Going on vacation is a great way to enjoy the holidays and spend time with your family and loved ones. However, bringing back a little extra weight post-holidays and leaves is not uncommon. According to a survey of 2,000 Americans, 60% gained holiday weight toward the end of 2021. The findings are similar worldwide, with 53% of global survey respondents admitting to breaking a diet during holidays. After all, we eat more food during holidays and vacations than usual. In this article, we’ll look at some tips for managing weight after the dreaded vacation weight gain:
Try home cooking
After vacationing away from home for a while, one of the best ways to get back into the swing of things is to indulge in home cooking. A study from Johns Hopkins University found that people who eat homecooked food eat less fat, sugar, and salt and consume more fiber. Home cooking would also make avoiding the temptation of fast foods and eating out easier.
One of the advantages of home cooking is that you control your portions, ingredients, and how soon or how often you eat, making it a healthy and productive means of losing all the vacation weight gain. With AIs able to predict and generate recipes, even those not accustomed to cooking at home can give it a shot. The AI in development can help find complementary combinations of foods and drinks to optimize flavors and dishes for you, making cooking less hassle and more fun.
Consider medical weight loss.
As mentioned in our introduction, holiday and vacation weight gain is common among people. If you’ve been struggling with your weight for a long time, however, medical weight loss can be an alternative to consider if you’re also concerned about your health. While lifestyle is the basis for all healthy weight loss, some people may benefit from medical solutions like prescription medication. If you meet specific BMI and medical requirements, you may be able to take advantage of newer medications that average 15% weight loss.
Medical weight loss is also best paired with healthy lifestyle changes for long-term weight management. It may be a more nutritious option than potentially dangerous dietary restrictions that deprive your body of essential nutrients. Note that some vacation weight gain can be temporary and handled through lifestyle changes. You should consult a doctor or medical expert before seeking medical weight loss solutions.
Resume your workout routine.
Aside from your dietary habits, starting or resuming physical exercises once you return from your vacation is recommended. If you already have a workout routine before vacationing, some personal trainers recommend treating your vacation as a training break so your body can rest. A training break can boost your fitness progress by letting your body recover between workouts.
This is a healthy mindset instead of blaming yourself for not working out while on vacation. Exercising makes your body use more energy, which will only trigger you to seek more food during your vacation. Instead, enjoy your holiday and plan out a workout routine for when you get back home to lose the vacation weight.
Get more sleep
Finally, it’s important to remember that holidays and vacations are meant to be a time of rest for you and your body. For some time out of the year, you get to relax in a new place away from work and your daily responsibilities—so enjoy it. When you return from the vacation, make time to get some sleep in between all the home cooking and exercising, as it can help your weight loss.
A study on adequate sleep duration found that extending your sleep duration reduces your daily energy intake, leading to significant weight reduction. The findings suggest that improving and maintaining sleep duration can be a viable intervention for obesity prevention and weight loss programs.
