I’ve recently returned from a 2 week holiday and I had a fantastic time! I ate lots of great food, I drank alcohol too, even had one ‘mad’ night out (and it was great fun!) but I maintained my weight – didn’t gain, didn’t lose. I know this isn’t the main goal for most people when on holiday, but for those who would like to continue to make progress towards their goals (even on holiday) I want you to know this is possible by just making a few simple tweaks and changes to your normal holiday routine, whatever that looks like!
Don’t get me wrong, I believe holidays are a time for relaxation and switching off. As soon as that plane touches down, I don’t want to be checking emails or doing any work – I want to spend precious time with my family, sit (or lie) down in the sun (hopefully!) and switch off from the real world for a bit – that’s what holidays are about!
I’ll be honest, after some holidays in the past, I’ve come home feeling a bit gross after too much over indulgence, and afterwards the temptation kicks in to over-restrict in order to re-address the ‘balance’. But I’ve learnt that there is actually a different way, and I want to share that with you here.
Remember that being more mindful about your activity and food consumption doesn’t automatically make a holiday less enjoyable – it might actually mean you enjoy it more!
I had the best time away and I don’t feel like I missed out at all, but I did make some (quite enjoyable and realistic) compromises and sensible choices…
- I tried to include protein with each meal. Why? Because it keeps you fuller for longer! For breakfast, I had lots of fruit, protein yoghurt and protein granola. For lunch, I’d make a chicken or prawn salad or wrap. For evening meals, I mainly opted for meat / fish and veg (and I did have some pasta and pizza too). Everything tastes good when you’ve not had to make it yourself!
- I opted for potatoes rather than chips where possible. Many of the restaurants we went to had this available as an option, and the main event is usually the fish / meat, so I do not mind foregoing chips if it means I can still enjoy the meal.
- I walked – a lot! I averaged 15k steps a day and my non-negotiable step count was a minimum of 10k per day.
- I still worked out every other day! To be honest, I’ve done this on holiday for years now, mainly because I love it and I feel so much better if I’ve worked out in the morning.. Working out doesn’t need to be in a gym – it can be anywhere – and bodyweight exercises are still great!
- I drank ‘zero’ tonic with my gin! Such an easy ‘swap’! Don’t get me wrong, I still had some wine and a few cocktails, but if I was drinking, it would usually be a gin and slim.
- I opted out of dessert most nights and only had a couple of ice creams during the holiday. We aren’t a big dessert-eating family really and I’d always prefer to have more savory than sweet, plus I was always full! If the kids were getting ice creams and I wanted something, we’d share one, or I’d get a Calippo!
What I’m trying to do here is offer some practical, real life tips to consider when going away – IF YOU WANT TO. There is no judgment here – you always have a choice when it comes to food and exercise – whether you’re on holiday or not – and if you’ve built up a good routine and rhythm and you want to continue that, then there are ways to do so. But it must be a conscious decision and you will probably need to make compromises. We can’t eat and drink everything in sight and expect to maintain our weight – it just doesn’t work like that.
So if you have body composition or fat loss goals, I want to reassure you that holidays are a time for enjoyment, but progress can also be made. If you want to switch off and eat and drink whatever you like for a week or two, that’s absolutely fine too, but just understand what the consequences of that are likely to be. You might decide that it’s absolutely worth it for you, in which case, go for it! If not, perhaps consider some of the tips above. Most importantly of all, ENJOY YOURSELF!
