Tips to enjoy vacation without gaining weight

If you are on a DIET and heading off on vacation, here are some ways to enjoy yourself without gaining weight:

Pack for the plane

Most airline meals and snack boxes have more than 1,000 CALORIES!  Pack your own snacks or shop the airport for healthier choices. 

My favorite travel snack is granola bars, fig newtons and fruits like an apple, an orange or a banana.  

Granola bars are low in CALORIES and fat and the fruits are high in fiber – together they’ll keep you full for hours.

Don’t clean your plate

Restaurant portions can be 2-3 times bigger than what you eat at home.  Go ahead and indulge on delicious food, just not so much that you end up gaining weight. A great way to control portions is to share an order. Split an oversized entrée and have a side salad, for example. 

Eat half a sandwich and share or save the rest.  At a buffet take tasting-size portions of anything high in CALORIES.

Stock your HOTEL ROOM

Request a refrigerator for your hotel room so you can store HEALTHY SNACKS, such as low-fat yogurt, cheese, low-fat milk, smoothies, fruit and vegetables. If you don’t have a refrigerator, good nonperishable choices include nuts, seeds, high-fiber cereal and crackers, peanut butter, popcorn, and single-serving containers of fruit.

Drink smart

There’s no reason to abstain from alcohol just because you are on a diet. The secret is to steer clear of calorie-laden drinks like a piña colada that packs 450 calories and 18 grams of fat –and that’s for just one!  

Instead, opt for a waist-friendly cocktail, such as Bacardi rum with a splash of pineapple juice that has only 100 calories.

Any treat in moderation

Vacation isn’t much fun if you feel deprived. Treats are fine in moderation, like having a refreshing scoop of ice cream rather than a calorie-packed sundae.  Desserts run about 50 – 150 calories per bite, so keep to three bites and even a decadent one won’t blow YOUR DIET.   

For delicious high fiber meal plans, recipes and tips on healthy eating, drinking and LOSING WEIGHT, check out several past articles here on my Blog - www.emersonblognews.blogspot.com