Why You Gain Weight When You Travel

[caption id="attachment_836410" align="alignleft" width="1068"] Bigstockphoto.com/technology, travel, tourism and people concept - smiling african american young woman or teenage girl with smartphone and headphones listening to music over eiffel tower background[/caption] You make your best effort to be healthy when you travel. You scope out the healthy options at the airport, you keep fruit in your hotel room, you don’t eat the full portions you’re served at restaurants and you incorporate some physical activity into your agenda. But, despite your best efforts, you always come back at least five pounds heavier. You can even feel it happening while you’re traveling—you feel heavier, and the outfits you packed stopped fitting just right. What is it about traveling that makes us all pack on some pounds? It’s a real shame, since we take a lot of photos on vacation, and we want to look our best in those. Plus, we want those cute outfits we bought on vacation to still fit when we get home and lose the weight. Here’s a look at the reasons you put on weight when you travel, and what to do about them. [caption id="attachment_705384" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

You pick the wrong accommodations

You look for the cheapest hotel that is centrally located. But the cheapest hotel is typically cheap because it’s more of a motel or bed and breakfast, meaning it does not have a gym, a restaurant, or mini fridges in the rooms. That means you cannot work out, you’re forced to go out every time you want to eat and you cannot keep healthy snacks in your room. You may even rely on the vending machines you often find at cheap hotels. Pay a little more for good amenities, and you could keep the weight off.         [caption id="attachment_700511" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

You still go to the party places

You like action. You want to go places with concert venues, slot machines, DJs at the pool and giant beer pong tables. But the party places are designed to make you consume, consume, consume. They have bars around every corner, eight different restaurants, and even mini malls with ice cream and candy shops. They’re designed to keep you drunk and making bad decisions (aka spending money and eating). Find a hotel that is just that—a hotel. Stay somewhere quiet, and take a taxi to the party places when you’re in the mood for action.         [caption id="attachment_697222" align="alignleft" width="468"] Shutterstock.com/Menu[/caption]

You don’t research restaurants

You never look at menus; you just go on the vibe. If a place has a long line, a great reputation, a gorgeous view or a lovely ambiance, you waltz in. You’re on vacation, so you’re all about the experience. But often, once you’re seated, you realize this place only serves heaping mounds of meat, pasta or cheese-based items. You already got the table and ordered drinks, so you stay. Don’t forget to research menus, even if your group is pressuring you to go inside a restaurant.               [caption id="attachment_706853" align="alignleft" width="420"] Shutterstock[/caption]

You worry about when you’ll eat next

Because you pack your day full of activities, you feel the need to stuff yourself to the gills at meals, unsure when you’ll get the chance to eat next. Always only eat until you are comfortably full, and worry about getting more to eat later if you become hungry. Keeping snacks on hand can make this a non-issue. But don’t load up on calories as if you’re going into the desert.           [caption id="attachment_704429" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

You want to try everything

You feel like you’ll only be here once, and only have the chance to try this authentic food today. Need I remind you again that a moment on the lips becomes a lifetime on the hips? Sorry—I didn’t mean to sound like your grandmother. But be selective about the foods you try and don’t just try something because it’s novel. The truth is, you can probably find a pretty authentic version back at home if you look hard enough.           [caption id="attachment_700393" align="alignleft" width="468"] Shutterstock[/caption]

You’re sleeping at odd hours

You’re up at 5 am to catch a train, you’re napping from 1 to 4 pm to get energy for the all night party you’re going to. Your sleep schedule is all over the place, making it very difficult to stick to regular eating hours. Try, if you can, to set times you’ll eat each day and stick to those, even if it means getting up from your nap to have a snack.                 [caption id="attachment_613370" align="alignleft" width="627"] Shutterstock[/caption]

None of it feels real

Every day is full of such wonderful, magical experiences—you feel completely removed from your regular life. That means you also aren’t thinking about things like being in shape when you get home, or the trouble you’ll have to go through to lose these new 10 pounds when you return to normal life. Do one small thing to get back in touch with regular life each day, whether that’s chatting on the phone with a friend back at home or looking over your email. Ground yourself; remember this vacation won’t last forever, but the extra pounds could. [caption id="attachment_700092" align="alignleft" width="468"] Shutterstock[/caption]

You don’t pack food for travel

You spend a lot of time in trains, train stations, airplanes, airports, bus stations, buses, boats, subways—you name it. These modes of transportation and their ports don’t tend to have the healthiest of food. Make sure you’re prepared for long days of transit. Consider packing a little temperature-controlled lunch box with healthy food for your travels. Don’t order off the airplane snack menu or visit the dining car in the train.               [caption id="attachment_717913" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

You want to go with the flow

You don’t want to miss out on anything, nor do you want to ask your group to wait for you so you can hit the gym. Don’t let the social dynamic pressure you into skipping your health routines. You can hit the gym, and meet up with the group when you’re done. Your friends may tease you, but they actually just feel guilty for not working out.             [caption id="attachment_624907" align="alignleft" width="460"] Corbis[/caption]

Water is hard to find and expensive

You don’t have your Brita or even tap water on hand at any given moment. You’re constantly on the go, which means you need to refill your canister or buy bottled water everywhere you go. You may decide not to buy that bottle of water because the price outrages you. But drinking a little less water every day could lead to a lot more pounds when you get home. Buy a big jug and fill up at your hotel in the morning.         [caption id="attachment_717085" align="alignleft" width="414"] Shutterstock[/caption]

Your companions are gaining weight, too

Everyone around you is skipping their workouts and saying yes to dessert. If your companions are growing, it’s hard to notice that you, too, are expanding. You might benefit from bringing a little scale with you on the trip, or stepping on the hotel’s gym scale every couple of days. Don’t compare yourself to your travel companions; compare yourself to yourself.           [caption id="attachment_693709" align="alignleft" width="500"] Shutterstock.com/Cucumber martini[/caption]

You drink booze constantly

Mimosas at breakfast, beer at lunch, wine at dinner, more wine on the boat…There always seems to be some occasion to drink alcohol when you travel. Keeping alcohol consumption to evening hours can keep off some of the pounds. But you also shouldn’t drink like it’s a party every night—do that once or twice a week, just like you do at home.         [caption id="attachment_715509" align="alignleft" width="420"] Shutterstock[/caption]

You feel you’ve earned it

You work hard. You put up with annoying coworkers. You tolerate your mother’s criticism. You help people out too much at home just because they’re lazy or incompetent. This is your time. You’ve earned that dessert and extra cocktail. Well, keep in mind that when you get home a dress size larger, you’ll feel like, “What did I do to deserve this?”               [caption id="attachment_608315" align="alignleft" width="500"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

You go for the food deals

The price-fixed menus, the all you can eat buffets, the restaurant crawls, the bottomless shrimp for two and so on. But it’s not really a deal if you end up eating more than you need, and spending more than you wanted to. A deal is getting the proper amount of food for a lower price, but that’s barely what vacation deals are. Order a-la carte. Don’t go for the deal.       [caption id="attachment_821866" align="alignleft" width="900"] Credit: Bigstock[/caption]

You won’t do laundry

Doing laundry while you’re traveling is a major pain, but that’s just what you’ll have to do if you want to keep exercising and sweating through your workout clothes. If your hotel has a pool, make swimming your form of exercise and reduce the need to do laundry. Otherwise, suck it up and do the laundry. Some hotels let you pay a small fee and the housekeeping staff will pick up your laundry in your room, do it, and return it to you all clean.

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