Hi everyone,

I'm about halfway to my weight loss goal at the moment, but I'm going on a longish vacation (11 days in Mexico) this week with a large group of friends and I'm anxious about making the right choices while I'm away. I don't expect to be able to lose weight while in Mexico, and I won't be able to go to the gym, but I would at least like to maintain and not gain while I'm away. I imagine we'll be quite active while we're there, and I might be able to swim, but we are a large group of foody-drinkers and we'll be eating and drinking quite a bit. (No one in the group is over-weight, which is good for the sake of following example, but people do tend to let go a little bit on vacation.) The different cuisine and eating out alot will make calorie estimations very difficult for me.

I'm a calorie counter, and I'm thinking about increasing my calories for the rest of the week, so that I know what 1800-2000 calories 'feels' like. The advantage of this is that I won't be in 'deprivation' mode when I leave on my holiday and will be less likely to compensate with extra treats when I get there. The down-side is that I'll lose the opportunity to lose another pound this week.

Anyway, do you have some advice for maintaining on vacation? Thanks!

I recently went on vacation to Costa Rica. We were on an "all inclusive" tour so the food was all provided, often buffet style. What worked for me was to eat lots of salads and fruit - all of which were very fresh and tasty. That let me eat much less of the main courses and still very satisfied. I'm not a dessert eater, so my plan was the same as home - I have one or two bites and give the rest to DH! We didn't/don't drink a lot - when we did it was one beer or one glass of wine. Only once did we have a mixed drink - on our anniversary! I think if you just watch your portions and keep active, you'll be fine.

- Bring some of your own healthy 'safe' foods
- when you can: move move move
- try to make healthier choices when you can (avoid cream sauces and lots of cheese).
- move
- try to remain aware of what you are doing

I think if you remain aware of what you're doing and don't let yourself completely lose control you have a decent chance.

And then, when you get back, get right back on plan and back to the gym!

Hi Baffled - I think Wyllenn gave you excellent advice - the only thing I can add is don't think too hard about it! I went on a 2 week trip to India in January, and decided to try to make reasonable choices when I could, and get exercise by walking whenever possible, but I knew I was going to gain weight, and I was ok with it. I had a lot of great food which was part of the enjoyment of the trip. And yes, I was very nervous when I got on the scale when I got home. I was up 2 or 3 pounds, but I got back on plan, and they came off along with many more since then.

Hi Baffled,
You may have already left, but I'd reinforce what everyone has said and give you an idea of something that worked particularly well for me. I just got back from a week-long conference/business trip that included a number of potentially diet-busting meals. I, too, count calories, and I prefer to eat a hefty amount of protein each day and I also like to eat healthy fats. Thus, I ordered fish a lot and big salads dressed with olive oil vinegrettes. They really keep me satisfied. I also eat stir-fried and/or sauteed veggies. I nurse a glass of wine and occasionally, I order beer, but not every day. I took three things with me: small baggies of smoked almonds; a package of European-style "biscuits" (lower-fat cookies, which I love) and individually wrapped squares of dark chocolate. I found that I could easily skip dessert knowing that I had "treats" waiting for me. Finally, I had to come up with a coping mechanism to get me through the mornings (lots of pastry-laden cotinental breakfasts, with no protein). The hotel shop had some Kellogg Nutri-Grain bars, and I bought a handful. They're just OK, but at least, I could count them and it kept me out of the donuts/Danishes/banana bread. Hope this helps; have a great trip!

Robin, I find breakfast the worst meal at conferences. Usually all carbs/sugar. I need protein in the morning. We were at a hotel last Sat night, and they touted their "continental" breakfast. We went expecting to just have coffee - and they had a full breakfast buffet, including hard-boiled eggs, several kinds of cereal, and yogurt. Of course, they had the usual sweet rolls and even make-it-yourself waffles - which I didn't have. If only more conference operators would take note. Just the yogurt and hard-boiled eggs would do it.

Pat, I hear you loud and clear. My usual breakfast is a 4-eggwhite omelet with shredded 2% cheese, or cottage cheese and fruit. So, I had to put together a breakfast buffet last month, and I was given the option of ordering hard-boiled eggs on the side. I ordered a dozen, and they were the first items snapped up, followed by the fresh fruit and the yogurt. I think almost everyone over age 21 has overdosed on sugary confections; no one feels good when they eat them.

One of the best hotels I ever stayed in was in Munich, and its very best feature was a lavish breakfast buffet that included hard-boiled eggs, cheeses, plain yogurt (that was totally sensational), fruit, wonderful breads, and terrific granolas. Yes, there were also pastries, but they were so easy to pass up, given everything else that was there. I loved it.

Breakfast is so important to me that I now carry around protein powder and a shaker. I buy skim milk, and I'm set. Even if I'm reduced to the aforrementioned cereal bar at mid-morning, I have all that lovely protein sloshing around inside

Next Wednesday we're going for a 5 day vacation to my parents' in Florida. My mom's going to be all over me about not eating breakfast. Plus, she eats by the clock, not by when she's hungry - but it works for her.

I'm going to have to be very firm in saying, "No thank you, my body's just not ready to eat at that hour. I'll enjoy dining with you for lunch and dinner."

Thank goodness my taste buds have changed so I won't get tempted by her nightly ice cream with chocolate sauce habit!

I have to think up some of her standard lower fat dinners and ask for them. She likes to prepare each of her kids favorites when we visit.