Vacations, stay-cations, time off from school/work and quality time with family. Besides the holiday season, summer may be the most challenging time of year to stay on track with healthy eating and exercise.
Imagine you've been enjoying a nice vacation in New York City and you hit all the restaurants and followed it up with late night dessert. Thankfully, you did quite a bit of walking, but you then feel lethargic, notice a decrease in your energy level and feel some guilt following a few days "off plan". You know you need to try your best to avoid feeling discouraged or getting overwhelmed by guilt as it never gets you to a better place...
So, how should you handle it?
Tips for during vacation: 1. Listen to your body - pay attention as much as possible to your hunger and fullness cues to avoid waiting too long before eating and to avoid overeating. Slow down at meals and be present in the moment. 2. Don't deprive, but don't overindulge - every meal on vacation may not be perfectly balanced, but you also don't need to go to the other extreme and have no regard for the food you are eating.
3. Stick to the basics - In order to avoid extremes, simply try to ensure your meals are protein, high fiber (whole grains, fruits and vegetables) and healthy fats. You can still enjoy garlic bread and dessert without losing all regard for what your body needs to function its best. After vacation: The first 48 hours or so after vacation is crucial for determining what direction the next week (or two weeks or month) is going to go. 1. Commit to moving your body within 48 hours of returning from vacation (this can be a simple walk or an exercise class at the gym. Accountability is key!) 2. Have a grocery order ready to be picked up or a plan for exactly when you'll make it to the store within the first 48 hours of returning. Ensure you have some easy meals in mind that are high in protein, healthy fats and fiber. 3. Practice mindful eating - Remember the basics of mindful eating and practice them. Sit down at the table without distractions, serve yourself a reasonable portion of food, put your fork down between bites and listen to your hunger and fullness cues.
4. Protect your relationship with food - avoid negative thoughts about certain foods or about yourself/your body as a result of "off plan" eating.
What NOT to do: 1. Skip meals - in order to protect your relationship with food, ensure you are still eating regularly scheduled meals and including foods from a variety of food groups.
2. Punish yourself with exercise - do not over exercise with the hope of shedding the vacation weight. This can lead to an unhealthy mental disorder or eating disorder and does not result in healthy or sustainable weight loss.
3. Start an extreme/deprivation diet - avoid the urge to start the fad diet that promises 10 pounds of weight loss in a week. This is not a realistic or sustainable way to lose weight. It will simply cause you more frustration in the future when you attempt to ease back into eating real foods. 4. Step on the scale - don't stress about what has already happened. move forward, reminisce on the enjoyment of your trip or family time and remain positive. There is no need to add discouragement or negativity from the number on the scale.
Be kind to yourself, continue moving forward and appreciate the victories. For everything you feel you "failed" at, provide a positive. Did you stay active on vacation? Did you continue to drink plenty of water? Did you skip dessert one night because you realized you would have been forcing it? Did you only eat a few bites of ice cream once you noticed it wasn't your favorite and you weren't really enjoying it? Recognize these victories and appreciate them. Learn to avoid harsh judgement and thoughts about yourself or your food choices.
I'm here for you and I believe in you! <3
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