How should l eat on holiday?
Getting ready for a night out in Santorini a few years ago.
How we eat on holiday is a source of stress for many women, and this is a common question I get from my clients before they go away.
On one hand, we want to be able to enjoy holiday food, but on the other, we know from experience how quickly we feel out of control.
Overeating doesn’t feel good. The bloating and indigestion are one thing, but the worst part is the mental anguish - the guilt, endless self-talk justifying what we can have, trying to diet and failing the minute we’re faced with breakfast.
I know from experience that this can ruin your holiday. It ruined many of mine as I became more self-conscious and unhappy with my body as the days passed. Trying to control myself around food took so much effort I couldn’t relax or enjoy myself.
How to take back control
When my clients ask for advice about how to handle their holiday, I tell them they have to decide on a way of eating that feels right for them - before they go.
Your goal should always be to have a fantastic time on holiday without negative feelings about yourself or what you are eating, distracting you from enjoying every second.
When you go away, conflicted by how you want to eat, I guarantee you’ll lose control. But when you go away with a strategy you feel good about, its so much easier.
There are three main options:
Option One. Stick to your diet. Its perfectly possible to lose weight on holiday and still have a great time - if that’s what’s important to you and you want to do (that’s what I did last year).
Option Two. Aim to maintain. Take a more relaxed approach where you still prioritise nutrition, but enjoy some treats in moderation. (That’s what I’ll be doing this year).
Option Three. Go for it. Give yourself permission to fully enjoy the food and drink you have on holiday with zero guilt, knowing that its only a week or two, which is nothing in the grand scheme of things. Funnily enough, when clients go for this and truly take the guilt away, they don’t eat as much as they think they will, and put on very little weight.
Coaching Secrets
Nutrition coaching is not about being given a diet plan and checking in with me each week to tell me how good you’ve been.
Instead we work closely together through 1-1 coaching sessions to find a way of eating that works for you, your lifestyle and your goals.
The more you know your own mind, and what you want from life - and your diet, the easier it becomes to do the right thing, because you lose that inner conflict around food, and the results of this process are often life-changing, because:
You rewire your mind so you think and behave in a completely different way around food, for good
You want to choose healthier foods because they make you feel so much better
You regain control of your decisions around food, knowing how to choose treats and enjoy them without guilt
You lose your fear of food so you’re not constantly worrying about gaining weight
You break the cycle of overeating and dieting
You create a peaceful relationship with food, so that its not all you think about.
When you stop thinking about food all the time, you start thinking more about living your life
When your mindset changes you will lose weight, but in a sustainable way that means you will keep it off for good.
Watch this really powerful 30s video from my client Shahina who lost 5kg, explaining how this gave her her life back.
https://youtube.com/shorts/dEGB6XIAXDM
Click on the image to watch the video
Take back control this summer
Mid life is stressful, emotional, overwhelming. We know how important our health is right now, but we just can’t make it happen.
Coaching is the hand that pulls you through the overwhelm, and makes change easier. I’ve been through a similar struggle to you, and I’ve worked with many women to help them find themselves again.
We’ll work closely together until like Shahina, you have created new habits that you want to stick to - that you know you’ll keep for life.
If you’ve tried to go it alone, but know that now is the time for you to take back control of food and start feeling confident inside and out, then let’s have a chat.
I won’t give you the hard sell - that’s not my style. I’ll just tell you how it works and leave it to you to decide if you’re ready.
Just click on the button below to message me, and I’ll be in touch.
I’ll look forward to chatting soon,
Gabrielle x