Vacation advice...

HornsUT32
HornsUT32 Posts: 146 Member
edited December 24 in Food and Nutrition
I am leaving on vacation Friday morning...and I mean a REAL vacation. This is a pretty big deal for my family, because growing up the only time we went anywhere was when we had a sports tournament to go to. Our "vacation" time was the time in between games, so needless to say...I have never really been on a real vacation.

We are leaving from Texas on Friday morning, and stopping near Houston to let the kids see Battleship Texas. We are then driving to Louisiana and spending a night at a casino. The next morning we are waking up and driving to Destin, Florida, where we will be for 7 more nights. Then we are driving back and stopping in New Orleans, to spend the night near Bourbon Street. We will driving home the next day...which I am sure we will be ready for by then haha.

Anyhow, I need advice on how to go about my diet those 10 days. I want to have fun and not be counting every single calorie I eat, or drink haha. I mean I still plan on working out almost every day, but sticking to the 1200 calories that MFP has me on will be hard. Even if I burn 300 calories on a run, one night of drinking could easily put me over 1500.

So, what do I do? Do I plan to stick to the 1200 and not go to restaurants and bars with my family? That just doesn't seem fun, and even worse is going with them and watching them eat and drink, while I have already hit my 1200 for the day. I obviously don't plan on eating everything or drinking every single night, but it might happen one night or two along the way...I mean let's be honest, it is a vacation.

I have thought about changing my settings to maintain, which puts me at 2,100 calories. That way hopefully I won't gain any real weight, but maybe just some "water" weight. I feel so GUILTY about that though. I know I won't gain a lot of weight if I do that, but I feel like I would end up gaining 20 pounds. There is no rational way for that to happen, but I am terrified of gaining weight back, even if it is just 5 pounds.

So I figure these are my options:

1. Track everything and keep at the 1,200 calorie diet. That means I probably can't drink much and shouldn't go to restaurants, but at least I wont gain.

2. Change my settings to maintain my weight, and track my food.

3. Don't track and try and be responsible about what I eat, while being realistic that I will go over my calories a few nights. Workout hard and get back on track when I get home.

What do ya'll think?

By the way, here is a quick history of my weight loss:
Highest Weight: 270
Lost 90 pounds and maintained for 2 years
Gained 25 pounds back
Current Weight: 190

Replies

  • Mrshotwing
    Mrshotwing Posts: 166 Member
    i would say JUST ENJOY YOURSELF, HAVE FUN, and BE SMART! I havent really kepy track of food but we have walked alot. so just enjoy this time. :)
  • chuckyp
    chuckyp Posts: 693 Member
    Keep Calories in the back of your mind, but have fun and enjoy all the food and drink. A few days isn't going to hurt even if you gain a pound. Just make sure you get back to your good habits when you return.

    In short, I think #3.
  • jamiem1102
    jamiem1102 Posts: 1,196 Member
    Have fun, make good choices, and work out. :drinker:
  • RoxyLDN
    RoxyLDN Posts: 96 Member
    Enjoy the holidays and get back to your diet when you're back home!
  • cloud2011
    cloud2011 Posts: 898 Member
    Set limits for yourself. For example, drink water unless you really, really want to enjoy a certain drink. You can save a lot of calories by not drinking them.

    Order lemonade if you're sick of water. Often it's a lower calorie alternative than iced tea or soda.

    Buy some snack bags and make some snacks for yourself in advance. I love having 1/4 c. almonds and 1 Tablespoon semi sweet chocolate chips. The almonds are "nature's vitamin" and pretty satisfying.

    Also, I really like some store-bought snacks that you can easily track, such as Luna bars, or Clif z kids bars. I love chocolate so I really like the chocolate coconut Luna bar.

    A few books I use in helping to choose restaurant food: "The 400 Calorie Fix" has a listing of fast food meal choices that can fit within a calorie-counting plan. Also, "Eat This, Not That" shows you how to choose lower calorie options when eating out. You can really still enjoy yourself and eat fast food or restaurant food.

    Of course, fresh fruits as snacks, fruit salads, etc. But don't forget to eat protein early in the day, with each meal or snack if possible.

    If it's any help, I've always maintained or lost on vacation, because of so much more exercise and activity. Food seems to be fuel on vacation, not the main attraction (for me anyway).
  • gungho66
    gungho66 Posts: 284 Member
    I say have FUN be sensible make good choices when you can ,but most important HAVE FUN. you can start up when you get back . did i mention HAVE FUN
  • quill16
    quill16 Posts: 373 Member
    I have had 4 or 5 vacations during the past 18 months and I usuallly gained 4-5 lbs for the week , but usually lost it withinb2-3 days(salt water retention)so I ended up even which is about the best I could have hoped for. This is what I did:
    1. Exercised every day as much as I usually do (treadmill 1 hour and pool 1 hour)
    2. Packed or purchased my usual healthy snacks
    3. Opted for a protein bar for breakfast rather than the hotel included continental (pastry)
    4. Had chicken on salad for lunch ( most places have some version on this) care ful on the dressings
    5. Ate dinners at restaurants with a 500 calories lite meal option
    6. Had one special meal with drinks and dessert.
    7 Take advantage of any fun activities that require walking, sight seeing, burning calories
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