Vacation coming up – help!

I’ve been at this for 8 weeks now and have lost 16.2 pounds as of this morning.  I’m pretty darn proud of myself.

However – I’m vacationing in NYC this coming Friday-Monday and I’m a little worried.  I want to allow myself a bit of a splurge (it’s vacation after all) without throwing the last few weeks down the drain.  I’m planning to bring along my running shoes (though I have no idea yet where to run!) and I know I’ll be walking/taking the subway just about everywhere so I’m not TOO worried about exercise, but I guess I’m looking for tips on how to maintain while still allowing yourself a good time, if that makes sense. 

Any travel tips?

Pack snacks - that way if you are hungry you won't be tempted to stop at one of the 1,000 starbucks and pick up a high calorie muffin or drink!!

Have fun on your vacation!

ooh!  Great idea!

Thanks!

You're going to be so busy on vacation doing fun things that you probably wont even think about eating.

When i went to vegas in march, I brought my own bagels and dry cereal for snacks. And when I would dine out, I choose great tasting healthy foods. 

Another tip: if you're dinner entre comes with an ingredient you couldn't care much for (sauce, oil or cheese...) ask the waitor to remove that item. You may not notice, but it's calories and you don't need them if you don't miss them (obviously somehting healthy like fruit and veggies are harmless so don't worry about them).

You've got the right idea bring the shoes. Just enjoy yourself..you're on vacation!  If you're working hard at your life-diet other days, a few days souldn't effect anything...just don't weigh yourself right when you get back (wait until you're back a few days to your old schedule)...no need to panic about something that will go away eventually.

Don't know where to run?  You'll be in NYC!!  Go to central park!  All around the park and through it there is a section of "road" I guess you would call it dedicated to runners, bikers, roller bladers.  It's a great thing to do!  Just go during the day hours when it's light.  you'll see tons of people running there.  

Edit:  Here's a link for ya: http://www.centralpark.com/pages/sports/runni ng.html

Have fun!!

HOLIDAYS NEED TO BE FUN AND EATING IS PART OF IT!

At any place you eat get a take out package...when you order your meal..put in the package what you consider in excess and maybe eat it later, give it to a homeless person or a hungry friend..but do enjoy your meal.

Bring a ziplock of carrot sticks, celery...snack on them between meals.

Drink some water as you go..just enough so you do not need to go the bathroom every hour on the hour.

When eating always eat and chew slowly...then always stop when your full...identify that full button...that is critical to having food you like but knowing when to stop is just as important.

Bad foods..all kinds..why not do small portions...like that hot dog....keep half for later, that ice cream order children portion and slowly eat it..savour every bite or lick.  Other junk food...again small portions.

Try this pace walking to maximize the walking exercise...try to walk 100 steps in every minute...do this for 10 to 30 minutes a day..time your self periodically 100 steps for every 60 seconds. 

Enjoy your holiday just do not come back carrying a few extra pounds.

"Take time to smell the roses life is just to short!"

Great tips, everyone.  Thanks!

I may have to make the trip up to Central Park for a walk or enjoy the weather, but I’m staying in the East Village, so it doesn’t seem very convenient for an early morning run…  or maybe it will be and will work out great!

There are tons of little corner groceries and produce markets where you can pick up a quick veggie/fruit snack.

Also, another trick for exercise in NY - if you can't make it to Central Park for a morning run... do what we used to do in high school when we didn't have anything else to do/money for the train.

Walk either down Broadway from Times Square to China Town... or the other way around... You'll get to see a lot of stuff, save yourself 2 bucks, and burn loads of calories. :)

I just went to the beach and had a blast, had a night of drinking, and never went over my maintenance cals. I didn't gain an ounce!

I just went on over to publix when I got there. Picked up my shakes, salad stuff, some fish. It helped that I had a kitchen where I was staying, but knowing that traveling with an ice chest may be difficult, you can still find a cheapo styrofoam one there you can keep stuff in if you don't have a kitchen. You'll have all your snacks and salads, you just can't cook the delicious baked fish over mushrooms & spinach that I had. :)

I kept meals/snacks lower cal cause I knew I'd be drinking.

But I DID tell my mom before I left I was going to be eating healthy.

Walked the beach, went into the surf, swam. Got plenty of exercise.

Good luck! Have fun!

I was at about the same point in my weightloss as you are now on my last vacation.  My strategy was to eat at my current maintenance during the vacation and walk as much as possible.  I gave myself permission to have one "special treat" each day -- either an extra glass of wine or a dessert.  Most days I came in just under maintenance, and I gained no weight at all over the course of the vacation.  Once back at home it was easy to return to my normal calorie deficit, and the vacation had no negative impact on my weightloss program except delaying goal by a few days.  Have fun (and have some pastrami for me)! 

When you are at a restaurant (especially a pricy one) either have an appetizer as your main course, or share things with your travel companion(s).  This way you can try lots of things and not break your budget (calorie and otherwise).

My best piece of advice: bring nothing but comfortable shoes and WALK EVERYWHERE!  I used to live about an hour outside of Manhattan, and every time I'd take the train in, I'd just walk to my destinations.  I once walked from Penn Station (33rd & 7th) to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (82nd & 5th) and back during a day trip...since 1 mile is about 20 city blocks, that was roughly 5 miles of walking, not even including my time inside the museum.  One of the great things about New York is that it's very pedestrian-friendly, which will definitely work to your advantage when trying to stick to your diet.  Good luck, and have fun!

Original Post by beyondextraordinary:

Walk either down Broadway from Times Square to China Town... or the other way around... You'll get to see a lot of stuff, save yourself 2 bucks, and burn loads of calories. :)

 That's a fabulous idea!

As I don't have plans on Sunday yet, that may be my plan of attack for the day!

These are all really great tips.  Thanks so much for the support, you guys!

ye id agree, enjoy yaself, the more u worry the more ul prob eat.

AMAZING tip is the snack one, works a treat for me, keep a bottle water n cpl satsumas, grapes in ur bag for wen u feel bit peckish

and when u eat out just pick the best option of what u want if u get me, so treat urself but have it the healthiest way.

major way to go over is on silly highly packed drinks....id rather save my kcals for food but if u prefer the drinks etc.  bacardi is ace, 50kcal a shot....with diet coke or soda water n lime.  vodka is next if u dnt like bacardi. wine isnt too bad either.

u probably have enuf knowledge as uve done so well so far n if u have a weak moment where u feel like blowin it on sumthin u dnt really want remind urself of where u were before and how u felt n how great u feel now.

have fun, plenty more vacations to come and aim to not put any on, dnt aim to lose....(just in case)  have a gudden xx

i live in new york and keeping the weight off is easy. granted, you'll do a lot more eating and drinking here than the normal place since the temptation is EVERYWHERE... but it's pretty ridiculous how many calories you burn on a daily basis. if you're on vacation it will be super easy... you're going to want to walk everywhere (especially because the weather is PERFECT right now) so if you can generally pick healthy meals you'll be fine.

if you want to go running, the entire west side is a running/biking path. also, if you're up for it, you can run the entire west/south/east border of manhattan. the whole thing is a giant running path and you'll see plenty of big sites (world trade cetner, jersey shore, battery park, williamsburg/brooklyn/manhattan bridge) along the way!

You will probably be burning more Cal than usual anyway with walking and all. You could still enjoy and break even. You can do it just stay busy. Don't forget to go to the today show and give a shout out to all you calorie count buds.

If you are planning on running early morning time i would suggest running around washington square park - pretty close to east village.