Going on Vacation: What do you plan to eat?
It is currently the season for traveling or going on vacation.
You plan how you will arrive to and from your planned destination.
You arrange your accommodations.
You budget how much you are willing to spend.
You may even go shopping for new clothes because all trips require that you wear something new, don't they?
Question. What consideration do you give to what you will eat while you are away on vacation as to not weigh more than when you left home? And how do you not sabotage your weight loss success?
What Vacation Looks Like without a Well Executed Eating Plan
In the summer of 2013, for a two week stay in Hawaii I went armed with a plan. In both Maui and Oahu, we rented condos.
The plan? Buy groceries and cook for ourselves.
Our execution? We did not cook for ourselves nearly enough. By the time we got to Oahu we completely abandoned the grocery shopping idea.
The result? Collateral damage. Clothes that I fit before leaving for vacation were too tight by the time I returned home. I had to buy new clothes to fit my new bigger size.
How to Come Home Weighing the Same as When You Left
Over the course of the summer, starting this week, I will make trips to St. Croix, Puerto Rico, and a cruise to the Bahamas. All of these trips scream DANGER! Neither St. Croix or Puerto Rico are known for their healthy cuisine and a cruise offers an at-all-hours smorgasbord. How can I possibly avoid a repeat of my stint in Hawaii? How can you come back home from your summer vacation not weighing more than when you left home?
1. Cook for Yourself
Yes, I have already admitted that I failed at this in the past. That was then, this is now. As I said in my previous post, Weight Loss: 4 Tips to Help You Maintain Yours for Good!, if you do not want to go back to where you were, do not go back to what you were doing.
Start your day with breakfast. The day starts in your room. At least, I hope it does. After breakfast, there is no telling what you day will look like, therefore, at least start your day with a healthy, well balanced breakfast that you make for yourself.
Follow the next four tips Had I followed the next four tips, I am sure my results in Hawaii would have been quite different. Hopefully these tips will help you on your next vacation.
2. Add Restaurants and Eateries to Your Itinerary.
Plan where you will eat on vacation before you leave home. We plan what we are going to do over the course of our vacation. Go sight seeing here or go on a day trip there. We should also prepare for eating at those destinations. Trip Advisor and Yelp are great companions for this. Before heading for vacation, use these tools to help find places to eat near where you will be headed. Use keywords such as seafood, healthy, or organic.
Make “on the side”, “no”, and “instead of” part of your ordering vocabulary. I have done the “have a salad at almost every meal” thing while on vacation because that was the ONLY healthy option. Imagine doing that for more than two days, at two meals. Talk about a way to really make yourself hate salads. This is when you have to take time to look at the menu and make something that does not seem all that healthy, healthy. Ask for the burger with no bun and the sauce on the side. Instead of fries, ask for a side vegetable or salad.
3. Carry Snacks
Pack fish. Yes, there are some items that you are not allowed to bring in with you at some travel destinations, but packed fish such as salmon and tuna fish should be ok. They do not require refrigeration and they are light.
Buy healthy snacks to take with you on day trips. Buy local healthy snacks like fruit and almonds to eat as snacks between bigger meals.
4. Drink Water
Drink plenty of water. Drinking water helps keep you hydrated. I know I have a tendency to swell up from retaining water when I travel. Combat this by drinking plenty of water. Drinking water also helps you to control your appetite and speed up your metabolism. Bonus! Drinking water is also necessary in places in dry high altitudes such as New Mexico.
5. Be Mindful of Alcohol Consumption
Keep your alcohol consumption to a minimum. When I go to the Caribbean I love having rum punch. In St. Croix my beverage of choice is the Cruzan Confusion. What comes with that confusion, however, is a lot of very sweet, empty calories. If you must get your drink on, go in with a plan of having one small drink. Sip slowly and truly enjoy it.
Start the Discussion: How do you go about maintaining your weight while on vacation? Share you comments on the blog, via Facebook of Twitter.