To those of you who have joined the challenge this week, a very warm welcome. Please let me know how you are getting on.
This past week I have been on holiday, enjoying the autumn colours of the Scottish Highlands. Today I share 5 tips for staying on track during the holidays.
You may feel that holidays are just that – a time to let your hair down unencumbered by the restrictions of daily life – including those related to eating habits. Personally, I prefer to stick with the programme; taking time off means undoing some of what I have worked so hard to accomplish, and it’s harder to pick things up again afterwards. If, like me you don’t want anything to stand in your way, here are my top 5 tips for keeping things going far from home.
- Go self-catering – the best way to maintain control of what you eat. Going solo definitely does not mean compromising on quality, and you may even save money. You don’t need to cook every meal yourself, but you can choose when to be at the mercy of other people’s eateries.
- Use the buffet wisely – it’s not always possible to go self-catering, particularly when travelling on business, but many hotels provide a breakfast buffet, and there may be a buffet for other meals as well. I recommend visiting the buffet three times. Yes, three. The first time you are casing the joint. Don’t eat anything, but take a good look at what is available, and enjoy making your visual selection. The second time, go with a plate, and take enough that you don’t feel hard done by, but not enough to be a glutton. This is your meal, and there will be no seconds. The third time, do as we used to do when we were impecunious students, and return with a lightweight box. Fill it with salad stuff, nuts, hard boiled eggs and so forth to eat later. Who says there’s no such thing as a free lunch?
- Keep emergency food handy – away from home it is particularly easy for plans to change. If you are working, your meeting might go on later than expected, and if you are on holiday, you may discover some delightful thing that you simply must do. When this happens it’s easy to be stuck without food and grab whatever is available out of desperation. This won’t happen if you carry a box of portable foods such as nuts, fruits, and mini rice cakes, or some of the other foods I suggested in last week’s post.
- Eat like a local – when abroad, take note of local markets and producers – you will get the best and freshest food. Even in the UK you can seek out local providers. Where we stay in Scotland there is a fish van with an amazing selection of fresh fish, and a nearby deli showcases Scottish produce. We did see a deep-fried mars bar, but that was a local delight we preferred to avoid!
- Plan to succeed – planning on holiday may seem like a drag, but it’s worth it. Enjoy doing research on the Internet (or delegate to the geek in your family) to discover culinary gems where you are staying, or if you are on business, to source the menu and make a wise selection. If your holiday includes a day off your eating plan, organise that too, and really enjoy it.
Local markets are a source of healthy, economic food when away from home.
Above all, have a wonderful time.
Homework – suffering post-holiday blues, or perhaps you have been unable to get away for a while? Create a mini-break at home. Make a recipe from a country where you would like to be, send everyone else out for the evening, and have a night of pure indulgence with your favourite film/music/pampering activity/lovemaking activity – whatever makes you feel amazing. You’ve earned it!
Next time: the halfway point of this challenge coincides with the changing of the seasons. I prepare some tasty winter warmers to help with the hunger pangs.