Do you count calories / log MFP on vacations?
nickb2124
Posts: 8 Member
I am going on a 10 day trip, and I really don't want it to throw me off track. Pretty sure we'll do a lot of walking but also quite a bit of eating... I have never been able to log during vacation - I'm only able to do that when I'm in my regular routine and eat most of my meals at home (where I know for sure what goes in...). Should I just let go for a while (trying to eat responsibly)? Any advice will be appreciated.
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Replies
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I don't log on vacation.3
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I log when it's a short vacation, but for a 10-day trip, I don't. I think I probably should, but I end up stopping after the third day. Long vacations usually involve a flight somewhere in a different time zone and I'm super bloated so my weight is all wonky. I'm still mindful of what I eat and I'm still mentally adding up my calories.2
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I personally don't (when I was actually tracking). But what you do us up to you and what you are comfortable with. Maybe tracking lightly (no food scale just estimates) or giving yourself a bit of rules to restrain yourself (only one type of pastry at breakfast, two drinks before dinner, skip snacks, etc) if you feel like you won't be able to control yourself.5
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I don't.
I did once this year, just to see, and ended up at maintenance as while there was loads of food, there was loads of walking too!2 -
no. too much of a hassle, being that none of the food has their nutritional information available.2
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I do, but I am still in the losing weight category. Maybe if I was on a break or maintaining I would feel different. I will log via my I-phone. I think one of these there is no one correct answer items. Only you know how much you might go off course if you do not log at all.2
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I watch my portion sizes and keep an idea on how much I'm having throughout the day while still enjoying myself. But, I also don't do much on vacation and my idea of a good time is plopping my bum on the beach for a week and nothing else.2
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Everyday is day one. When you get back you weigh in and go from there. A vacation is supposed to be a break from everyday stress. A time to regroup and come back stronger and ready to face life's realities. Just focus on fun and enjoy yourself.7
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I do, just because I'm obsessed with it. My day is not complete unless I log!1
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I went on an 11 day trip in August. I did not log anything. But we did a ton of walking. I ended maintaining my weight. I ate and drank what i wanted. It was Italy and I wanted to enjoy everything Italy had to offer.5
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No way.
I eat and drink every thing I want and don't care.
I deal with the fallout when I get home.8 -
If you do log, how would you go about it? It is so complicated to figure out the nutritional value of outside food... at home it feels like having a rough estimate of a meal a couple of times a week is ok, but when on vacation, it feels that my estimate for a day can easily be 1.5X-2X wrong.0
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I still log, but I don't use a scale. If it's just a week or so, I am still pretty good at estimating.
I was just on a week trip as part of a life celebration, so there was lots of food. I just make a close guess as to what I ate and how much. It helps, and I also think it helps me look at my history over time. There was one banquet (cocktails, appetizers, wine, food, more food, dessert....) I just made a totally SWAG for calories and made up a recipe that was protein, fat, and carbs to get to that amount of calories. Was it accurate? Maybe. Maybe not. Certainly more accurate than logging a zero (not logging).
When I'm on a multi-day dive trip or river trip, I log even LOOSER. I made a recipe I call "Rafter Rations" and another I call "Diver Rations." They are a HUGE amount of calories just allocated across fat, protein, and carbs. I just log that IN ADVANCE for one of my meals each day I'm going to be gone. Then I eat whatever the walrus I want. Tri-tip? You bet! Bacon, eggs, and hash browns? Yes please. And more bacon. Gravy on the potatoes? Uh-huh! But on those trips I'm also very active.
It works for me; whatever works for you... works for YOU!3 -
I take a 2 week vacation every year. I don't log, but I do stay mindful about what I am eating. For me, vacation means lots of walking, a little bit more "fun food" than I normally eat, and extra beer/wine. We stay in a beach house, buy our groceries, and rarely eat at restaurants, so it's fairly easy to control what I eat. I tend to maintain my weight while on vacation. I think it helps me to go into it with the mindset that I'm not going to go completely off the rails.
If I'm on a mini-vacation like a girl's weekend, I don't limit food/drinks, and don't log or track at all.
Either way, it does not make a significant difference in my weight (once all the water weight settles down and I go back to my normal routine).4 -
I'm on holiday right now and I am logging as best I can. I don't worry about nutrients, just try to get some idea of calories. I allow myself a higher calorie allowance than usual and I am fairly active. I find I can estimate portion sizes roughly. I don't count stuff like lettuce and I'm careful with dessert and drinks. It helps me to keep track of things.
However, I'm retired and I have a lot of holidays so I would find it really difficult to lose weight if I didn't try to stay on track.
As others have said, find what works for you.3 -
i do my best to log. but i don't scrimp on calories2
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I don't. I vaguely aim to keep an eye on portions.
I actually find that often I do less snacking between meals, and also after a couple of days of indulgence I am ready to find "normal" food again.
My last holiday I had a big jump on the scales when I got home (water weight mostly), then went back to my normal routine gladly.2 -
I log but I don't stress about anything and I usually try to stay within my maintainance calories.
It seems to help me see why I went up or down on the scale i.e. too much alcohol - I'm dehydrated or sodium filled dinners - I'm probably retaining water.
It also seems to help recalabrate my eyeballing calories/portions.
BUT I don't normally stress about calories so if this stresses you then I'd let it go, vacation is about fun & relaxation.3 -
I don’t. I just choose healthy items. Splurge occasionally but then don’t use that indulgence to go completely off the rails. Choose wisely, enjoy your vacation. Think of it as a lifestyle choice in what you choose to eat, not a chore, and you’ll be fine5
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I don’t log on vacation. I’m mindful of what I eat and try to pick healthy options. Usually, I’m so active on vacations that I end up losing weight even without counting calories at all.3
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When I am on vacation I log but it is guesstimated only and I don't use food scales. Just enough to give a rough idea of how much I am burning and eating. I am a bit OCD with my logging though so this is vacation made as it helps prevent additional stress.
Only you can determine what will work best for you when on vacation and if that means being stringent with logging then do it. If that means eating what you want, when you want, and picking up the pieces when you get back then do it. If it means something between these two extremes then do it. The most important thing is to enjoy your vacation!1 -
No, BUT I set limites/guidelines.
~Eat out no more than once a day.
~ Limit sweets to once a day.
~pre measure and bag snacks
~ prepare simple meals (like crockpot chicken, or eggs for breakfast) when I can
I found that following a few guidelines, knowing how much and what you should eat (you should be familiar With a serving size if you track and kinda eye ball it), and the increased exercise I can maintain my weight (after a few days home to let sodium and increased carbs work their way out)3 -
Yes. I eat at maintenance during vacations, but I log everything to the best of my abilities, and either use the restaurant's information, or Sodexo/Aramark entries.5
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I went on an 11 day trip in August. I did not log anything. But we did a ton of walking. I ended maintaining my weight. I ate and drank what i wanted. It was Italy and I wanted to enjoy everything Italy had to offer.
I also was a little worried about keeping up with my goals during my recent business trip to Italy.
But a combo of lots of walking plus mindfulness about portion sizes made the week easy and enjoyable, without missing out in any of the yummy foods.
Such as : big green olives stuffed with sausage meat then battered and deep fried.
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I have always logged.
I just add a note that it a guesstimate as I was on a holiday, but logging I will
When I was on my weight loss journey I allowed myself to go into maintenance so I could eat a little bit more and enjoy a little more . Currently that is no longer an issue as I am in maintenance anyway2 -
Loosely log. Weight? Not always. I will often stay at a place I can prep some.2
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I don’t track my food, but I do log in every day to see the activity adjustment from my Fitbit, and also to keep the habit.
As soon as I get back to where I have my food scale and access to nutrition labels I can pick right up where I left off.2 -
NO! To be honest I saw a lady at my job logging a holiday party on myfitness and I felt so sorry for her. I could never do that to myself. I take breaks when needed.1
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No. Way too much hassle. When I go on vacation I avoid going to chain restaurants at all costs so logging would be an exercise in completely random guessing (since independent restaurants don't have to give calorie info). If I travelled a lot for work I might.2
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We own the condo where we vacation, and it has kitchen facilities. The first year I was dieting, I did bring my food scale, did stay at deficit, and did log.
And it was a pain because the place where we are has *terrible* wifi.
The next year, I just didn't bother. I mostly eat my own food anyway, and there are a couple of allowances for foods that I eat that we get elsewhere. This is mainly due to the fact that I have celiac disease and it's hard to accommodate. Since I'm controlling my intake, I just eat sensibly and then when I get a chance to have those fries they make in dedicated gluten-free friers? Well, I just enjoy them.
I do this two weeks out of every year. It's really made no substantial difference.
Even if I could eat at restaurants, I would simply make wise choices. There was a time, back in the day, before I had dietary concerns, when I did this. Everyone pretty much knows what lower calorie options are going to be. If you're concerned about putting on too much weight, just go that route. Otherwise, just eat smaller portions of caloric foods and enjoy your vacation.
Life goes on and you can always lose any excess you put on. Most of it is likely to be water. Weight management isn't linear, and it's a continuum. It's okay to have ups and downs.5
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