Weight Loss Surgery Forums

by Cathy Wilson, ACC-ICF, CLC

Summer is here and for many of us, summer is a time to relax and to take a well-deserved break from work and the stressors of everyday life. Have you planned your vacation yet?  If so, be sure to stay on track and bring your healthy habits with you to your destination of choice. You've worked to make your healthy habits a part of your every day routine so, why would you leave those same habits at home? You are going on vacation but your weight loss goals aren't. Since having surgery, we eat right and exercise regularly. We make our health one of our top priorities. However, there is the temptation to let it all go whenever we take a vacation. Fun on vacation doesn't mean that you have to leave your healthy food choices and exercise behind. Healthy habits don't have to be synonymous with a boring vacation. You can still enjoy each moment, take in the sights and opportunities that are around you, have fun, rest easy while maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
 

Vacations are fun but they can also be challenging too. While the break of your every day grind is great, it also means you are out of your routine. Routine brings structure. Your habits are so engrained that they play a big part of what you do each day. For many weight loss surgery patients, being out of their routine can be problematic. Our daily routine includes the predictability of what we eat (and don't eat), along with our exercise and activity. For some of us, our "I'm on vacation" mindset means we experience an urge to splurge when it comes to our food choices and slack on regular exercise. 

 

Just as you've made changes to achieve your healthy lifestyle, the attitude of "I'm on vacation so I'm going for it" needs to be changed too. Treat your time away as an opportunity to create new and improved vacation habits. To stick with your healthy habits, all it takes is a little planning before you go.. Don't let yourself give in to a week of overdoing it. The physical and emotional high you'll feel when you get home, having stayed on track, is not worth a few days of food frenzy during vacation.

Getting there by car? Highway restaurants, truck stops and fast food joints are abundant. Keep on driving by them as you enjoy the planned snacks you've packed in a cooler before you pulled out of your driveway. You'll save money and calories! Pack a cooler with chopped veggies, fruit, low-fat yogurt, pre-packaged protein options, and even sandwiches and portable packaged meals you prepared at home. 

 

Getting there by plane or train? There are lots of grab and go types of food places in the airport and train station. While you might have to do a little extra walking (bonus!) to search for healthier fare, it will be well worth it. Look for salads, fruit, lean protein options or open-faced sandwiches. As you walk through the airport, get in extra activity by using stairs rather than elevators or escalators and walk right on by the moving walkway designed to help you get to your destination a little faster.. Rather than sit and watch the hands of the clock during a layover, get up and walk around. You'll be sitting for a long time during your flight or train ride so this is the time to move.

 

Vacation destination – you have arrived and are ready to go. It may sound nice to relax on your vacation by sleeping in and eating. However, after a few days, your body will feel worse if you do not get any exercise. Scope out your hotel for fitness areas that are available to guests. Check out the area around where you are staying for places to walk. Rather than put added miles on your car or rental, walk if you can. Look for opportunities to get in exercise and added activity. Hoof it whenever you can. You can leisurely enjoy sightseeing on your own rather than an organized (paid) tour where you are on their time schedule. If your hotel has a pool, swim some laps or practice water aerobics for added fun and fitness. Explore your vacation locale on foot so you don't miss something that you would otherwise by riding in a speeding car.

Before the mini-bar in your room looks appealing (by the way, say no thank you to the mini-bar key $$), check out your food and restaurant options by talking to hotel staff, locals in the area, and the phone book. If possible, go online to decide what you'll eat ahead of time. Go to the local grocery store to get some healthy options to keep in your room. Again, you'll save money and calories by pre-planning. Focus on the experience of your vacation. Instead of a food-focused time, focus your attention on your entire vacation. Don't spend your money on high-priced and high calorie foods. Ensure your fun by eating healthy to get the most from your vacation instead of feeling tired, bloated, sluggish or sick from unhealthy foods. Enjoy your vacation by what you do, not by what you eat. Bottom line, you are there for fun, not food.

Make sure that you keep hydrated by drinking water. Traveling can dehydrate you, so can being out in the sun more than you are accustomed to. Keep water in your backpack, hotel room, and car. Wherever you are, drink up. 

I admit it is more difficult to stick with our normal eating habits and exercise while we're on vacation. Just think of it as a challenge. If you're able to keep your healthy habits more or less intact while on vacation, you are more likely to stick to them in the long-term. You know that you are on vacation, but your weight loss and maintenance goals don't. 
 

Balance and moderation are great realistic vacation goals. You don't have to throw caution to the wind and abandon your healthy lifestyle habits. On one day, if you make less-than-healthy food choices, eat in moderation and balance it out with more exercise and activity that day. While on vacation, when it comes to food and exercise, think in terms of checks and balances. Instead of going for it, use the Three-Bite Rule. If you want to eat something you normally wouldn't, eat three bites. Beyond three bites, we lose the blast of flavor and we're just eating. You don't have to restrict or deprive yourself if you remember balance and moderation throughout your vacation.

 

Once you're home, get back to it. Get back in the familiar groove of your regular healthy habits. They make you feel happy and healthy, and ready to get back to your daily routine. 

 

It's worth the time it takes to plan ahead for a healthy trip. You may or may not lose weight on vacation, but maintenance is certainly possible and a realistic goal. Once you're home, you can continue without missing a beat on your weight loss and maintenance goals. 

The goal for your vacation is to have fun and be with family or friends, not to focus on vacation food-fare. Make sure you bring all of the necessities with you, including your commitment to yourself and your health. Throughout your vacation, fast forward to how awesome you'll feel if you've lost or maintained your weight. If you think ahead, plan and prepare, you'll return home with lots of memories, not lots of pounds. Bring home pictures, not pounds.

 

Please comment below on how you stay on track with your healthy habits during your summer vacation.