How to vacation and still lose weight
Many of us look forward all year to traveling, relaxing, and indulging in delicious food on vacation. If you’re on a weight loss journey, you might be wondering: how can you go on vacation and still lose weight? The great news is with a bit of planning, you can enjoy your vacation and STILL lose weight. Finding Balance on Vacation Vacation is a time to unwind, explore new places, and create lasting memories with loved ones. It doesn’t mean you have to give up on your healthy habits. In fact, a balanced approach will help you feel your best both physically and mentally when you return home. Here are five helpful tips to prioritize healthy foods and stay hydrated while enjoying your getaway: 1. Stick to a Routine: While it’s tempting to completely let go of your routine, maintaining some consistency in your meals can make a big difference. Start your day with a nutritious breakfast, such as yogurt with fruit, oatmeal, or eggs. Having a healthy foundation sets a positive tone for the rest of the day. On my most recent trip to Costa Rica, I brought my vitamins to take each morning as well as protein powder to ensure I was keeping my protein intake on target. 2. Prioritize Water: Staying hydrated is crucial, especially if you’re in a hot climate or doing lots of activities. Carry a reusable water bottle with you and sip water throughout the day. Not only does it keep you hydrated, but it also helps control hunger and reduce the chances of mistaking thirst for hunger. I have a special water bottle that is strictly for travel. It has a flip-up straw that means it is perfect for throwing in my bag without worrying it will leak. 3. Choose Wisely at Restaurants: When dining out, look for menu items that are grilled, baked, or steamed rather than fried. I generally enjoy one indulgence per day, which means one fried item OR one sugary treat. Enjoy your favorite indulgences, but balance them with healthier choices to ensure you can continue to lose weight while on vacation. 4. Pack Healthy Snacks: Bring along some healthy snacks for the journey and your daily adventures. Nuts, seeds, fruit, and whole-grain crackers are great options. Having nutritious snacks on hand can prevent you from reaching for less healthy options when hunger strikes. I often pack myself containers full of oats, chia seeds and protein powder to prepare easy overnight oats. I also use snack sized Ziplock bags to put individual servings of protein powder so I can keep my protein intake up even on vacation. 5. Enjoy Mindful Indulgences: Part of the joy of vacation is trying new foods and indulging in treats. The key is to do it mindfully. Savor each bite of that gelato or pastry. Choose the treats you really love and enjoy them without guilt. Balance indulgent moments with nutritious meals to keep your energy levels up and regret at bay when you return home. Remember, vacation is about more than just food. It’s a time to connect with loved ones, explore new places, and create unforgettable memories. One of my most memorable moments on my Costa Rica trip had nothing to do with food. I had the pleasure of ziplining above the canopy of their rainforest! The views were absolutely spectacular and it was truly a humbling moment when I realized that at my highest weight I would have not been eligible to do enjoy that activity. Here are some ways to focus on the joy of your trip: Stay Active Incorporate physical activities you enjoy, such as walking, hiking, swimming, or biking. Also look for new activities to try like ziplining, parasailing, banana boat rides or horseback riding. It keeps you active and makes the vacation more fun. Connect with Others Spend quality time with family and friends. Share stories, laugh, and enjoy the experiences that make the vacation special. Our trip to Costa Rica was a group travel experience and it was a lot of fun getting to know the other people. Even vacationing with my family, it’s a lot of fun trying new experiences and foods together to see what each person likes or dislikes. Capture Memories Take photos, journal about your adventures, and cherish the moments spent together. These memories are far more lasting than any meal. Creating a balanced lifestyle means enjoying all aspects of life, including food. When you plan ahead and make mindful choices, you give yourself the freedom to enjoy your vacation without guilt or regret. It’s not about restriction; it’s about making choices that support your goals while allowing you to indulge in the things you love. Your Vacation Plan: Nutritious Choices: Start your day with a healthy breakfast to set a positive tone. Stay Hydrated: Carry a reusable water bottle and sip water throughout the day. Smart Dining: Choose grilled, baked, or steamed options at restaurants and balance them with your favorite indulgences. Healthy Snacks: Pack nutritious snacks to keep you fueled during your adventures. Mindful Indulgence: Savor your treats and enjoy them mindfully. Enjoy your vacation with confidence and joy. Embrace the freedom of planning ahead and making balanced choices that let you have fun and stay on track. Here’s to a fabulous getaway! Safe travels and happy adventures! Your Coach, Andrea
How to create a successful weight loss plan in 5 easy steps
Weight loss can be very overwhelming especially when you have over 100 pounds to lose. You may get confused on where to start or which food and exercise plan is the best. There are thousands of options out there and it can seem impossible to know which one is right for you. Here are five easy steps to creating a successful weight loss plan especially made for YOU: 1. Figure out where you are beginning When you get directions to a new place you’ve never been, you have to plug in the starting address first. To begin your weight loss journey, you have to do the same. Start by asking yourself the following questions: What is my current weight? If I had to guess what brought me to this weight, I would say it’s because…. What is my routine eating schedule? What are the foods I eat in a normal day? How much am I routinely moving my body? Do I believe I am capable of making the changes to lose my excess weight? These questions are great ways to determine where you are starting with your diet, exercise and mindset. Be careful not to get too overwhelmed or upset about how far you are from your ultimate goal. Don’t let this be a time where you plan for incredible acts of willpower or drastic measures that will get you to your goal the fastest. Remember when you are getting directions somewhere, they are given in multiple steps. If you were traveling across the country, you wouldn’t get upset because there are multiple roads and highways you have to take so don’t let that be a reason to be upset on your weight loss journey either. Especially when you have a lot of weight to lose, it helps to accept that the process is going to take time. Taking things slower ensures you don’t burn out and quit. 2. Make a list of what you are willing to do to lose weight Remember to start where you are! It’s very easy to look for a diet and exercise plan that promises the results you want. Just remember that every diet out there works if YOU continue to work it. You have probably lost weight before on these other plans but ultimately failed because you stopped following it. You weren’t willing to continue to follow the diet rules. This time around you need to figure out what you are willing to do for the rest of your life to maintain a healthier weight. If you are currently eating McDonald’s three times a day, changing to eating only salads that you make at home isn’t realistic and will feel terrible. Instead look for the small things that you are willing to do. Maybe it is ordering a smaller size fry or a regular hamburger instead of the Big Mac. You could also order your same meal and leave a few bites behind each time. Just make a list of all the ways you are willing to eat a little less, move a little more and explore why you are overeating in the first place. Once you have a giant list (don’t stop until you have at least 20 things on it), figure out which ones are going to be the easiest to do and start with one of them. Yep, just one. Do one thing until you get really good at doing it and then layer in the next easiest thing. Small quick wins are a great way to start changing your habits, getting the weight loss ball rolling and not feeling like your life was turned upside down. Those quick wins will add up and before you know it you will be doing many of these new habits and it won’t feel difficult at all. 3. Create an action plan for when you fail You are human. You will make mistakes. You will not do it right ALL the time. And that’s OK. The problem is that when you make a mistake, you ruminate on how terrible you are and how you’ll never make the changes needed to lose your weight. It becomes a catastrophe rather than a moment in time. That’s why it is important to create a plan for getting back on track as quickly possible. Having this plan in place ahead of time makes it so much easier to follow when you are in the thick of things and shortens the amount of time it takes to “get back on the wagon.” First, create a list of thoughts that help get you get your mind in the right place to take your next best action. This was just a moment in time. I can learn from this and move on stronger and better equipped. No matter what happened, I can always make my next best decision. It’s not the mistake I made but how I respond to it that determines my success in weight loss. Then create a list of the small decisions that you can make to get your weight loss ball rolling again. Keep these really simple and something you can do in under five minutes. Some ideas are drink a glass of water, go for a five minute walk, write in your journal or listen to a motivational podcast. Finally and most importantly after completing one of these actions remind yourself that you are doing what it takes to lose weight again. Tell yourself how proud you are for getting right back at it! 4. Decide on how you will measure your progress Please don’t just say the scale! The scale will not accurately reflect all of your efforts. You cannot control the scale. You can only control your actions so using a habit tracker is a much better way to measure progress. A habit tracker can show you that you worked out twice last week but you completed three workouts this week. That’s progress! You can also track sleep, adherence to food plans, overeats
Weight Loss and the Holidays
Oh, the holidays. So many of us think about this time of the year with all the decadent meals and parties and figure we are better off throwing in the towel and restarting on January 1st. But does it have to be that way? Here’s the reality of November and December: Thanksgiving is 1 meal. Christmas Eve / Christmas Day is 4 meals. New Year’s Eve is 1 meal. Holiday parties between 2-5 meals. Total Holiday meals = 8-11 meals If you start counting from November 20th through the end of the year, there are 42 days. Multiply each of those days by 3 meals and you have 126 meals. Subtract those 8-11 indulgent, celebratory meals and that’s 115 meals to make regular food choices that fuel your body well. That’s 115 meals that can move you forward towards your weight loss goal. Here are five tips for weight loss during the holidays: 1 – Set your mindset and intention for the rest of the year. On January 1st when you look back at the holiday season, how do you want to feel? This is a great place to start is deciding how you want to show up during this time. Maybe you want to feel proud, loved, amazed, joyful or grateful. I teach my clients that our thoughts are what create our feelings which affect the actions we take in life. So start with a thought to carry throughout the holiday season as your mantra. Proud – I’m capable of balancing health, self care and holiday festivities. Loved – I’m surrounded by so many people that I love and that love me however food is not love. Amazed – I am continuing to rock weight loss even during the holiday season! Joyful – I love finding the joyful, non-food moments during this holiday season and cherishing them. Grateful – No matter what the year offered, I am blessed to be here surrounded by love. 2 – Plan for and create desire around your indulgences. This time of the year is well known for decadent foods, endless sweets and merry making by the glass full. So many of us think that these tasty foods are foods that we can only eat once a year….but is that really true? This thought isn’t very dangerous unless you are using it as another excuse to give permission to gorge yourself on it. If you are finding this is the case, simply remind yourself that you are a grown adult that can afford to buy or make whatever you want, whenever you want it. That same thought can be used to create more desire and excitement to savor certain foods. Be mindful that Christmas holds such a place of excitement in our hearts because it only comes once a year. If we had Christmas every day, people would get really tired of the parties, wrapping presents and decking the halls quickly. Instead of eating the sugar cookies morning, noon and night, practice being intentional and waiting a bit to indulge in them. Maybe you have a special date with yourself in the afternoon with a hot cup of coffee and a cookie. Make it special. Make it count. Make it something to really look forward to and savor that moment. Likewise be particular about which indulgence you want to enjoy and when. Not every party needs to mean eating decadent appetizers, desserts and drinking alcohol. Be selective. Christmas Eve with your parents will be the time you enjoy those amazing meatballs but abstain from alcohol. The office work party will be your time to eat your coworkers famous English toffee. The Moms Club Christmas party is when you will toast the night with a glass of wine with your girls. Another great option is to choose certain times when you want to enjoy these items. Maybe you want to only have drinks at one event on weekends only. You could also limit sweets to Tuesday nights with the kids. Then the rest of the time you focus on regular eating to keep your body feeling at its best. 3 – Create a Party Protocol Holiday parties can be a huge hurdle when you are trying to lose weight. Most of the time you don’t know what will be served (except that it will for sure not be calorie free food) and many times the entire group activity is eating, drinking and chatting with each other. So many of us go in hoping we’ll make OK food choices only to leave the party regretting that we didn’t wear stretchy pants. My grandfather had a saying “Put your hopes in one hand, spit in the other and see which one fills up first.” And it’s true! Hoping you make good food choices isn’t helpful. Your brain needs more clear instructions on what to do. So make a party protocol! Here are some ideas that you could incorporate into your own party protocol: Start with a plate of fruits and veggies first. Wait one hour after you arrive before getting an alcoholic or non-water drink. Go around and talk to everyone at the party first before making a plate to eat. Leave empty space on your plate between all foods. Limit yourself to one plate, including any sweets. Alternate between water and alcohol/non-water beverage. Don’t try everything. Ask around what everyone is enjoying and take the top three raved about foods. Try everything. Serve yourself one bite of everything. Only go back for more of your favorite item. Every plate is half fruits or veggies. Don’t let your brain try to tell you that you’re being restrictive. Our brains LOVE to throw a fit when it feels like it’s not getting what it wants. Be ready to talk back to your brain and tell it “I’m choosing to enjoy the party this way. No one is making me do this. I made this plan and I want to see what happens when I follow through.” 4 –