I'm feeling very relieved - if not downright smug !! - about not putting on weight on holiday especially as I stayed in a hotel famous for its pasta and cocktails, both of which I indulged in. Here are a few things that worked for me in case they prove useful.
1. Don't be unrealistic - you're on holiday - if you set yourself unrealistic goals before you go as soon as you break them (swearing off alcohol, say) then there's the temptation to throw in the towel and go from famine to feast as it were. So on my first few days I had a couple of pretty naughty days but I did adhere to my ONE rule - no deserts/sweets at all. Again, because it was just one goal and not six it was actually pretty easy to stick to.
2. Mid-way through I started making my main meal lunch and really eating very little (nothing on two evenings) later on. Also, I stopped drinking alcohol after six so I'd get a good, restful night's sleep. But, to be clear, I had a hefty lunch of those days - a plate of pasta and clams, say, so I was not getting properly hungry until right before bed - perfect timing!!
3. Swim and make use of the gym if there is one. I swam more and more each day and even hit the treadmill on the last couple of days - again, all this helped keep my net weight in check.
4. Buffet Breakfasts Beware. Breakfast was the only meal that was free in my hotel so I wanted to get my money's worth without becoming Mr Creosote from The Meaning of Life. I decided to go white carb free every morning - so I had bacon and scrambled eggs and water melon but avoided bread, cereal etc. and that seemed to help me avoid the late morning carb-cravings that a big breakfast can provoke - for me, anyway.
Overall, the key word that keeps coming to mind is BALANCE - in the past i've definitely NOT got the balance right and come back from holiday feeling bloated and tired but this time, not least because of all the great advice on offer on this website, I feel like I got close to squaring the holiday/weight circle.
Hope everyone had a great weekend,
Ed