Should you eat less on vacation?

On vacation, it's all too tempting to adopt the mindset that you deserve to splurge. While you do deserve to treat yourself, overeating is only going to make you feel worse when all is said and done. Instead of making every meal a big affair, enjoy one meal out per day and eat in your hotel room for the rest.



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Remember that eating more than usual on vacation is normal, and doesn't mean anything about you.

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Vacation weight gain is often largely water This can be worrying if you're trying to lose weight, but it's normal after eating more and isn't anything to stress about, Kara Mockler, registered dietitian and coach at RP Strength, told Insider.

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Weight gained after a vacation or indulgent weekend doesn't mean you've put on fat. It's probably just water retention, experts say. Rebel Wilson said she gained almost seven pounds while on vacation at an all-inclusive resort. Eating more salt and carbs can make us gain water weight, not fat, a dietitian said.

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According to a latest study, researchers found that adults going on a one-to-three-week vacation gained an average weight of nearly one pound during their trip.

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You don't ruin your progress in the course of a week, he said. You may very well see a higher number on the scale when you get home afterwards, but a lot of this is likely to be water weight. Even if you went completely off-track and gained a bunch of weight back, it wouldn't be fat, Syatt said.

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The study found that 61 percent of the participants gained weight while on vacation, with an average gain of 0.7 pounds, and that the weight gained throughout the entire study averaged 0.9 pounds. There was a large variation, however, with some participants losing weight and some gaining as much as 7 pounds.

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7 strategies to keep vacation calories in check
  1. Set a goal to maintain, not gain. Put your weight-loss goal on pause during vacation. ...
  2. Don't drink your calories. ...
  3. Plan ahead. ...
  4. Practice portion control. ...
  5. Seek out veggies. ...
  6. Focus on non-food activities. ...
  7. Plan an active vacation. ...
  8. Related Topics.


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Enjoy your vacation without throwing your progress out the window with these 10 tips.
  1. Plan Your Meals. Impulsive meals out are the biggest diet killer. ...
  2. Drink Plenty of Water. ...
  3. Schedule an Early Workout. ...
  4. Limit Drinking. ...
  5. Walk Everywhere. ...
  6. Pack Snacks. ...
  7. Plan Active Outings. ...
  8. Bring Your Own Gym.


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Eating predominately healthy and working out makes you feel good, and you want to feel good on vacation, so allowing yourself cheat meals and cheat days while away is fine, but you also want to fuel your body in a way that makes you feel your best - finding a combination of taking care of yourself while on vacation ...

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Sure enough, bicycling 10 miles in an hour burns 484 calories, according to the chart. Walking three miles in an hour burns 353 calories. And driving 30 miles in an hour burns — wait for it — 170 calories!

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Take at Least 1 Week Off to Reap the Most Benefits
According to study co-author Ty Ferguson, PhD, a research associate at the University of South Australia, a week or two of vacation time “is long enough for a person to 'settle in' to the change in a new routine in how they spend their time.”

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How to avoid weight gain during your vacation
  1. Pack a cooler of healthy snacks. ...
  2. Think twice about fast food. ...
  3. Find time for exercise. ...
  4. Honor your hunger, but be smart. ...
  5. Keep your alcohol consumption under control.


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Circadian rhythms change as people fly through different time zones. Researchers have found that these changes affect the metabolism and the levels of certain bacteria in the intestines, both of which can result in weight gain.

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Let's face it: Summertime weight gain can be a real bummer, though experts say it's fairly common. During a one- to three-week vacation, adults tend to gain a little less than 1 pound (lb), according to a study published in March 2016 in Physiology & Behavior.

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According to research published in the Journal of Happiness Studies, the ideal length of a vacation is exactly eight days. As the researchers noted, a vacationer will feel an increase of happiness over the first several days of vacation, with that feeling peaking on the eighth day, The Times-Picayune explained.

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“One of the biggest reasons not to take a two-week vacation is returning with a ton of stress because there is too much on your plate,” she says. “Even if you vacation for one full week and the two adjoining weekends, it can be manageable, but two full weeks is just too much and the stress begins to accumulate.

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There's a scientific reason why 2-week vacations are actually a waste. A two-week vacation might be twice as long as a one-week vacation, but don't expect to have twice the memories once you get back. According to psychologist Daniel Kahneman, shorter vacations are typically just as good in hindsight as longer ones.

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