episode 184: what, why and how to eat on vacation
Hey everyone! In this episode, we're diving into the skill of eating on vacation without falling into the "fuck it" mindset. You’ve heard me say it before and I’m saying it again today: if vacation is all about your chance to eat what you want, then the way you’re eating at home isn’t working for you.
So today I’ll share simple tips on how to enjoy your favorite vacation foods while also feeling great in your body.
We'll discuss:
Strategies to eat what you enjoy and stay mindful
The importance of protein and veggies, even on vacation
Simple tricks to avoid overeating and feeling uncomfortably full
Whether you're traveling for 2 weeks or just planning a weekend getaway, this episode will help you enjoy your trip to the fullest without compromising your goals.
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184
[00:00:00] Hey everyone. I don't know what episode this is going to be as I'm recording it. Um, but by the time this comes out, you will know cause I've already already let my email list know that, uh, by the time this airs or shortly thereafter, I have an amazing, amazing guest coming on the diet diaries. Lauren Chan.
Who was in the sports illustrated swimsuit issue this year. She is a plus size model and we connected on social media. Um, and I'm just incredibly grateful that she even responded to like a comment that I made. And then I shared one of her stories and she kind of like thanked me or just like sent like a heart, something like that for sharing it.
And I was talking to Danny about it and he's like, why don't you ask her to be on the podcast? And I was like, You know what? I have nothing to lose. Like, what's the worst that can happen? Either she doesn't respond or she says no, fine. So I sent her a DM and she was like so appreciative of me asking and asked me to reach out to her PR people and said that they [00:01:00] would get back to me.
When things kind of settled down with all like the PR swimsuit stuff because it was like right in the middle of that So I sent an email and then I kind of forgot about it and about three weeks later I got a reply back from one of the people on her team that was like, let's get this booked And so today I'm recording this Monday, June 17th, and we are recording the episode tomorrow And I'm just so grateful to be able to bring a conversation and a resource like this To you guys who are listening.
Um, yes, you can follow her on social media and she's wonderful and shares tons of amazing stuff And also to be able to have a conversation and to be able to ask questions and really have it just really so specific to like our our community and our needs and what we talk about here is Amazing. Um, I i'm just so excited to have Lauren coming on to share her experience, um, living in a body that certainly does not look like the bodies of swimsuit [00:02:00] models over, you know, modern culture and society and all of that, um, and really someone who is doing incredible work to honor.
Shift that and create more inclusivity and more representation and what that means for us. So, um, that either you have already listened to or it's coming like next week. I just haven't figured out which date I'm going to air it. So today I have a vacation coming up. We are heading to Costa Rica. And summer, right?
So vacations are kind of, you know, happening from now, kind of through the end of August, the summer is going to fly by like it always does. And so I wanted to spend today's episode talking about eating on vacation. And what, what to think about, what is helpful, what matters, what doesn't matter. Because I think what we see so much of what a lot of us have experienced and What some of you may still be experiencing is that there's like a real fuck it mindset that happens when you go on vacation.
Sort of [00:03:00] a it's my time to let loose. I'm on vacation. I don't have to think about food. I don't want to think about food. I'm gonna eat whatever's in front of me. Whether I like it or not, I'm gonna eat a large quantity of food because this is my vacation and then when I get home, I'll kind of like take care of it.
I'll get back on track. I'll be good, right? I'll fix everything. You I'll undo the damage that I've done, right, that's kind of the mindset. And I've said this for years, but I'm going to say it again now, that, that whole kind of approach, walking into vacation like that, is an indication that the way you are eating at home is not working for you.
Likely, probably being too restrictive most of the time, and if not, just really not having skills in place to be able to make thoughtful decisions around food in a way that's going to feel good. It's sort of like, I have to decide in advance, it's vacation, I eat, you know, I eat whatever I want on vacation, it's part of vacation.
But then this comes back to like, when you're on [00:04:00] vacation, you want to feel good, right? Like, yes, are there going to be foods on vacation and experiences that are Um, quote unquote scarce, meaning you only get to do them on your way. 100%. Does that mean that you might eat more of a type of food or eat something you don't often eat at home?
100%. Yes. Go for it. That's part of it. And also, you're on vacation. You don't want to feel like gross and super full and hungover and bloated and just like not good because of the way that you're eating. That is going to take away the experience and the pleasure of the vacation. Right? So there's like a both and here of having some boundaries and some structure in place So you can feel good on your trip and also enjoy, get the full experience of the trip because food is part of the vacation, right?
I talked about this in last week's episode or a couple of weeks ago, I went to Greece two years ago. I mean, you go to Europe or even anywhere, it doesn't have to be Europe, like food is often a really big part of the experience of wherever you are going to visit. And so it's not like. I have said [00:05:00] this before, like, there's a place between not eating anything you want to eat because you're afraid of what's going to happen and saying, fuck it and eating all of it, right?
There's a, there's a big place to live in between those two things. And that's kind of where we want to be on vacation. And so I'd love for you guys to walk into your vacations this year, feeling really good, feeling confident that you can be thoughtful and make choices that are going to feel good in five minutes, five hours, five days, five weeks, you know, like the whole thing that it's not just about the instant gratification of whatever food is sitting in front of you at the moment.
So a couple of things I wanted to share that you can, that can be sort of go to's, and to be honest, like, there's nothing here you haven't heard before, right? I'm not about to tell you some, like, new, amazing thing that I've been, like, hiding and holding back. Like, that doesn't exist. The skills are the skills, right?
I remember talking about this when I talked about my trip to Greece. The skills that I use in Greece were the same skills I use at home. The difference between vacation and home eating is sometimes the outcome is different. [00:06:00] And that's what's so cool about skills because it's not a rule. There's no rigidity, there's thoughtfulness, there's paying attention and there's making a choice.
And when you make a choice, instead of following a rule, the outcome can be different based on the situation, right? So you're still going to want to try and prioritize protein. Like that doesn't change. You don't suddenly like stop eating protein when you're on vacation. Is it going to be harder sometimes?
Could absolutely be yes, depending where you are and what you're doing and all of that. 100%. So you're gonna do your best. You're not gonna say fuck it. I'm not gonna think about protein for the next week. You're gonna think about it, and you're gonna do what you can. Is it gonna be different than what you eat at home?
Probably. Definitely. I would say almost 95 percent yes. Cool! Do something. This is totally a something is better than nothing situation. Um, thinking about protein, thinking about veggies. So one of my favorite, I'm going to call it a trick, although it's like really not a trick at all for veggies. If your meal, like your entree or your [00:07:00] sandwich, whatever you're getting, does not come with veggies, order a side of veggies with it.
Maybe that's a salad. Most restaurants have like sides of veggies you can order. Add it with it. I'm not even telling you to like do the whole replace your fries or your chips with the veggie. Get the fries, get the chips, that's your carb, that's yummy, that's enjoyable. Supplement with veggies so you can fill up, so you don't have to eat as much of the fries and the chips to feel full, right?
Same skills you're working at home. Um, sometimes we have to get a little bit creative with this. Just because a meal isn't set up exactly the way we want it to be, most restaurants are flexible and you can, and not even, this isn't even flexible, it's just ordering an extra side. Is there an increased cost with that?
Yep, there sure is. Right? And so I am taking a lot of things for granted right now. I'm not going to like go down that road, um, because I want to stay focused kind of on this conversation. But if you can, try that, experiment, see what happens. Um, you know, Those are two big ones, right, [00:08:00] right there. Um, when you have put food on a plate, right?
Instead of grabbing from like if you order a bunch of shared appetizers with your family or if you're with friends, take whatever you guys have ordered and put it on a plate first so you can see how much you're eating. That goes for dessert too if you guys are sharing a couple of desserts. And I know this might feel a little bit annoying, but that's all part of it.
Sometimes stuff is going to be uncomfortable in the moment for you to get the payoff and feel good about it later on. Scoop off a serving of the dessert that you want and put it on your own plate so you know how much you're eating. It's very hard to know how much you're eating if you're eating from a communal plate, whether it's like family style or a buffet or you're sharing stuff, you really don't know.
You think you know, but you don't know. Um, and this is, again, you got to get really honest with yourself. It takes five extra seconds to scoop a hunk of cheesecake or ice cream or cake off of the plate that you're sharing and onto your own plate so you can visually see it. And then if you want more, cool, you can get more, But this way you are able to see and pay attention and have awareness of what you're eating.
Those three skills right [00:09:00] there, paying attention to protein, getting some as often as you can, Oring veggies, a side of veggies, and putting all food on a plate. If you practice those three things Consistently over your trip and again consistently going to the last episode is not a hundred percent of the time It's most of the time You will feel great.
You will walk home. You will get home. You're not gonna have that feeling of oh my god I just I just gained five pounds on vacation. Also newsflash usually when that happens a lot of water weight it's not actual body fat, separate topic, but You will feel really good physically. You're not gonna walk out of every meal feeling bloated and disgusting and over full and like oh my god I ate so much.
I feel terrible. It just feels crappy mentally and physically and You're gonna enjoy everything. There's none of that, well, I'm gonna go on vacation, I'm not gonna have dessert, I'm gonna go on vacation, I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna have alcohol, I'm gonna go on vacation, I'm not gonna have this. Because that takes away from the experience.
And if it doesn't for you, right, fine, there's a lot of subjectivity here, but for most people, It does. [00:10:00] Um, like I think about if I had gone to Greece saying, oh, I'm not gonna have dessert when I'm in Greece. Like, what the fuck? That would have been awful. Or I'm not gonna eat bread. Or I'm not gonna eat cheese.
Like, um, you know, I happen to be not a huge drinker. So for me, I don't, I very rarely drink. So I don't even really have to think about that. Although I have found this new cocktail that I'm kind of obsessed with. And I, you know, I don't think it's going to be in Costa Rica. Um, Anyway, I digress, but all this to say that you, I'm going to say like the most classic plan of all time, you can have your cake and eat it too, right?
You can have the foods you want to have in an amount that feels good using those three skills that I just talked about. And again, are you likely going to eat maybe more on vacation? Maybe yes. Again, because like we go to Costa Rica. There's gonna be things in Costa Rica that I can't get at home, and I'm going to want to enjoy them.
Am I going to eat more of them more frequently, a bigger portion? Maybe, probably, yes. Am I going to eat them to the point of [00:11:00] fullness where I feel sick and disgusting? I'm not planning to, and I certainly hope not, and I'm gonna really work my skills to not do that because then that takes all the joy out of that food.
It's like the law of diminishing returns. It's funny how these like concepts show up in so many different places. Like, You can eat something you enjoy and then you keep eating it and eating it and eating it and then suddenly you're not enjoying it anymore and you don't feel good anymore because you've eaten too much.
So this joyful experience, this joyful food is now no longer joyful simply because you've eaten too much of it. Um, and I don't want that to happen. That doesn't feel good. That doesn't mean that I'm not, again, going to enjoy more of it than I might at home. Um, and going back a couple minutes ago what I was saying in terms of I'm always using the same skills, but the outcome is different.
That's what I mean, right? So like Fried plantains are coming, are coming to mind for some reason, right? There's lots of Mexican restaurants around and they all have fried plantains. I love fried plantains. They're one of my favorite things. I almost always order them at a Mexican restaurant and I have some.[00:12:00]
And I usually share them because they come in a big portion. If you've ever had fried plantains, they're basically like candy. I mean, they're so fucking good when they get, I like the really caramelized crispy ones. OMG, amazing. Right? So I'll get them in a Mexican restaurant and have like maybe like two pieces with my meal and I'm good.
I do not feel the need to eat more. Now let's say we go to Costa Rica and they have the most amazing fried plantains in the whole world. I don't know whether or not that's true, but I'm just throwing it out there for an example. I might eat more because I'm in Costa Rica because those plantains were maybe just picked from a tree like, I don't know, 10 yards from where I'm eating and it's a totally different experience.
I might eat more. not again to feel sick, but maybe to a point where I'm a little bit more full than usual. Yeah, that could definitely happen. So, it's the same skill of ordering a food that I like, paying attention to the portions, and paying attention to when I'm full, but maybe I'm going to decide to go past that a little bit because of the experience that I'm in.
That's very different than saying, oh, I'm going to Costa Rica, I'm going to have fried plantains every [00:13:00] night, and I'm going to eat the entire portion because it's my only chance that I'm on vacation. That's very different, walking into vacation saying that with that mindset, which I have done many times before for many years of my life, and I know many of you have you too.
It's also very different than saying, oh my god, I'm not going to have any fried plantains because I'm really afraid I'm going to overeat them and I'm terrified of gaining weight. So I'm just going to tell myself I'm not going to have them. And then I'm taking away from the experience of my vacation by not allowing myself to enjoy that food.
There is so much room to live in between those two extremes. And so that's why, again, I'm saying it's the same skill, but the outcome might be different, right? I might be a little bit further along on a spectrum towards, you know, Towards fullness and I might be at home because of that special experience.
Okay, cool I'm gonna do that and then I'm gonna keep going with what I usually do Might I do that another night with like a dessert or something? Yeah, totally I might But again, I'm gonna pay I'm gonna be working. Am I enjoying this? Is this tasting good? I'm gonna have the food on [00:14:00] my plate. I'm gonna be eating it with my protein and veggies, right?
So I'm not relying on that food to fill me up all the same skills But being thoughtful and very, very intentional. Intentional is one of my most favorite words when it comes to all this work we're doing. Because it, it, it captures attention, it captures integrity, it captures thoughtfulness, and it just is so, so important.
Um, and maybe that's a word that you take with you going into your trip. Be intentional, right? Be pay attention to what you're eating. Are you enjoying it? Do I want to be eating this? Does it have a purpose for me? Um, that is another skill, kind of a more of a mindset, internal skill that you can layer on with the other three.
Remember the protein, the ordering veggies if you need to, if your meal doesn't come with it and putting all of your food on a plate. Um, and this can set you up to have the most amazing vacation [00:15:00] of your life simply because you will enjoy the food that you had. which is part of the experience. You won't feel over full and bloated and disgusting and gross the way that we often do when we overeat.
And you'll just enjoy your trip so much more because of that. Um, so I hope this was helpful. Um, and again, I hope that this starts to get you thinking about, like, I, I, I kind of mentioned this at the top. And I actually want to circle back to it just at the end, you know, I said that if you go into vacation always thinking like, fuck it, I'm going to eat whatever I want, then that's an indication that how you're eating at home isn't working.
And that, that is true, right? If there's so much restriction happening at home or so many rules that you don't have any skills, then vacation becomes a chance to just like, let go of all of that. Um, and that is just, I think a helpful, maybe reflection to kind of get some perspective around what's happening at home.
Is there some work I need to do here, right? Do I need to be looking at how I'm using food, what, why, and how [00:16:00] I'm using food at home because of the way that I always, quote unquote, go off the rails when I'm on vacation, right? You don't need to go off the rails. Is vacation going to be a little bit different than home?
Yes. Again, for the 10th time in this episode, 100 percent yes. Does it need to be so different that you feel terrible and disgusting? No. No. That. It's not fun. Like, that doesn't feel good for anyone. And so I want to help you realize that there's another way in between, you know, these extremes. So. That's it.
That's what I got for you. Um, I'm pretty sure that whether this episode aired before Lauren's or not, the week of July 1st, there's not going to be an episode. That's the week we're away. And I don't, I just, it's easier for me. I have a lot to kind of manage. There won't be an episode that week. There will be an episode July 28th.
Um, so, and it's like big holiday week, 4th of July here in the States, lots of people are away. So, um, just to let you know, that's the plan. Um, and I will be back as always next week and thank you for being [00:17:00] here.