How to maintain on a four-week vacation?

purple4sure05
purple4sure05 Posts: 287 Member
edited April 2019 in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys, I will be traveling for a month straight this summer internationally, partially in Asian countries and partly European. Of course I want to be able to indulge in some foods and enjoy myself, but a month is a long time. Particularly in Asia it will be difficult to log much of anything accurately. I also will probably be eating 80% foods that arent directly in the database.

Does anyone have tips on how not to gain much weight or how to prepare for this? I'm hoping to work out at local gyms as much as possible, walk everywhere, and try to eat a light breakfast and then lunch as late in the day as possible. I'm hoping to focus on one larger meal per day as an early dinner.

Has anyone ever traveled for this long and had success maintaining? Would really appreciate tips to have a fun time, relax on my food restriction, but still not gain weight. I'm terrified to leave my scales for a month and come back 10 pounds heavier!

Replies

  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    Sounds like a lovely trip!! How long have you been in maintenance?

    I've been on MFP 4 years, and maintaining 3 years. During weight loss and most of this time, I used to eat light during the day and most of my calories in the early evening, like you.

    But the past 6 months I've felt less ravenous throughout the day if I eat a bit more at breakfast and lunch.

    Before, I used to sleep badly and feel uncomfortable because I was so full. I was also a bit stressed by battling with avoiding snacks mid-morning and mid-afternoon.

    Things are more on an even keel now. I went on holiday in February for 10 days and lost a little weight.

    Are you planning on drinking much alcohol? That can affect some people's ability to control their eating.
  • purple4sure05
    purple4sure05 Posts: 287 Member
    Orphia wrote: »
    Sounds like a lovely trip!! How long have you been in maintenance?

    I've been on MFP 4 years, and maintaining 3 years. During weight loss and most of this time, I used to eat light during the day and most of my calories in the early evening, like you.

    But the past 6 months I've felt less ravenous throughout the day if I eat a bit more at breakfast and lunch.

    Before, I used to sleep badly and feel uncomfortable because I was so full. I was also a bit stressed by battling with avoiding snacks mid-morning and mid-afternoon.

    Things are more on an even keel now. I went on holiday in February for 10 days and lost a little weight.

    Are you planning on drinking much alcohol? That can affect some people's ability to control their eating.

    I'm still figuring out maintenance calories. I'm currently eating 1500 per day gross, but exercising a ton so I assume I'll be eating more. At least I hope so, I've fluctuated between 130 and 132 for the last two weeks when I should theoretically be losing a pound a week.

    I'm only planning to drink once or twice on the trip so that wont be an issue :)

    As of right now I eat small amounts throughout the day (granola and yogurt, then a banana, then hummus and pretzels, then some other snack, then chicken and rice). I figured one slightly indulgent meal at night would make it easier to not be so restrictive Haha. I dont want to drive my boyfriend crazy.
  • kaizaku
    kaizaku Posts: 1,039 Member
    My friend been on holiday close to a month. If you have a gym in your hotel. Throw in exercise in the morning before you head out.
  • emilysusana
    emilysusana Posts: 416 Member
    A month is a long time, but not that long. Think about how much you might possibly again in one month (maybe a pound a week, worst case scenario?). It won’t be a difference you can see. You can come home and eat at a deficit for 1-2 months and reverse it.

    You’re right. You won’t be able to weigh or measure things. You will be eating a lot of noodles and rice! You will want to try all of the delicious foods!

    But most likely you will also be walking a lot. You may not gain.

    The important thing is not what you do while there (while there, you should enjoy your trip), but what you do when you get back.
  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
    Hey guys, I will be traveling for a month straight this summer internationally, partially in Asian countries and partly European. Of course I want to be able to indulge in some foods and enjoy myself, but a month is a long time. Particularly in Asia it will be difficult to log much of anything accurately. I also will probably be eating 80% foods that arent directly in the database.

    Does anyone have tips on how not to gain much weight or how to prepare for this? I'm hoping to work out at local gyms as much as possible, walk everywhere, and try to eat a light breakfast and then lunch as late in the day as possible. I'm hoping to focus on one larger meal per day as an early dinner.

    Has anyone ever traveled for this long and had success maintaining? Would really appreciate tips to have a fun time, relax on my food restriction, but still not gain weight. I'm terrified to leave my scales for a month and come back 10 pounds heavier!

    I think your expectations of walking and generally eating rhythm will work for you. In Asia, if you're eating local cuisine, you're not likely to encounter fat-bomb surprises (South Asia might be an exception, though). Europe will be a different story, potentially. Just enjoy yourself though. And when you travel home, be aware that extended flight times result in fluid retention that can make you shriek at the scale but will totally resolve itself within a week.
  • riffraff2112
    riffraff2112 Posts: 1,757 Member
    I spent a month in Europe (Italy and Greece) last summer, and about a month in Europe (Croatia, Greece, Malta, Italy) four years ago. I did well with my weight as I tended to do lots of walking and the heat made me lose my appetite. I drank a lot of beer (and tons of water), but ate really healthy as fast food isn't nearly as common nor desirable when I travel.
    I did not get as many weight training workouts as I would have liked, but managed to do some body weight exercises when I could (mostly pushups, squats and ab work).
    Have fun and good luck
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    I've never tracked calories while on vacation. I usually walk at least 10km/day and just try to not eat excessively. With all the activity, I have lost weight on my last 4 big vacations (4-5 weeks).
  • purple4sure05
    purple4sure05 Posts: 287 Member
    A month is a long time, but not that long. Think about how much you might possibly again in one month (maybe a pound a week, worst case scenario?). It won’t be a difference you can see. You can come home and eat at a deficit for 1-2 months and reverse it.

    You’re right. You won’t be able to weigh or measure things. You will be eating a lot of noodles and rice! You will want to try all of the delicious foods!

    But most likely you will also be walking a lot. You may not gain.

    The important thing is not what you do while there (while there, you should enjoy your trip), but what you do when you get back.

    If a pound a week is the worst case scenario (I'm not someone who binges or completely loses control, but I do want to be able to eat desserts and meals with a lot higher calories than I'm used to sometimes) than that's not a big deal. You're right, I want to enjoy it and not worry about it, but considering it's a whole month, I just didn't want to undo a bunch of progress and come back 10 pounds heavier. I dont want to have to spend months at a large deficit to get back on track, but losing up to 4 pounds wont be a big deal. I already work out an hour and 15 minutes 6 days a week so I wasnt sure how much walking will counteract that.

    Anyway, fingers crossed that I'm looking at 4 pounds or less to deal with at home :)
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    I'd be prepared to see some big water weight gain on the scale after you get home, since that happens to me whenever I eat a lot of restaurant food.

    If I was going away for a month and I had access to a kitchen, I would want to go grocery shopping and cook some of my own food. If I didn't have access to a kitchen, I would try to eat a lot of veggies and lean proteins that weren't cooked in too much oil. I'd probably also stock up on things like protein bars, if available, for my breakfasts, since I don't like to use a lot of my calories early in the day. I would definitely want to indulge in special local dishes, but just try to enjoy them in moderation. And if possible, I would walk a lot.

    Ultimately, if you do gain fat, just remember that you will start losing it when you're back in a deficit. That is really the worst case scenario.
  • emilysusana
    emilysusana Posts: 416 Member
    A month is a long time, but not that long. Think about how much you might possibly again in one month (maybe a pound a week, worst case scenario?). It won’t be a difference you can see. You can come home and eat at a deficit for 1-2 months and reverse it.

    You’re right. You won’t be able to weigh or measure things. You will be eating a lot of noodles and rice! You will want to try all of the delicious foods!

    But most likely you will also be walking a lot. You may not gain.

    The important thing is not what you do while there (while there, you should enjoy your trip), but what you do when you get back.

    If a pound a week is the worst case scenario (I'm not someone who binges or completely loses control, but I do want to be able to eat desserts and meals with a lot higher calories than I'm used to sometimes) than that's not a big deal. You're right, I want to enjoy it and not worry about it, but considering it's a whole month, I just didn't want to undo a bunch of progress and come back 10 pounds heavier. I dont want to have to spend months at a large deficit to get back on track, but losing up to 4 pounds wont be a big deal. I already work out an hour and 15 minutes 6 days a week so I wasnt sure how much walking will counteract that.

    Anyway, fingers crossed that I'm looking at 4 pounds or less to deal with at home :)

    Yeah, as @apullum mentioned, the scale may say you gained more than a pound a week, but I wouldn’t expect more than that in fat gain. Again, I’m basing this on personal experience... when I travel I try all the foods, walk a ton, and usually gain a bit. It’s worth it. Good luck!
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    apullum wrote: »
    I'd be prepared to see some big water weight gain on the scale after you get home, since that happens to me whenever I eat a lot of restaurant food.

    If I was going away for a month and I had access to a kitchen, I would want to go grocery shopping and cook some of my own food. If I didn't have access to a kitchen, I would try to eat a lot of veggies and lean proteins that weren't cooked in too much oil. I'd probably also stock up on things like protein bars, if available, for my breakfasts, since I don't like to use a lot of my calories early in the day. I would definitely want to indulge in special local dishes, but just try to enjoy them in moderation. And if possible, I would walk a lot.

    Ultimately, if you do gain fat, just remember that you will start losing it when you're back in a deficit. That is really the worst case scenario.

    Yes. Those long flights are so bad for water weight. It takes me about a week to drop anywhere from 10-15 lbs when returning home.
  • InsertFunnyUsernameHere
    InsertFunnyUsernameHere Posts: 271 Member
    edited April 2019
    Just enjoy your vacation. Don't obsess about calories. Do little things like choosing water for your drink as often as you can (or are so inclined) or making the effort to walk whenever you can while on vacation. These can help, but ultimately a vacation is meant as an enjoyable break. Go. Have fun. Assume that when you come back you'll have gained some weight (due to calories surplus and water retention) that you'll want to lose. In the structured regime of your daily life, it should be easy to take that weight off in 2-3 weeks.

    Don't miss seeing the forest through of the trees. Vacations should not be spent worrying about calories and scale weight.
  • Smacfit_
    Smacfit_ Posts: 101 Member
    You will be likely walking a lot no doubt so this will help you :) Walk as much as you can. I did this for 4 months within southeast Asian countries a few years ago and only gained about 5lbs. I kept as active as possible, generally ate what I wanted but kept portions reasonable. I didn't cook my own food except for occasional breakfasts since it was so cheap and fresh and I love eating local cuisine. Some days I really indulged and I tried to just enjoy myself. This might be a good break for you, try to enjoy yourself and not overthink it too much. Have fun!
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,393 Member
    Look, it's "simple": if several times a day you only stop eating / drinking after you're stuffed and have trouble walking, if you often eat / drink when you aren't hungry (or at the very least about to become pekish) and often eat / drink seconds because it was tasty even though you would not have eaten something that was not as tasty, if your clothes start not fitting and you ignore the signs, if you often do many of these things then all bets are off in terms of a manageable regain.

    In most other cases, if you overindulge a little but not systematically, after a few days to recover from air travel and extra sodium you should be looking at a manageable gain and some great vacation memories!!!

    You can still track loosely on MFP using semi random database entries or similar foods from chains or frozen meals as a quick guide. If you want to.

    I would assume that any tourist meandering around town on their feet for 3+ hours a day will be exceeding MFP's very active level.