The time has finally come! You have waited all year for your upcoming vacation, and you can’t wait to jet set and leave the daily stress of work behind. You can stay out late, sleep in, explore new places, and try new foods. However, before you take off, you remember that you’ve been dieting for months and have had great success so far! You are so close to your goal weight and don’t want to blow your chances of meeting it while traveling.
Whether you are taking a road trip to a neighboring state or you are flying across the globe for a lavish European or beach vacation, sticking to your diet while traveling can be tough. Convenience becomes a priority over health when you’re constantly on the go, and it can be difficult to find healthy options.
A lot of people fall victim to decadent foods that taste great, but aren’t diet friendly, while traveling. And everyone can understand why. From the minute you step into the airport or hit the highway for a road trip, you are immediately surrounded with unhealthy options. Fast food is everywhere, and trying to find a meal that is truly healthy might prove to be impossible.
Fear not! There are ways to stick to your diet while traveling. Even though you may not follow your diet plan perfectly every single day, it’s always good to seek out the healthier options and really challenge yourself to say no to that cheesecake, and yes to a plate of fresh fruit.
So before you head on your traveling endeavors, be sure to take these 4 tips into consideration to help you stick to your diet. These tips include:
- Plan ahead
- Stick to your routine
- Be your own chef
- Portion control
1. Plan Ahead
You’ve heard it before and you will hear it again: the success to dieting in any circumstance is planning ahead. Even if you aren’t going out of town, planning your meals in advance is your one way ticket to success when it comes to dieting.
Even though planning ahead may sound like it will take the fun out of a spontaneous travel adventure, it is a proven method to help you avoid bad foods.
For your trips, you know where you will be going and you know where you will be staying. In addition to planning some fun activities, try planning out where you will have some of your meals. A lot of restaurants have online menus, so take a look over those menus in advance and seek out the places with healthy options.
Additionally, snacking tends to be a huge culprit of weight gain while traveling. To avoid feeling the urge to chow down at your nearest McDonald’s when you’re hungry, bring some heart healthy snacks with you. That way, when hunger strikes, you are prepared and able to put an end to it before making a poor diet choice!
2. Stick to Your Routine
Routines may seem like a bore, but they become your best friend when trying to diet and exercise. For people who have been trying for months or years to slim down, routines become your saving grace; and taking your routine with you on vacation is of the utmost importance.
It’s no secret that when your routine gets out of whack, you slack on exercise and you eat foods that aren’t the best for you. So whenever possible, try sticking to your regular routine while on vacation.
Wake up at the same time as usual, eat your meals in the same general time frame, and ensure that you are getting your workouts in. Even though these things aren’t always possible to accomplish while vacationing, even just taking the time to do them occasionally will make you feel so much better about yourself!
3. Be Your Own Chef
Eating out while vacationing is incredibly tempting. You are usually surrounded by amazing restaurants with deliciously decadent foods—and saying no to that is no easy task.
When you have the time and resources to do so, being your own chef is one of the best ways to stick to your diet. You are able to pick out the ingredients and assemble your own meals, ensuring you know exactly what you are putting into your body.
Some simple items you can create yourself (without a kitchen) are salads, sandwiches, and soups! These easy to make items can all be made healthy if you choose the right ingredients, and can help eliminate the chance of slipping up on eating healthy!
4. Portion Control
Another golden rule of dieting to take on your vacation is portion control. This tactic will not only serve you well while out of town, it will also help you to cut back on a daily basis. We all know it’s impossible not to indulge yourself with amazing food while vacationing, so when these opportunities come, try your best to control your calorie intake with smaller portions.
This method is the way to get the best of both worlds. You can still enjoy amazing and authentic cuisine, but by doing so in moderation you will feel guilt free afterwards!
At the end of the day, you shouldn’t deprive yourself of enjoying a bit of R&R while on vacation. Even though it’s good to try your best to stick to your diet and exercise routine, the most important thing to do on vacation is enjoy yourself! A few days of sleeping in, drinking wine, and eating some amazing food won’t completely set you back on all of the progress you’ve made.
Better yet, when you get back from vacation you will be feeling more motivated and ready to hit the ground running (pun intended) than ever! Even though we all love our vacation time, there is something about our daily routine that is comfortable and enjoyable. You will instantly snap back into your workout regimen and will be ready to detox your body.
