Avoid Vacation Weight Gain

Solutions to Keeping Your Weight Loss Goals on Track

What are your summer plans? Do they involve someplace warm and tropical with white sandy beaches, inviting blue waters and drinks with flirty umbrellas? For many women planning for the ultimate beach vacation goes beyond booking the flights, securing the hotel rooms and packing the luggage. A beach vacation usually involves some sort of weight loss preparation in order to rock the swimsuit while soaking up the sun. But after doing all that fitness and nutritional preparation prior to the vacation, what happens during the vacation? How do you resist the temptation to over-indulge?

Preventing weight gain while on vacation is not undoable. Being mindful of certain tendencies and tweaking a few vacation habits are easy solutions to staying slim while relaxing.

Eat healthy. While traveling, whether by car, plane, bus or boat, eating healthy on vacation can seem impossible. Snacks in airports are over-priced and of the fast food nature while snacks on the road are reduced to vending machine items. Packing your own snacks to travel with will keep you satisfied and help you resist the temptation of a monstrous-sized Cinnabon bun. Fiber-filled snacks like apples, granola and almonds are wonderful options.

Resist the buffet line. Yes, it is tempting. The wide-variety of rice, roast beef, chicken kabobs and deserts are divine. These dishes aren’t too unhealthy, but what makes them weight loss fiends is they don’t know how to take no for an answer, rather most vacationers don’t know how to just say no.  As disciplined as we think we might be, resisting the urge to go back for seconds is nearly impossible, especially when there is chocolate cake.

If at all possible, stick with traditional sit-down meals. The portions can still be ridiculous, but the temptation to fill plate after plate to get your money’s worth will be a non-issue.

Stay active. Yes, I know. It is a vacation, you say. The essence of a vacation is to slow down, take smaller steps and lounge in the sun while dreaming of frolicking in the sand and sun all day. However, a passive approach to vacation can have you packing extra pounds when you leave.

Plan adventures while you are vacation. We are not saying you need to jog along the beach at 5am, although what a beautiful way to start the day with a sunrise beach jog. But plan a day to explore; paddle of a lazy river in a kayak, rent a bike and tackle a beach trail, or climb a (small) mountain. If a vacation adventure sounds appealing to you, check out Gaiam’s Eco-Travel & Transportation
information page for tips on planning your own active, vacation adventure.

I want you to enjoy your vacation, but I also want you to enjoy your return. Following these simple tips will keep that nasty menopausal weight gain away from your belly. Of course, even if you are not experiencing menopause these tips will work for you, too!