Warning, this is a bit long..

On July 16th I'm leaving for a 3 week vacation. During that time, I'll be in three different locations, all of which have their challenges. The first week I'll be at camp and I associate that with relaxing, drinking a few beer, hot dogs, unhealthy food. The good thing is it is my parents camp and they will support me by getting me healthy groceries. So really I just need super willpower. The second week is going to be so hard. I'm spending a week in a city I used to live in three years ago and I haven't been back since. All my favorite restaurants are there. I'm staying with my brother who doesn't buy groceries and eats out all the time. I know I won't be on plan 100% that week but I'm really trying to avoid going crazy. The last week will also be a huge challenge since I'm staying with my in-laws who have horrible diets and a fridge that is packed with crap and condiments so no room to even stock healthy things.

I really don't want to blow things since I was doing so well until this past weekend. It was my birthday and I celebrated. Well the celebration led to more cravings and DH and I ate crap for 3 days. I'm back on track today but the cravings are still there. I desperately do not want a repeat of this weekend while on vacation. I have been actively trying to lose weight for 2.5 years now. I lost the first 30lbs in 6 months and then went up and down for a good year. I think I lost the same 15lbs a million times. I just started to go back down and I can't face going back up again. I feel like I'll never reach my goal.

Sorry for the novel but I'm looking for some insight on how to stay motivated in the face of many challenges and how to stay on track while on vacation and things are not in your control. At home I can meal plan and prep all my food, on vacation not so much. And how to do I avoid the self-sabotage and the running dialogue in my head that tells me 'it's ok, you are on vacation, it's only one thing' because I know that one thing will lead to many more things.

My biggest piece of advice would be to order as much on-plan food as possible. If you don't order on-plan, I would order a side salad to help fill you up w/ on-plan food as much as possible.

This is what I do, I don't know if it will work for you. I buy a vat of Total fat free yogurt and eat that with fruit for breakfast and have some at other meals where there is not on plan food available. I try to drink 64 oz of water a day. I bring my sneakers and iPhone and run as often as I can make myself. I have lost weight AND HAD FUN on my last 2 vacations doing this. Good luck!

One nice thing about being on vacation at a camp is that there is usually a lot of outdoor activities - go for a hike, play horseshoes (hello, shoulder muscles!), walk in the woods. If your parents are willing to get healthy groceries, all the better. If drinking is a big thing at the camp, go ahead, but try to limit yourself to one drink....and opt for light beer or wine if you can.

With the city you haven't been to in awhile, same stuff, take a walking tour of the city or explore different healthy activities you may not have done before (kayaking, walking or biking different trails, rock climbing, swimming, etc.) When you eat out, avoid any form of carb. I know that SB isn't a no-carb diet, but as a rule for me, when I am on vacation and eating out. I just avoid them at restaurants all together. Same advice as before with alcohol - stick to light beer or wine, 1 per day, and AVOID the fruity concoctions at restaurants.

I always tend to do better when I start my day with exercise of some form. It doesn't have to be strenuous, just some form of movement for 30 minutes or so can do wonders for your willpower.

When my family and I went on vacation to Florida for 10 days, my husband and I went running on the beach in the morning, and I used YogaDownload.com to download 20-30 minute yoga sessions which I did (and still do) every morning. We also go to Minneapolis for 2-3 weeks at a time twice a year and I employ the same tactics, although we also go to a gym there. Try checking with a gym near your brother's house to see if they offer week trial passes..it's an easy way to get a bit of exercise and also check out some of the cool gyms in the area.

Good luck! Just keep telling yourself that you CAN do this.

Hi nat4crim,

I recently found myself in a somewhat similar situation, and got lots of great advice - here's that thread: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/sbd-...ml#post3892061. In the interest of full disclosure, I did eat some off plan foods during my trip. However, the vast majority of my food was on plan, had lots of water and exercise, and ended up losing weight. That was a first for me! I attribute it to getting myself in a powerful mental state before I left. I decided I did not want to take a vacation from my weight loss - I wanted to continue, and I decided that I could do it no matter where I was (home or away). Once my mental switch went from being in a place of fear to being in control and feeling powerful, it became easy.

Here's my thoughts for you:
1. Decide ahead of time exactly how much of a vacation from your diet you want to take. 1 meal? 3 meals? That will help you to enjoy and savor the food more, and hopefully limit any guilt later.
2. Absolutely insist on picking restaurants that have good options for you, and that your family make room in the fridge for your healthy snacks.
3. Start off every day doing something for yourself - a walk, some food journaling, drinking a large glass of water, taking vitamins. Little things add up on trips.

I LOVE the advice everyone else has left so far! Can't wait to see more people weight in on this.

I haven't read the replies but my strategy would be:

Week 1 - buy chicken and lighter varieties of those staples (turkey dogs or lite ones at least, lean burger meat or ground turkey, chicken sausage). Precut veggies or shop while there and just buy pre-cut items. Stock up on hummus. Buy fresh veggies and grill them. Get eggs and turkey bacon for breakfasts. Yogurt as well. If ph 2 then fruit can be key too. Make "mocktails" (crystal light has a new line out actually) and if you are worried about what others may think, just tell them you put alcohol in it. If it's you that wants to drink, have one. Or add a bit of vodka to the mocktail! Oh, and V8! A good way to get veggies in!

Week 2 - GO FOOD SHOPPING!!! Cook FOR your brother. If you really want something you miss terribly, then get it but I agree with Natasha - the salad trick WORKS. If I can make it out of my fav pizza joint (that I didn't even know MADE salads until a few months ago) by only eating ONE slice, I know you can do it too!

I would talk to your inlaws for week 3. Share with them your fabulous progress and ask if you can get a part of the fridge and/or a pantry.

Good luck!

Thanks for the tips!

I've decided that when we are gone I'll go on a brisk walk every day. I won't be able to keep up my weight training but I figure any bit of exercise will help.

I'll try to stick to p1.5 for the most part, which to me means P1 with some fruit. And since my brother loves steak restaurants I should be able to accomodate the plan.

I like the advice of 'how much vacation do you want your diet' to take. I've decided that for one night I'm going to go to my favourite Italian restaurant and have the world best pasta, followed by a movie and popcorn. Besides, that I'll also myself a cheat night for my BIL's wedding and I'll have poutine once (an amazing Canadian dish I haven't had since moving to the US 3 years ago) and maybe pizza once at my favorite pizza place. So in total 2 meal cheats and 2 evening cheats. I think if I go in thinking I won't cheat at all I'll end up overdoing it. And by setting these limits I've been able to pick my favorite indulgences. Oh and I'm only going to have wine once at camp and at my BIL's wedding. Those are my rules lets hope they allow me to relax but no screw up everything.

The rest of the time it's protein, veggies, dairy, nuts and healthy fats, and fruit and when I get back I'll detox with a strict P1 phase for 1-2 weeks.

Oh and no cheating for breakfast, lunch and snacks. I can always turn to yogurt, eggs, veggies and hummus and cheese strings.

Oooh, grilled veggies, great idea!! I'll have access to a bbq for 2 of the 3 weeks. And large salad with 1 piece of pizza is reasonable. It allows me to taste it but not go crazy.