So on Tuesday I'm headed down to Cozumel for my brother's wedding. I'll be there until Sunday, and I'm a little nervous. For two months I've had routine, and now i'm being thrown into.....well the complete opposite. I'm nervous about not being able to eat at my scheduled times, and what not. I'm nervous that the hotel is all inclusive...those two words scare me soooo much. Sure i'll eat that and that and that and that....with that calorie loaded sugar infused beverage on top!! It's every dieters dream. Here we're going to have whatever food you want when you want....oh and you've already paid for it all....so enjoy!!! What the **** is that?? Plus i don't know how they've cooked the food or what they've added to it..i.e. salt oil and what not. I feel like it's some sick joke! My boyfriend says that your body will still be in that natural routine, and when you need to eat go eat, and when it's normal workout time....go workout for a while. Which was followed by...my girlfriend only ate celery this week so i was wondering if i could get a reduced rate on our room. What a butt!!!! I guess i just don't want my anal routine self to ruin our mini vacation together, but i don't want to sacrifice myself at the same time. Tough road. Any advice???....has anyone been through this??? Did you bring food with you?

It sounds like you're giving your willpower away. Like the hotel has control over what you do and when. Remember, even though you won't be in total control over how the food is cooked and such, you can still make well-educated decisions amongst what is offered, you can choose how much to eat and when, and if all else fails, call that member of the kitchen staff over and say you have a deathly allergy to xyz, could he please fix you some nice chicken and veggies cooked in this particular manner? They are there to help you, you shouldn't be stuck being terribly unhappy when you're paying to be there. you know?

Don't let this weekend throw you off. You know things like this are going to come up for the REST of your life. Learning to deal with them is a huge part of changing your lifestyle. Start now, make mistakes, learn your lessons, and you'll be better next time because of it.

Do your best to make informed decisions, and exercise when you can (does your hotel have a fitness room?). But above all, enjoy yourself! You're going to be in an awesome place for an awesome event, focus on that. Just remember that enjoying yourself doesn't have to involve a whole pizza and 8 margaritas each day.

Well, if it were me, I'd just make a point to find time to exercise when I could, and try to make the best choices I could on the food available and just get back to my routine when I got home. Its your brothers wedding which is a special occasion, youre going to be in a vacation spot, you need to let yourself enjoy it, don't stress! With any luck you'll do fine, and even if you do manage to gain during that week, well you're back at home soon enough and back on track, it will come back off. Its probably warmer than Minnesota so that alone should be a good incentive to get outside and exercise while you're there! I bet you'll be fine, stay strong!

Oh, I love weddings.

I say survey all of your options and then try to make the best choices available.

And above all else...HAVE FUN! There is nothing you will do there that can't be undone.

We expect to hear all about it when you get back!

You will be just FINE!

I was terrified about going away and I survived! I just recently returned from a two month journey of the South Pacific and knowing that I wasn't going to have a kitchen, refrigerator, etc and was going to have to eat out 3 meals a day everyday just terrified me. I was excited about the vacation but just KNEW that I was going to gain 25lbs. LOL! Turns out I actually lost about 10... I started off hitting the gym daily but that cut out after about a week.

For me, I was able to conquer the food but the alcohol and the constant 'going out' I was sure was going to do me in. Turns out it didn't. I know that on days that I knew I was going to be drinking I would eat really lean foods and keep my calorie count in check... but there were many nights that I hadn't planning on drinking 4-5 drinks and I did. But what can I do... decline drinks from lovely looking foreign men?!? of course not!

... just have FUN! You will be just FINE!

You are going to be on beautiful beaches... worried about fitness? I would LOVE to jog those beaches!!! Think of how amazing a morning run will be in that gorgeous atmosphere! What a way to clear your mind and start the day!

I agree with everyone above about continuing to EXERCISE! I'm sure it has a fitness facility, not to mention all the great outdoor activities you can choose from. Then I would definetely limit alcohol or just have alcohol with a diet coke or something. I bet they'll have lots of great fresh seafood (I'm jealous) just look for the grilled ones. Above all, don't be too hard on yourself as it is a once in a lifetime opportunity! Have fun!

kristine- you can do it! be strong! just adapt your routine, not throw it away! have a great time, enjoy it...and most of all, if you need to eat something over the top- indulge, just in SMALL SMALL SMALL amounts, lol.

YOU CAN DO IT!!!

cold in indiana and jealous of your vacation,
Kristin

So i'm back from vacation. It wasn't as scary as i had assumed. They eat so much healthier than we do. My boyfriend was super supportive, and ate my share of all inclusive LOL, but it wasn't so bad. i tried to keep my meals small, and really i didn't eat alot, but the drinks were another story. Definately splurged on those, but i had planned that. When i got home this would be sunday. WI and gained 2 pounds....it's friday and the two plus one are gone so we're still moving along. Thank you girls for all your help and kind words it really does help. Shows me that worrying over what i don't know can be deadly!!! I knew what choices to make regardless of what was on the menu it was just up to me to make the right ones. If anyone hasn't been to Cozumel it's worth the trip. Beautiful, and so peaceful. Have a great day..happy losing!

Happy to see that you had fun & made healthy choices ^^