Well, after working hard for ages, we just took a well earned few weeks off last minute and went to Bali.
I love traveling, meeting new people, seeing the sites and learning about the culture. And I also love trying the different local foods, and relaxing over a few wines.
I mean, we have a great selection of different cuisines at home, but nothing beats the real thing, right?
Now, different people have different attitudes towards managing their weight when traveling:
- Some eat and drink whatever they please, not holding back at all (making the most of those buffet breakfasts)
- Others enjoy their food but don’t go overboard
- Others maintain their diets while traveling
- And others actually go on health retreats and actually eat better while they are away from home
- While others don’t watch what they eat or drink at all, get sick (arhg, the dreaded Bali belly), and lose weight while spending too much time on the toilet.
So how do I manage my weight while traveling?
How do you manage your weight while traveling? Does your diet go out the window?
While the 2nd last point may (to some) sound good in practice (I have done this before and really did enjoy it), I prefer to enjoy the local foods, but don’t go overboard.
Doing this, I am prepared to put on a bit of weight, but I know that I won’t undo all the good work I have done.
So I haven’t weighed myself yet since being home, but I can tell by the way my jeans fit that I doubt that I have actually put on any weight.
And I put some of this down to being relatively sensible in what and how much I ate, but also the exercise that we did.
When we’re in a new place, we just get out and explore. Hours and hours of walking, day after day… much more than we normally do at home. Just checking out the sites and what the locals get up to. It’s something that we love to do.
And it comes so naturally… it doesn’t seem like exercise at all.
So, next time you travel, understand that you do have options. You don’t have to sit at the all-you-can-eat breakfast for 4 hours and gorge yourself stupid.
You can chose to feast all day and night, feel awful physically afterwards, and regret it when you get home.
Or you can take control and make the decision that you are going to look after yourself while traveling.
Just commit to it, then make it happen. You will feel so much better for it.
Let me know your traveling stories in the comments below.
Cheers
Sarah
Sarah,
We just got back from a week long vacation to an area that we used to live in & visit before I lost 45 pounds. So there were lots of “off diet” meals I wanted to eat while we were gone. I planned to eat those meals but early in the day and do some exercise when I could.
We walked a mile to our favorite bagel shop. We went to the hotel gym twice, walked around San Francisco and biked in Alameda for about five hours.
I expected to gain some weight on the trip but I also ate “on diet” for the first part of the trip and had my favorites the last few days.
I came home with four more pounds but it has been easy to begin shedding them again. I’m back down a little over two and we have company so I haven’t been able to work out like I normally do.
The best part, is having the confidence that those few extra pounds are only temporary and they’ll be gone soon & I’ll be back on track. The interesting thing is that as much as I thought I’d just gorge myself, I was very conscious of what & how much I was eating.
Thanks for the article. It sounds like you had a fabulous time on your trip…I’m jealous;)
Hi Kristi, thanks for your comments about your experience with fasting when on a vacation.
I love that you have noticed that the biggest shifts have not been so much in whether you gained a few pounds or not but rather than you are not stressed about it because you know that you can easily now lose them again once you get back into following your fasting regime. As you say you fell they are only temporary!
I have adopted the 5:2 fasting diet as a lifestyle change as many other have too; and just as you point out the real bonus of following the diet is not just the weight loss but the better choices you make around food as a result of the diet. Whether that’s opting for a smaller portion sizes (rather than gorging yourself) choosing a low calorie version of the same food or choosing to add in a litle bit extar movement and exercise when you feel you have had just one too many ‘treats’.
So much about health and weight loss is the mindset component and I feel you have made some leaps with that demon in not feeling so negativity about a few pounds gained, if anything you feel motivated and inspired knowing that you lost them previously and can do so again if you just stick to what works for you.
Keep up the great work, losing 45 pounds is no easy feat. A huge congratulations to you; I think you have earned yourself another vacation!
Sarah
Hi Kristi:
I am enjoying your motivating suggestions . I travel 2-3 weeks out of the month in North America . It is tough to follow the fast diet at times….especially in the summer.
Nevertheless, I exercise daily and monitor my portion sizes. That way , I might not lose any weight but I certainly will not gain any weight.
Keep up the good work. Best regards, Robert
Hi Robert
Thanks for your kind words, the emails we send out are designed to keep you motivated on track and to educate you further about food, nutrition and your overall food choices. Traveling for 3 weeks of every month must be difficult unless you find that you can get yourself into a routine. Just remember keep things simple with salads, soups, smoothies, steamed veggies and stay away from creamy, sugary condiments and ‘the super size’ or ‘upsells’ and bakery goods from the airport and coffee shops and often just becoming aware of these things are cutting them out helps to further maintain your weight.
Thanks for the tips Robert
Sarah