What to do when you’re going to eat a lot

[Anonymous]

I’m a middle aged guy who is on a weight loss/fitness journey. I’m going to Austin and Lockhart Tx with some buddies to watch some football and eat a lot of barbecue. It’s a great time. Anyway I’ve been thinking that for the next three weeks I should reduce my food intake and do more cardio so the trip doesn’t totally kill the progress I’ve been making. Any tips are appreciated

[Anonymous]

Just eat sensibly during your trip. Maybe don't actually plan to "eat a lot" and just enjoy a normal portion. Practice some self discipline.

[Anonymous]

You will derail the progress for the short term. Dieting doesn't really work for the long term. What you need to do is learn moderation. Moderation doesn't mean daily; it could be only occasional splurges.

So don't change what you're doing now. Accept that you're going to go to Austin and have fun with your friends. You'll over indulge for the weekend. That's your splurge.

And then go back to doing what you've been doing.

[Anonymous]

Eat a lot of garbage to remind yourself why you have changed your habits. And prepare for the massive dumps.

It’s good to occasionally put 87 octane in the tank and go back to 93. It won’t derail anything if you’ve made improvements you actually like.

[Anonymous]

hang out without eating a lot? Eat normal portion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:hang out without eating a lot? Eat normal portion.

What is the point of that. The whole point of the trip is to overindulge. If you haven’t done it I highly recommend it.

[Anonymous]

How long is the trip? A week? You can't undo progress in a week. You'll retain a lot of water from the salt so you might be up 5-10 pounds when you get back but you'll pee it out within a few days when you get back to your plan.

[Anonymous]

Get some exercise every day on your trip. This is a great habit to form -- it kind of keeps the overeating and overdrinking in check and keeps your energy levels up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You will derail the progress for the short term. Dieting doesn't really work for the long term. What you need to do is learn moderation. Moderation doesn't mean daily; it could be only occasional splurges.

So don't change what you're doing now. Accept that you're going to go to Austin and have fun with your friends. You'll over indulge for the weekend. That's your splurge.

And then go back to doing what you've been doing.

Yes this is the reasonable answer. Also consider that some of your friends might be in the same boat and are nostalgic to overindulge but also don't enjoy the aftermath. You might be surprised that you get other takers if you offer up, hey anyone want to add in a run/hike/workout/whatever?

Then be chill the night before that effort.
Also alternate a glass of water with each drink.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get some exercise every day on your trip. This is a great habit to form -- it kind of keeps the overeating and overdrinking in check and keeps your energy levels up.

+1 Get some exercise, focus on protein when you eat out (easy to do in Texas on a BBQ spree) and try to keep control of how much beer you drink. Have fun and stay hydrated in the heat - by the time you're thirsty you're already dehydrated.

[Anonymous]

Don't stress about it, just enjoy your trip. Get back on track when you get back. Life's too short to be stressing about a diet when you're supposed to be having fun with your friends. Health/fitness is a marathon, not a sprint.

[Anonymous]

I’m a make who is about 9 months in to my “quest for abs”.

I am about there and took two beach trips with the family for a week each.

Ate what I wanted, drank some alcohol (family trip so not a weekend with the boys).

First week i exercised twice during the week; second nada.

Neither trip impacted me - actually after the second one I lost a couple pounds; but did do more swimming/playing sports with kids.

I would not think twice about a weekend of fun.

[Anonymous]

Losing weight is a long-term project. But so is gaining: A few days isn't going to change the long-term trend. Let's say your baseline is 2000 calories a day and you increase that by 50 percent, for an extra 1000 calories a day, for three days: That's a total increase of 3000 calories, which is still less than a pound (roughly 3500 calories a pound). Even if you really gorge yourself or are there for longer, it still is very unlikely to be be more than 2 pounds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get some exercise every day on your trip. This is a great habit to form -- it kind of keeps the overeating and overdrinking in check and keeps your energy levels up.

Op here. That’s a great idea. The trip is Thursday night to Sunday . I was planning to take it easy the first night and use the hotel gym early Friday since we’re all coming at different times on Thursday. I doubt I’ll be up to workouts on Saturday or Sunday. We’re gonna try to hit all the bbq joints in Lockhart on Friday. Saturday might be a disaster since we’re all closer to 50 than 40.

[Anonymous]

Slender person here. I start eating less a week prior to an eating extravaganza (skipping dinners works for me). It's amazing how much better food tastes when you're restrictive for a few days.
Gym while there would be a great addition to this.