With the kids out of school and the weather heating up, thoughts naturally turn to your summer vacation. Visions of crab feasts and ice cream parlor visits may fill you with dread this year- should you just bag the vacation altogether knowing you can’t possibly stick to your medical weight loss plan?
The truth is, you can vacation while staying on your weight loss plan. Not only can you, you must. This year’s vacation will be a good opportunity to show yourself, finally, that you can follow a weight loss plan and live your life at the same time. Here are a few tips on how to do just that:
Take the Focus Off Weight Loss. If you’ve been cruising along so far on your medical weight loss plan, giving yourself a little leeway on vacation is fine. In fact, while you’re on your trip, you may want to focus on simply maintaining the weight you’ve lost so far, knowing you’ve made tremendous progress you can be proud of. This mental shift can free you up to stay focused, and fit in some small indulgences as well, without feeling guilty.
Plan Ahead for Some Treats. Planning ahead is crucial to make sure your vacation indulgences don’t turn into a diet free fall. The key is prioritizing: Figuring out what foods or vacation experiences you enjoy most, and want to make sure you fit in. For example, if you know you can’t resist your resort’s cinnamon rolls, have one for breakfast. If you can only visit your all-time favorite restaurant on vacation, go and enjoy a good meal. The key is to limit indulgences to your top two or three, plan ahead, and enjoy them. This will make sticking to your weight loss plan the rest of the time easier. You may even find those heavy foods you ate mindlessly every year on vacation don’t even look that good, compared to fresh fruit and a day full of fun outdoor activities.
Figure Out Your Support Network. Chances are you’ll need a different type of support around you on your vacation. While you may not want to inform the world that you’re on a weight loss plan, you will want to clue in some trustworthy people whose support you’ll welcome. For example, if your sister-in-law walks every morning at your family’s lake house, tell her you want to come along. If the family friends you always vacation with eat out every night, ask if you can do a couple nights of potluck (and you can offer to cook a healthy entrée). Make these nights in special by planning some fun games you can play together after dinner (which will help keep thoughts of second helpings or dessert at bay). You’ll all save money, eat more healthfully, and probably have more fun doing it!