One of the most frequently questions I receive from my clients is how can they stay "in shape" while on vacation?  How can they avoid undoing all their progress?

 

Let me start off by saying this is not "Easy".  We should always ask ourselves if it it's a vacation, do we want to stress about sticking to a diet or being very diligent with our food?  If you want to enjoy your vacation and not worry about any diet or exercise program then relax and get back to it when you return. Remember spending time with your friends and family and having a good time is much more important: MEMORIES OVER MACROS.

 

But for those with goals, I can empathize and I know how important keeping progress can be so I will show you how I specifically approached staying lean on different trips.

 

This is MY APPROACH.  We are all different. We have different preferences, dislikes, vices and eating habits.  Keep in mind what works for me doesn't mean it will work for you.

 

 

The basic rules I used are what I always preach: it's still about TOTAL CALORIES.  It doesn't matter if you eat clean or healthy, do low carbs, run a marathon a day, pray to the fat loss gods: if you eat more than you burn you will gain weight.

 

Following this rule on vacation can be tricky and certain strategies may not be viable or realistic depending on where you are. Here are the reasons why:

 

1. You cannot control your food.  You have no idea what is exactly going into your food.  For those who track their intake this may give you anxiety.  You will just have to let go and forget about it.  Alcohol and desserts can wreak havoc.

 

2. If you love to exercise you may need to improvise.  Depending on where you are you may not find a gym, facility or environment that you are accustomed to.

 

Now there are 2 times in the recent past when I went on vacation with 2 different results.

 

1. On one vacation I gained a ton of weight while being away on a 3 week cruise despite exercising almost everyday.

 

2. On another vacation I was able to successfully stay lean while being away for 4 weeks with limited exercise.

If you are interested you can see the full details here.

 

As you can guess I implement the second way. Again there is absolutely no need to do this. If you want to let loose and go nuts on vacation that's your prerogative.  I am simply trying to show my clients how I would stay lean while I am away on vacation and how I can still enjoy great food and beer.

 

Whatever you decide to do, just enjoy!  If you want to see exactly what I eat on different vacations then see below.

 

Detailed Day To Day Logs 

 

Asia 2017 Vacation

Croatia 2018 (Coming Soon)