Gaining weight after a vacation is something so common that it’s got its own name – “Holiday Weight”. It’s easy to throw off one’s usual routines of healthful eating and regular exercise because it’s a holiday after all, and meant to be enjoyed and indulged in. In fact, food can be a reason why you’re even travelling in the first place. Add to that minimal movement (especially if you’re on a tour) and a desire to try everything, and you’ve a receipe for some extra kilos.
To avoid returning home with “excess baggage”, so to speak, here are 9 things you can do to keep your weight in check while enjoying the sights, sounds and food during your holiday:
Train your muscles in restraint and exert some portion control while eating overseas. There are lots of interesting foods to try so think about sharing plates with others. In some countries, the portion sizes are really huge anyway (e.g. US and UK) so it makes sense to order less!
This one habit can save you from eating too much while on holiday! Not only is it important to stay hydrated while enjoying new adventures, but just making sure to drink a big glass of water means that you won’t feel overly hungry and want to devour everything at the buffet table.
Related: 7 Ways To Stay Hydrated To Beat The Heat
Speaking of holiday buffet spreads, you’ll need to know that most of them are made up of cheap, highly seasoned and sweetened low quality fare. If you have to face any buffets, eat a big plate of raw living greens and fruit FIRST (only exception to this is when you are visiting a place where you suspect the water is not clean or where hygiene is an issue).
Not only will this help you pace the buffet table without a grumbling tummy, your body gets the benefits of nutrients from the vegetables and fruit.
Related: 6 Ways To Increase Your Fruit Intake
This is how you can incorporate intermittent fasting into your everyday life! Even while on holiday, if you can stick to having dinners before 9pm, for example, and starting breakfasts after 9am, you would already be giving your digestive system time to recuperate and rest – critical for staving off the pounds.
It’s important to get enough fibre in your holiday diet, so that your system is working regularly in purging and getting rid of you-know-what.
Related: Top 13 Must Eat Fibre Rich Foods
Related: Top 10 High-fibre Foods To Add To Your Diet
Because we now know how insidious and disastrous added (hidden) sugars in processed food are to our overall health and weight, you should ingest sugary drinks, snacks and desserts sparingly during your holiday – think bite sizes and exotic, unfamiliar flavours when you sample any sweet stuff.
Related: 5 Ways To Eat Less Sugar
If you are on the DIY-type of holiday, you definitely have the opportunity to cover more distance by foot and explore new places. Staying active while on holiday has many benefits; not least of which you are burning calories, you are also keeping yourself fit and creating distractions away from food (unless you are walking down many food streets!). If you find yourself seated on tour buses for most of your holiday, then how about taking the stairs instead of lifts and escalators every chance you get?
Related: Why Walking Is Good For You
Many of us don’t realise that most alcoholic beverages contain loads of added sugar. So though you feel happy and relaxed while on holiday, stay on the right side of tipsy (for health and safety reasons), drink sparingly and avoid adding unwanted pounds to your frame.
When we are well rested, our bodies, in most cases, will not send us many of the “I gotta eat” signals during the day. When we are exhausted, sometimes we confuse the need for rest with the need for snacks and we mistakenly crave sugar and caffeine to perk us up. And we all know excessive snacking equals more weight! While on holiday, try not to pack in too many late night activities that rob you of sleep and recovery time.
Related: 9 Easy But Effective Tips To Get The Best Sleep Tonight
Related: 10 Healthy Foods Preventing You From Losing Weight
Written by: Sally May Tan, Wellness Whisperer, Founder of Catalyst Health Asia and Amazon Bestselling Author of Wellness The New Luxury. Her book (priced at S$49.00) is available at Times, Kinokuniya, MPH, Amazon and Kindle.