I'm leaving on Friday for a 5 day stint in NYC with my bestie. The good news is, we're definitely going to be doing TONS of walking. Food-wise though, I don't really want to restrict myself, that's not to say I'm going to gorge on fancy food and drink but I don't really want to care too much about what I'm eating. It's my first real vacation in literally years so I want to enjoy it!

What do you guys do to cope while you're away/on vacation? Do you keep it in the back of your mind? Do you carry on your regular routine as if you weren't on vacation? Do you think the extra walking-all-day-long burnt-calories will make up for that slice of new york style cheesecake that I will most definitely have?? lol

I always stay at hotels with good gyms. So my exercise regime stays the same.

I drink a lot of alcohol.

I eat a lot of seafood.

And if I am in the best restaurant in town, I eat a lot of whatever I like, safe in the knowledge I probably will not get another chance.

I do not eat just anything for the sake of it. It needs to be "special".

In other words, gorge on "fancy" food and drink, not "ordinary" food and drink that you could just get at home.

That way, when you get home you are forced back on plan. Because fancy isn't there no more.

To clarify, I ate a lot here: http://www.mandarinoriental.com/bang...ogle&src=local

because it was the best fish restaurant in Thailand.

I always make sure I stay in a hotel with a gym. I don't just rely on the website saying it has a gym--I look for photos on tripadvisor, for example.

I always make sure I have a back up plan. My gym is part of the IHRSA program, so whenever I travel somewhere I check if there any nearby gyms part of the program. If so, you can use their gym for the day at a discounted price. I also check for YMCA's and community centers.

When I travel, I always check to see if there any running races I can enter. It allows me to explore the city I'm in and I usually get a free t-shirt.

I went to NYC last summer. I entered a race organized by NYCRuns (New York Road Runners is the other big running club). No shirt, but I got a free beer mug!

The other days, I ran over the Brooklyn Bridge one day (kinda blah) and Central Park another day (loved it). I carried my bus pass, so I just subway'd back to my hotel.

New York City now has its own chapter of The November Project. It began in Boston, where a group works out together at an awfully early time of day. The workouts are great! I haven't done one because no chapter is close to where I live, but I do want to do one someday!

I agree with eat only something you really want to eat. Don't just eat the hot breakfast in your hotel because it's free (although I do take advantage of the free fruit).

Restaurants I went to: Nha Trang One, Main Street Sweets, Birch Coffee, Eataly, Laughing Man Coffee (owned by Hugh Jackman), UR Cup, Manhattan Fruit Exchange, Zabar's, Yooglers, Gorilla Coffee, Third Rail Coffee, Dean & Deluca, Bouchon Bakery, Shake Shak, Big Gay Ice Cream, Joe Coffee, Verb Coffee, Toby's Estate, Smorgasburg, Xe Lua, Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, Magnolia Bakery, Max Brenner Chocolates By the Bald Man, Black Burger, Famous Famiglia Pizzeria.

Eat what you like, but really no reason to eat every bite of it. You WILL be walking a lot, so that will help. Have a great time!

great tips guys! i will be staying in a hostel (ya, i know) so no gym included. But that's ok with me cuz I'm going for the sight seeing so if i don't get any rigorous exercise in - that's ok! Good point though, for breaky and lunch I'll aim for something a little more healthy if I can and dinners or what not I'll branch out a bit.

Generally, I eat with reckless abandon if I'm on vacation but just tend to make sure I am walking a lot. I just got back from Italy where I had gelato, sometimes multiple times per day, tons of bread and pasta and even wine (which I normally don't drink). I was walking a lot so I wasn't worried about it. I actually came back weighing less than when I went.

Dieting is not something I do on vacation or otherwise. Life is too short not to enjoy the sights, sounds and tastes of a new city. Believe me, you will walk more than you really want to in NY. Because everything you'll want to see is a few blocks away so you'll walk a little further and a little further and a little further so by the end of the day you'll be exhausted. Do you wear a pedometer? If not, now is the time to get one and you'll see, you'll cover miles and miles per day.

Don't skip out on Pazzy's Pizzeria for a great NY Pizza, avoid the "pizza by the slice" places.

Steak Frites for amazing french bistro food (Union Square)

Arte Cafe (W73rd street between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues) for the most authentic north italian cuisine (their linguini a vongole and pasta norma is the best!)

Chinatown has really great dim sum

There's quite a lot to do here, it's overwhelming and you'll love it.

This article talks about having a planned break and I think for your question the importance of having a plan to get back to your program when you come back so you don't have the feeling of "I messed up, I might as well quit".

Personally, I try and stay active, keep an open mind about vegetarian options, I find getting veggies in is sometimes a challenge when I'm on vacation. Enjoy yourself knowing you're going to come back and get back on your regular plan and everything will be great. You'll have good memories and no regrets.

Have fun

I personally have scheduled a diet break during my vacation in June (thanks to JohnP posting that link a while back!) - For me this will mean not following my 5:2 fasting plan, but I will still attempt to eat "normally" as much as possible. I like the advice about enjoying special meals and approaching other meals as you would at home.

But please, promise me you will get yourself a Brooklyn bagel, just once!

When I'm on vacation I try to consider whether each eating opportunity is really special or not. When it's not - for example, a pedestrian hotel breakfast buffet or a quick lunch at a sandwich shop - I approach these things the same way I do eating out at home, making the best on-plan choice I can make and trying not to overeat. For the truly special opportunities that only come on vacation - such as when my friend's mother in Calcutta cooked a glorious Bengali luncheon just for my visit - I go ahead and enjoy the meal to the fullest.

The goal for me is not to use "vacation" as an excuse to eat with abandon at each and every eating opportunity, but not to skimp on opportunities that are truly unique because of that vacation.

Most importantly, have fun! Whatever approach you take, try not to choose an approach that will make you crazy.

Yep, this is the way I do it too!

^^^^^

This. Minus the alcohol, I don't drink

We usually get a hotel with a kitchenette or a condo when we travel, so I do most of the cooking "at home". I usually stick to my diet plan.

But we do go out a few times, and I make it count; it needs to be a good meal.

Like Ian I usually go for the seafood option, steamed veggies on a side.

If we stay in a hotel, I make sure that I get some serious treadmill/swim time in daily.

I eat whatever I want and don't worry!

I once gained 10 lbs of water weight in 3 days of grossly overeating in Korea, and lost it all over the next week. Just enjoy what you eat! And marvel at how anyone in NYC stays thin.

Like some others here, I just enjoy my vacation.

I don't "relax" when I do a big travel vacation. I'm going there to see everything I can possibly see! That involves a lot of walking and hiking, typically. On big trips I like to stay at hostels or apartments that have a kitchen available, so that I don't get the eating out "blahs". But I never worry about how much I'm eating. Typically in my travel environment of doing all the things, I don't have much time to eat outside of the basic breakfast/lunch/dinner meals so I don't have snacking concerns...which is my worst food habit.

In my opinion, unless you have specific dietary concerns (e.g., lactose intolerance), you should just relax and enjoy your trip.

And have a good one! I must admit I'm too scared to visit New York. Big cities overwhelm me! Maybe someday...

ETA: When I'm on work travel I still don't count calories, but I'm more careful about controlling my portion sizes. I also take the time to get in some exercise (hotel gym, run in a park/along the beach/etc. depending on location) if I can. If I'm at a big conference, walking the convention centers typically takes care of the exercise bit but at smaller meetings I seek out activity.

Eat what you want but don't overeat. One of the major drawbacks to dieting is that there's an all or nothing attitude. People who go off their diets eat until they're stuffed because they know they're not going to get to eat the food that they want to eat for very long. That's how people gain 15 pounds on vacation. So order what you want but eat slowly and stop before you're full.