Vacation Food Plan Strategy
Awhile back, I had posted my vacation food plan strategy and we received several emails asking us to revisit it. So let’s do that today.
Vacation!!! Time to relax… unwind. We should be so excited, right??? What if I tell you that one of the most common things I hear is, “I am worried about vacation because I can never stick to my food plan.”
Does this sound familiar? Stick with me here… there is a lot to unpack. But, read until the end. I am going to give you my vacation strategy that will allow you to have freedom and also feel amazing while you travel.
Let’s break down the mindset piece first.
When we think of vacation, we believe that it is time to relax, unwind, let loose, let go. Our brain suggests that this should be true for the food that we eat and the exercise that we don’t do on vacation. Vacation allows us to vacate from the normal everyday routine.
The next question is very important. So don’t skip answering. When on vacation, why do you want to vacate the eating style that makes you feel amazing? Often, it is because we have an automatic thought that we deserve to eat nonstop treats - we earned it. Or, we may have a thought that our everyday nutrition is not something that we want to do, but it is something that we have to do.
You see, nutrition on vacation will be super easy when we are in love with our food plan outside of vacation. We are in love with how we feel eating foods that fuel us. We are in love with having a stable mood and great energy.
So… what if we could combine being carefree on vacation AND eating the foods that make us feel amazing? For us to buy in, we have to gather evidence.
Here is a great example. I am on vacation with my family this week. We are at the shore. The idea of sipping some cocktails on the porch sounds divine. So, last night this is what we did. The idea was so amazing. BUT I SLEPT LIKE ABSOLUTE CRAP.
I know that my brain will offer something that will provide immediate pleasure. But, what I am really choosing between is immediate pleasure or long-term pleasure. See, I woke up this morning and was tired. Felt hungover, thirsty, a bit bloated. The immediate pleasure was really not worth it. Now, this is not to say that I won’t choose cocktails again - but I know that I am willing to accept the consequences. It will take me about a day to recover. And, I chose this.
A powerful question that you can ask yourself is: ‘Will the result of the action I take be something that I am willing to accept?’ Am I willing to accept the discomfort of not giving in to an urge now, so I can enjoy feeling amazing later? Or would I rather reject the discomfort now and feel uncomfortable later? We always have the choice: discomfort now or later.
Ok. If you are still with me: I am going to share with you my vacation strategy. Let’s be honest… vacation is time to vacate our everyday and be in the moment. This is the strategy that I use with my clients.
Step 1: Get super pumped up and hype for your vacation!!!! You do deserve it.
Step 2: Throw food rules out the window and commit to following your hunger scale. What this means is: ONLY EAT WHEN YOU ARE HUNGRY and STOP WHEN YOU ARE SATISFIED, NOT FULL. If you do this, you will not have to worry about your actual food choices. You are practicing intuitive eating, which makes so much sense for vacation because you will actually be honoring what your body needs on all accounts. Nachos look tasty poolside? Have them using your hunger scale.
Step 3: If you drink alcohol: Make a drink plan and stick to it. I don’t care what you pick. But plan it and do it. Make sure you are drinking water between drinks. Maybe your plan is to have 2-3 drinks with dinner each night. Maybe your plan is to have drinks every other day. Maybe your plan is to have 7 drinks for the whole trip. Make a reasonable plan and honor it.
Step 4: Aim for 10,000 steps per day. You do not need a formal workout routine - just move.
My clients who utilize this strategy will maintain their weight and/or lose. It works. It’s for real.
What if it were this simple for you?? It can be.
Enjoy, my friends.