You have toiled in your job for many pay periods to save up the money to get away to an all-inclusive resort for a week or two of escaping reality and the responsibilities that go along with it.
However, you are well aware that taking time off from your strict diet and exercise routine for a prolonged period of inactivity and wanton consumption of food and drink will prove to be a disaster for your svelte figure.
Want to learn how to not gain weight on vacation? This article will drop a few hints to help you avoid the increase in mass that many can’t seem to dodge themselves…
1) Work movement into your daily itinerary
Go ahead and put in some time on the sun lounger: it is your reward for putting up with a hectic career and a less than ideal climate in your home country. Anchoring yourself to it is a recipe for a sharp increase in weight gain however, as the increase in calories consumed on holiday combines with the lowered metabolism that results from lying around all day to add a few inches to your waistline.
Keeping the fat burning furnace within you stoked is as simple as going for a long walk on the beach in the morning, and again around sunset. For those looking to up the ante, there are often opportunities to go on hiking treks, play tennis or beach volleyball, or go on a snorkeling trip.
Not only will all these activities burn calories and maintain your health, they will provide you with the memories that make travel the amazing experience that it is.
2) Avoid simple carbs on certain days
Yes, you are on vacation, and we are not saying that you can’t have that cupcake at 10:30pm. However, doing this everyday for a week or two will take its toll on your body. If you are trying to avoid growing a spare tire during this time, some strategy will need to come into play to allow you in indulge while avoiding unwanted weight gain.
For every day that you let yourself go, try to avoid candy, cookies, cake, soda and other foods high in simple carbs for 2-4 consecutive days. Doing so will reduce the damage that these fattening (but oh so tempting) meals can do to your body over the time you are away from home.
3) Seek out local cuisine that is healthy
In most cases, the meals that locals eat in vacation destinations are far healthier than what the typical Westerner eats at home (and on the resorts that cater to them). From the tacos of Mexico to pad thai in Thailand, not only are the dishes better for you, but they also offer an intense flavor experience, and the portion sizes are smaller … a big win for your abs on all fronts!
4) Favor red wine, hard liquor and low carb mixed drinks over beer and high carb mixed drinks
Another big driver of holiday weight gain is the over-consumption of alcoholic beverages. Many of these drinks are sky high in carbs, a sin that most beers and mixed drinks (rum and coke, margaritas, etc) are guilty of committing.
If you anticipate that you will imbibe frequently during your well-deserved trip, try to steer yourself towards red wine, hard liquor (e.g. whiskey on the rocks) and low carb mixed drinks (e.g. gin and tonic), as these choices are the kindest to your fat stores out of all the options that will be available to you at your destination.