Like everyone else, if you think your vacation weight is only because of overeating, let me elaborate. When it’s the holiday season, we are pretty much off our regular routine. This means meal timings are erratic which makes you overeat some meals, water intake is not great, carbohydrate portions in the food you eat out are larger (unbalanced meals) and there might also be alcohol involved. Adding to this, poor sleep becomes a factor because you often end up with early mornings and late nights. Not to mention, if it is a staycation, then there is surely a mini fridge stocked up with cookies and chocolates and there is also less activity through the day! A combination of all this shows up as increased weight when you check the scale as soon as you get home.

But the real fact here is, the rapid weight gained is mostly water, and not fat (considering your vacation is not more than 2 weeks long). When you overload on carbohydrates, the excess glycogen formed holds more water (nearly 3 times more!). Low water intake prompts your body to retain water too. The result is increase in water weight which shows up as +1 or +2 kg weight gain.

The cool thing is, water weight is also easy to lose! How, you ask?

• Try to strategize your pit stops for meals while planning your vacation itself. That way, you will at least eat on time
• Plan more physical activities on foot. Take that walk instead of the shuttle wherever you can
• Be mindful of your water intake. It will also help you avoid any gastric trouble from outside foods
• It is understandable that you cannot look for balanced meal plates everywhere to meet your protein intake but what you can do is get as much fibre as you can. Include more fruits and vegetables in as many meals as you can. This way, you can prevent overeating
• Lastly, religiously work on falling back to your daily routine as soon as you get home. Meal timing, balanced meals, water intake, exercise, sleep, everything. Even if you have gained weight, it will shed within a couple weeks!

Note that these hacks will make sense only if you are already aware of portion control, balanced diet and habit building. If you are eager to incorporate these in a sustainable manner that works for you, feel free to reach out to me!