Diet and vacation don't normally go together. However, instead of focusing on "dieting" focus on "wellness". If you can continue to eat healthy, make good choices and not gain weight while enjoying some down time, you won't end up with "vacation pounds" on your backside when you return to the daily routine. So how do you do that? Simply practice and remember these seven things and practice them every time you eat/drink anything:
*One "treat" a day – Pick something you know will satisfy your desire and have it once a day. A treat is anything that isn't directly related to your wellness program (i.e. 4 oz. ice cream, small piece of cake, 1 small candy bar, etc.). However, never eat or drink anything that will negatively impact your health (i.e. Type II Diabetics should avoid high GI foods; heart patients should avoid fried or high sodium foods, etc.)
*Healthy snacks – Always have at least two healthy snacks with you at all times (i.e. almonds, fruit, veggies) and eat one snack between meals or at least an hour before you eat a meal. This will help stave off hunger and keep you from over eating.
*Limit alcohol consumption – Not only is alcohol full of hidden calories, it causes you to drink more and eat unhealthy foods (cravings from the sugar in alcohol will cause you to overeat/consume sweet/salty foods). Although the label may say "low carbs, less calories" the average alcoholic beverage has 300 calories, if not more, in it. One drink alone is equal to a healthy meal!
*Broiled, grilled, boiled, raw, fresh, whole – There are plenty of delicious choices on the vacation menu to choose from. Just try to stick to these principles and you'll avoid unwanted/unhealthy results. Even if the menu presents the item prepared/cooked a certain way ask the server if you can change it (i.e. grilled versus fried). Make sure to ask them to put all "sauces" to the side so you can control how much you consume and to not use any butter/margarine or oils when cooking your food (unless it's Olive oil).
*Share or order half the meal in a box – Most meals served in a restaurant contain 500+ calories. Why not share or box half the meal and eat it again for dinner? Three hundred fifty is the average number of calories per meal anyone should consume. Unhealthy snacks are usually 300+ calories per snack. Healthy snacks should consist of no more than 150 calories, two times a day. If you're on vacation, eating out and not counting calories you can easily be over 2400 calories a day, fast. That's not counting the beverages you consume, as well. Three alcoholic beverage or sodas can add 900 calories to the total; it only takes 3500 calories to gain a pound and an average of five days to lose it! The sodium in preservatives or added during cooking can easily amount to over 2300 grams per day, resulting in bloating and water retention. All this adds to unwanted, hard to lose weight gain.
*Aerobic activity – We walk a lot on vacation, right? So we think we're burning a ton of calories, right? Wrong! The average calories burned in a 30 minute walk are about 150. That's equal to half of a vacation snack (based on 300 calories). Unless you're swimming, running, walking fast, volleyball, basketball or doing any aerobic type activity you're not burning that many calories. Plan some type of aerobic activity each day while on vacation and that will help you stay in shape and avoid unwanted weight.
*Reject peer pressure – How many times do we hear someone chide us about being on a "diet"? "Wellness" is a lifestyle; not a diet. Not everyone is in pursuit of the same goals. Think of it this way; if someone told you to spend money you didn't have (go in debt) would you do it? And if so, who would pay the bill when it arrived (i.e. weight gain, unhealthy living)? Every time you practice "wellness" you're depositing into your health's bank account. That alone is worth resisting "peer pressure" from others to do anything differently.
It may sound like a lot of rules to remember while on vacation but in reality these are the same principals you can live by in your pursuit of living a healthy lifestyle.
Quick Tip for Wellness: Live by the principles of wellness and you'll never have to worry when you go on vacation!
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