It's almost Canada Day! And if you aren't Canadian, well, there's probably another holiday coming up for you sometime in the next couple of weeks too :)Tradition for me on Canada Day is to go to my friend's cottage for 3 or 4 days for a weekend of debauchery, copious drink and not-so-WW-friendly food. Don't get me wrong - I do generally still try to eat well while away for this beach extravaganza, but it can be hard to do so when my fellow cottagers have brought only sacks of meat, bags of chips/junky snack foods, and several 24's of beer.
I've been to the cottage while actively losing weight, and several more times while maintaining my weight. What gives? How can someone attend such a social gathering and still stay even remotely on track??? Here are a few of my tried-and-true tricks to help you stay on plan while on staycation. (stay-cay?)
- Bring your own food. My friends and I usually do a group grocery shop for the cottage and split the costs. I try to go with them to the store (if the timing works out that I'm actually there when the shop happens) to make sure that some healthy things make it into the cart. My friends usually end up eating it too, since they might not have bought it themselves, but once it's in the house they will happily eat it. I make sure to bring or stock up on veggies for the grill or for fresh salads, lean meats for the grill (chicken breasts, lean ground meats to make hamburgers, etc), and bring lots of healthy snacks (see below).
- Bring your own snacks. Though my friends are happier to bring a carload of chips and junky snacks, I always always bring snacks that I know I will feel good eating. I'm one of those unfortunate people who really can't eat just one chip or salty snack - I will eat the entire bag. In minutes. Uncontrollably. After nearly 7 years of maintained weight loss, I've learned that I simply can't have those things around lest I demolish them. To avoid going anywhere near them at the cottage and throwing myself under the wagon (not just off the wagon, I would get run over by it :P), I bring my own snacks and gladly share them with friends. On the way to the cottage, grab a bag of apples, oranges, cherries, peaches, or other in-season fruit, and some easy-to-cut and munch veggies like celery, cucumbers, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, and bell peppers. I also always stop at a bulk store before I head out of town to get other healthy snacks, like dry roasted unsalted almonds, dried apricots, pineapples or other fruits, mini pretzels, and a low-sodium trail mix.
- Look for nutritional info at your bulk store (e.g. Bulk Barn has nutrition info right on the bins) to pick snacks that will keep you on track - lower in sodium, lower in sugar, and higher in protein and fibre. Watch for the portion sizes as well! I sometimes will portion my trail mix and nuts out into little snack baggies so that I know I won't overindulge.
- Be active. In years past, cottage weekend meant doing little beyond moving from bed to the kitchen, kitchen to the beach chair, and not much else. There is always an opportunity to be active, wherever you go. My friends invested in a bocce ball set a couple of years ago, keeping us up and moving on the beach. We also have a volleyball, and a couple of badminton rackets (no nets for either). But you don't need fancy equipment to stay active - go for a walk along the beach, do some yoga, swim in the lake, or just have fun in the sand - build a sandcastle, dig for shells, whatever.
- Pace yourself. In Canada, "cottage weekend" is synonymous with "drink yourself stupid". If it's possible to just say no to the booze altogether, more power to you. However it can be very hard to sustain that, especially when all of your friends are having drinks. If you do decide to drink, make it a conscious choice, and make a decision to pace yourself over the weekend. Generally, my friends operate on a BYOB system, so to control how much booze I'm going to drink, I simply don't bring as much with me! Instead of a 24, bring a 6 or 12 pack to last the weekend. Drink lots of water in between to keep well-hydrated, especially when you're spending time outside.
The absolute most important thing about going to the cottage or wherever you're going is to have fun! And, if you end up getting off track, don't beat yourself up over it. It happens. In fact, it can sometimes be worthwhile to give yourself a break from your program and have a social life - however it's even more worthwhile to get back on track as soon as you can! If you blow it for a day or two - forgive yourself, and get back on track the next day or the next meal. You can still meet your goals despite long weekends getting in the way!
How do you stay on track while on vacation?
