A very common occurrence is returning from a holiday much heavier than when you left – sometimes it can be quite a significant amount heavier! It is easy to be swept up with all the new flavour sensations and typical to not want to miss trying anything; after all, you only have a limited amount of time to enjoy it. As a result, many people cram in as much as they can in to a rather small time frame – entrees, mains, desserts and alcohol every day. Additionally, these foods tend to be energy dense options.
With Australia’s ever-growing “foodie” culture, this is becoming even more of an issue as we are eating much more. Rather than losing the weight once returning home, many people are becoming complacent with the weight they have gained and not attempting to lose all of it.
Keep the following tips in mind when travelling. Many of the tips are common sense but sometimes we need a reminder in order to actually implement them!
- Don’t make your trip revolve around the food! The food will always be there and at the end of the day, the emphasis should be on the sites and other cultural aspects – not over eating. Remind yourself of this point and try to be mindful of your choices whilst on your trip so that you can still experience the food but not over-indulge with every meal.
- Avoid having an entree, main and dessert. Stick to the one course and share an entree or dessert if need be. Alternatively, you could share the entree AND the main so that you get a taste of each but are not consuming days worth of energy in one meal.
- Don’t have more than one dessert per day. Many people tend to have a couple of gelatos here, a cannoli there and then some chocolates on top of that – this rapidly adds to that excessive consumption of kilojoules.
- When having energy dense foods like pizzas and pastas, cut down on your portion size and accompany with a salad. If your interest really is in trying the local food (and not wanting an excuse to eat a lot) then you should be happy with a smaller portion that means you get to try more and still maintain your weight.
- Don’t have three large meals each day as well as snacks in between e.g. eggs Benedict for breakfast, pasta for lunch and pizza and gelato for dinner. If you think you will be having one indulgent meal in the day, be mindful of the other meals you choose and save the enjoyment for later. For example, choose a lean seafood dish for lunch and have oats or fruit salad for breakfast.
- Make the most of all the opportunities for exercise! Holidaying can involve a lot of walking or water sports. Partake in these activities over taking public transport. This way you will see more AND you will have a little more wiggle room to eat more than you would at home.
- Don’t waste energy on drinks (literally). Avoid drinks other than water as these will really impact the amount of energy you’re consuming! Many people would rather the food than the drink anyway. Alcohol is obviously the worst offender here but juices, smoothies and iced chocolates will all make a difference. Additionally, your body will thank you for sticking to water, particularly in the warmer months.
Contact us for results focused nutritional advice
This article was written by our dietitian Belinda Elwin who is a Dietitians Association of Australia member and Accredited Practising Dietitian and Nutritionist. If you have questions about healthy eating, make an appointment. We‘ll provide you with a simple and effective routine targeted to your concerns. Contact us today.
