Traveling, Vacation & Weight Management Guide
For travel & vacations, there are lots that one CAN do. It is more about what you’re WILLING to do in these moments. And some of these things may work, and some of these others might not even be something that you can try.
Let’s jump into it!!
Goals & Methods
Switch goals: If you are in a weight loss phase, we can switch the game plan going from deficit to maintenance.
You can also use this time to go on a diet break.
Read More Here: Diet Breaks: An Intentional Maintenance Period.
Switch methods: We can move into practicing some non-tracking methods where we are associating more with portion sizes, hand portioning, food rules, and how/what/when to eat.
Read More Here: Guide to Basic Hand Portioning for Weight Management
Mindful Eating: Try eating mindfully… you will want to eat slowly and check in with your hunger & satiety levels to know when to stop eating. A good mental place to stop would be at 70-80% fullness or a 3-4 out of 5 on the hunger rating scale.While staying at all-inclusive resorts with tempting 24/7 food and drinks, try exercising moderation with your food. Enjoy a hearty breakfast but consider opting for a lighter lunch or snack.
Read More Here: A Guide for Mindful Eating
Road Trips
There are a few differences that you may encounter. If this is a road trip to a destination or the road trip is the vacation but…
Packing & Purchasing: these are simply questions to help you with the thought process of what you might need and what is possible if this is a road trip to your destination.
- What can fit into your car?
- Do you have room for a cooler to bring ice and cold snacks?
- What will you be able to pick up when there?
- Do you have availability to pick things up when you arrive?
- Are you going to need to have stops along the way? What might those stops have around it that you can easily grab food from?
A lot of people will make the suggestion to have a lot of different options in your car but I will also challenge that thought with this. What is in your car is available to you when you are hungry, but also when you are not hungry and you are just feeling bored of being on the road. I would make the recommendation to limit the amount of food that you keep in your car. Buy enough for the ride and the ride only. Try to limit the variety.
Consider more high-protein options, single-serving options, and low-calorie volume snacks that can cover the different appetite cravings (sweet, salty, crunchy, soft, chewy, etc) you may have so you don’t grab other things at gas stations.
Stay active by stopping at stores or malls where you have a lot of indoor climate-controlled walking space.
Some shelf-stable ideas to bring in the car:
- Trail Mix
- Nut and Seed Bars
- Whole Fruit (apples, oranges, bananas, grapes)
- Dried Fruit (apricots, mangoes, raisins)
- Sleeves of rice cakes
- Individual single-serving bags of popcorn like skinny pop
- Whole fruits like apples or bananas
- Jerky or beef sticks
- Roasted Chickpeas
- Nut Butter Packets
- Pretzels, veggie chips or popcorners in individual portion bags
- Oatmeal cups or packets for breakfasts
- Protein bars
- Scoops of protein in individual baggies
- Premade protein shakes
Flying
Look up some restaurants that will be at the airport, at the connecting airport, and in the area that you are traveling to. Try to research the options ahead of time. If nothing fits your wants and needs, look to stop at the convenience stores and put yourself together a meal from a handful of different snacks like a bento box or adult lunchable. Many places like this in the airports now also have a lot of fresh fruit options.
Stay hydrated! Bring a water bottle. Be sure that it is empty before you go through security and purchase water after. Bottled water may be expensive in the airport, but there’s a good chance that it may be cheaper than what you’re able to get on your flight.
Stay active by walking the terminals in between flights, or when you arrive early and make it through security.
Packing & Purchasing:
- What can fit into your suitcase or carryon?
- What will you be able to pick up when at the airport?
- Do you have availability to pick things up when you arrive? Are there grocery stores near the hotel?
Above, I mentioned only having enough snacks for what you need but when you’re flying, you can easily put some of those snacks in your suitcase for your stay at your hotel. This can be a great way to avoid leaving your hotel room and having to make decisions on the fly with a lot of stimuli around you. These also ensure that you have some of your normal foods with you that you can rely on to meet your nutritional goals. You may have to be careful still about moderating these things to ensure that you’re not overconsuming between eating these items and eating items outside of the room.
Snacks allowed on a flight:
- Trail Mix
- Nut and Seed Bars
- Whole Fruit (apples, oranges, bananas, grapes)
- Dried Fruit (apricots, mangoes, raisins)
- Sleeves of rice cakes
- Individual single-serving bags of popcorn like skinny pop
- Whole fruits like apples or bananas
- Jerky or beef sticks
- Roasted Chickpeas
- Nut Butter Packets
- Pretzels, veggie chips or popcorners in individual portion bags
- Protein bars
General Vacation Tips
Vacations are a time for relaxation, exploration, and, often, a break from our usual routine, including our dietary and fitness habits.
It’s a common concern: “I’m going on vacation for a week. What can I do to ensure I don’t undo all the progress I’ve made?”
The impact your vacation has on your fitness journey ultimately lies in your hands, but with some thoughtful strategies, you can enjoy your time away without derailing your hard work.
Stay hydrated!
- The intention of bringing a water bottle on vacation helps be a visual reminder to consistently get hydration in.
- For alcohol, it’ll help to pick something that you can mix with a diet soda, club soda, etc. or wine. If you are drinking, stick to 1-3 if you can without added calories in the mixers. Use diet sodas or whatnot to avoid unnecessary kcals. Also, pick the days you will indulge in drinks, but have days you don’t/won’t.
Navigating Hotel Breakfasts
Many hotels offer free coffee and continental breakfast, saving you time and money. They tend to include healthy options like fresh fruits, whole grains, and yogurt. To stay on track with your eating plan, consider making a to-go plate and enjoying your meal in your room to avoid overeating.
Pickup or make some of your own meals
While making your own meals on vacation might not be the most convenient option, it offers control over your calorie intake. This is especially beneficial if accuracy is crucial to your fitness goals. Consider this option based on your willingness to prioritize your health during your getaway.
Strategies for Dining Out
Keep it simple… find proteins. Find vegetables. Find fruits. Don’t sweat the little things!
Plan for treats for the trip
Embrace the spirit of vacation and include indulgences but add limitations. Try having the mental notion that you will allow one to three treats throughout your entire trip. It helps put gravity to the choice. There are only 1-3, so those 1-3 need to be worth it to you. It’s not so much about the limitation, as it is about the mindset.
Schedule activity
Pack things to walk or work out because it creates the intention and is a visual cue for you while you’re away to remember to be active. Moving around a lot will also help keep you busy and enjoying your vacation rather than thinking about food.
Most hotels & resorts have gyms. See what the area has to do outdoors! Take advantage of these opportunities to stay active. Run along the beach, swim in the ocean, or engage in other physical activities to burn off those extra vacation calories. Remember, any movement is better than none.
Cruise Specifics
Limit alcohol consumption: Alcoholic beverages are often included in cruise packages, but they can be high in calories and lead to overconsumption. Enjoy alcoholic drinks in moderation and balance them with water or low-calorie options.
Be mindful of buffet dining. The added options can be overwhelming. Scan it in its entirety and give value to your choices by limiting the amount of different items that will be placed on your one plate. If you make a personal rule to only choose 3 to 4 things, those 3 to 4 things will be very intentional.
Walk and explore: Cruises often offer opportunities to explore various ports of call. Take advantage of these opportunities to walk and explore the destinations. Walking is an excellent way to burn calories and stay active while enjoying the sights.
Plan active excursions: When choosing shore excursions, opt for activities that involve physical movement such as biking, hiking, or water sports. This way, you can have fun while staying active and burning calories.
Returning from traveling
High Levels of Hunger
With traveling and being out of routine, some hunger can be a little out of the norm for a whole slew of possibilities. Maybe there was less movement overall so our body didn’t feel the need for more hunger/calories. Sometimes we feel hunger a little bit stronger because we are maybe having some of those high-sugar, high-salt, or high-fat foods that we would associate with hyper palatability.
Another big part of traveling that doesn’t seem to always be noticed is we don’t always hydrate as we would normally but it could even just be a subconscious action because of the need to constantly find the bathrooms.
And sleep could be off as well. This could disrupt our hunger/fullness feelings.
Plan when returning
With coming back from vacation, I would jump right back into tracking, meal prep, and anything else that you really wanted to move right into. It’s a moment that we are open to preparation and set-up. It could be a little overwhelming but you know what to do.
Some things that might be helpful…
- On the way home, order groceries for meals with foods that can be easily prepped like pre-cut vegetables, a rotisserie chicken, and other quick and easy items.
- Having a backup meal plan that is always ready and simple for occasions when to come home and cannot think of another meal plan can be helpful. You can order all of the ingredients and go through it all without much thought.
- If you are currently working out, take two more days off from training to rest after traveling and to get back into your routine with proper hydration, sleep, and meals.
- Avoid stepping on the scale for three days to allow yourself to reset to your normal. This will allow your body to get associated with your normal routine again. Sometimes we don’t sleep well or when we travel we have a lot more high-sodium foods and water retention. Sometimes the movement is a little restricted in traveling home. Once you’re back into your routine, the weight fluctuations that may have happened from those things should level out.
- Try to get back to normal sleep and wake times, even if you’re not falling asleep right away, getting into bed and being in “sleep mode” at the same time each night can help get your sleep patterns back. If you are going to bed and struggling to sleep, try to avoid jumping on your phone or turning the tv on. Something that would be better to do would be to get out of bed, find a dimly lit place to sit, read a book until you’re tired and then go back to bed for sleep. This starts to create an association with your bed for sleeping and can help normalize your sleep patterns as well.
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