- I’m going to pig out and worry about it when I get home
- I’m kinda going to be good… maybe, or
- I am so not going to gain on this holiday – you just stay away battered fish and chips!
If you’re holiday-maker number one, then go ahead and enjoy – you can always throw an extra fast day or two in when you get home to quickly accelerate losing any gained weight… or not. You may just be happy to accept you’ve put your goals back a few weeks or so and get back to the SFD way of life as per usual. In which case, #noguilt – you’ll still get there.
If you’re holiday-maker number two or three, however, you may want to take a few of our holiday tips and tricks on board. You’ll still be feasting and living with the decadence you deserve on hols, but without the dreaded baggage when you get back. #goodtimesbonus
Master Faster Holiday Tips and Tricks
The Buffet
Something strange overtakes many holiday-makers when they arrive at the buffet. For one thing, they seem to forget that usually a piece of toast and an egg or two is enough to get them through to lunch. Suddenly they must have bacon, sausages, beans, hash browns, three different types of eggs and extra toast from that cool conveyer-belt toasting machine thingy. Tip one: there are options other than 1) eat ten times more or 2) starve.
The next mysterious behaviour that occurs is that some tend to suddenly believe it is all-you-can-eat literally, like it’s some kind of personal challenge or resort competition. Must eat it all. Must win the gorging game and be champion of the buffet.
The truth is, viewing the buffet as a normal source of food (as opposed to a face-stuffing station) is one of the best tips we can give you regarding your holiday eating attitude. Eat for taste, not just because something is there. Don’t walk away feeling sick because you saw it as a pig-out challenge and had a portion blow-out (and because, you know, it’s free). Just enjoy the taste, the view and the atmosphere.
Savour and relax, remembering the real bonus here: you don’t have to cook or wash up!
Note: another idea is to simply sleep in and skip breakfast. Part-day fast right there and ‘cuddle time’ to boot!
The Feast Day Allowance (is a lot of calories)
Even when you factor in alcohol, there’s a lot of food to be found in feast day allowances. If you’ve got 2000 calories to play with, you really should be able to indulge like an Ancient Roman. (Side-note: grapes are actually a good choice.) Remember everything you’ve learnt, like filling half of your plate with veggies, drinking lots of water, opting for the BBQ options and reminding yourself that fresh seafood is always a good choice. It really isn’t hard to fill up, just as you would at home, and the chefs are doing it all for you. Yay!
Explore on Foot
Some of the best holiday moments happen hot on the heels of those wonderful accidental discoveries, and they are often found on foot. A sudden celebration, a famous bridge, a foreign wedding, a street festival, a beautiful stained-glass window, a colourful parade, an unbelievable bargain shop that yields the ultimate fashion find, a wild animal display, a street vendor serving delicious local food… it’s all there at ground level. So get walking! In fact, get the full holiday experience by being active in general, as often as the mood takes you. Water-skiing and parasailing can be awesome, or perhaps (if it’s more your speed) just a paddle in a kayak. It all adds up when it comes to calorie burn and yeah, it’s also fun!
The Ultimate Lesson?
You can eat, drink and be merry on holidays – because you can always fast when you get home to drop any vacay kilos quickly. Or… you can take on board some of our tips and tricks to make things easier for yourself all ‘round. Either way, travelling is one of life’s greatest pleasures, so our biggest tip? Enjoy!
Oh, and remember to stop by the Members’ Only Facebook group to post your holiday pics. We love a good vacay selfie!