Mama,Spring break is just around the corner and I don’t want you to get stuck in the typical vacation cycle.The typical vacation dieting cycle looks something like this:Before vacation, you start restricting yourself. You cut your calories, you spend hours trying to burn extra calories. You lose 5, 10 maybe 15 pounds if you’re lucky.Then, you go on vacation and you eat and drink your little heart out. You say yes to everything you’ve been saying no to for the last few weeks. You have so much fun and love every bite of food.Then you get home. And you hop on the scale only to watch it go up, up, up. Not only did you gain back all the weight you’d lost before vacation but there’s an extra five pounds just as an extra little vacation present. *eye roll*And you’re frustrated. Because you spend so much time and energy losing weight only to have it come back with a vengeance. Now, you have two options, go back to that diet that drove you crazy, or give up.And giving up sounds so much easier! So you do it. Until your next vacation or event that forces you to diet again.Mama, I used to be stuck in this cycle too. I was stuck in this cycle for years!I would restrict, restrict, restrict myself so I’d look just right in my bikini before we’d go on a trip. And then, over the five days we were gone, I’d stuff myself. I’d indulge in everything I had told myself not to eat for weeks, and I’d drink until I wanted to hop on the bar and dance.I thought this was the perfect arrangement! Diet for a while, and then go on vacation and cut loose! It seemed easier than trying to eat healthy all the time.I thought the fun of vacation eating was worth the restrictive diets and extreme self-control. But I ended up having to do it again, and again, and again and I never moved forward. I was stuck in this frustrating loop and had no idea how to get out of it!It wasn’t until I learned about nutrition and how it didn’t have to be miserable or restrictive that I was able to lose weight, go on vacation, enjoy myself and not gain weight.Mama, we’re heading into spring break which for most of us means some sort of vacation. And I want to give you this freedom! I want you to go on vacation with your kiddos and have a blast without gaining 10 lbs.So, I’m going to give you four seriously easy steps to go on vacation for spring break where you can have fun and be healthy!Plan meals & snacks for spring breakThe first step is always to make a plan. If you want to stay on track with your nutrition, then you have to have a plan.I know planning your meals and snacks for vacation doesn’t sound fun, but trust me, from one busy mama to another, it’s so worth it!When I go on vacation for spring break, I don’t want to think. I spend 90% of the year thinking, planning, organizing and scheduling. So when I go on vacation, I want a break from that.Unfortunately, vacation calories count just as much as at-home calories so unless I want to undo all my hard work, I still need to think about what I’m eating.But, if I think about it ahead of time, then I can still take a break on vacation!Before spring break, I’ll plan out exactly what and how much I’ll eat at every meal, but when I’m on vacation I want more flexibility. Instead of making exact plans, I’ll make a basic outline and try to stick to that.I always try to start my vacation breakfast with lots of protein. I do this for two reasons.Starting your day with protein will help curb cravings for the rest of the day. This helps me make better choices throughout the day even if I go off plan.It leaves more flexibility for eating out later in the day! If I’ve had plenty of protein early in the day I feel more comfortable having fun with my food later in the day.After I have breakfast planned, I can decide if we’re going to eat out for lunch, dinner or both. If the answer is both, then I try to choose healthier options at the restaurant; subbing out fries for fresh fruit, or getting grilled chicken instead of fried.If we’re only eating out for one meal I’ll allow myself to have more freedom with my meal out. I still try to eat something more nutritious for my other meal, but I still make sure to have fun with it!I also like to plan out a few snacks each day so that I can snack without going too crazy. I like to try and sneak in some extra protein so I’ll pack protein bars or protein shakes with me. I also love to enjoy fresh fruit and veggies on vacation so I’ll plan to have those as snacks as well.The goal is to eat well 80% of the time and then have more decadent, fun foods 20% of the time. If you can get this balance down on vacation, you’ll be able to have fun without gaining a ton of weight!Prepare your food before leaving for vacationAgain, I want to actually be able to relax on vacation, so I take time before vacation to prepare anything I want to eat on vacation.If you...
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