going on holiday in a few weeks

morenita71
morenita71 Posts: 137 Member
edited October 5 in Health and Weight Loss
...bit nervous about what will happen to my weight...this year I'm going to visit my family in Bangladesh and then will be spending a few days (as tourists) in India before returning to London.

Plus sides we will miss out on a lot of the hectic socialising we do at this time of year and this holiday will be 'dry' (no booze)
Negative side - I will have no control over food and my family love spoiling us with food - and I LOVE the food - great breakfasts of parathas and masala spiced omelettes and samosas for snacks and great homecooked meals with six or seven different curries and biryanis for special occasions.

Another negative is the lack of opportunity to do exercise. No access to gym and little opportunity to walk - my family all have cars and it's not really the done thing - difficult to explain - if you're of a certain class you have to be driven everywhere.

I know it's in my control and I should (and can) make sensible food choices (will get great fish) but I'm worried about the length of time (almost 3 weeks) without any recourse to MFP. I find calorie counting to be a bit of an emotional crutch - it's become very reassuring after a bad weekend/week to know you can really rein it in. I will have my lap top too so may take a few exercise DVDs I can do indoors... (any recommendations?)

I am almost resigned to putting on a few pounds...

Replies

  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    Ooh how exciting, hope you have a fabulous time!

    The food sounds amazing, I'm very jealous, so I think portion control is the way ahead rather than skipping anything. Try not to have more than a plateful a meal in total, even if you have to estimate this over several courses.

    Get a few different resistance exercise bands to throw in your luggage. They take up no room or weight and are just as efefctive as weights

    For bodyweight-only DVDs, try Leslie Sansone's - they may be walking pace, but they don't half make me sweat! Some use resistance bands too. I also like Davina's - different routines go from moderate to 30DS intensity with no equipment needed.

    Most of all, have a fabulous time!
  • asyouseefit
    asyouseefit Posts: 1,265 Member
    I should learn to read the posts! Leslie Sansone, Turbo Jam/Fire and Banish Fast Boost metabolism are great cardio DVDS that require no material (you need a mat for BFBM but you can easily skip the core circuit where it's needed). Great calorie burners, too!

    If you have the choice between several curries and byrianis, try to go for the ones with the least calories (chicken instead of lamb, f.i.). When I'm on holiday, I try to focus on satiety, eat when I'm hungry, stop when I'm full, even if I'm eating greasy fattening foods. Seems to do the trick!

    But the most important thing is to enjoy yourself! You can quickly lose what you've gained when you come back!
  • lizjames1971
    lizjames1971 Posts: 39
    Do the DVDs, burn enough cals each morning & then enjoy the food "in moderation"! Or just enjoy & worry about it n three weeks!!!
  • jaajh
    jaajh Posts: 1,262 Member
    I totally understand this one! Although I have the problem the other way around. I live in Africa, but when I go on holiday back to the UK to see my family, I always end up gaining weight I've previously lost! When family are cooking for you (so you have no control over the menu) AND you are suddenly presented with things you LOVE and have missed eating, it's really hard. However, the last time I found that (although I resigned myself to the fact that I would gain a bit, I didn't need to gain LOADS). Exercise is the key. In the UK I was able to go out and walk or run (something I can't do here, for reasons very similar to why you can't in India/Bangladesh!), but you say you'll have your lap top with you. Take some good exercise DVDs (a selection if possible so you don't get bored with the same ones) and make yourself do them. You will find that that gives you some grace for those days when your will power is just not working when faced with those samosas! Also, look up in advance the typical calorie contents of some of the meals you might get presented with. Make your own estimates of ingrediants in some of those recipes, and then you could keep a rough manual calorie count each day. It might help you to make some good decisions when you can.

    You need to enjoy this holiday and time with family, so don't get too worried about it. Try to limit the damage, but get mentally prepared that you might gain a little. And when you get back, just get back on track quickly!

    Hope it goes really well for you.
  • lynn1982
    lynn1982 Posts: 1,439 Member
    I'm going on holiday next week. My plan is to eat at my maintenance calories while trying to make healthy choices, but also allowing myself to indulge a little... (I'm going to Germany for a week - there are so many yummy foods and beer!) I'm taking my 3 pound weights with me and plan to do 30DS in my hotel room every morning...I did this back in August too and it worked out ok. I didn't lose anything, but I didn't gain either. I too find logging my food on MFP like a bit of a crutch. Since I don't know how often I will have internet access, I am taking a little notebook with me to write down everything I eat. Even if I plan on going over my calories for that bit of time, I like to still know what I am eating and how much just to be accountable.

    Have a wonderful time and don't stress too much over what you're eating!!
  • MrsSWW
    MrsSWW Posts: 1,585 Member
    I know how you feel - family always want to put on a spread for you and you are obliged to eat it so as not to cause offence! BUT the good thing it that you get to eat food that you often have been missing, and you get to see family - so enjoy and try not to worry too much about what you are eating.

    Billy Blank's Tae-Bo burns around 800 cals an hour, they are fun to do and he's very motivating without bullying you, I highly recommend them.

    Enjoy, we'll miss you - PLEASE take some pictures of the food, you know I'm obsessed :love:

    Shaz
    x
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