It is easy when you are vacation to let all your good habits go out the window. This is in large part due to the fact you are on a different schedule, you are not in your normal surroundings, and there are different temptations all around you. How many of you have returned home from a vacation, gotten on the scale, and saw your weight increase? To prevent this from happening, here are a few strategies you can utilize so you can still have fun, while at the same time maintaining your weight and your healthy habits:
- Plan ahead – Pack some of your favorite healthy snacks, decide what types of foods you want to stick to, or pick restaurants you want to eat at ahead of time. The more decisions you can make ahead of time, the less willpower it will require from you to stick to your plan.
- Start the day strong – Have a high protein, low fat breakfast to start the day.
- Make non-negotiables – Make a rule for yourself that is black and white, that way you avoid the stress of deciding whether you should do something. For example, a non-negotiable could be you will have no more than two alcoholic beverages each day.
- Change your environment – At mealtimes, get any complimentary food items off the table, such as bread baskets or chips and salsa. The longer it stays on your table, the more you will be tempted to eat it.
- Define success ahead of time – Prior to leaving on vacation, ask yourself this question “What would a successful trip look like for me?” A successful trip for you could look like you only have two desserts the entire trip or drinking 80 oz of water each day or only having chips and salsa twice the entire trip. Defining what a successful trip looks like for you ahead of time, will help guide your decisions while on your trip.
You can use one of these strategies or a combination of a few of them. I would suggest you try each one of them out to find the one(s) that work best for you. Once you have determined which one(s) you have the most success with, then you can feel confident going into your future vacations that you are going to fully enjoy it AND maintain your weight and healthy habits.