5 Ways to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain
Helen Young
Holidays - a time for ditching the diet?
Many of us like to ditch the diet and indulge for a week or two. Unfortunately, putting on weight seems to be considerably easier than losing it. In just a fortnight of treating yourself to fatty, sugary, high calorie snacks, the toned, healthy “swimsuit ready” figure that you worked so hard to get before your holiday may be starting to bulge a little more than you’d like.
Don’t deny yourself the Holiday Luxuries...
Following a strict weight-loss diet while on holiday is not the solution - denying yourself all those delicious dishes will simply make you feel miserable. The ideal plan is to leave tackling any stricter diets for while you are at home, while avoiding the excesses which traditionally go hand in hand with holidays abroad. The focus of the following 5 tips is help you enjoy your holiday, while making healthy choices which will keep your body weight stable without worrying about counting calories.
Tip One : Everything in Moderation
Restricting your diet on a holiday is never going to work - in fact, you’ll probably manage for the first few days, and then end up ordering the biggest portion of dessert that you can get your hands on! The key to successfully maintaining your body weight is to have everything that you want - in moderation. If your holiday won’t seem like a holiday unless you can have a portion of fish and chips on the promenade at sunset, make sure you do that, just don’t do it at every meal time. The last thing you want on holiday is to feel like you have been denied a favourite treat, so go for it, but don’t go overboard.
Tip Two : Start with Salad
A great way to avoid eating too much is to choose a salad as a starter before lunch and dinner. A mixed leaf and vegetable salad will help to fill up your stomach, so that you feel sated more quickly and consume less during your main course and dessert. Of course, salads which are drowned in creamy mayonnaise or cheese sauces should be kept to a minimum - the idea here is to select something light, but nutritious.
Tip Three : Take Your Time
When you are at home, it is likely that from time to time, meals and snacks are rushed affairs - something you squeeze in between work and other obligations. On holiday, you shouldn’t have as many demands on your time, so make space in your day to enjoy leisurely meals. When we eat more slowly, taking time to savour the textures and flavours of a dish, it gives the stomach time to send “Full” signals to the brain. By making mealtimes a relaxed experience, you should manage to eat less calories, as well as avoiding that uncomfortable feeling of having eaten too much.
Tip Four : A Tipple or Two
Alcoholic beverages can be a real downfall for anyone who wants to avoid weight gain on their holiday. Fancy cocktails and even spirits with mixers can be surprisingly high in calories, which quickly mount up if you enjoy a drink or two. Keep a handle on this by choosing fruit based rather than creamy cocktails, selecting diet versions of soft-drink mixers, and alternating your drinks with water or another low-cal option.
Tip Five : Get Moving
Even if you don’t have a very active lifestyle at home, holidays offer an opportunity to fit in plenty of exercise. Instead of taking a prone position by the pool or on the beach for the duration, get in the water and spend a lazy half or or so swimming, or go for a stroll along the seashore. Any type of physical activity will help to burn calories, improve your circulation and tone your muscles, which will go some way to counteracting any treats and indulgences.
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