How to Stay On Your Diet During Travel

As you look over the menu after a rough day lounging at the beach, it can be hard to turn down dessert.

It is challenging to stay on a diet while you travel. You tend to eat at restaurants more or make excuses along the lines of, "It's okay, I'm on vacation."

It doesn't mean you can not enjoy yourself, but it can be quite disheartening when you come home and realize you have gained 10 pounds from being on vacation.

Eating healthy and staying on a diet is possible during travel with a few simple steps.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. PACK HEALTHY SNACKS.
   
   When you travel, whether by airplane or car, keeping healthy snacks with you will make it less likely for you to feed your starving stomach fast food or junk food along the way.
   
   Granola bars, fruit, raw vegetables, and nuts are easy to pack and will be a better choice than loading up at the gas station or vending machines you may encounter when you travel.

2. AVOID HIGH CALORIE DRINKS.
   
   If the drink comes with a little umbrella, it probably packs in a lot of calories with it. These drinks typical contain a lot of high fructose corn syrup or some sort of sugary mix.
   
   A 10 ounce pina colada or margarita can run upwards of 500 calories. If you are feeling in a particular festive mood and have two or three of these, you are already approaching your daily calorie intake. Try a glass of wine or a mixed drink with water or tonic to lessen the calorie count.

3. CUT DOWN ON PORTIONS.
   
   It seems like when you encounter a new restaurant in a new city, you want to order everything off the menu - 'it all looks so good, how can I decide?' If you DO order everything off the menu, everything will not fit into your clothes and you WILL be uncomfortable.
   
   Therefore, try getting a few healthy (within reason) appetizers instead or split a meal with the other travelers that are with you. If you are staying in a place with a refrigerator, take some of it with you to go.

4. DO NOT GIVE INTO THE "I AM ON VACATION" MANTRA.
   
   While you may splurge more on vacation, if you find yourself repeating that mantra three or four times a day, you may want to reassess your food choices. Your body does not know the difference between "vacation-mode" and "non-vacation mode", so choose wisely.
   
   While you should enjoy yourself, do not fall too far off the diet wagon or you will notice when you get back home.

5. BURN VACATION CALORIES.
   
   Since you may not completely stay on track with your diet while you travel, burn those extra calories. You may not have the option to go to the gym, but there are other ways to melt those extra calories. Dancing, swimming, walking, jogging, hiking, Bocce ball, Frisbee, and beach volleyball are all better choices than lounging all day in the sun.
   
   Just get up and move and maybe you can treat yourself to dessert - just be sure to share it!

Tips & Warnings

• If you MUST eat fast food while you travel, choose healthy options and be aware of condiments like ranch, mayonnaise, or any other creamy "special sauces".

[NatalieJ]

on 8/18/2009 Great tips. 5*