without the stress of calculating all the calories. I ate buffet 3 times a day with ice creams and milk shakes in the middle. I mostly ate grilled fish and chicken with veggies, but it is the desserts and all those ice creams that killed me. I am even scared just thinking of how many calories I ate. Probably I was at 4,000 per day.

    I went to gym daily (sometimes twice), did daily jogging on the beach and at least 3 hours of walking in town. Nevertheless, 8 lbs gain.

    Of course, I almost had a heart attack looking at my scale Once back. I cut 500 calories immediately from my maintenance level through food rebalancing and extra exercise. The first 5 lbs came off in 5 days. The remaining 3 lbs took 2 more weeks. It was not easy to be back to controlled eating as my stomach had to squeeze back to get used to old portions, and I felt hungry all the time. But ultimately it was quicker than I expected as the majority of the weight was water retention from high sodium/sugar food and excess waste (pardon me).

    So all the work was totally worth it. At least I can live till next holiday without seeing a chocolate cake every night in my dream.

    Enjoy your holidays and please don’t be too horrified about the weight gain - it will not stick around for long.

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