Tips for not gaining while on vacation?

Options
We're going away to a beach house with friends this weekend, and I am pretty much certain that there will be wine, there will be cheese platters, there will be all sorts of awful temptations, and I will be unable to resist them.

Can anyone suggest ways to keep things myself under control? I don't want to be the annoying person who ruins everyone else's fun, but I also don't want to undo the last few weeks' work in two days.
«1

Replies

  • Tara4boys
    Tara4boys Posts: 515 Member
    Options
    Half potions. When I over to friends for dinner I tell myself 'wine, appetizer, or dessert' but not ALL 3. Be active go walks. Go light for breakfast and dinner
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    Options
    This won't help you, but when I go on vacation, there are no rules and I just enjoy myself. Life's short. Enjoy yourself, and when you get home, get back to it.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    Options
    This won't help you, but when I go on vacation, there are no rules and I just enjoy myself. Life's short. Enjoy yourself, and when you get home, get back to it.

    Bingo.

    just eat sensibly. I'd suggest getting 3 square meals in a day, to alleviate some of the temptation to snack on crap all day long.

    But most of all, have a great time!
  • cbl40
    cbl40 Posts: 281 Member
    Options
    It's easy to eat a healthy breakfast and lunch. Eat what you want for dinner and maybe put out veggies and hommus instead of cheese platters. Also, if you take ff plain Greek yogurt and add a Lipton Onion Soup mix to it, it tastes just like a sour cream dip! Enjoy yourself! :)
  • chrisc16
    Options
    Run in place while eating (just kidding). A few days of eating won't hurt in the long run.
  • allisonrugby
    allisonrugby Posts: 4 Member
    Options
    you've probably heard this so much, but a friend went on a cruize...she ate TONS ..and she gained nothing. Her reason she says, is she drank sooo much water. The most water she's ever drank, water water water!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She just kept flushing with a HUGE amount of water.
    Hope this helps! Enjoy your trip :)
  • Saruman_w
    Saruman_w Posts: 1,531 Member
    Options
    I'd usually plan what I ate ahead of time, or if that wasn't possile I'd settle for sensible portions, stay hydrated and get some exercise in whenever you can.
  • Fififantastic
    Options
    A holiday at a beach house sounds fabulous!!! Lucky you! ENJOY!!! Drink wine, eat cheese, laugh and have fun with your friends and then take long walks along the beach at sunrise and sunset, swim in the ocean, throw a beach ball around, maybe a game of beach volley ball or cricket. Keep active and burn off those calories so that when you sit back and relax with a glass or two of wine at the end of the day, you can enjoy it, guilt free.
  • lindawayne11
    lindawayne11 Posts: 62 Member
    Options
    This won't help you, but when I go on vacation, there are no rules and I just enjoy myself. Life's short. Enjoy yourself, and when you get home, get back to it.

    Yep, this.
  • mikaela_b
    Options
    Thanks for all the replies! I'm going to take all the advice to heart and plan out healthy options, eat lightly and breakfast and lunch, do lots of walks/swims/etc and then thoroughly enjoy myself in the evenings. Mmmm, bring on the wine and cheese :-D
  • sarabissa
    sarabissa Posts: 22 Member
    Options
    Just got back from vacay! Enjoy yourself, make good choices when you have a choice. For example my mom makes awesome French toast I had a small portion. The next day found a recipe for low fat egg bake and made that . My hubby and I went hiking and that morning at the hotel, we had egg white omlets instead of regular and no French toast that day ,cuz it wasn't my moms. Walked a ton, drank water and sometimes I did eat without thinking, but it was a great vacay!
  • trhops
    trhops Posts: 295 Member
    Options
    I am leaving for our annual trip to Jamaica to a 5 star all inclusive..... Previous years I have gained anywhere from 4-9 pounds. I still have not gotten to my goal weight so I hope when I get back I am in the mindset of working hard to lose what I have gained plus losing the additional pounds I wanted to.
  • 81Katz
    81Katz Posts: 7,074 Member
    Options
    Portion control and if possible bring some of your own healthy food (yogurt, fruits, veggies, low cal snacks/packs, etc) Also find ways to exercise everyday. You say it's a beach house, why not try getting in at least 20 minutes each day walking or jogging on the beach?

    Really, this journey is very much 'to each their own' but if I stick to the mentality of "just because it's THERE, doesn't mean *I* need t eat it" works ok. Yeah, it sucks sometimes but I can't let vacations (hello, been a long time since I had one of those) or friend/family get together, or holidays be my reason OR excuse to 'fall off the wagon'.

    "Eat, drink and be merry" is what made me fat. :wink:
  • Tangerine302
    Tangerine302 Posts: 1,509 Member
    Options
    Wow! Have fun at the beach house! I agree, just watch your portions. Not good to stand near the food and eat it all night. :)
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    Options
    Totally agree on the activity thing. You'll probably be doing some things on the beach but if you can, get up before everyone else in the morning and go for a nice long walk/run to get it out of the way. You may even find one or two of your friends wants to come along!

    Definitely drink as much water as possible. Bring some of your own healthy snacks or buy them when you get there so you're not blindly reaching for whatever's available. You could even provide some low fat/low cal snacks for the whole group so you don't have to feel like the odd man out. Cut the calories in your drinks by making them in to spritzers - add some diet soda or calorie free seltzer water. Be conscious of how intoxicated your getting when the food's out. If you're like me, the more drunk you get, the more likely you'll eat like it's your job.

    Above all, have fun and try not to worry to much about the results. You'll gain a couple pounds at most and that'll likely come off quickly once you get back to your normal routine.
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    Options
    Just to highlight some points others have made, I've gone on beach vacations and not counted or worried and ate, drank, and enjoyed and came back lighter and more fit. When I'm on the beach, intend to be active. I'll run on the beach in the morning, gomformswims, or usually surf, and play volleyball, I'll just be so active, more active than at home, that even with the inhalation of cheese and wine, I wind up dropping some weight. This has happened to me on European vacations as well. On time, I went to Europe for two weeks and came back 10 lbs lighter. I think it was all the walking. I don't know.
  • rides4sanity
    rides4sanity Posts: 1,269 Member
    Options
    We did the beach with friends last summer, I took my bike and some running shoes, and looked up the local YMCA. While the kids and the other set of adults slept, my husband and I went for a bike ride, run or to the Y (he went his way I went mine he's too fast). By the time we got back the others were just waking, hubby and I made breakfast for the group fruit, eggs, bacon, toast and then went about our day. By controling our exercise and breakfast we didn't have to worry the rest of the day, and because most everybody was asleep they weren't waiting on us or annoyed that we were gone. We had healthy snack options mixed in with the not so healthy. Be conscious of your choices, but not consumed by them and have a plan, but don't be so strict with it that you ruin the fun. Good Luck! (BTW I lost a pound that week)
  • mello
    mello Posts: 817 Member
    Options
    I was only a week into my journey last year when we were a week at a beach house, I cooked my breakfast that I would have been eating had I been at home, made good decisions for lunch and ate what ever I wanted to for dinner. I got up early every morning and went for long walks on the beach, and swam alot. There were a lot of stairs involved with mine too, getting down to the beach and back so I think that helped as well. I came home with a 5 lb loss.

    Indulge, enjoy yourself, just be aware of your portions and you won't feel deprived.
  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
    Options
    This won't help you, but when I go on vacation, there are no rules and I just enjoy myself. Life's short. Enjoy yourself, and when you get home, get back to it.

    THIS
  • Victoria2448
    Victoria2448 Posts: 559 Member
    Options
    This won't help you, but when I go on vacation, there are no rules and I just enjoy myself. Life's short. Enjoy yourself, and when you get home, get back to it.

    This is what I do too.

    BUT, I still workout and our vacations are very active in nature anyway.