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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask you to be honest and tell me how much you eat on an all inclusive holiday?

120 replies

ssd · 28/08/2017 10:28

how much do you really eat? and drink?

we've never dont this but I think I'd be eating all the time to get my money's worth Blush...but I am a right grubber.

is it worth it?

OP posts:
Polgaraisbloodylate · 28/08/2017 10:31

Loads. Three, three course meals a day. Was great 😎

WhooooAmI24601 · 28/08/2017 10:33

Eat loads, more than I ever need to by far.

Drink not much because on holidays my tolerance levels tend to go down; DH and I can put away a bottle of wine each on a friday night, on holiday two cocktails and I'm spangled.

ssd · 28/08/2017 10:33

it's the pool side snack bars which would end me, what do they give you, like crisps and drinks all day long?

OP posts:
Bokky · 28/08/2017 10:34

I've just got back from a 2 weeks all inclusive and gained 8lbs Blush

MrsMeeseeks · 28/08/2017 10:34

Not much! I've only been on one all-inclusive holiday and the food was really awful.

hilbil21 · 28/08/2017 10:35

I eat much more than I normally would when all inclusive. Make sure to get moneys worth lol. Poolside snack bars can often be burgers, toasties, pizzas, chips etc

Urglewurgle · 28/08/2017 10:35

Yeah, LOADS! Blush
You have to kind of get into the swing of it. And you can just have a bit of what you fancy. I'm a fan of a (good) AI. We once booked last minute for 5 days AI in Mallorca for £300 for both of us and it was shite. However, the breakfast was OK, wine was self serve and there were lots of chips.

Lanaa · 28/08/2017 10:36

A ridiculous amount. Three three course meals plus the odd burger from the snack bar. I lose all control at a buffet.

Urglewurgle · 28/08/2017 10:36

@Bokky I've managed 13lbs in 19 days before Blush

Wee-ed out 6 lbs the next morning though. Still kinda proud of myself.

dimots · 28/08/2017 10:37

No more than I eat at home. It was worth it tho, for the convenience of not having to find a restaurant every night with 3 kids in tow.
Also not having to stick to breakfast times as there was food available all day, so missing a meal was no problem. If one child didn't want to eat at mealtimes there was no worry - they can get something later.
So it may have cost slightly more than we actually are, but the convenience was worth it.

Sodaface · 28/08/2017 10:38

At home o follow quite a healthy diet. We're just back from holidays & ive put on 9lbs 😳 But I don't care I ate & drank exactly what I wanted & everything was delicious. Your on holiday why not.

Back to normal today!

VelvetSpoon · 28/08/2017 10:38

Last time we went away AI I actually lost weight!

I'm not a big drinker (not when I'm responsible for DC anyhow), and the food we had was mostly salads, paella, pasta etc. My usual downfall are snacks, but we didn't really get snacks (other than ice-cream which I didn't really like) and it was so hot we used to have a big breakfast then either skip lunch or have fruit. For me the best part was just being able to get ice cold drinks whenever we wanted. I drank much more water than I normally do.

Brittbugs80 · 28/08/2017 10:42

I have breakfast lunch and tea. Breakfast for was a yoghurt, croissant, two types of melon, crispy bacon and two coffees. Lunch was chicken, salad, pasta, ice cream for pudding and more fruit, tea was whatever the theme was so Chinese, Sunday roast, Italian etc and then pudding.

Our poolside snacks were lots of melon, salad, olives, burgers and chips.

I also drank plenty of water as it was hot, about 10 glasses of sangria and about 5 pints. Night time I had a different free cocktail.

I love going all inclusive, it's our only holiday where we are lazy as we are all so busy the rest of the year.

HemanOrSheRa · 28/08/2017 10:43

Hehe! We tried AI for the first time last year. I have to confess that I stuffed my face for 10 days BlushGrin. We've just got back from this year's AI holiday and I was a little more restrained! It's about the flexibility for us as well as unlimited food and drink (that is what I am going to keep telling myself Wink)

As hil says, poolside snacks can be sandwiches, cake, little nibbly bits, fruit right up to burgers, pizzas etc.

flumpybear · 28/08/2017 10:44

I have been a few
Times with my best friend on a non family holiday - we tend to have three good meals and whatever we fancy to drink - i found just stuffing my face was uncomfortable on my stomach so I tend to go for what I want, whatever the combination is lol

sweetbitter · 28/08/2017 10:44

Three hearty meals a day, but no snacks. And depending on the holiday, sometimes I've set myself a rule like no alcohol before 5pm else it'd just get ridiculous!

TheFairyCaravan · 28/08/2017 10:45

I don't eat anymore than when I'm at home but I eat a lot more fruit and drink a lot more water.

DH always eats a lot more and puts weight on.

Peanutbuttercheese · 28/08/2017 10:46

I have just been on a cruise for a week so food available 24/7.
I had a small cooked breakfast every day with fruit, a normal size lunch though you could help yourself and then a four or five course dinner every night. But they were small portions. I did have high tea with cake two days. I am a light drinker and can say I had four pimms and three gins in the week.

I do have amazing self control though, but the mixture of my Fathers cultural background where taking a lot of food all at once is frowned on and deemed rude and my issues from having pressure on not to even be an ounce overweight when young as I was a model means it's a way of life.

Babyroobs · 28/08/2017 10:47

Our family of 6 ( 4 teenagers) have just come back from a week AI in Tenefife. My husband and I eat quite a lot but don't go mad. WE have one plate of food and maybe a few small pudding, but they were like tiny slices of cakes/ cheesecake. We do tend to eat a lot of fruit - watermelon etc. My kids are fussy but most of them had a cooked breakfast each day in the main dining room then had burgers/ chips / hot dogs for lunch by the pool. the kids also had loads of soft drinks / ice cream etc. We do not drink much alcohol, so probably just had a glass of wine with our evening meal and one cocktail in the evening. We don't go mad. Plenty of nice coffees in the hotel though.

Bluntness100 · 28/08/2017 10:49

Well we eat three meals a day but I wouldn't say we pig out, it's more the social experience for meals.. I guess rhe value comes in in all the cocktails and drinks we have throughout the day, although weirdly we are seldom even squiffy.

So for example our all inclusive holiday last month in a typical day if we stayed in the resort we don't do the old fashioned buffet all inclusives.

A la carte breakfast overlooking the sea. Usually coffee, smoothie for daughter and husband, champagne for all of us, poached eggs, bacon, mushrooms or an omelette, husband and daughter have some fruit, pasties/ toast, cheese cold meats, but not big portions. Typical a la carte. Small portions, you're not stuffed unless you wish to be. Linger for awhile, so long leisurely breakfast.

Cocktails about 11. Two or three before lunch, swimming, sun bathing, jacuzzi.

Lunch, usually just a main course, wine and water.linger for a while out of the sun with a couple of drinks and chatting.

Afternoon. A couple,of cocktails throughout ,maybe an ice cream, in between out on jet skis, kayaking, ping pong, whatever.

Going back to room late after noon, take some wine and some snacks with us. Sushi, little cakes that kind of thing , sit on balcony a while and nibble, drink and get ready for evening.

Pre dinner drinks, couple of g&ts at one of the bars, or champagne, different martinis or whatever, depending on which bar we were in.

Dinner, wine/ champagne and water. Usually two courses. Again a la carte so not big portions.

After dinner, sit in one of the bars, a few drinks listening to the music, then off to bed. Usually take some wine back with us, sit on balcony having a drink before bed and chatting.

So we don't stuff ourselves as such, but we eat what we want and make a social occasion out of each meal,as well as drink regularly throughout the day and evening.

ShoesHaveSouls · 28/08/2017 10:49

Never done all inclusive myself - but a friend of mine said she put on a stone on a 2 week AI holiday Shock

Babymamamama · 28/08/2017 10:50

I've only been a couple of times luckily the food was really good. Tried to eat light at breakfast, healthy ish lunch so lots of salad plus some grilled meat or fish but then i would go all out in the evening. Whatever I fancied. The desserts were amazing. I was terrified of putting on a stone but doing it that way I only gained a few pounds.

witchofzog · 28/08/2017 10:50

I have either a big breakfast or a big lunch if I skip breakfast in favour of a lie in (though I do still go to lunch sometimes if I have breakfast and have a small salad) and then a big dinner. I have lots of soft drinks and water during the day but usually no alcohol til 5ish but then beer and cocktails. Some people are on the beer as soon as the bar opens at 10am but if I did that I would feel terrible

ElspethFlashman · 28/08/2017 10:52

I think we probably go into Gannet mode the first two days just with the excitement and then calm down a bit and eat normally.

Depends on how hot it is. I'm not eating a fry up in 30 degree heat.

Babyroobs · 28/08/2017 10:53

The hotel we stayed in was really nice though. they had fresh fish / tuna steaks etc every lunchtime, loads of salads, crusty rolls / seeded breads. Evening meals were themed - so Mexican one night/ curry night/ Italian night etc but lots of other choice too if you didn't want to eat that. The poolside snacks were fresh fruit/ rolls/ cheeses/ cold meats / hot dogs/ burgers/ chicken pieces/ pasta / cakes and ice cream and ice lollies . This one was the best I've been too to be honest. 4 start hotel.