How to Enjoy Vacay and Not Destroy Your "diet" Part I

First of all, the word “destroy” might be a bit dramatic. But a vacation/cruise can definitely “pummel” or even “beat the living crap” out of your diet, even if it doesn’t outright “destroy” it. Lot of “quotes” eh? But wait, there’s more!

I say “Diet” in quotation marks because we are not on restrictive“diets” anymore, right? We are “making healthy-living choices”. I try to eat healthy most of the time, but vacations are meant to be enjoyed (as are Tuesdays). And food is part of the equation.

As I just returned from a cruise, the subject is fresh in my mind, so here is the topic of the day: Surviving (while enjoying) a vacation/cruise.

First of all, it’s important to remember that a cruise can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many people. In this regard, I feel that it’s important to enjoy the food on offer, but not to approach it with the “last supper” mentality. If you do that, you will return home with extra L-Bs and perhaps a hefty dose of regret. Here are some ways that I have found to be useful when surrounded by amazing food 24/7…

1. Approach buffets carefully. The fewer choices you have, the less you will eat. Studies have confirmed this. The problem with buffets is that you have literally hundreds of choices. My advice: cruise (ack!) the buffet before you get your tray- see what’s on offer and then go in for the kill. Get what you really truly want, but only get about 4 or 5 items (trust me- it's way harder than you might imagine).

I know it seems sacrilegious to set a limit with all that bounty, but the buffet will still be there the next day. Be sure to include a good deal of healthy veggies and a dose of healthy fat as well as a bit of protein and carbs (complex if you have the choice). Having said that, you can survive with some nutrition-devoid white carbs for a few days. Your quinoa at home will forgive you.

2. Go to a restaurant instead of a buffet. If you do have the choice to have a sit-down, fixed meal, that is the better choice. But beware the kind waitress- she will bring you roll after roll and offer you extras to make you happy, so realize that it isn’t fail-proof. We accidentally stumbled upon a good strategy this trip: Order a boat-load (eek) of steamed veggies on the side. We got this every night. Sure, we ate other less-than-healthy foods (hello Beef Wellington), but the veggies helped to get in some vitamins and fiber to fill us up.

3. Don’t stuff yourself silly. I know that it sounds obvious to many of you, but when I was 90 pounds heavier than today, I thought that the “normal” way to walk away from a meal was Thanksgiving-Day-lay-down-on-the-couch-and-unbutton-pants-stuffed. This was simply unhealthy. The Japanese have a word (Hara Hachi Bu, FYI) for feeling 80% full- and for the Japanese, it's a goal for which to strive. Personally, some days I might be satisfied with less, some days more. You know when you pass that point of hunger satiation. Don't pass it too far. We all do this from time to time: let out a huge sigh after we've just finished a meal. Chances are that we ate too much. Once in a while, that's fine. Not daily.

4. Stay hydrated. Really, you do not need to chug your weight in water, but it’s nice that they do have water and iced tea dispensers in the buffet areas.

5. Move as much as your body will let you. Sometimes you need a day off. Or two or five. I have always found it incredibly helpful to move my arse most days of a cruise. Whether it’s walking around the 'promenade' deck (a deck that encourages walking round and round) or an all-out gym-sweat-fest, I recommend that you do something. I often have to force myself to get to the gym (especially if I’m jet-lagged like this last vacay) , but I feel 100% better once I’m done.

Dad and Derek walking the Promenade Deck

Twice I did my go-to lazy-girls' workout...it's the In-Room No-weight L&S (Lunge n Squat) routine. This is a handy workout if you don't feel like being in public or even putting on decent workout clothes (or any at all for that matter). You will have a drip-fest and very sore glutes & quads the next day. All you need is about 20-45 minutes and about 5 feet of clear space in front of you.

New ships have full service gyms- this one had all major cardio and strength equiptment (except the revolving staircase) as well as Swiss Balls, a Bosu, stretch bands, 6-pound medicine balls and free weights. Keep in mind that a workout does not provide carte blanche to have an eating free-for-all, but it keeps you in the healthy mind-set and it’s good for your ticker and muscles.

I decided to give 100% effort but limit my time at the gym... I used to spend and hour of cardio and then lift weights: way too much! As Janetha said in this guest post, you can't out-train a bad diet.

6. Take the stairs. (assuming you have no medical issues with this). Some of these new ships have more than a dozen floors! That’s a workout in itself! I have a Stairs-Only rule on ships: I limit my use of elevators...even when playing "Dress-up".

Once on vacay with a girlfriend who knew about my Stairs-Only rule, I hopped into an elevator to go down to the bottom floor. She looked astounded and exclaimed “WHAT ABOUT YOUR 'STAIRS-ONLY' RULE!?!” I replied **“I make exceptions for going down”. You can imagine that comment became the TWSS comment of the trip. ;-)

Look! I practice what I preach- I'm climbing the stairs, even while playing "Dress-up!"

PS. I burned about 25 cals for each trip from the public rooms to our room (yes, I wore my heart rate monitor one day just to learn that fact). We are constantly "running up to the room" in between meals and activities. Tell me that doesn't add up over the course of a day!

7. Don’t “save” your calories for later. This strategy can backfire big-time. Just eat your normal brekkie , don't skip meals or snacks. Don’t go starved to any meal or you’ll find yourself face-planted in the bread basket. If you’re at the buffet you’ll take waaayyyyy more food than you really want or need. How to avoid pre-meal starvation? See #8…

{SORRY SGET readers to leave you hanging, but obviously I've got way too much to say about this topic for one measly post. Therefore I decided to break it down into two segments. Now go tackle the rest of your GoogleReader and I'll see you tomorrow for part II, and have a great day!!}

Deb