Posts by sjbrooker

Hey there carolinagirl72! The one thing I hate is going on vacation while still trying to maintain a healthy diet..but I guess it's better to go on vacation while on a diet than to go on vacation knowing you've put on a bunch of weight and you haven't been eating right. Anyway... I've learned a couple of things from being on vacation and dieting at the same time, so I'll give you a couple of ideas.

- Most of us have learned the take out box trick when going out to eat at a nice restaurant where we ask for the box at the beginning of the meal, box up half, and then eat the rest. However, this trick is harder to do on vacation because oftentimes there is not a refrigerator or microwave in the hotel room, so the food gets wasted. The portions of food at a resort tend to be a lot bigger, so if the whole thing is eaten then one tends to feel quite bloated and guilty afterwards. A lot of times there are items on the appetizer menu that could pass for a meal, like shishkebabs, cocktail shrimp, soup, etc. They're less expensive and a bit smaller than the entrees, so ordering just an appetizer as a meal might work. Another thing to do is to order a salad with a light dressing and request that chicken or salmon be put in the salad (most of the time the waiters at a large resort WILL accomodate you) and walla..that's a meal. 

- If you're eating with a friend, then split an entree. However, a lot of people on a diet tend to think that splitting ANY entree with a friend is ok, just as long as it gets split. Not necessarily the case. For example, a regular dinner entree of chicken parmesan at macaroni grill is 1490 calories and 68 grams of fat, and split in half, it equals 745 calories and 34 grams of fat, which is still alot. So if you're going to split something, opt for something along the lines of salmon and veggies or chicken and rice pilaf instead of fettucine or breast of duck.

- Usually, picking a good breakfast at a resort will set the tone for the day and make you want to maintain healthy eating habits for the rest of the day. On almost every resort breakfast menu there is a fruit, yogurt, and muffin platter, which is probably the best choice. I'd still reccomend just eating half of the muffin or muffins they give you and most of the yogurt and fruit (which is usually cantaloupe, strawberries, bananas, grapes, and the like).

Still enjoy yourself, though. Have the occasional drink (bacardi and diet coke is pretty good, as is a diet bacardi orange and vanilla breezer) and allow yourself to have a couple bites of that decadent dessert. Realistically, you probably won't lose much weight on the trip, but rather, you'll maintain what you have lost, which is better than gaining some back. Have fun!

P.S. I've lost 3.5 pounds so far on my new high protein diet!! Yay!!

Hey there ter295. I'm kind of in the same situation as you.. I'm 5'2" and weigh about 145 right now, whereas a year ago I weighed about 130-132. I'd love to be back to where I was a year ago this fall when I start college. Weight loss has been such a yo-yo thing for me in the past 3 months..I could do with some motivation too haha.

And here's the best part..I'm a MAJOR chocoholic. Yikes.