So next week I'm going on a family vacation to Thailand for 5 days! I'm really excited since it'll be my first time there, but I'm actually kind of scared because I'm afraid that I'll gain weight.

I guess I was just wondering how other people were able to stay on track even during vacation. I won't be as strict as I usually am, because I do want to enjoy my time, relax, & eat some good Thai food, but at the same time I don't want to over-indulge & regret it when I get back home.

Any advice?

I know this sounds funny but don't worry about food. Whenever I go out of the country, I seem to lose weight. On a 2 week trip to China, I lost 6 lbs. I ate whatever I wanted and didn't worry about it.

Get lots of walking in and what not.

I'd just enjoy myself. In 5 days how much damage can you really do? When is the next time that you'll be able to enjoy authentic Thai food again? And like the previous post said, you'll be on foot touring around alot, burning a lot of extra calories. (Bangkok is HOT by the way - you'll sweat a ton!)

Enjoy it and don't worry about it!

Good luck to you! I am leaving for on a 2-week trip to the Mediterranean on Thursday, 10 days of which are on a cruise...eeek! Italian & Greek food - my faves and all the cruise ship food...I'm a bit scared myself!

My tactics are: I bought a small travel scale. I'm not going to try and lose weight, but I am going to weigh myself every morning to keep my wits about me. Vacations really are a time for splurging, but I think stepping on that scale each day will keep me firmly in reality.

Also, I've resolved only to eat amazing food. If I take a bite of something and it's just "okay" - I'm not going to waste the calories. Same goes with the coffees and wines - if I don't love it, I'm not going to drink it. There will be too much amazing food & drink to waste calories on okay/mediocre food.

We also upgraded to a cabin that has as its main dining room a "healthier option" restaurant, not really "health food" - but smaller portion sizes (portions for one, not for 4!) - they use lighter sauces (no cream-bases) and offer a lot of seafood and fruit-based desserts.

I'm also going to continue writing down what I eat - again, just to stay in reality.

Also going to work hard not to eat mindlessly. You know, don't grab something and eat it just because it's there...eat at meals, eat a snack if I'm hungry, etc. Don't get that crepe covered in Nutella on the street corner and follow it up with gelato and a full-fat milk cafe latte just because I pass them out walking and it smells good. Hah!

We are also hitting the gym onboard during our at-sea days - and we have a packed schedule each day in ports and on our 4 days extension in Rome, so there'll be no "sitting around."

I think the keys for me will be: seek out smaller portions of healthier fare - only eat it if it's worth the calories - continue food journaling - be mindful of my weight every day - utilize whatever fitness facilities possible (including just WALKING) - be careful of mindless eating - HAVE FUN!

Just enjoy your week! -- I have noticed; when I travel overseas, I always shed some weight. I think our food has so much hidden fat and sugar here in US, and the rest of the world seem to eat more real foods....You will also end up walking a ton. PLUS, I am sure food portions will be much smaller there than here.

I love Thai food -- possibly my favourite cuisine along with Japanese.

My solution in these situations is to plan and visualize. For instance, I might plan to eat a moderate portion of one yummy-looking stirfry and a larger portion of mango salad at a particular meal. Then I would visualize myself at the buffet table, spooning the planned food onto my plate and ignoring the rest. It doesn't work perfectly all the time, but it works better than not doing anything.

Also, I suggest you avoid being too hungry before a big celebratory dinner, because you risk losing all control. Have a few crackers or veggies with hummus, or some soup, beforehand.

HTH Freelance

You've nailed three of my favourites in one sentence! Reminds me of my trip to Europe at age 20...

F.

I'm glad you asked this! We've gots vacation coming up in one month and I'm working so hard to get ready for it but I'm scared I'm going to gain all of my weight back on vacation. I love that everyone is saying just enjoy yourself and not worry.

I think these two things are the biggest keys for me. Enjoy some really amazing, authentic Thai food (which is not as fatty and calorie laden as it is here in the US) and keep active enjoying all the sights! Get your kicks from the experience, not from the food.

Have fun, and good luck!

I try to keep a food journal while I'm vacationing. Even if it's a simple, low tech version in a little notepad. I find that when I'm jotting it down, I tend to graze less and make better choices.

Have fun!

There are a lot of thai dishes that are pretty healthy, so seek out some of those dishes, and just control yourself with the ones that aren't so good. Definitely don't skip out on the experience of the food, but remember that there is so much more than food on vacation. Make sure you are making the most of your trip, and I bet you'll be just fine when you get back. Have fun!

Unless you've been so restrictive that you go crazy and binge all day every day, you won't gain weight. Don't give it too much thought - it's just food! You're never obligated to eat more just because you're on vacation.

AHHH I know what you mean, I will be going to Hong Kong with food pusher fam members, and those authentic restaurants dont have too many of those iceberg lettuce salads LOL
I am trying to come up with a strategy too - I can easily overeat esp because the food is so nostalgic as well as delish to me and any weight gained = a lot of effort to lose even that 1 lb lol. A few weeks can easily equal a few lbs of real weight gain and a lot of water weight gain for me. Maybe I'll lose a couple lbs as a buffer beforehand LOL.
My plan so far is just to either bring a measuring tape or travel scale to make sure I am on track (amazon sells them) and maybe a slider exercise thing, just to squeeze in a little bit of working out. Other than that, try order sea food that is steamed and control how much I eat of any dish. If people get too nitpicky about how much I eat, I'll just ignore em lol. Vacation food is good, but I care more about the sightseeing and shopping than I used to, so I will try to enjoy all three.

thanks for all of the advice! (: i think the resort we're staying at has a gym, so i'll probably go there in the mornings before my day starts & keep in mind what kinds of food i'm eating, but not to the point where i'm too restrictive

Depends on what you'll be doing on holidays. I've found out that if I'm going on holidays when I've got lots of visiting, walking etc. to do, I ca pretty much eat whatever I want: the "exercise" will even it out (not to mention that I don't want to waste much time eating when I could be visiting a museum or enjoyin a ride on the Thames or whatever instead).

Or, since you're going to Thailand, find yourself some durian fruit, it should be (or soon be) in season; then delight in its corpse/old cheese smell. You might not be hungry at all afterwards. (This said, I'm one of those Caucasian oddballs who actually like the taste of durian, so it doesn't work with me.)