How to cope with all inclusive holidays…….
…………without gaining a tonne of weight
When you are going on holiday, the excitement and joy can be overtaken by the dread of gaining weight from the dramatic change in lifestyle choices
We just got back from an all inclusive break and i wanted to share my ideas with you to help you to get the best out of your holiday AND your health
Going all inclusive for us was a no brainer because we were drained, depleted and had no energy left
The thought of going on holiday and having to cook or clean or do ANYTHING was just abhorrent to us at the time
So we booked all inclusive so that it took ALL of the choices out of our hands
We could just chill out, restore ourselves and be looked after by the hotel
It was heavenly!
I knew though, that if I did no exercise all week and ate at the all inclusive buffet 3 times a day…I’d probably come home feeling pretty awful
I’ve worked quite hard over the last few years to get myself into a good place with food, exercise, health and well-being
So I decided to set myself a few guidelines to keep myself in check and ensure that I was able to ENJOY the delights of the all inclusive life, but without sacrificing my health, my body composition or my confidence
Guideline #1 – The ‘Move your ass’ rule
Walk at least 10000 steps a day – we had literally nothing else to do, so hitting my step target wasn’t hard at all, I broke it up into 2-4 bouts of walking, usually doing the bulk of it before breakfast before it got too hot
Guideline #2 – The ONE PLATE rule
Knowing the temptation of the buffet, having a ONE PLATE rule really helped me to control my intake. I filled my plate with veggies first – I didn’t want to overdo it on the buffet but I did want to try the range of things on offer, so I made sure that 2/3 of my plate was chock full of the different veggie options on offer, which left room to try some of the meat and fish options and a few fries of course
Guideline #3 – The ‘little bit of what you fancy’ rule
If I fancied dessert, I didn’t deny myself the pleasure BUT I had to fill at least 1/2 of the plate with fresh fruit first, which left room to try a small(ish) portion of the local desserts….win….win
Guideline #4 – The ‘nap time’ rule
Take a daily siesta to restore energy and get out of the sun for a bit – this really helped with our restoration over the week and generally feeling like we were taking care of ourselves – and realistically it was so hot that we were glad to retreat to the air con in the room
Guideline #5 – The ‘get fit again’ rule
We made a promise that we had to go to the hotel gym every day for at least 30mins after the siesta – again we had no plans, no excursions…..nothing to get in the way of that commitment to working out
Guideline #6 – The ‘drink til you drop’ rule
Drink at least 3 litres of water every day – again it was so hot that this wasn’t a challenge at all, most days I was getting through 5-6 litres (and lots of toilet trips haha)
Guideline 7 – The ‘don’t overthink it’ rule
You’re on holiday to enjoy yourself, relax and have a bunch of fun (I hope). Whilst health and well-being are always a priority for me, I don’t let my RULES get in the way of having a good time.
Having these guidelines in place allowed me to go away feeling like I was still going to be in control
Don’t underestimate the feeling of control when it comes to long term success
If you want to lose weight, or maintain your weight day to day EVEN with holidays factored in (this is totally possible by the way) then you MUST have a system in place that supports your choices and keeps you feeling confident that you are doing the right thing
When you lose sight of your goals….
When your confidence drops….
…..You are likely to go mad at the buffet (which may lead to bloating, guilt and shame)
It takes longer to get back int the swing of things at home if you’ve gone overboard on holiday
Keep a set of guidelines (allow them to flex a little when necessary) and get the best out of your holiday
If you want to talk about your goals, your holiday or your weight loss, let’s get on the phone = https://www.rossellfitness.
All the best and happy holidays
Nicola