We all do it. Whether we go
and see family who fill us up with rich treats and roast dinners or we do no
exercise but eat banquet after banquet of buffet dinners, putting on holiday
weight is inevitable. Or is it? I for one, when in front of a buffet, will make
the most of it. And I mean make the MOST of it. Two helpings for starters, a
plate for mains, oh go on then, another plate as it was so tasty. And dessert?
Well I can’t quite manage but I will anyway and I decide that one helping isn’t
enough, so two pieces of cheesecake with ice-cream and some fruit (this helps
me feel better about eating so much), it is. Feeling full to the point where I
could explode, I am satisfied. I’ve got my monies worth I’m sure. Now imagine
that three times a day for a whole week. Yep, those pounds are going to pile on
but really it’s all about your mental attitude as I found out.
For my last holiday, I worked
out constantly in the weeks running up to the big day. Abs exercise after ab
exercise, with ZMA supplements and protein shakes just to make myself look presentable on the sun lounger. But this
time, I went self catering and it made a huge difference. Not only did I not
gain weight, I came back raring to keep going at the gym have not lost any
progress. It was great. I still went out for many lunches and dinners but
breakfast was controlled by me and I limited myself to what I would normally
have. I had two treat days where I enjoyed breakfast at the beach bar but even
then I stuck to something quite healthy, although quite high in sugar. Because
the food I was eating wasn’t buffet style, in the back of my head, I didn’t
have to get my monies worth. I could just enjoy what I was eating without
having to worry about what I would eat next. You also find that when you go for
a buffet dinner, you’ve finished one course and you go straight up for your
next, not allowing your food to go down so that you feel full. Your stomach
also can’t process that much food in one go so you lose a lot of nutrients.
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| Image courtesy of www.slickrock.com |
I didn’t go to the gym once
which I did feel a little guilty about but at the same time, I am quite an
active person. One thing I would recommend is exploring the local areas on foot
or by bike. Firstly you get to see a lot more than just the beach and your
hotel. When you get back and people ask what you did, you can enjoy reeling off
a long list of activities. Secondly, it’s extra exercise that you wouldn’t
probably normally do. I sit at a desk in front of a computer for most of my
working day so I think my body was in complete shock when it realised it was
doing extra activity. On top of this, I also went surfing and sea kayaking,
which are yet more fun activities you can do that burn off a few calories. I got a great tan and I came back
feeling awesome and I tell you, it is because I didn’t come back feeling like I
had put on 20 kilos.
So next time you are planning
a holiday, look at alternatives to the usual buffet style dinners at
all-inclusive and half board resorts. Why not eat each time at an a la carte
restaurant for your meals with perhaps one night of to splurge on all that
food. I’m telling you, try it next time. Then you have less work to do at the
gym when you get back.
