How to Eat on Vacation Without Stress

I LOVE going on vacation. Getting away from school, work, and just normal everyday activities…there’s nothing better. A change of scenery can be amazing to bring you back to a productive mind space (read my blog all about productivity, here). One of my favorite parts about going on vacation has to be the food. I know that when I go away, I’m gonna be eating good.

Unfortunately, food isn’t always the best part of someone’s vacation. It can actually be the exact opposite. It can cause massive amounts of stress the weeks, or even months leading up to it. If you are someone who diets and is constantly stressed about how their body looks, then eating on vacation can definitely be triggering. How am I going to stay on track? This was a thought I used to have. In the past couple of years, I’ve learned to shift my thinking on eating on vacation and how to enjoy my time away.

Why Does Eating Cause Stress?

The reason why people stress about eating on vacation is due to a lack of control. That’s really the bottom line and what it comes down to. There is a lack of control because when you’re on vacation, you’re most likely with others. You can’t just do or eat whatever you want, because there is a compromise that has to happen. You also don’t have access to your normal foods or exercise equipment. There is little to no control over the daily activities and foods consumed.

In my situation, I stressed out about eating on vacation because I was going into the unknown (cue Frozen 2). I was going into an unknown territory and had no clue what I would be eating. Would I be eating “healthy?” “I can’t have ice cream every night, I’m going to gain weight!” I was terrified about going into my vacation without knowing what I would be eating. My personality is extremely type A, which means that I like to be in control and have things scheduled out. This is just not possible on vacation.

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You’re Body Is Not Going to Change

The whole reason why a lack of control causes stress around food is that we’re scared of our bodies changing. If you’re at the beach for a week and eat nothing but hot dogs, ice cream, and wine, our bodies are not going to change. It’s time to have a little more faith in our bodies. The human body is extremely smart. It is adaptable and knows how to handle any food that you throw into it. If you are eating differently for one week, your progress with exercise and “clean” eating is not going anywhere.

If you eat foods that don’t make you feel your best, physically, on vacation, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Sure, you may not feel your best, but your body knows how to bounce back. After all, if you’re killing yourself in the gym and kitchen (which I don’t recommend), then what’s the point if you can’t enjoy yourself? On my last day of vacation in Florida, all I wanted was some fruit. That whole week, I ate tons of sugar and delicious foods (which I don’t regret at all). My body was intuitively craving fruit because I was not eating as much as normal. Instead of getting pancakes for breakfast, I had a smoothie bowl. Your body is smart and knows how to ask for the foods it desires.

It’s Not All or Nothing

There tends to be an all or nothing mentality when it comes to eating on vacation. During your vacation, you think that you need to consume ALL the foods that you don’t normally allow yourself. Then, when you come home, it’s all about restriction and eating nothing but “healthy” foods. This is the mentality that causes so many issues and disordered eating patterns. When you don’t allow yourself to eat the “vacation” foods on a normal basis, there is a 99.9% chance that you’re going to binge them during your trip.

If you let yourself eat intuitively and have ice cream and wine on a weeknight, then you’re much less likely to binge them during your vacation. For a long time, I didn’t allow myself to eat ice cream or other fun foods unless it was a vacation or special occasion. When the time came for my vacation, I ate way too much of them and ended up feeling sick. Instead, I should have allowed myself to eat those foods whenever I wanted, so that way I didn’t feel the need to consume as much as I could when I was on vacation. Know that ice cream and pizza and wine exist outside of vacation. You don’t need to gorge yourself on them when you’re away, because you can always have some when you’re home.

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Tips for Eating on Vacation

It’s not always easy to not stress about food on vacation. We want to enjoy ourselves, but how? Here are some tips to enjoy your vacation and not stress about food:

• Pack snacks– I encourage packing snacks, not to “stay on track” with your diet, but to have a sense of comfort and option. If your family wants to go out for ice cream, and your body truly is not craving it, then you have something to eat that will satisfy you. If you’re not getting ice cream because you’re scared of gaining weight or need to stay on your diet, then that is what I discourage. When you are in tune with your body and intuitively know that you’ve had ice cream the past two nights and you just don’t want it tonight, then power to you!
• Know that your body won’t change– As I mentioned earlier, your body will not change after one week. Think of it this way…There are 52 weeks in a year. If for 51 of those weeks, you eat moderately healthy, exercise regularly, and take care of your body, then 1 week is not going to change anything.
• Don’t restrict before or after– If you know you’re going on a vacation where you will be eating a little less healthy than normal, do not restrict your food intake beforehand. If you eat nothing but lettuce, celery, and blueberries before your vacation, then you better believe you’re going to binge out when the time comes. On the other end, don’t restrict your eating afterward either. Just get back into your normal routine, and you will feel better, physically, and mentally. Having the stress of eating less and worrying about your body size is not going to do good for anyone.
• Move your body in a way that you enjoy…or don’t– When I was at the beach a few weeks ago, I brought my sneakers and shorts because I planned on going for a run in the morning. Once I actually woke up in the morning, I had no desire to go on a run. Instead of forcing myself to run and be miserable, I slept in and went for a long walk with my sister. If you want to exercise during your vacation, just take a moment to think about if you’re doing it to enjoy yourself, or out of punishment. Remember that the whole point of a vacation is to enjoy yourself. Exercise will always be there when you get home.
• Think of the memories– The memories that come along with a vacation have to be the best part. A lot of memories that go along with vacations include eating out and getting desserts and drinks, at least for me. If I said “no” to these activities, then I wouldn’t have half the memories I do now that I will have forever. When I’m with my one friend, we love to get ice cream. We always look forward to it and have a new memory that comes out of it each time. If we didn’t get ice cream because we wanted to be “healthy,” then our vacation just wouldn’t be complete.

Eating on vacation can be amazing, but also scary. When you’re surrounded by your loved ones, remember to enjoy those times, and whatever food comes along with it. Your healthy eating plan will always be there when you come home. If you want to eat a salad, eat a salad. If you want to go for a run, put on your sneakers. But, if you want to eat ice cream every night, then that is perfectly fine. Don’t miss out on opportunities or have any regrets, because when you’re back in your 9-5 desk job eating a salad, you’re going to wish you had that ice cream cone.

xoxo

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