Vacations can actually become stressful when it comes to dining. Those, who track their diet and are particular to what they consume, can find the inconsistency and jovial atmosphere of vacation detracting from all their hard-earned work. Meals tend to be impromptu on vacations, and dining out at new restaurants and locales can really add up calorie-wise if you don't pay attention.
While vacations should come with looser dietary practice, you should still maintain some form of moderation. A heavily fat-saturated diet during a vacation will detract from your previous successes, and you will begin to find yourself feeling poorer as new foods become a shock to your system.
It all comes to balance, whereby you can enjoy the benefits of vacation while still sticking to your previous diet. Here are some tips:
Continue to use your dietary log during vacation. DO NOT IGNORE IT. You may find the urge to ignore your nutritional log on vacation, but make sure you continue to update it. This will continue a forced-visualization of what you are consuming during the trip.
Allow yourself one cheat meal per day, and hold it off until the evening. Keep breakfast and lunch lean and within your standard macronutrient profile. This will give you something to look forward to in the evening and also leave you feeling satiated before bed. Additionally, metabolic function is fastest in the morning and afternoon, so lean, low-carb meals at these times will expedite your body's fat burn.
Keep non-deviating meals low in fats and carbohydrates. Since you'll be dining out a lot, you won't be aware of all the ingredients in each meal that you consume. Restaurants tend to use a lot of oils in their dishes, which are high in fats. So you can expect to find yourself with a higher-than-usual fat intake on a daily basis. You can combat this by keeping your morning and midday meals low in fats, which should also reduce any sensation of bloating during your trip.
Limit the amount of sugary drinks during the day, and keep your alcoholic drinks light. You'll often be tempted by sugary alcoholic drinks on vacation. Allow yourself one sugary or mixed drink per day, and never exceed more than three. Stick with cleaner alcohols and alcoholic drinks such as vodka sodas, etc.
Drink plenty of water. It's likely that you'll be in hot weather and sweating more. This, in tandem with alcoholic beverages, rapidly leads to dehydration, which is serious. Make sure that you constantly have a bottle of water next to you. Water will also help your metabolism better process the heavier evening meals and help your body as a whole.
By following these tips, you'll be able to mitigate the damage on vacation without spoiling the fun. Remember to relax and enjoy your time, but be conscious of what you're consuming on a daily basis.
For more questions on vacation dieting, contact the author.