Question.
So how do you go on vacation and not come back weighing more than when you left?
Answer?
Moderation.
You've seen it all over the fitness/weight-loss blogosphere and you'll see it here too - moderation is key to a successful, long term victory over excessive weight.
Let's think about it.
Moderation is simply taking control over how much that you put in to your body.
As you know, I spent the last week at a camp and unlike most camps - this camp has some really good food. Let's see, some of what we ate was...
turkey and stuffing. beef brisket. pizza. chili. hamburgers.
Those things are completely different then my usual diet and I did feel the affects of them throughout the week, but yet I come home today weighing the same amount of weight as when I left.
It is because I practiced moderation.
Because I was a part of the staff -they wanted to heap the food onto my plate. I was able to say "not that much", "just a little", and/or "no thank you".
Moderation allowed me to enjoy the foods that I don't typically eat and not feel guilty about eating it.
Would I suggest that you eat that way all of the time?
Not at all.
I have another week of camp coming up and I would really like to lose that last 20 pounds. Eating foods that are processed, unhealthy, and not full of the vitamins and nutrients I need will not get me to where I want to be. I will be taking some of my own food with me next time so that I can have more control (other than just saying no or going hungry) of what I get to eat.
Another thing that helped me while I was at camp was the physical exercise that I got.
Monday we played soccer (won), Tuesday was Ultimate Frisbee (won), Wednesday was a 3 on 3 basketball tourney (2nd place), and Thursday was 6 on 6 volleyball tourney (lost). There were also multiple times that the campers were playing Knock-Out. Knock-Out is where everyone is in a line behind the free throw line (basketball) and shoot one after another trying to make the shot before the next one does. The whole point is to eliminate everyone else until you are the winner.
So, I tell you all of this to give you some tips on what to do when you are on vacation, away with work, and/or away from home.
Tips for when you are away.
1. Learn to say "No", "not that much", or "just a little".
2. Take action. Be active in order to balance the abnormal intake.
3. Enjoy what you do get to eat. Don't feel guilty about eating something that you don't normally.
4. Know when the vacation, trip, and/or hiatus is over. You have to set your limits when things are out of your hands and it requires follow through.
I've had a good week, but am really happy to be home. I've missed blogging and have no idea as of right now what the google reader has to say. I am pretty far behind on all of your blogs and hope that you take no offense at that.
You will be seeing me much more this week as I will be home for the full week.
What tip do you have to offer for when someone is on vacation?
18 comments:
I have traveled every weekend for the past three weekends. I lost each week I weighted in. My keys - I packed workout clothes and I worked out. I also took some of my own food in a cooler. I felt very successful!
Nice job Seth!
The power of NO. A power we all needto learn. Society seems to want to have us believe that NO is such anegative thing. But saying No can be a wonderful and evennecessary thing to have a positive life.
Ah, so easy to say, yet so very hard to do. :).
I'm glad you're learning how to practice moderation. It's honestly what I believe. In the past, I was so either all the way to the "diet" insane craze or all the way to the "binge" and not give a rat's ass side. Now, I realize it's a lifestyle. There's gonna be things that come up and I'm going to have to eat out and that's ok! It's about finding some balance.
My tips?
1. You will never eat your money's worth. So don't even try.
2. Just because it's on your plate doesn't mean you have to finish all of it. Send it away. Throw it away. Take it home (it's never as good when you take it home).
3. Enjoy what you eat! And savor it! And if it's really not that good, don't eat it! I've realized most things LOOK better than they taste, so I leave it like that.
4. Don't give in to outside pressure. My grandma and mom love to be like EAT SOME MORE or finish that! And I'll be stern in my resolve. No. I don't want it. I'm not hungry. No. I'm not eating it. And when they realize you really don't want it, they'll leave you alone. My family does it out of love, so I understand and appreciate where they're coming from.
5. Realize that being on holiday is not going to make you gain all the weight you've lost. It's a vacation. And if you realize that all your hard work isn't going to disappear over vacation, then you're more likely to eat guilt-free.
6. GUILT-FREE EATING. Don't get stuck in the vicious cycle of feeling like crap because you had a freaking donut. It's one freaking donut. Seriously. Not the end of the world. Homer Simpson would be proud. Relax. And the second you stop beating yourself up and come to terms with your food, you stop giving food control over your actions. And once you regain control, you run the game.
WELCOME BACK FROM CAMP!
Yay...a maintain may not be what you were looking for...but it's still a success. Anything other than a gain is a success in my book.
Good post to remind us that vacations are NOT something that should derail us from our journey!
My best tip is to visit somewhere very hilly and walk everywhere! Even though I overindulged (food and alcohol) when I was staying in Seattle, I still managed to lose weight while I was there!
Great tips.
I'd also agree with the moderation and also being aware. That's a big one for me.
Stay away from all you can eat buffets. They are not the deal you think they are.
These are some great tips. Going out to eat on vacation makes me nervous because sometimes you really don't know what you're ordering. It's fun to try the local restaurants that you can't find the nutritional information online for. But I go for the grilled options.
Awesome tips! The one I'll add is that if I indulge, it's going to be in something that I can't/don't eat at home. I can have cake anytime, cookies anytime, etc. So if I'm on vacation and I want to splurge, I try to choose something unique to the venue or location (i.e., scones at the fair or seafood in a waterfront town).
Amen to moderation!
Just came back from a cruise, and I only gained .4.
1. Don't deny yourself. You are on vacation. Have a taste, but you don't have to finish it.
2. Move on vacation. Fitness matters and is accumulative. Don't get totally lazed out.
3. Rest. Vacation should be a time to de-stress. Make sure you get some sleep, so your body can process the sins of the night before :-)
Cheers,
Missa
LosingEthel
You look awesome!!! Very cool that you didn't gain any weight on vacation!! I'm going to Vegas for a few days next month and hope I don't come back 20 lbs heavier (yes I'm pretty sure I could gain that much in 2 days!!).LOL I'm doing low carb, so hopefully all will be good. BTW, you looked awesome before the weight loss too!!:)
I agree with all tour tips. Great advice for next time I'm away!
Vacation is tough. I do the moderation, but I also make sure to "MOVE" I know my regular exercise routine doesn't happen, so I try to make sure to do something and usually end up exercising through walking quite a bit on vacation.
Holidays are for fun so no point spoiling it by undoing all the good work to get to where we are. Generally I have more challenges in my everyday life than I'll ever have on holiday.
Last year we had nearly 5 weeks in North America. 2 weeks on a cruise ship and the rest road trip SF to Vancouver and back by a different route. I gained a few pounds but I wasn't being as watchful as I could have been. It could have been a lot worse.
Tip 1. TWJ and I shared a lot of meals. helped the budget no end too.
2. Walk as much as possible. We did well in SF. Not so well as I'd hoped when we hit the road.
3. Watch serve sizes
4. Enjoy sight seeing on foot.
5.Don't go too long between meals. A real danger on a long road trip.
6. Get in as much walking/exercise as possible.
7. Carry a few 'on the go' healthy, weight loss friendly snacks.
8. The best way to see the places you visit is to walk so put your shoes on and get out there.
9. When in Nth America find alternatives to fried food.
10. Love walking through the beautiful parks and cities giving myself time to take in the atmosphere, enjoy the environment and architecture.
It's not a holiday unless there is lots of walking. *smile*
Great advise and just in time as I have less then 2 weeks until my trip to New York. I know I will be doing a ton of walking. I better make sure I have my water bottle. Thanks for the great blog.
Oh moderation - my greatest enemy! I'm ok with portion sizes but when I start eating off my norm, it snowballs and then all I eat is out of the norm. No balance for this girl. Gotta work on that!!
Glad you had a great vacation and were able to exercise moderation!!
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