I know going on vacation can be scary, intimidating, unnerving and every other emotion possible, especially if you have a fat loss goal, but it doesn’t have to be that way. As I always say don’t overthink it. Choose your food wisely, listen to your body. Prioritize protein at each meal.
I make sure that whatever I am choosing to eat I truly want and tastes amazing, especially when it comes to more indulgent foods. I am a big believer in only eating things you love. I don’t simply munch on a bag of chips simply because I can chips are chips and I can buy those whenever, wherever. Instead, I will eat the chocolate cake, the gelato, or maybe the delicious slice a pizza that is not something as easily available. I choose things that are particular to the place or the restaurant. Basically, I choose my indulgences wisely and eat what I really want. I make conscious food decisions, listen to my body and I hate feeing overly and uncomfortably stuffed. I will usually save most of my carbs for drinks. I prefer to eat my fats and proteins.
Don’t forget to drink your water too. I try to keep my drinks balanced by alternating one glass of water between each alcoholic drink.
My breakfasts, while in Vegas, consisted of some sort of an open faced egg sandwich most days. By eliminating half the bun, biscuit or a slice of bread I never feel deprived and don’t miss out on the yummy food. By doing this I save some carbs for drinks or something ever better later.
As I always say listen to your body, try to truly slow down and tune into what you want and need. Don’t forget sharing meals is also a great way to still eat what you love, without over indulging and feeling stuffed. Steve and I share A LOT whether on vacation or simply any time we go to a restaurant.
The more you connect with your body and hunger cues the better you will get at listening to what your body truly needs.
Breakfast
We stayed at the Bellagio, so of course we had to go next store and try a sandwich from EGGSLUT and I have to say it wasn’t anything special. I would not wait 45 minutes. Luckily we were up early because of the time change and were able to get in line at 6:50 (10 minutes before opening). We knew we wanted to try it, since it has such a cult following, but I will say to us it was overhyped. Don’t get me wrong the sandwich was delicious, but nothing special. I ordered the egg (over medium), cheese and bacon sandwich which comes on a brioche bun. I am not a cheese on my egg fan, so I only had egg and bacon on my sandwich. I enjoyed it open faced (no top bun). We also shared an order of hash browns, I really only had one little piece because they weren’t worth it to me, but they were tasty just nothing special.
The next day, we went back to the Cosmopolitan, but this time to try out District Donut Sliders Brew. Honestly, we thought this sandwich was better. We even ended up back there the next day too. I ordered the egg (scrambled) biscuit sandwich with egg only and once again, ate my sandwich, open faced. The biscuit was delicious and the eggs were cooked perfectly. This is definitely on our must go while in Vegas list.
Snacks
I always bring protein bars and shakes to help reach my goal each day. I do try to consistently hit my protein (even on vacation) because as I say this is one of the most important macro nutrients and it will keep you feeling full and satisfied. I also feel better when I am eating well. The kirkland bars are my preferred bars on vacation because of the carb to fat to protein ratio. I brought both the chocolate chip and brownie bars.
Lunch
For lunch most days I enjoyed a salad. I LOVE my salads so this is not a diet choice, this is simply I feel good when I eat a salad midday and truly enjoy it. If a salad is not your choice, no big deal. If you enjoy sandwiches or burgers simply do the open faced trick and I promise you will not miss the other half of the bread or bun.
Dinner
Typically, dinner is my most indulgent meal of the day and on this trip that held true. We enjoyed eating Italian one night and a nice steak dinner the next. I ate what I was in the mood for and simply listened to my body and taste cues (you will notice by the 3rd to 5th bite your food will start to not interest you as much). By doing this I never become uncomfortably full. I always left my meals feeling satisfied and happy. Never feeling deprived, but also not stuffing myself past the point of being comfortable. We typically, ate dessert each night too. Again, I may have only enjoyed a bite or two because that is all I wanted.
We enjoyed a jumbo s’more from the Hershey’s store, since it was so big we simply ate it open faced and split it. Perfect amount, I didn’t even finish my half. Listening to your body is key.
I will say at this point in my health journey I am maintaining my weight at fairly high calories and I know I have a lot to work with throughout the day when it comes to macros. This holds true at home and on vacation. I have about 2400 calories to eat each day and that is a lot for me. Most days while on vacation I don’t hit that number simply because I am not tracking. I am someone that needs to track to eat that large amount of food otherwise I will unconsciously under eat. My food choices tend to be on the healthier side and therefore, it’s not always easy to eat the higher amount of calories needed to fuel my busy lifestyle.
In the end remember to enjoy yourself, you only live once. Try not to make food your main focus and that will help you to not eat past your fullness level. Focus on the people you are with not necessarily the food in front of you.
When you put your energy and focus into the people you are with and the fun you are having, food will simply be in the background not the main event and that will make all the difference.