Myth: Calories don't count on vacation or holidays.
Vacation... yes! Tropical paradises, new and exciting destinations, lovely new cultures... and food!
I have often heard the old slogan, "Calories don't count on vacation." Obviously this is isn't true and we all know it. But, there's something more dangerous behind this thinking. If you allow yourself to buy into this craziness, you are inviting a whole slew of problems.
From day one of your planning for the trip, you begin to tell yourself that it's okay to cheat. You are waiting, sometimes for a month or more, for this "reward." When the time comes, you go all out! A cupcake here, ice cream there, 5 mixed drinks with friends, a buffet table for dinner with 3 plates, because you see it as your "reward", you don't feel guilty. You don't think about it. Then, all the work you did before your trip is halted. Your body begins putting on the pounds quickly because it is storing up refined sugar and other things that you would limit yourself to, because it doesn't know when it will get it again.
This also creates a problem once you return. Now that you've tasted those fatty foods and gorged yourself in the unhealthy, you don't want to go back to your protein shakes and steamed vegetables. It's as if you are starting all over again. Making those changes, throwing your body into shock, and feeling as if you are torturing yourself with the "diet" again.
If you are serious about your commitment, it's not a "diet". It is your life. Can you fudge every once and a while and have that thing you are craving? Absolutely. In fact, science has proven that allowing yourself the thing you are craving will satisfy the craving and you can move on. However, depriving yourself what the body is craving can cause you to munch mindlessly trying to satiate that craving.
This same mindset it why I am totally against "Cheat days". You reward yourself for being "healthy all week" with gulping down thousands of calories because you've waited a week for it. You've worked for it. You've earned it. NO....
Let's look at this common scenario... You are changing your life. You go out with your family to dinner at a local restaurant. You eat healthy, and the waiter brings the dessert menu. You're dying for your favorite dessert. You torture yourself by saying No. Then, it's all you can think about.
Try this instead. Order your favorite dessert and ask the waiter to bring a "to-go" box with your dessert. When the dessert shows up, cut it into fourths. Share half the dessert with your company at the table, then put a fourth in the to go box. Eat the 1/4th that's left on your plate. Enjoy it! You HAVE earned it. But you made the right decision to control the portion and NOT let it take over your mindset. And BONUS... you get to take a fourth home for tomorrow!