5 Steps to Eating Intuitively on Vacation

WHAT DO YOU EAT ON VACATIONS/WEEKENDS AWAY? ⁣

I just came back from a STELLAR weekend away with the hubs and it was so magical. 🥰⁣

Something hit me as we were driving up and stopping at a restaurant to grab some breakfast before hitting the Northern Michigan Treetops Golf Course.⁣

“What sounds good for breakfast?” I asked myself. 𝘍𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘵, 𝘰𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘨𝘨𝘴, I Immediately answered back. ⁣

⁣Whoa... WTF...

That decision was lightning fast and it felt right. Even if I would've gone with the pancakes and fried egg breakfast, I just knew that wouldn't sit well on a hot summer day playing golf outside. But I wasn't as concerned with what I was eating as I was to how this meal was going to make me feel.

I can remember a time when I only wanted “bad” foods on vacation because that was the only time I 𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙙 myself to have them. ⁣

Does this sound familiar?

I FEEL you, friend.

And you know what? Having anxiety over what you eat on vacation is a time-wasting, mental-manipulating, fun-sucking beast that will take over your life if you let it.

When you can eat the same on vacation as you do when you’re at home, you’re in a good place with food.⁣

Another scenario happened like this when we stopped for dinner...⁣

⁣I was hungry and ready to eat! I really wanted a crispy chicken wrap so bad.⁣

THIS IS WHERE MY FIRST THOUGHT SECOND THOUGHT THINKING CAME IN CLUTCH (a helpful tool I use with my One on One Clients)⁣.

𝗠𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁: I should just get a salad with some grilled chicken because it's healthier and I'm gonna be in a bathing suit.⁣

𝗠𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁: Get what you really want. A wrap with the crispy fried chicken and tortilla chips.⁣ sounds so satisfying.

*You see, your first thought is always your most socially engrained thought. Your second thought is your mindset growth thought.

I ended up getting what I really wanted and that crispy chicken wrap was so good that I got through half the meal and decided I was done. Yes, I could’ve eaten more, but I knew it wasn’t going to make me feel good so I took the rest home in a box.

As we were leaving the restaurant, my husband said, let’s go get ice cream.⁣

I guess I could do that.⁣

We pulled into the ice cream place and as I was thinking about getting my "twist-it with sfrinkles" as my 2-year-old son calls it, I just wasn’t feeling it. 🤷🏽‍♀️⁣

⁣𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁: Just get it, when are you going to get ice cream again? Now’s your chance! You’re on vacation, let's splurge!

𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁: You can always have ice cream later or ANYTIME on this vacation when you're actually feeling it.

I declined the ice cream knowing I could have more later.⁣

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Now here’s what would’ve happened if I would’ve eaten the salad that I really didn’t want for dinner...⁣ *I know how this scenario would've played out like the back of my hand because I've done it so many times before.

1️⃣ I would’ve eaten the salad even though it didn't sound good and I would still appear to be "hungry" because I never satisfied my appetite.

2️⃣ Even though the ice cream didn’t sound appealing, I would’ve eaten it anyway because I was so unsatisfied with my dinner.⁣

3️⃣ Then I would’ve felt even worse because I ate two things I didn’t really want.⁣⁣

But because I ate what I really wanted, even though it was the more “unhealthy” version, I was actually more satisfied with this meal and didn’t need anything else after it.⁣ And if you are counting calories (which I do not) I still had less eating the "unhealthy" choice. *Not encouraging you to count calories, just trying to nail this point home!

Moral of the story, when you learn to respect your body and feed it what it wants AND what it needs, you find yourself in a very healthy relationship with food.⁣

So, here are 5 steps to help you Eat Intuitively on vacation!

1. Eat what sounds and feels good to you at that very moment. Often, our brain can get clouded with thoughts of, "Well, I never allow myself to eat this kind of food so I might as well eat it all now." When you ignore your hunger or fullness signals and eat below or past a level of satiety/comfortability, this can often scramble the signals of your brain that tell you when you actually need to stop, choose a different meal, or eat more food. Remember, you don't have to eat the whole thing! You can always have more of this food later! 

2. Ditch the strict diets before vacation. The more food you resist, the more the cravings will persist. When you deprive yourself of satisfying foods and eat solely nourishing foods, you restrict yourself from what you actually want. The more restriction you have, the more intense the binge. Allow yourself to eat what sounds good and what feels good to you. 

3. Stop labeling foods as "good" or "bad." This then labels yourself as good or bad, "healthy" or "unhealthy." One salad won't make you healthy just like one cookie won't make you unhealthy. Food is just food, but it can make you feel different from the amounts you eat. Even foods like ice cream, gummy bears, and brownies are satisfying in the right amounts.  HOW YOU EAT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN WHAT YOU EAT. Focus on how you want to FEEL after the meal is done instead of eating based on a list of "good" or "bad" foods. All foods can fit.

4. Throw out the guilt and shame around your food choices. If you ate more than planned, then acknowledge it and move on. Ok, that amount was too much, so next time I'll slow down at my meals and pay attention to stop short of that. Give yourself some compassion on this journey and remember that nothing is going to be perfect. Each meal can be a stepping stone to figuring out what works for you.

5. Live in the gray. Think of the two extremes you could go for with this meal. From the highest form of restriction to the highest form of binge/overeating, find a happy middle. Think about adding both nourishment and satisfaction to your plate at the same time. This means adding something that will nourish your body (these are things like leafy greens, veggies, fruits, whole grains, filling fats, vitamins, and proteins). Then also add in some satisfaction. Think foods that you crave like an extra scoop of peanut butter, adding cheese or tortilla strips to your salad, or a 1/2 donut with your soup and salad combo.

All foods can coexist in a healthy world. It's time to start living our lives rather than living for the look of health. Health is not in a look or a shape, it's in a state of self-care.

You can do this! I am cheering for you every step of the way!

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⁣Need more help?

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