First of all, hi. I'm new here but i've been going to WW since february and am down bya lmost 40 pounds since then. I've managed to figure out how to survive holidays and a visit from my parents... but the thing I haven't done yet since going on WW is go on vacation. We'll be going home for about 8 days at the end of summer and my husband wants to go to all of our old favorite restaurants. I don't mind this idea, but i need to know how not to come back 5 pounds heavier like I did over christmas vacation. It would also be nice to be able to manage this all without spending 20 minutes to peruse a menu. Alot of the restaurants we will want to go to are local favorites and not online anywhere. I am trying to figure out the best way to balance the whole "i can indulge because i'm on vacation" thing with and the "i don't want to come back heavier" thing. The goal is not to gain weight. Weight loss would be nice, but I'm not going to stress over that.
I'm debating between counting points per usual and just journaling (and eating reasonable portions) but not counting points. The reason for the debate is that i tend to get stressed out and stress out those around me AND take a LONG time to figure out what to eat in a restaurant.
The other question is how to handle air travel and dieting. I usually eat alot more when traveling by air because of being awake for a long period of time and being tired, etc. I know one of the tricks is to be sure to dirnk plenty of water since planes are dehydrating, but what other tips do you have for the actual travel days?
Any help you guys could provide would be appreciated.
Also, sorry if this question was previously answered but I did a search and didn't see a thread related to vacations.

When I travel by air I make sure I have plenty of water with me and some snacks like low fat granola bars and Fruit to Go (fruit leather). These items are sealed so I don't usually have a problem getting on the plane with them. At the airport I try to go to one of the actual restaurants (like Chillies) and get a salad and a burger without mayo/cheese etc. It usually works out to about 8 points or so. Even if you went to McDonald's you could get a jr burger and a salad or if there is a subway there then you can get a veggie sub or salad. Stay away from mayo based sandwiches like tuna or chicken salad and don't eat muffins or goodies from Starbucks and such as they are loaded with fat and sugar - have a toasted bagel with light cream cheese if you can get one.

As far as restaurant choices I usually eat seafood that is not fried, salads with some protein and the dressing on the side, I stay away from anything fried, hold the cheese on things and ask for extra veg instead of rice or potatoes. Choose tomato based sauce instead of cream one at an Italian restaurant. Skip the bread basket or any chips and salsa on the table. Pick an appetizer and a salad instead of a full entree.

If there is a local grocery store I pop in there and pick up some fruit and veggies for snacks and keep them in the fridge in my hotel room. Things like snack crackers, low fat granola bars, dried fruit, unsalted nuts, fruit leather and other items that don't need to be kept in the fridge. Limiting alcohol is another good idea but I do have a glass of wine with dinner. No point in completely depriving yourself and not enjoying your holiday but use common sense and moderation. I basically tell myself " you can have a glass of wine or desert, but not both, so pick one or the other". Or I eat a lighter meal if I know we are going for ice cream later.

If you are at a buffet type restaurant - take a walk around and scope out the choices before putting anything on your plate. This will help you pick out the healthiest items first. Fill up on the fresh fruit and salad options (not the pasta ones with oil and mayo) and then choose your entree of protein and veg, roast or baked potatoes insted of fried or scalloped etc. Pick one thing that you really really want and just have a little so you get a treat and don't feel deprived.

Walking a lot when you are sightseeing helps as well as making use of the hotel pool and gym. I pack my yoga pants and top and do pilates for about 20 minutes to 1/2 an hour in my room before taking my shower and going for breakfast.

we're going to be staying with my mother-in-law who was on wieght watcher's at one point (not sure if she still follows it) and my mother will be around too and she's on a nutrition program as well. So, while I'm around family it won't be so bad. When we go to the city an hour and a half away where my friends are... i think i'm alot more worried about that. That's where all the decadent restaurants are and all the people who will potentially whine and grumble after the third time it takes me (literally) 20 minutes to figure out what to eat. My husband is generally supportive of my dieting but he sometimes gets tired of waiting when he knows what he wants 3 minutes after getting to a restaurant. My mother and his mother will be supportive of this whole process and probably pinch him if he whines too much My friends may be similarly exasperated. I guess I just have to warn my husband that it may cost him a pretty penny on vacation. Because I usually take as long as I do because I don't like the idea of spending $15 on an entree when there are $7 entree's on the menu. But I've noticed that the quick and easy way to do lowfat and healthy is to find the steamed or grilled seafood dishes. He probably won't actually care if I say "i need to be able to order expensive stuff"... he actually whines the most when I don't get food that I want because I say it's "too expensive".
I'm concerned about a couple of specific cuisine types... I know we'll be doing mexican and we'll be doing it at least one place that doesn't do things like seafood tacos or fajita salad; and I really don't like plain chicken tacos/soft tacos. The other stickler is italian food. I love italian food but it's nigh impossible to find anything to eat other than spaghetti marinara in most italian restaurants (we have a local restaurant that has a spgahetti marinara with white wine and seafood, but most places don't have this and it's very expensive). Any suggestions for these types of restaurants?

Also, alcohol is not much of an issue because I rarely drink, and if I do, it's not generally in a restaurant (although alot of my friends really like alcohol, so that might be a smidge of an issue some days).

I should also mention that I have low blood sugar... So, I rarely do things like fruit or fruit leathers for snacks (i have mostly vegetables for my five fruits and veggies per day or I have the fruits with a meal).
I had thought about getting a thermal lunch bag with an ice pack to take on the plane to carry things like water, light drinkable yogurt and/or carb options type yogurt, TLC granola and luna bar, and maybe some veggies with me.
But what about counting points versus not counting points? Have you tried both and if so, what do you think?

I travel quite a bit, and I know airports can be hard. The airports I fly in and out of have healthy snacks available along with the junk food...my last flight, I was hungry in the airport and ended up purchasing a lowfat yogurt and an orange, along with a bottle of sparkling water...not too shabby for airport food. Most airports have healthy options if you look hard enough, so if you don't bring food with you, you should be able to find something.

hrm a quick and easy list of things that are at almost every restaurant and are reasonably healthy would help.

Chinese:
-broccoli beef
-?

Italian:
-spaghetti marinara
-minestrone
-?

mexican:
-chicken tacos
-fajita salad if available
-seafood tacos if available
-?

Thai
-red yellow and green curry (that gives me plenty of options)

Are there certain types of sushi that are better than others? What other japanese foods would work?

any ideas to add to this list would help

Asian food:

Won Ton Soup wiht 4 wontons (1 cup=4pts)
Hot and Sour Soup (1 cup=2pts)
Chicken with broccoli (1 cup=2pts)
Chinese vegetables with shrimp (1 cup=4pts)
Shrimp steamed dumplings (4=4pts)
Chicken with black bean sauce (1 cup=7pts)
Plain steamed rice or brown rice
Chinese tea
1 fortune cookie for dessert
Lychee fruit for dessert

Italian:
Bruschetta (1 slice=3pts)
Potato gnochi (1 cup=4pts)
Linguine with red clam sauce (1 cup past+ 1/2 cup sauce = 6 pts)
Pasta with garlic and oil (1 cup=7pts)
Penne a la vodka (1 cup pasta +1/2 cup sauce=7pts)
Minsetrone soup (1 cup=4pts)

Mexican:
Empanadas (2 for 5 pts (3"diameter))
Chicken fajitas (2 for 8pts (8 1/2 oz)
Gazpacho-cold tomato soup (1 cup=3pts)
Black bean soup (1 cup =2pts)
Fish , chicken, or pork taco(1 4oz taco = 4pts)
Sangria (4fl oz=2pts)

Middle eastern/Greek food
Dolmades - rice stuffed grapevine leaves (4 for 4pts)
Avgolomono soup - chicken soup (1 cup=4pts)
Souvlaki (1 lg or 2 small skewers = 8pts)
Falafel (4 patties for 7pts (2" diameter) )
Hunnus (1/4 cup =3pts)
Tabouli -(1/2 cup =4pts)
Baklava - dessert (1 piece =4pts)

Hope that helps!

bless you that's perfect. I also found some websites with the info on specific restaurants that we may go to, so that's good too. But, i think this list would work the best. It will be much easier to grab this and match it up with the menu than to thumb through individual pages (or the books) and figure out the points that way (That's what takes me 20 minutes).

Your welcome!

I'm the same way sometimes at restaurants where I'm not familiar with the menu.

Hope you have a good trip!

Hi Voodoo, hope you don't mind me joining in, but I think it would be really good idea to decide completely before you go if you want to lose weight when you are on vacation, want to maintain your weight or would not be too unhappy if you only gained a couple of pounds.
This way, if you want to maintain, for example, you know that you will usually be ok by having a few extra points per day anyway, sometimes up to 5 or 6, which will help towards the extra meals. If you would really like to come home a bit lighter, then you will have to stick to your points, be extra careful and journal what you are eating - something I find pretty impossible when I'm away from home.
In my opinion, if you try to journal as much as you can, even if the occasional meal goes a bit over the top, you will be able to see the next day where you went wrong, and perhaps make up for it on the in-between periods, be extra good at breakfast, lunch, snacks etc. Save the best for dinner!
Have a great time anyway, good luck!

good idea dawny. I think the goal is maintenance. If I can manage to lose weight and be happy with what i'm eating, I will. But otherwise, i'll be happy to stay the same weight. I definitely am going to journal even if i don't track points (although i probably will) because if I didn't I would completely blow it and possibly gain 5 pounds over the week. I know that if i don't write it down, I won't pay attention to what I'm eating. If I don't pay attention to what I'm eating, I'll stuff myself with cheesecakes and mashed potatoes at almost every meal

Cheesecake and mashed potatoes, yummy!

Whenever I have an event (potluck, dinner at a restaurant), I try to 'balance' the rest of the day with foods I know I won't get at a restaurant. For instance, most restaurants hand out refined carbs, fat and protein freely ... I make sure my other meals include more dairy, fruit, and a lot of steamed vegetables.

I am going on vacation this week. I bought an outfit that I am hoping to fit into by Saturday. haha. I fit into it, but I haven't tried to sit down in it.

So it is good to know what I can look out for as far as eating. I wanted to see if anyone had any ideas on what I could do at the YMCA while I am on vacation. I wanted to do circuit training as I think that may be a good idea to get the maximum work out in.

Luckily it is too hot to eat in California...or live for that matter.

I just did the gaining while on vacation thing. I am not feeling bad about it, but I am feeling good about being at home and being back on track. I think dawnyd's advice about deciding before you go is solid advice.

I think the hardest part is walking in to a WW meeting knowing you have gained. Just make sure that when you get back from your vacation (good or bad) you still get back to your goal.

I would nix the curries on the diet menu. Those made with coconut milk are really high in calories.

according to the book the red yellow and green curries are reasonable points wise when compared with anything else thai.
got any other suggestions for thai food? ( i will almost definitely be eating thai food at least once)