Vacationing without a Weight Gain

I'm on vacation with some AWESOME cooks/bakers in Sweden and getting home without a weight gain will be a challenge. Despite having great intentions, I have a difficult time.  Here I will share 5 easy strategies that I attempt to use to maintain my weight while vacationing.

Strolling with the Family in Gothenburg

First: I take the time to fit in some physical activities - mostly walking.  I make sure to do my morning stretching and if there is any gym equipment available I make sure to use it whenever I can - usually in the evenings. I always eat breakfast.  It might not be my usual egg whites & corn tortilla but it always includes a good portion of protein and a bit of fat along with coffee. This will sustain me so I don't get anxious about lunch.  Most of the time I'm successful at avoiding fried or creamy foods.

Full fat yogurt and black licorice ice cream are difficult for me to stay away from since I regards these as "vacation treats". That said,  I indulge in moderation! When someone bakes I will taste it! And enjoy every bite completely, without guilt! After all, so much of a vacation or a travel trip is about trying new cuisine.

But probably the most important strategy I employ is paring down my portions and consciously eating slower, both good habits to return home with (souvenirs? lol). The portion control is about weight watching but the slowing down is about prolonging the conversations, which is another wonderful part of vacationing with family and hearing about their lives after a meal.

So...I will return home in a couple of days to find out if I have some weight gain to work on or if I've really messed up.

Resources...

In depth information about vacationing without a weight gain can be found here on the web:

Suzy Carol wrote a great post in mid July on how to travel healthy. 

John Wilson writes over at GetDadFit about surviving the "all inclusive holiday.  I have only tried one "intermittent fast" and that wasn't on a vacation.  I might use the IF a couple times after I return home.

And speaking of retuning home and getting back into the routine, Ellen Stefaine Bradshaw's (over at RunItLikeAMom) reentry sounds like it got off to a great start, which is so inspiring!

Drinking Tap Water

It's my goal to drink tap water as often as possible and not buy any bottled water.  Why? Mainly because I think there is WAY too much plastic out there for us to use once and then throw away. Luckily here in Oregon there is a deposit on water bottles so in a pinch I will buy bottled water.  But most of the time I just drink tap water.

Before I started doing anything about my weight & my health I rarely drank water.  I would drink coffee instead - bad idea since I was already dehydrated as evidenced by the mild headaches I would get toward the end of the day.

Then I became aware of how I often would eat when really I was thirsty and  so once I started paying closer attending to this, of course I found myself drinking more water. I'm drinking about a gallon a day...in the AM while my coffee is brewing I'll have a glass, drink about 24 oz on the way to work, then a couple qts at work through out the day, another 24 oz during the evening commute, and finally a couple glasses in the evening...all but the qts at work are tap water.

But when I'm traveling getting my water in is quite the task! Every time I come to Europe I notice that Europeans don't carry around water bottles like we do in the States. Beautiful Vänern Lake in central Sweden:

Going Fishing

Vacationing with my son's family just as he has been bitten by the Fishing Bug is doing me some good! We have spent some time out on the shores of Vänern Lake in central Sweden these past two days which has meant a good amount of hiking, some thing I really enjoy doing.  Today the hike was a couple of miles in the sunshine and wind after a good hour in the pool with all the boys, racing and diving.

For me being fit means taking the time to be active! No sitting around watching endless movies or playing video games of reading on the smartphone/ipad!

Green Pea Pesto with White Fish

I have recently started eating more varieties of fish. In the past I would simply have a tuna sandwich once or twice a week.  Now I enjoy kippers, sardines, tilapia, salmon, and cod.  Earlier this week we had white fish with Green Pea Pesto and I'm sure I could have easily overeaten!

Then the next day I put the Pesto on a ham and cheese sandwich instead of butter or mayonnaise.  It added some complexity to the sandwich that was a welcome change!

Here is the recipe that makes 2 cups:
1 cup frozen peas, steamed
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Add all but the oil into a blender and while blending,
stream the olive oil into the mixture.

(27 Kcals/1Tbsp)

Move is Complete

I have moved from the city to a small town close to Mt. Hood, Oregon.  I have doubled my living space and have a yard where I can garden.  I've spent time getting a garden space cleared and have one tomato plant in the ground....a simple slow start.  So far the hardest part is the watering instead of the clearing of weeds and digging of the earth....go figure!!

This is what it looked like before I began.  Needless to say I used up a lot of calories on several days cutting and digging this out.  After photos will come later.