Vacation advice needed PLEASE

[chewiegand]

Going to Florida for 2 weeks soon. I want to maintain my weight loss and not gain. Any and all Advice will be appreciated. I will have a kitchen but don't really want to spend too much time cooking as I cook all the time at home. Suggestions from you all experienced friends will be used and thankfully appreciated. Mary

[Bonnie]

When I went on vacation I ate like I do at home. Meat, salad and veggies, a little lc fruit. We didn't have a kitchen so we ate out, but it was still easy to eat OP. I was down two more lbs when I got home. I don't see why being on vacation should give me the go ahead to eat differently.

[skg]

Will you be driving or flying to FL? If driving make some meals ahead and freeze them.

[ab1ht]

You know what? You're going on VACATION!

So don't stress it. Really, let's keep life in perspective.

Do your best to stay on plan by picking from the foods available. But if you get some carbs mixed in, don't freak out over it.

Remember:
* If you're hungry, eat.
* If you're thirsty, drink.
* If you're no longer hungry, stop eating.

You should be fine. Now have fun!

-Paul

[Tuscanytrace]

I just spent a week at my national convention in Tulsa, where every meal is part of the programming--training, awards, etc. during the meal. I requested an "alternate meal" card but they kept just bringing me vegetarian--often pasta-based.

So I didn't have much time, or any facilities to cook. I thought ahead, brought a five-day cooler for the price of renting a room fridge, and had hard-boiled eggs and homemade mayonnaise (Linda Sue's Neanderthin recipe--yum!!!). I ate some of the eggs straight for breakfast. But I also brought a couple of cans of tuna and chicken, and made egg, tuna, and chicken salads. I also had a couple of tubs of guac to supplement the hotel's low-fat fare, and pork rinds to either eat with them or grab as a snack.

Finally, I made 3 batches of Oopsies, and sweetened them and flavored them with Cappella French Toast drops. I figured I could eat them straight for breakfast (which I did); snack on them; and eat them as burger buns--after all, many burgers have bacon, and bacon is sometimes flavored with maple, right? So a maple-flavored bacon cheeseburger was going to taste the same whether the maple was in the bun or the bacon!

And I'm happy to report that the first day back, after a 16 hour drive, I was down almost 2 lbs.; and this morning I'm down another 2 (after a day in which I drove another 2 hours). I actually lost almost 4 pounds on my trip, and I'm wiped out and think that once I have a real full night's sleep, I might even have a little more to go!

Going on vacation doesn't have to mean going off the wagon, and it doesn't have to be hard, either.

[JONAH'S GRANNY]

Just returned from 9 days at the beach and weight is the same as when I left. I never stressed over my food; knew what I should and shouldn't eat and pretty much stuck to it most of the time. I did have a few Michelob Ultra Lites and had one meal of what I wanted; big, fresh, breaded Coconut Shrimp. I also enjoyed lowcarb ice cream, lowcarb bread, and wraps. They were all eaten in moderation. You really can do it if you try. Have FUN!

[Mommie22boys]

Originally Posted by ab1ht

You know what? You're going on VACATION!

So don't stress it. Really, let's keep life in perspective.

Do your best to stay on plan by picking from the foods available. But if you get some carbs mixed in, don't freak out over it.

Remember:
* If you're hungry, eat.
* If you're thirsty, drink.
* If you're no longer hungry, stop eating.

You should be fine. Now have fun!

-Paul

Personally, I have to disagree with this line of thinking. I can't start thinking of this woe as something I'm going to take a vacation from. If I'm going on vacation, whether it's camping this weekend or a week in Florida next month, I'm going to do my darndest to stay on plan. I'm planning and thinking ahead of time as much as possible, so that I don't have to think "oh, what am I going to eat today?" while I'm on vacation.

I think anyone who wants to make this woe their woe FOR LIFE, should get *vacation-thinking* out of their head.

To address the OP, I'm planning to fill my parent's fridge (in Florida next month) with lc go-to foods for a quick grab. . .HB eggs, tuna salad, cheeses. . .that kind of thing so I can grab something quick when I need to. Even if you go out to dinner every night (eat your steaks and seafoods!), you will be able to nosh confidently while at the condo during the day or whenever, and still stay on-plan.

Have a great time!!

[Kori's Mom]

I agree that you shouldn't stress out so much that you dread vacation! Make sure there a some legal snacks around, and avoid refined flour and sugar! I shift into maintenance for vacation, and make sure I jump right back when I return. Other than that, relax and have fun! Spoil yourself with seafood dipped in butter and a Mich Ultra, and think, "Life is GOOD!"

[FatBack]

Pick up some Atkins Shakes to keep on hand

[dae_tona]

The one thing I had to come to the conclusion of when on vacation: I might be on vacation but I shouldn't be on vacation from my eating habits. When we go on vacation-do any of us ever think "I'm on vacation so I won't brush my teeth, take a shower, etc. since I'm on vacation"...I doubt any of us think that way...it should be the same with your eating habits.

A few years ago, I went on vacation, ate way off plan & ended up putting on fourteen pounds over a 3 week period. I was still struggling with that vacation weight a year later. So wasn't worth it.

Last time I went on vacation, I ate mostly low carb. I might have had one meal that was not low-carb. I skipped the bread baskets at restaurants. At an Italian restaurant, I had their protein salad. At other restaurants, I stuck with meat & veggies. Even at the son's house, I stuck with meat & veggies. If he decided to go to a fast-food place to get a burger, I'd decline & stick with my meat & veggies at the house. I was even up at 5:30 am every morning walking for 45 minutes. I was only trying to maintain during that vacation but after two weeks-I came back 8 lbs thinner. That was my incentive for always sticking to plan during vacation.

And if you don't want to cook, you could always make yourself salads with precooked protein in them.

Dyan

[SugarFreeSheila]

Grocery shop, prepare, order, and eat food outside your city the same you would in your city - n revamping necessary. Someone who is a brittle diabetic or who has a wheat allergy should not feel forced to compromise, and since every place I've ever traveled in the world has clean meats, cheeses, fresh vegetables, nuts, and low-glycemic fruits available, neither should you. Best of luck and have fun!

[Ilpirata]

The last vacation I went on I mostly ate out. However I did also take some snacks that really helped on the plane ride and for those times in the hotel room where I needed a bite. I took bag of roasted salted almonds, bag of roasted salted macadamia nuts, package of string cheeses, two bags of Low Carb Jerkey, and a couple of low carb shakes for emergencies (only drank one of those - yuck!). In the restaurants I had alot of omelettes, salads made with meat, and and steaks.

I was in Kansas City and on the recomendation of someone on this board I went to Mickey Mantles and guess what I ate - THIRTY OUNCE PORTERHOUSE!!!! O Yum. Fifty Dollar Steak. How many weight watchers points do you think that woulda counted for? So do I eat thirty ounces of hella expensive steak at home? No. Guess thats as far as my *vacation thinking vacation eating* went. Still onplan and I lost on my trip too.

[chewiegand]

Thanks to all who replied I do appreciate it. Now, my thoughts, I can agree with everyone here. I am flying but am planning on preparing lots of food once there plus having salads and other lc convenience stuff too(which I normally don't have at home.) I will have fun but FOOD is not the focus on this vacation--it will be having fun, relaxing and spending time with my dh and boys. I will splurge a bit but it'll be very limited and still within a low carb type lifestyle. I have a bunch of recipes I'm going to make for snacks and desserts--they are all low carb and my downfall so IF I keep those under control, the rest of my eating will be fine. Thanks again. When I finalize my plans I'll post in case anyone can benefit from all my planning.

[ab1ht]

Originally Posted by Mommie22boys

Personally, I have to disagree with this line of thinking. I can't start thinking of this woe as something I'm going to take a vacation from...

I think you missed what I'm saying.

Originally Posted by Kori's Mom

I agree that you shouldn't stress out so much that you dread vacation!...jump right back when I return. Other than that, relax and have fun!...

Originally Posted by chewiegand

... I will have fun but FOOD is not the focus on this vacation--it will be having fun, relaxing and spending time with my dh and boys. I will splurge a bit but it'll be very limited and still within a low carb type lifestyle...

This is what I'm saying

-Paul

[ab1ht]

On a similar note, I'm going to be doing my marathon in October with a group of team mates.

If you've never been to a big race, the weekend will go something like this:
Night before: Pasta party
Morning of race: Bagel, low fat yogurt, bananas, etc
On the course: Gu (sugar), Gatorade, fruit (not too bad).
Dinner/Victory Party: Not sure, but most likely more pasta...

Know what? I'm not going to stress it.

I might take a few MIMs along and keep an eye out for a restaurant that serves omelets.

I'll simply get back on my normal plan when I get back.

-Paul

[flatferenghi]

i always lost weight, regardless if i was trying to or not. the reason was, i was not sitting on my butt all day and/or night watching tv. like ab1ht says, do the best you can, and have a great time. make me jealous. Love & Profits: FLATFERENGHI

[Ilpirata]

If you've never been to a big race, the weekend will go something like this:
Night before: Pasta party

Um, I'm FOR SURE going to the pasta party the night before I run a marathon. When am I running a marathon? Well, NEVER... but if I were I'd FOR SURE eat the freaking pasta.

[whatjelly]

Originally Posted by ab1ht

You know what? You're going on VACATION!

So don't stress it. Really, let's keep life in perspective.

Do your best to stay on plan by picking from the foods available. But if you get some carbs mixed in, don't freak out over it.

Remember:
* If you're hungry, eat.
* If you're thirsty, drink.
* If you're no longer hungry, stop eating.

You should be fine. Now have fun!

-Paul

Well I do think that this type of thinking is fine... I don't think he meant eat ice cream or snow cones or anything... or 'vacationing' from the WOE.

When you eat out, stick with salads and meats... eggs and bacon in the am... and the important thing is

HAVE FUN!! and stay hydrated!

[cjack1]

I went to the beach for two weeks in June and lost about 7 pounds. My advice is to keep your food plan as simple and basic as possible during vacation.

Here's what I did:

Egg Creme for breakfast every day

Crackers made from Joseph's Lavash Bread (prepared beforehand) with cheeese or peanut butter for a daytime snack

Joseph's pita sandwich for lunch

Typical low carb dinner, i.e. meat and vegetables - either in or out

I had no problems sticking with this. The one indulgence I allowed myself was to eat fried seafood for dinner if I wanted, with the coating still attached. I really didn't want to go to the beach (in the South) and miss out on fried fish and shrimp, so I ate it without the hush puppies, fries, baked potato, etc. I found this moderate amount of "carb liberty" did not cause me any problem with cravings or stalling at all.

I hope this helps.

[Bluegenes]

Thank you for the voice of reason Paul!!

Reading some of these posts sometimes reminds me of the preaching in ultra-fundementalist churches. I don't want to feel like a "sinner" for eating one cracker!

Hearing you talk about running may have just inspired me. I used to run upwards of 5 miles a day, but haven't for 2 years. I really should start again. Maybe today?

[flourchild]

Originally Posted by ab1ht

Do your best to stay on plan by picking from the foods available. But if you get some carbs mixed in, don't freak out over it.

What he said. Florida restaurants will have plenty of LC options available. Yeah okay, the fried alligator may be dredged in flour but...eat simply and congratulations on your amazing success!

[Mommie22boys]

Yikes. . .well, I guess I'll be happy to be the lonely soul who chooses to stick with my way of thinking that I don't go on vacation from my woe, just because I'm on vacation. I don't stress about it. . .I'm pretty sure I said that I always think and plan ahead of time so I'm NOT stressing everyday about food while I'm on vacation. I also won't have to stress about making up for a few gained pounds because I let some carbs get mixed in that I normally wouldn't have eaten in the first place, just because I'm on vacation.

I realize that no one is suggesting that going on vacation means eating ice cream or snow cones. However, there's no reason, IMO to think any differently about food while on vacation than any other time.

The OP was looking for suggestions about maintaining weight while on vacation. . .if someone wants to suggest, "Hey, you're on vacation, don't sweat it," then that's fine. My suggestion that, "Vacation-thinking in regards to eating is not a great choice," is just that, my suggestion. The OP will take from it whatever they choose to and go from there.


Moving on. . .

[ab1ht]

Originally Posted by Bluegenes

Hearing you talk about running may have just inspired me. I used to run upwards of 5 miles a day, but haven't for 2 years. I really should start again. Maybe today?

Off topic:

@Bluegenes: I was going to PM you on this, but you're fairly new so I can't. But check out the exercise board. Specifically the C25K threads.

There are lots of runners on this board, so if you have questions, just ask.

-Paul

[Bluegenes]

Not to keep things off topic, but since I can not PM yet...

Thanks Paul, I have been reading some of the running threads. Running is nothing new to me. I started running all the way back in HS as a cross country runner and have run off and on (mostly on) for most of my 42 years. Tonight I'm going to start out with a short distance....1 1/2 miles, maybe 2. In the weeks to come I'll increase it.....or maybe not..... even 2 miles a day isn't all that bad.

Thanks again for the good words.

-Stephen