How to Approach Nutrition While on Vacation or Traveling

Vacations and traveling can often be points of stress for people with health, fitness, and especially weight loss goals. Today’s post shares how to approach nutrition while on vacation or traveling. Often you start a vacation with good intentions, but then one meal sends you into “screw it” mode. You think “I know I’m going to gain x pounds from this, so might as well enjoy it” and down the drain your motivation goes. Instead of coming back from vacation refreshed, you come back feeling guilt ridden and thinking of how you’ll “work it off”.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

You can travel and go on vacation while enjoying fun food and drinks without throwing your goals out the window.  

First, you have to reset your expectations for how you’ll behave on vacation. You’ll be out of your normal routine and schedule, you can’t expect yourself to be perfect. But you can set-up some guidelines on how you’ll approach your day or each meal while traveling or on vacation.

10 Ideas For Focusing on Nutrition While on Vacation

Here is a list of 10 ideas for what you can focus on to still keep your nutrition in mind while traveling or on vacation:

• Have a lean protein or a big source of protein (20-30g) at each main meal. This will help keep you full and satiated!
• Drink water as often as possible. 
• For every glass of alcohol, drink one glass of water.

• Choose low calorie drinks and low sugar mixers. I’m a basic vodka soda and lime type of gal. 
• Choose either a fun drink or a dessert. 
• Pack your own protein bars, beef jerky, and easy snacks for times when hunger strikes. 

• Have veggies as your side at meals. Instead of fries for a side, I’ll often choose vegetables or a side salad. OR will leave the bun off a burger, and have the fries or whatever starchy side I desire. 
• Sleep! Sleeping in when possible, getting 7+ hours of Zzzs.
• Get in low intensity movement if possible. Lots of walking! 
• Simply accepting that you might feel a little more bloated  or blah than normal and not beating yourself up about it. Deciding just to enjoy some time off and foods you don’t normally eat. 

This is a list that works for me and I have in the back of my mind. I don’t do ALL of these at once, maybe 2 or 3 depending on the day and situation. AND if I have a day where none of the above happens, IT’S OK too. Usually the next day I’m ready to eat a little better.  You gotta enjoy life and let it go sometimes. One meal or a few off track days isn’t going to destroy your progress. I know once I get back from traveling or vacation, that I’ll be back to my normal routine anyways. 

How do you like to approach nutrition while traveling or on vacation? Any tips or tricks you take with you?