Losing weight on holiday

As I look forward to my upcoming beach holiday at an all-inclusive resort with my family I find myself wondering whether I will over eat. I know it is entirely up to me and I have a choice. I know that if I do gain weight I can lose it again without a load of drama, but what do I truly want?

1. Decide what your goal is for the holiday

What will make it truly enjoyable and fill me with joy and happiness?
How high a priority is eating and drinking?
I would like to truly experience the Caribbean. I’ve not been before, and I want to soak up the sights, sounds, aromas and atmosphere.

I also want to spend quality time with my husband. Both of us have been working like crazy over the past few weeks, barely having time to speak to one another. And I’m really looking forward to catching up over a good cup of coffee, or gin and slimline tonic.
And I want to connect with my children (if they’ll let me)! When you have teenagers time on holiday is one of those rare opportunities to do things together. So, I’m looking forward to messing around in the sea, and doing some scuba diving with my son and going to the spa with my daughter.
I also want to do something I’ve never done before, whether that’s to go on a jet ski – or do a rum tour.
Eating lots of food just isn’t on this list. It probably would have been previously but not anymore. So yes to a few G &Ts with my husband but that’s about it. The rest of the time I can eat for nourishment as well as enjoyment, salad, fruit, vegetables and hopefully lots of fresh fish.

However, I also know – after a few G & Ts my conscious thinking goes out the window and there’s a chance that before I know it I will have demolished all the accompanying bar snacks. So that’s something I need to watch out for.

2. Continue with the practice of planning and honouring your commitment to yourself

To help keep me on track I will plan each morning what I would like to eat for the coming day and assess what I ate the day before. Also, if I want a ‘treat eat’ I will plan it in advance so that I don’t start responding to food urges.

I’ve been told that the resort we’re going to has an amazing ice cream parlour. I love ice cream. And whether to indulge in some ice cream, and how often I should indulge in some ice cream is taking up a little too much of my brain power right now. However, whilst I love ice cream, I am a little fussy…I like creamy ice cream like Hagen Daz or Ben and Jerry’s – not the sugary watery type. So, if the ice cream there is creamy I will probably plan a few indulgences with my daughter…but if it’s the watery sugary type then I will abstain and save myself for a Hagen Daz treat when I return home.

3. Avoid grazing

During previous all-inclusive holidays I would frequently make return trips to the buffet. This is something I’m going to avoid. I will also seek out small dinner plates or side plates, especially as I’ll likely be having more than one course – and find that eating off smaller plates really helps me not to over eat

4. Keep well hydrated

I can easily forget to drink and bizarrely I often find access to water on holiday can be a little tricky. Making sure I have plenty of bottled water in my room for all the family will be a priority.

5. Don’t panic when you get back on the scales

Although I ate and drank differently to normal during my last holiday I didn’t massively over eat as I would have done previously.

So, I was really surprised, and had to manage my mind not to be disappointed (or horrified) when I got on the scales to see that I had gained half a stone. I was only away for a week! Fortunately, there was no drama, I got right back to eating exactly how I normally do and it was gone within 5 days. I think that much of the weight was water retention from the flight and travelling.

In summary I encourage you to really think about what you want to get from your holiday and then put whatever you need in place to get it. If experiencing the food and drink is important to you, and worth a little weight gain, then go with it, feel good about it, and savour every mouthful. If new experiences and time with family are important then focus on them.

Wishing you a fabulous summer where ever you are