About the All Inclusive holiday

[teacherandguideleader]

DP and I have recently returned from holiday. We chose not to go all inclusive as we like to have the option of getting out and about.

Most of the holidaymakers at our resort were All Inclusive. I have never seen people eat so much in all my life. Breakfast was a buffet and people were coming back with plates piled high with food (and made several trips too). DP and I had a slightly larger breakfast than normal as we were half board and a bigger breakfast meant we didn't want lunch. However, not only did a lot of these people have an enormous breakfast, but by 12 they were gorging into burger and chips from the pool bar, often followed by a mid afternoon 'snack' and an equally enormous dinner.

DP and I did work out that it would have worked out cheaper for us to be A-I, as we stayed in the resort of an evening and after a couple of cocktails it would have paid for itself - we would then have had a smaller breakfast along with lunch rather than just a bigger breakfast.

The one thing that struck me was how many of the people were clearly overweight and by quite a lot. I did start to wonder whether it is somewhat irresponsible of holiday companies to offer All Inclusive holidays which seemed to be 'stuff yourself silly at every opportunity' when as a nation we are struggling so much with the health implications of obesity.

This is probably more of a rant than an AIBU - I was just so shocked by what I saw!

Maybe in your everyday life you just don't see other people eating very often.

This may have very little to do with the AI holiday - it's quite likely that the obese people just eat a lot all of the time, but you don't normally see them.

If you're asking "AIBU to be shocked that obese people eat a lot" - you can see that's a silly question.

(yes I know some people have illnesses or medication that can make them be obese without significant overeating but most people who are obese eat a lot)

OP. - you need to go to a Sandals resort, just been checking out their website and resorts and there are no fat folk in sight.

My names happy and I am a piggy, I would stuff myself silly at an AI and I would bloody love it!

Yes, to getting far more exercise than at home.

DDs are total fish, so I spend a lot of the day either in the pool or way out to sea as DD1 goes right out to the safety buoys, snorkelling.

Evenings also consist of long strolls along the sea front. Not to mention water parks, with thousands of stairs, bikes made for 4 and even horse riding.

At home I live in the middle if nowhere and have to drive.

On holiday, I earn a second visit to the buffet.

I am allowed a second visit to the buffet even if I have been horizontal all day.

Because I am an adult and I get to make my own decisions and deal with the consequences.

There is a book about this, it's brilliant called Mindless Eating by Brian something or other. Basically they did lots of whizzy experiments and discovered that people will eat more if more food is available.

I envy those of you that wouldn't eat extra at an AI. When we were in Sardinia it was half board. All the thin elegant Italians would waft around with some lovely parma ham and a slice of melon for starters and an equally enticing main course. Me, I couldn't resist trying everything and ended up with mounds of everything on my plate that all slopped together and ended up not tasting as nice.

So now I have decided I prefer someone bringing my food to me.

The key is to put a bit of melon and parma ham on your plate, eat it, then go back and try something else, eat it, then go back and try something else.... etc

It helps if you are good at identifying "things that will probably be there every day" and "things that are just this meal". :)

I'm not entirely sure AI impacts local restaurants all that much. Presumably the same people would opt for half board if AI weren't an option.

Isn't it strange how so many posts refer to the other people in the hotel being so greedy.

We find AI useful with children, but only to a point, there's nothing to stop you going out to eat/drink too. We do that 2 or 3 times a week to avoid siege mentality.

Also I find that if I go to the gym for an hour before breakfast I can enjoy croissants and marmalade or breakfast and not gain a pound. I don't eat breakfast like that at home, but I'm on holiday and someone else is delivering the menu. Mine would be a plate that would earn cats bum mouth looks.

Oh my word. I should never do AI, I don't think.

I always put weight on when we are just bed and breakfast. At home I don't eat breakfast. At a hotel I eat muesli (because it's good for me), a full cooked breakfast (because I never do at home), brown toast and marmalade (because it's good for me, and probably will mean i won't eat lunch-ho ho ho, that thought lasts until ooh about 1 o'clock). Plus copious amounts of coffee and fruit juices.

Times that by 3 meals, i would put on stones.

Strangely I'm actually ok for breakfast when it's included.

I know that I can't eat pastries or sweet things as they knock my blood sugar completely out of whack so I eat high protein say eggs and smoked salmon if available and love having fresh fruit salad that someone else has prepared.