Most of us save all year to go on a vacation for a few weeks. We look forward to “unplugging” from stress, job demands, to-do lists, traffic jams and worry in general. We can’t wait to put our feet up, sleep without an alarm and do whatever we want to do when we want to do it. The last thing we want to do is to worry about our weight and dieting. But who wants to come home 5 lbs. heavier? That will create another kind of stress. There are healthy meals to lose weight while on vacation. So here are 7 things you can do to make sure that you will have a carefree blast on vacation without gathering up extra poundage and possibly even lose a few pounds!
No more coming home in need of major repair and dieting after vacation.
Follow these 7 easy steps and you can maintain your weight and come home healthier and more rested than when you left. Enjoy your time away!
Ways to Maintain Your Weight on Vacation
1. Double Your Exercise
When we are away, sunning at the beach or visiting the local wonders, there are many opportunities to try new forms of exercise. Running on the beach at sunrise or sunset is a blessing! Swimming in the ocean (not just bobbing up and down with the waves) can provide a good cardio
workout or swimming laps in the infinity pool at night when the lights are on and the stars are twinkling is a good way to log in exercise time.
If you are with your kids, this is the time to run and romp and play hide and seek and to try to keep up with their energy bursts. At home, we just don’t have the time to get into real hard playtime. While we play vigorously, we are also burning up fat cells!
Walking is usually a must while traveling through Europe or places with worthy sites. Taking off on foot with comfortable walking shoes will assure that your walks will be an easy way to burn fat. Most assuredly, the amount of walking we do on vacation far outweighs our brief walks from car to work at home.
In between rigorous exercise, there is always burst training, Our favorite activity for rapid fat loss and anti-aging. As you look out over the piazza or the ancient ruins, run in place as fast as you can for 30 seconds to a minute; then rest for 1 minute and repeat the cycle 4-6 times. Bursting is fat burning and that is just what we need when we over-indulge a bit on vacation.
2. Armed With Healthy Snacks
In most vacation spots, there are local outdoor markets that can provide you with an array of beautiful fruits and vegetables. Travel with some liquid Grapefruit seed extract and wash your produce with 4 drops in a glass of water. This should kill any bad beasties. Although the liquid is really bitter, you can take it internally too if you are coming down with a bug or the gut-nasties. Bring some parchment paper baggies in your suitcase (light and take up no room) and fill them with easy to carry fruits, vegetables and nuts. That will keep you from indulging in the local “junk food” and this will also protect your waistline. Lastly, pull out the nasty drinks, candy, etc. in the hotel mini fridge and fill it with a rainbow of low-glycemic fruits and non-sugary drinks.
3. Pick Indulgences Wisely
If you know that your family wants to visit the famous local greasy pub or pizzeria then plan that meal strategically and save it for the end of your vacation if possible. Before visiting that yummy gut-trasher, the days previous can be filled with a beautiful sampling of fresh-caught fish, grass-fed poultry and meats, vegetables that have been grown locally and unusual recipes that contain NO grains, sugar or fried anything! That way, when you finally get to go to that well deserved cheat restaurant at the end of your trip, you will feel well able to indulge. And since it is at the end of your stay, you won’t be able to come back again because you are leaving the next day. Good strategy!
4. Portion Size Makes a Difference
When we travel it is always tempting to eat much more than our stomachs can handle. So remember this rule: meat portions the size of a deck of cards and fish the size of your diminishing vacation check book. And request a huge serving of vegetables. The good news is when you are traveling outside the US, especially in Europe, the portions are much smaller so you might not have to worry about portion size in many vacation spots.
5. Shake it Up: Go Dancing
When we think of what to do on vacation, we think of sightseeing, boating or climbing the pyramids. But we never think about dancing! Seek out places that offer music and dancing and get down and move that body. Even if you don’t dance…dance anyway! Who cares? No one knows you anyway. And dancing is one of the best ways to burn off that gelato or gooey dessert you just ate. Ways to Maintain Your Weight on Vacation…
6. Fasting Day
We know this sounds like a challenging suggestion while on vacation, but fasting is an act We practice regularly and has had profound impacts on our health. One day of fasting would be ideal on a vacation. If you are staying for longer than a week, then pick one fasting day a week. That doesn’t mean that you have to go a whole day without food. Here is how you pull it off: practice intermittent fasting by eating a light healthy late breakfast (around 11:30 am) and then skip dinner and breakfast the next morning. Eat again the next day around noon. That will be the equivalent of 24 hours. Or you can do the opposite, as We often do: skip breakfast, eat a late lunch of protein and fat (between 2-3PM) then eat a regular Cellular Healing Diet dinner that evening and do not eat again until the following afternoon. Make sure you stay hydrated with plenty of bottled water. The fast will give your digestive track a well-earned break, you cut carbs for 24 hours and you set yourself up for glowing health for the rest of your vacation.
7. Healthy Buffet
When you are on that luxury cruise and it is time for the buffet, is it possible to eat healthy? How can you avoid those tempting fried sugary foods? First of all, you need to choose wisely and only fill your plate one time: no seconds or thirds. Fill your plate with REAL FOOD. That means load your plate with an abundance of fruits and vegetables and well prepared meats, fish or poultry following core principles of my Cellular Healing Diet. No grains, no fried foods and no bread.
For those of you who can tolerate cheese, perhaps there is a lovely goat cheese or grass-fed raw cheese at the buffet. Berries and goat cheese can be a delicious ending to your meal. But stay away from the dessert table if possible. If you can’t resist, then only 2 bites maximum. Do not put the whole dessert portion on your plate and think you will have a few bites. Also, no fancy drinks with toys: No Pina Coladas! They have 29.65 carbs opposed to a nice 5 oz. glass of red wine that has only 3.8 carbs.
I lost 3 Pounds on Vacation!
These are all great suggestions. But is it realistic to think that you can come home from vacation weighing the same or even losing a few? I’m Lynn, and I went on my dream vacation: Rome, Florence, Tuscany and Venice. But I was worried about what I could eat while traveling through Italy. I was following the Cellular Healing Diet and feeling really good. I hadn’t eaten a bite of gluten in over 3 years and it had really paid off. But Italy is a “gluten fest” and I knew the temptations would be very high.
I decided to travel armed with specific supplements to make sure I would be able to get through the trip feeling comfortable and energized. I brought ZGlutn to make sure that if I did eat gluten (could I really avoid pasta, pizza and bread in Italy?!) I would not be miserable. ZGlutn enzymes can gobble up the gluten molecules before they have a chance to wreak havoc with the gut. I also took D-Digest to ensure that I was able to digest food properly, and C-Colon to make sure my bowels continued to move.
Before I left, I discovered that Italy was still baking with ancient Einkorn wheat (unlike our dwarf wheat in the US, Einkorn wheat is known for its easier digestibility). I do not have Celiac disease (No gluten for those with Celiac, even in Europe) but I am gluten sensitive. So with caution and moderation, I tried a pasta meal with ZGlutn, C-Colon and D-Digest and there were no ramifications. In fact, it was like being in heaven. I did, however, limit myself to very small amounts of gluten containing foods and stuck mostly with fish, beef, vegetables and chicken and I sailed through Italy. But the best part about my trip was that I walked miles every day and came home from vacation 3 pounds lighter!
- Burst Training
- Intermittent Fasting
- Healthy Travel Tips
- Cellular Healing Diet Book
- ZGlutn
- D-Digest
- C-Colon