We don’t want to be strict with ourselves on holiday, this would defeat the purpose of the holiday, right?! So, how do we make sure we don't lose all of the progress we've made towards our goal weight?
We need a strategy! A rough strategy that YOU feel good about. Because there are no hard and fast rules, here - it’s about finding something that works for you.
But first - remember that what we do most of the time matters SO much more than what you do on a 7-14 day holiday. The holiday won't have as much of an impact as you might think. So, we don’t need to stress about going on holiday when it comes to weight loss.
HOWEVER… if you ARE focused on weight loss or (better yet) weight maintenance on holiday, I've got you covered!
Personally, when I go on holiday I want to eat all of the local foods and enjoy the local drinks and I don’t want to be focusing on tracking my foods and getting stressed about it. But I do follow some basic principles. So here are some tips:
1 - The Questions.
Before you go away, ask yourself (write it down):
How do I want to feel while I’m on holiday? Personally, I tend to feel bloated and sluggish if I eat too much rich food while on holiday so I want to avoid that.
How do I want to feel when I return? I need to feel rested and energised and ready for the next phase of life when I get back.
What do I want to weigh when I return? It’s ok if we put on a few pounds on holiday IF we’re ok with that. I personally don’t care if I put on a few pounds because I know I can lose it when I get home. But some people will feel really bad about themselves if they put on weight on holiday. So it’s important to be clear about this upfront.
Do I want to lose weight on holiday?
If yes, Is this realistic? Really?? Let’s be honest here - for most of us this is not a realistic goal so let it go rather than trying, failing and then feeling bad about it.
Am I ok if the scales goes up slightly? As I said above, this is nothing to worry about and quickly remedied when we get home, as long as you're ok with it.
Is weight maintenance my goal? This is the goal for most of my clients and it's totally possible by following the strategy below...
2 - The Holiday Strategy
Work backwards from the day you get home from holiday and figure out what are the things that you would need to do/not do on holiday to make your goal (e.g. weight maintenance) a reality? Have a strategy and a plan for that. Nothing elaborate now, keep it to 3 things at the most!
Rough strategies for things you could do daily:
Hit a certain no. of steps every day. e.g. 7,000-10,000. I usually aim to do an early morning walk before the kids wake up and we have breakfast together. This sets me up for the day both physically and mentally (I'm an introvert so really need some alone time every day!). A walk after dinner in the evening is another nice option. If you're on an exploring holiday, fantastic, but for many of us, the days will be very kid-focused so walking long distances might not be feasible then.
Keep breakfasts and lunches high protein and fibre and lower on fat & carbs - this keeps the blood sugar stable and avoids that rollercoaster ride and those cravings. Some easy breakfast options could be eggs, greek yoghurt parfait, high protein smoothie. And for lunch, think meat and salads, grilled seafood with veggies etc.
Have a plan for drinks/desserts - e.g. no more than X no. of drinks per day. Or only drink 3 days out of 7. Find what is feasible for you and your goals, but plan ahead! Better than saying ‘Oh, I hope I don’t drink too much’, having no plan and going off the rails completely, we’ve all been there, right?! I will be alternating alcoholic drinks with hydrating drinks such as soda water and lime, or my latest craze - Vit-Hit sachets with sparkling water (if you haven’t tried this you should!!). If you're not a big drinker but you love your desserts, then plan for those in the same way.
3 - The Return Strategy
Before you go on holiday, plan the first couple of days after you get home - e.g. order your groceries to be delivered on day 1, plan a workout with a friend, or a walk on day 1. Otherwise, you can find yourself staying in holiday mode for at least a week or two after you return, and this just makes it harder to get back to the routine.
That’s it! Notice I didn’t suggest tracking your food OR working out while away - we’re on holiday ladies, we need to take a break from any kind of rigidity and just enjoy ourselves - but within reason :-).
Bon voyage!! Xx
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