Scared of weight gain on vacation

kathy9083
kathy9083 Posts: 27 Member
edited December 23 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm going away to Disney for a week and I'm a little anxious that I'll regain some weight during this time. My weight loss has been super slow lately and I've lost 5 measly pounds in 2 months. Because of this, I am super scared that I'll erase all the progress I've made. How do you stick to your plan while on vacation? Do you still count calories?

Replies

  • LyndaBSS
    LyndaBSS Posts: 6,964 Member
    edited October 2019
    Depending on how long you've been counting calories, eating healthy should be second nature and you'll be able to stick to it, for the most part, without making it the focus of your vacation.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    Also-I log everything on vacation. Or at least a best guess. Not because I’m a slave to my diary, but because I bloat a lot from carbs/salt/activity/flying and it can take several weeks for that to all normalize.

    So I like having a record to know about how much actual fat I might have gained when all the water bloat has the scale showing 10-15 extra pounds.
  • dbanks80
    dbanks80 Posts: 3,685 Member
    snickerscharlie wrote: »
    You'll likely be walking a lot at Disney, so there's that.

    I'm in the don't stress about it camp. It's a vacation - relax, enjoy, have fun. Try to make decent food choices. Worry about any fallout when you're back home.

    Oh, and if you're flying there and back, don't freak out when you step on the scale when you get home. You will likely be carrying at least a few pounds of temporary water weight from flying which should dissipate within the week, and is very normal.

    All of this.
  • Shortgirlrunning
    Shortgirlrunning Posts: 1,020 Member
    I’ve found I’m so much more active on vacation that even with out weighing/counting calories when I make healthy/reasonable choice I either don’t gain or even lose!
  • MercuryForce
    MercuryForce Posts: 103 Member
    I agree with all the other comments. I recently went to North Carolina and enjoyed the pimento cheese, hush puppies, and BBQ. When I came back I had gained about 5 lbs, but 4 of those were water weight that flew right off. The other pound was definitely worth it to enjoy that magic that is pimento cheese.

    Basically, I look at this as a long term thing, and I don't want to long-term avoid things I enjoy out of fear of a pound or two. As long as I'm meeting my goals most of the time, it's fine to miss sometimes.
  • cupcakesandproteinshakes
    cupcakesandproteinshakes Posts: 1,159 Member
    Holidays for me are a diet break. Look on them as good practice for your future self when he/she is at goal weight and entering maintenance. You don’t need to go mental, just relax and enjoy a little extra food. Then when you return you will hopefully be refreshed and ready to resume dieting.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    My vacation rules:

    1) Always dampen my hunger with something lower calorie first.
    2) Be really picky and if I do not feel something is worth the calories stop eating it.
    3) Move more if possible
    4) Enjoy myself - it is a vacation

    I do not mind gaining weight on a vacation. I do mind gaining it for no good reason. I don't need to skip the salad and eat two steaks and I don't want to eat the pastry if it seems stale. Beyond that I will eat the steak and I will eat a fresh pastry if I am enjoying the flavor. I need my vacations and I absolutely do not want to come back from one feeling deprived. That would definitely be worse than gaining a pound.

    With that said I usually lose weight at Disney.
  • dbanks80
    dbanks80 Posts: 3,685 Member
    I am going on vacation to Jamaica Oct 31st. My plans that I usually follow:

    1. Workout for an hour 30 mins cardio 30 mins strength training. If I can get up and not hungover
    2. Drink Vodka and Club Soda. Tall has more club soda than vodka.
    3. Eat low carbs and more protein. This is what I eat anyway.
    4. Enjoy myself. If I feel like eating it I eat it.

    I usually end up maintaining and pick up where I left off.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,307 Member
    edited October 2019
    Duck_Puddle wrote: »
    ... Canadian Rockies...That works out to about a restaurant serving of poutine a day (for the calories needed to for that amount of gain). Plus a couple of BeaverTails.

    Where does one find good poutine and BeaverTails in the Rockies?

    Please rank suggested locations for inquiring minds!

    Thank you 😋
  • OhMsDiva
    OhMsDiva Posts: 1,073 Member
    I think you have to find a happy median. I used to think oh its vacation Im not going to worry about it. I have learned that for me I cant do that. I normally exercise on vacation just like when I am at home, but because I allow myself to overindulge I gain weight. Again, for me, it does not just fall off. I would say enjoy yourself but also be mindful of what you are eating.
  • soofa93
    soofa93 Posts: 5 Member
    Enjoy the vacation and the food and don’t think about weight loss and progress, enjoy yourself and don’t feel guilty, I never count calories on vacation🤷🏻‍♀️
  • missjck2
    missjck2 Posts: 146 Member
    Enjoy yourself, we all deserve a little break. If you’re needing to stick with your regiment eat what you want, track and work out a few days - most hotels have fitness centers for this very reason 😉

  • brenn24179
    brenn24179 Posts: 2,144 Member
    my first vacation i gained 4 lbs, the next one I gained zero. The second one I did not drink soft drinks and I did not allow myself to get too hungry.
  • tuckerrj
    tuckerrj Posts: 1,453 Member
    I know that a majority of folks will tell you to relax and eat whatever your want. To tell you the truth, I "discovered" I don't have to over-eat in order to enjoy myself on vacation. Yeah, I try new foods, especially local specialties. But it doesn't have to be to great excess. Also I/we walk more, I'll use the exercise room and/or swimming pool if the accommodations have them. We've gone on vacation twice in the last 5 months (during my 40 lb. weight loss period) and I had no more than normal fluctuations in my weight loss progress.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    Duck_Puddle wrote: »
    ... Canadian Rockies...That works out to about a restaurant serving of poutine a day (for the calories needed to for that amount of gain). Plus a couple of BeaverTails.

    Where does one find good poutine and BeaverTails in the Rockies?

    Please rank suggested locations for inquiring minds!

    Thank you 😋

    The Beaver Tails were obtained in Banff. I don’t remember if I saw another beaver tails establishment? There were a couple in Banff and we stopped at one next to a place that made some kind of maple popcorn (which sounds pretty gross but it smelled like heaven-didn’t try any though).

    The best poutine (IMO - of my samples) was in Jasper - at the restaurant at the top of the tram. I tried many (many) others but that was the one I liked best.

    Second place would be some kind of diner-like/truck stop place near Lake Louise.

    To be fair-I’ve never had poutine before this trip so I have no idea if any of these qualified as “good” poutine-but I thought they were tasty.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    tuckerrj wrote: »
    I know that a majority of folks will tell you to relax and eat whatever your want. To tell you the truth, I "discovered" I don't have to over-eat in order to enjoy myself on vacation. Yeah, I try new foods, especially local specialties. But it doesn't have to be to great excess. Also I/we walk more, I'll use the exercise room and/or swimming pool if the accommodations have them. We've gone on vacation twice in the last 5 months (during my 40 lb. weight loss period) and I had no more than normal fluctuations in my weight loss progress.

    I am comfortable eating more but I believe that my epiphany along the way of always having some form of restriction even if it is the loose set of rules I posted up-thread means I am always exercising some mindfulness. What works for others though is fine for them. I am, however, not comfortable opening my floodgates completely. Plus what I posted is, to me, common sense unless a person really wants to eat 2 steaks at dinner.
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,255 Member
    edited November 2019
    I spent 2 weeks in France in Sept., eating all the cheese, bread, desserts and pastries, and drinking wine. Gained maybe 2 pounds because of how much walking we did. Got sick immediately after getting home and then had oral surgery, with the result that I am only now getting back to my normal eating and workout routine. I gained only another 2 pounds. So enjoy your vacation, stay active during it, and get back on track when you get home.
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