[sparklegirl07]

Hey guys,

So I'm a calorie counter and things have been great so far on my journey because I am in a completely controlled environment - I live alone so no one brings home tempting foods, I decide when and what I eat so I can wait for hunger before eating, etc...

Now, I'll be travelling in a different country for 4 weeks - visiting lots of family (meaning lots of special cooking), doing a lot of sightseeing, etc. I'm really worried because I'm not going to have control over what I eat or when I eat.

I have to eat what they cook and because I'm visiting family after a long time they are going to go all out - no one's going to bother with healthy cooking. I'll be with different relatives every mealtime so everyone will want it to be special.

I also don't know when the next meal will be because we'll be doing lots of travelling, sight-seeing, shopping etc and I need to have the stamina to do all of that in super hot weather so it will be hard to gauge how much to eat.

I'm not trying to continue weight loss - just maintain but I'm afraid that's not going to work. Help!

[LockItUp]

I'd just try to eat until you aren't hungry anymore when you get to eat, get as much fun activity in as possible, and enjoy it!

[lexie67]

I'm currently in the middle of a similar vacation and my strategy has been to cut corners wherever I can (both in terms of portions and food choice), but not to stress too much when I can't. I've sort of fallen into an accidental calorie cycling -- some days I find I can eat at losing calories, some days it's more like maintenance. I've also had two days that ended up in the 2400-2500 range -- not even CLOSE to good, but... it could have been worse, and my better days will end up balancing them out. If you have a smartphone and don't already have a calorie counting app, you should get one! It's been so useful to be able to know where I stand when I'm on the go. Watch your portions -- don't eat a lot even if you don't know when you're next going to get a chance to eat. I'm sure you have a ton of healthy snack ideas in your arsenal already, I'm sure you can find a way make some of them work even when you're on the road -- those can be your backup. (I've been okay with skipping a few meals on this trip -- if I eat a lot one day, I'm usually not very hungry at all the following day -- but that's just me and it might not work for you/your body.) Sounds like you'll be getting a LOT of movement in, so hopefully it'll all balance out in the end. Good luck & have fun with your family!

[Lunula]

I completely understand what you're going through. I travel a lot with my job and on top of that, DH and I love to travel and always take at least one "big trip" per year - always overseas and we are foodies!

I still get anxious when a trip comes up. We spent two weeks in the Mediterranean in May - talk about good food! When I accepted the fact that I wouldn't be "in my routine" and I accepted the fact that amazing food and drink would surround me for two weeks - and I realized that this was the time when I should splurge - I was much more at ease. I used to "splurge" every day and that's why I was so overweight! But a two-week trip through Italy, Greece and Turkey...that is the "normal" time for ANYONE to splurge!

So - to minimize the damage, I bought a travel scale so I could weigh myself every morning. I was not trying to lose, or even maintain, but it was a great way to remind myself that I shouldn't go completely nuts.

Also, I made the resolution ahead of time to only eat/drink those items that were amazing! So, if someone plopped a big dessert in front of me, and I took a bite and thought, "It's okay." - well, then I'd stop eating it because the next dessert might be amazing and I'll want to eat it all. I had some mind-boggling meals over there, as you might imagine, so pushing away those plates that were just mediocre helped tremendously.

Finally, I kept a food journal. Again, it wasn't about losing or even maintaining, it was about "reminding" myself of what I was eating and keeping myself in check. We were on a cruise for 10 of those days and in Rome for 4 full days - the array and amount of food and drink was overwhelming at times. But writing it down a few times a day made it "real" for me. I over-indulged plenty - but many times I'd see all the stuff I'd already eaten that day and it was easier for me to turn things down.

I also went to the fitness room on the ship 4 or 5 times and of course, we walked miles & miles everyday!

Final weight - I gained 6 lbs. Yes, I gained, but I ate SO much amazing food that was memorable. I don't regret anything I ate and that's why seeing the scale up 6 lbs wasn't traumatic to me. I allowed myself to experience the culture and the food. I've already lost 4 of those 6 lbs and I am back into my routine.

Good luck! Enjoy yourself and accept that these are the times that "normal weight" people allow themselves to splurge. Just be mindful and don't stress out!