All inclusive and not putting a stone on

[yaria]

Off on hols soon , and always struggle with my greed eating habits
Do other people just have like one type of dinner ie spaghetti bolognaise and that's that ? I just have no willpower and just keep saying oh I'll have a bit of that , ooh and a bit of that and I end up with a mini Everest on my plate and a stone heavier when I come home . Any tips greatly received

I would love to know this as well! Generally I keep the bread to a minimum and I don’t like chips and hate pasta/rice so that helps. We’re going self catering this time So hopefully it won’t be to bad. It’s only for a little while so don’t be so hard on yourself if you gain!

Ask someone to go to the buffet counter on your behalf and get you a bowl of soup and a roll or some fish/cold meat and a green leafy salad. Likewise for breakfast; ask them to get you some cereal so you don't have to walk past all the pastries. If this isn't an option, use a side plate rather than a dinner plate.
Fill up on water.
Eat before you get really hungry.
Eat slowly so you're not tempted to go back for seconds, even if some of your family have wolfed their food down and are going up for thirds!
Ask for a coffee or liqueur while the other people on your table are eating dessert.
Make alcoholic drinks last longer by adding soda to wine or lemonade to lager.
Go for an evening stroll after dinner.
Take your own healthy snacks rather than buying unhealthy snacks when out.

Oh, and don't get on the scales when you first get home! Wait a week while you get back into your usual eating habits!

I’ve only done all inclusive once. It was fab! I mainly stuck to having just breakfast & an evening meal where I really enjoyed sampling lots of different dishes. I found I didn’t need lunch most days as i’d had a huge breakfast & didn’t want to eat again just for the sake of it. Also tried not to go too overboard with free cocktails and did lots of exploring and walking with DH.

I probably put on a couple of pounds overall but didn’t think that was too bad!

You've probably put a lot into planning, saving and getting sorted for your holiday, enjoy it!

Don't stress about weight or food, eat a bit of what you want and drink plenty (water!) it'll come off when you get back :)

I have no tips, I quite often end up with a quadruple portion of carbs on holiday despite all my best intentions!

I went all inclusive in Sicily for 2 weeks, actually lost 9lbs! Sicily is really healthy, no fast food etc... I used to eat, chicken, pasta, spaghetti, lamb salad etc... when there, lunches we were at the beach and I’d just have a sandwich, can’t remember what the breakfasts were, think it was just cereal, fruit, yoghurt etc...

There will be sensible choices there.

Whenever I’ve been AI I’ve actually lost weight so I don’t know what that says about my usual eating habits

I agree with YerAuntFanny, just enjoy yourself and worry about it when you get home. It’s a week or two out of the year to properly relax and let someone else do all the cooking and cleaning up, make the most of it!

I also often lose weight on holiday! I think it’s because I don’t snack between meals there.

Breakfast buffet give yourself a rule of no meat, and have fresh fruit and yoghurt followed by eggs. A salad or sandwich for lunch. Then fish or grillled meat with vegetables for dinner. Desserts are often disappointing at buffets, so have an ice cream a day instead.

I've never lost weight on holiday! I eat what I fancy, but know I can lose it again when I get back.

I got back from an AI holiday last weekend having put on half stone and have lost most of it in the week i’ve been back after being v v careful. It would have been a stone but I avoided bread and pasta and filled up on salads at buffets for my first course.

I’m in the middle of a diet and hoping I can eat fruit for breakfast, salad for lunch and fish and salad/veg for supper. No alcohol just water or slimline drinks.

I’m doing fine so far.

Fruit and coffee (not much milk) for breakfast.

Tuna and egg salad for lunch, some fruit either after or in afternoon. Diet Coke, water.

Evening grilled fish or chicken with salad, fruit for pudding. Coffee and water.

Having some wine later in week as special day.

We don’t have lunch usually. A big breakfast with protein and not a lot of carbs should keep you full most of the day. Fill your plate in the evening with a lot of salad with just a little bit of something else. Don’t go mad on the desserts.

Just eat the food that you wouldn’t normally be eating at home. So, no bread or chips, or breakfast cereal or pasta.

Make the most of somebody else having time to make dishes that you wouldn’t- someone else has chopped up the veggies in the salad or whipped up the pancake batter.

Try things you wouldn’t normally eat, because it doesn’t matter if you leave them.

Take a good book so that you’re not always thinking about food.

Eat what you like and worry about your weight when you get back!

Thanks for all the suggestions ... I won't be laying off the cocktails (I'm on holiday !) but I will try and stick to a protein based diet where possible , and water throughout day instead of my usual fizzy and lattes

I often lose weight on holiday abroad in a Hot location. This is because i drink far, far more water. I also eat a LOT of salads. And a lot of fruit. I also dont snack on holiday like i do at home, sat in front of the tv, depressed by the emptiness that are my evenings. We also sight see ao fo i lot of walking.

All Inclusive doesnt mean eat everything, so just dont pile on the plate and dont go for seconds.

Stick to salad and champagne, diet of champions (& possibly super models)

@Elledorado now THAT sounds like a plan

Ive learnt the hard way as normally after an AI holiday, I am at least a stone heavier!
DH once joked that I disembarked off the plane with my mouth open and there it stayed for the entire holiday!

So this time, I imposed myself a few boundaries.

I drunk a lot of water and did not drink any alcohol during the day

Then instead of having breakfast, I would go and do some lengths in the pool. Lunch and then evening meal as usual with a smaller dinner plate.

On days when I woke up hungry and fancied breakfast, I would go and enjoy breakfast but then skip lunch. So then I was averaging two medium to large meals a day instead of three. And I didn't feel deprived.

Like a PP said, when I returned from holiday, I kept well away from the scales for at least a week. I puff up like a puffer fish when on holiday and I knew I had gained a lot of water weight as all my rings were tight.