Typically we vacation at the beach and it's pretty easy to maintain a healthy diet with indulgences. I never eat breakfast but on vacation, I would especially suggest you go light so you can save your calories for really good meals out later. If we go out for lunch, we cook at home and I'll make my usual lean protein and veggies. If we lunch at the beach I pack a healthy lunch and then eat a ton of fresh seafood when we go out. Drinks when I want them, desserts/sweets if it's a local speciality thing that I can ONLY get there. Move around, stay where you can work out, it all shakes out just fine.

We only eat 1 meal a day in a restaurant when we car trip. Bring cereal with us, try to find a hotel room with a frig. Buy things at grocery stores to have a picnic lunch. Saves money and calories.

I bring breakfast—which every day is a protein shake made with almond milk (165 calories). I try not to snack. I have a small lunch—either a salad or a sandwich, no fries with the sandwich or anything. I generally indulge for dinner—but a lot of healthier options are what I’d choose anyway, like fish. So basically only one “full” meal and don’t snack.

Anonymous wrote:I need to lose around 60lbs. I always lose on vacation. I eat less since I'm doing more activities, I'm doing more walking/exercise, and I'm more cautious of food choices (why I don't know, just seems to happen). Disney especially with all the walking I'll go for a week and lose 5lbs (eating anything I want while we're there).

I’m sorry if this sounds jerky, but a person who is 60 lbs overweight might be able to lose weight by just walking around Disneyworld, but a person who is not overweight and who already eats healthy and gets regular strenuous exercise isn’t going to lose weight while eating whatever she wants and just walking all day.

I need to lose around 60lbs. I always lose on vacation. I eat less since I'm doing more activities, I'm doing more walking/exercise, and I'm more cautious of food choices (why I don't know, just seems to happen). Disney especially with all the walking I'll go for a week and lose 5lbs (eating anything I want while we're there).

I do the opposite of some folks here: I indulge in breakfast and lunch -- since I need the calories to go go go on vacation all day long. I have a very light dinner, if at all, since I will be sleeping and not burning off calories. I hate going to bed with a full stomach.

I know I am going to gain a few pounds on vacation and I alter my eating before and after. My vacations do tend to be more active...lots of walking and biking, so that definilty helps.

I just lost a lot of weight and was worried about this when we recently visited Charleston, SC over the holiday weekend. There was no way I was going to go to a place like Charleston and not eat.

I got up and exercised for an hour every morning we were there but outside of that I pretty much ate whatever I wanted within reason (although I did skip the daily breakfast buffet because its so easy to go overboard). But if I had an indulgent/heavy lunch, I'd go a little lighter on dinner. Or if I knew we were going to go out for a nice dinner, I'd go a little lighter at lunch. But I've also learned to be more in tune with my hunger cues and stop eating before I feel full.

And when we got back I immediately went back to my usual diet and exercise routine. Didn't gain any weight. May have actually lost a lb or 2 since then.

I usually feel like being on vacation is such a treat, that I don't need food as a treat. I'd rather go/do/see than sit for hours pigging out. And not having to do dishes after dinner saves me from my own terrible trouble zone of being tired and pissed and medicating myself with junk food. Have fun!

Anonymous wrote:I don’t use vacation as an druse to spoil myself with food or an opportunity to cheat.

When I am in a spot where it is easy to cheat I convince myself to double down and focus that much harder.

I have broken the link between food and enjoyment and get my enjoyment from feeling light after dinner. It has been liberating.

This has been so key for me! I used to think about food constantly and think about what meal to have next. Food and enjoyment were linked so much it was obsessive! I wasn't even overweight, but it was just too much. I'm so glad I'm not like that now.. especially since as we age, it's harder to maintain a healthy weight.

I don’t use vacation as an druse to spoil myself with food or an opportunity to cheat.

When I am in a spot where it is easy to cheat I convince myself to double down and focus that much harder.

I have broken the link between food and enjoyment and get my enjoyment from feeling light after dinner. It has been liberating.

You already know which foods you cannot eat without losing control and going overboard. You have to avoid those also on vacation. if not your brain will trigger and you will indulge to the point of being sick.

Why would you even consider something like fried shrimp? Broiled is so much tastier and you can add the herbs you want, don't just ask for it soaked in butter.

Does one glass of wine lead to 2? Then stick with coconut water or cucumber water or plain water. You get the idea.

You know what your triggers are, so you have to stay away from them, vacation or not.

Good for you for the exercise. But that's heart health, not weight health.

My everyday program is so reasonable that I don’t feel the need to go wild on vacation. I may eat something fried, like fried shrimp or oysters at the beach, and I just don’t usually even look at fried food. I might have a few cocktails, and I usually don’t drink at all. But I just count those as sweets and don’t have dessert. If I gain at all, it’s 1-2 pounds, and it’s gone the next week.

Skip breakfast. You'll save calories and it's the meal that's least likely to involve a trip to a special restaurant that you don't want to miss.

Leave food on the plate. Have a set plan before you even walk into the restaurant about how much you'll leave behind. Shoot for 25%.

Enjoy special treats, but choose the smallest portion. Go to your favorite ice cream place, but order a kiddie cone. Go to your favorite pizza place, but get once slice and a side salad.

Avoid alcohol.

I tend to go on vacations where I can do a ton of walking, which helps. My big eating pitfall at home is constant snacking, and so not being able to do that on vacation also helps. With those two factors I usually don't gain on vacation even though I struggle with my weight in general.