10 Ways to Avoid Weight Gain on Holiday
We spend months perfecting our summer body and shedding the pounds so we feel bikini body confident to then go away and put it all back on! Below are some easy tips to help avoid weight gain this summer:
1) Portion Size
Watch out for large portions abroad! To ensure portion control opt for a 'smaller' or 'side' dish. Drink water throughout the meal to help keep you full.
2) Cocktail Choices
Unfortunately alcohol is empty calories resulting in you still feeling hungry! As well as that, cocktails are some of the most calorific drinks. When selecting a cocktail, avoid mojitos and pina coladas which are FULL of sugar and will cost you a good 150-200 calories per drink. Instead go for the simpler cocktails such as long island iced teas and gin and lemonade are up to 100 calories less.
3) Dine at Home
If you have a kitchen/ cooking facilities in your room try and dine at home where possible. This will allow you to be in control of what you eat, how you cook it and portion control. This is also a great way to save some cash.
4) Watch the Wine
A small glass of wine is a staggering 150 calories, so after 2 or 3 you can throw away nearly 500 calories. If you are a wine lover, opt for one small glass per meal out and try and avoid over indulging, this can be avoided by sticking to wine by the glass instead of buying a bottle.
5) Stay Active
It can become near impossible to stay active on holiday when your daily task is lounging around a pool or at the beach. However, there is no excuse for not having a quick swim to help burn calories and keep cool. A 30 minute swim will burn a cool (and sweat free!) 250 calories! This can be easily broken up by doing 3x 10 minute swims one morning, one before lunch and one after.
6) Pack your own travel food
Regardless of your means of transport (ferry, plane, car) remember to pack your OWN food! Avoid the easy to grab and go fast food restaurants and instead, replace them with sandwiches, low-fat crisps, fruit and low-sugar cereal bars. Not only do you save calories, you can also save some cash to use on holiday instead!
7) Remain calm at the Buffet!
A buffet is enough to get anybody excited! To avoid over indulgence at the buffet, before picking a plateful browse the entire buffet first. This will help you see what there is and selectively choose things you ACTUALLY like.
Try and decide what you want to eat and ignore the rest, make a daily trip to the salad bar a must.
8) Cancel out the Carbs
Carbs are the enemy when it comes to bloating and weight gain. When eating out, opt for a side salad instead of fries. This will save you up to 200 calories and will leave you bloat free for the pool the following day.
9) Avoid Cream
Try and avoid any dishes described as 'rich and/or creamy' when eating out. Creamy dishes tend to contain between 150-300 more calories then dishes in tomato/ or no sauce. Also void deep fried dishes and those involving a lot of pastry.
10) Two Course Trick
Try and stick to one or two courses instead of three. Where possible share a starter or a pud to help cut the calories and avoid the milky sugary coffee at the end of every meal. Reducing your courses can save you up to 500 calories per meal.
