Holidays during LL - Eating/Drinking

[scotsnat38]

Hi everyone!!

Ok I'm going to Greece on Wednesday with my best friend for 2 weeks. It's her first ever holiday abroad and we're both really looking forward to it. We're both single girls, both 25 years old and I'm the only one doing LL. Now when we booked this holiday, it was long before I was doing LL and we had planned at the time for this to be best 2 weeks ever..going out drinking etc.

However, as I'm now on LL it creates a dilemma.

I've lost just over 3 stone so far and am currently on week 11 of Foundation. I've got about another 3 stone to lose.

I just wondered whenever you guys have been on hols have you eaten/drank and if so, how did it affect your loss?

I mean I don't think the eating is going to create as much of a problem but as we're going to a very lively resort where the reps will drag us along to bar crawls/foam parties etc, I'm going to feel really uncomfortable not drinking AT ALL. It's ok at home but it is different on holiday no matter what anyone says...

Eating wise I've said there's a possibility on 2 or 3 nights of the fortnight that I MIGHT miss a pack or 2 and eat a meal...I mean tuna salad or chicken salad or something with no dressing...basically lean protein and veg/salad which SURELY can't do me harm (I'll be walking a lot more on hols and surely at 30-40 odd degrees I'll be downing water like there's no tomorrow!!).

What I'm wondering is how much of a difference a couple of nights on alcohol would make? Does alcohol make a HUGE difference for say 2/3 nights of the 2 weeks? Can anyone tell me if I was to drink (worst case scenario) what the best drink would be...I'm thinking damage control...a drink low in carbs etc...

I've not cheated AT ALL on this diet..not as much as sniffed food or touched a crumb and as it's my last 3 weeks of foundation and it is a holiday (and I'm going straight back into Development when I come back)...am thinking I could PERHAPS have a small treat. But I don't want the weight to pile on...the longer it takes to come off..the longer I'll be on LL!

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!!!

[yo-yo-dieter]

It's up to you, but I'd be scared of eating in case I couldn't get back onto it on my return.

My friend who is doing LL went on holiday for two weeks during week 7, and simply can't get back on the wagon, and continues to cheat every day. I mean, she is still losing weight, but not as much as she would have done if she'd have abstained.

We talked about this at my class on Tuesday as one of the girl's is going to Florida for two weeks and she's still very motiavated and said "I am looking at the holiday as the treat, rather than the eating on holiday as a treat!" - and I really believe she will still abstain with that attitude.

I don't know about alkyhol, (unfortunately) sniff....

[scotsnat38]

I think if I did 'cheat' so to speak I'd definitely get back on the wagon..my LLC has been amazed at how easy I find this diet and how I've never been tempted to cheat. Seriously determined...as I say I might not eat but it's really the alcohol situation I'm thinking about. Say 3/4 drinks on 2/3 nights...wondering what the consequences might be....

[back on track]

Hi

I have just returned from 2 weeks in France, I had just completed week 7 when I went and had lost 33lbs at weigh in 3 days prior to holiday. I did eat during the two weeks, very sensibly for the first week - a couple of packs and a small protein/salad meal in the evening, unfortunately not quite so well in the 2nd - I gave in to bread and cheese and very few packs. I did have alcohol on 2 or 3 evenings but not loads, probably half a bottle at most on each of the times. I was worried about weight gain and during the second week despite it being hot didn't seem to keep up with the water intake which made my legs and feet puff up. We got back late Saturday night and I did find it impossible to start again on sunday, weighed myself at home and I had gained about 7lbs got straight back on packs on Monday and was surprised that I didn't feel particularly hungry during the day. At weigh in on tuesday I showed a gain of 4lbs so the loss had kicked in very quickly, I did find it really difficult yesterday (day 3 back on the packs) with headache and generally feeling lousy but today is much easier and I am showing another loss this morning. I am now only 2lbs heavier than when I weighed myself the day we left.

It can only be your decision to abstain or not but as you have found the rest of the time to be so easy you should be OK getting back on it if you do decide to go for it.

Have a great holiday whatever you decide to do!

[scotsnat38]

Thanks back on track!!
See 4lbs gain wouldn't be the worst thing in the world...
See am hoping to come back and have lost 5lbs..that's my aim.
I get weighed on Wednesday before I go (15th Aug) and next weigh in is on Monday 3rd September. I hoped in that time to be 5lbs lighter even if I eat/drink a little on hols....

Does that seem unrealistic to lose 5lbs if I eat drink 2/3 nights?

[SandraEG]

I went on 3 weeks holiday during foundation. the first week I abstained. The second week I was 50/50 - one meal a day plus 2 foodpacks and wine once or twice. The third week I ate what I wanted but only when I was hungry - which often meant skipping lunch and I drank when I wanted.
I got back to packs for 3 days before weigh in and I was exactly the same as when I left.

That was brilliant BUT I have found it a real struggle ever since. So I would really caution you to think hard about it. Once you have a lapse, it is really hard to get motivated again. The little voices start up in a way they didn't when you first started.

In terms of ways to cope if you do decide to cheat. I have heard that vodka is free of carbohydrate and you can mix with coke zero if they have it because that doesn't have citric acid. The other diet drinks do have citric acid and would affect ketosis. Be aware that if you are abstaining from food, you will get drunk a lot quicker than usual and need to be sure you are safe!

[scotsnat38]

Thanks Sandra!! Oooh I didn't know that about Coke Zero not having citric acid! I don't think many bars will have it but the shops might...Vodka and Coke Zero...that is an idea if I do decide to cheat and have a COUPLE of drinks.
That's really interesting...I wonder why Coke Zero doesn't have if Diet Coke does...

[Cerulean]

I went to Crete during Week 18 and stayed in abstinence the whole time. I was pressured to eat and drink at several points but to be honest I didn't need or want to. I actually got annoyed by my chilling time being taken up with other people's need to go for a meal!

As for lapses - I came off LL for a few days to have an operation and got back on the wagon 2 days later - within 5 days I lapsed again - the problem with the second time in is that no matter how strong you are right now you have seen first hand what you can 'get away with' and so your mind does start playing silly beggars with you. You might be one of the ones with a will of steel - there are a few - but if you ask around you won't find many people who had the odd nibble or break who got back on without any problems whatsoever.

I found the best way to shut up people who pressured me to have a drink was to take them to one side and whisper that I wasn't drinking for medical reasons - which is partly true!

[silhouettes]

If you do decide to go off diet the follow drinks are 'better' to have. Clear spirits and diet mixers - diet coke is unlikely to set take you out of ketosis but may cause food cravings, if you have wine you should go for dry rather than anything else (or chamgagne ) See if you can get a low carb beer if you want lager. These in moderation will not affect you being in ketosis.
If you want meals out go for proteins and salads (try to stay away from bread, pasta) again eating these you can stay in ketosis.
good luck with whatever you decide to do
(i just got back from 3 weeks in nz, but knew that i couldnt go off the diet at all as not strong enough to get back on it again)

[Tiger Girl]

I'm only realising now just how desperate I am to go on holiday, and that I've avoided holidays for exactly this reason! However, I've had lots of work trips away - weeks at a time overseas with loads of corporate hospitality to cope with. And I've also been really lucky to have been on work trips with some of my bezzie work mates so whilst it's been work, there have also been lots of play-times too.

There's definitely something to be said for staying abstinent whilst you're away. It's a huge learning opportunity and can be massive on the motivation front. There is just no getting away from it, the reason why everybody says 'it's so hard to climb back on board after the first lapse' is because it's true! It can be difficult to imagine how this can be the case when you're in invincible mode during Foundation, but it really is true.

I always remember years ago my older sister had a Greek holiday booked and then got some kind of infection (cant remember what that was though!) which basically meant she couldn't drink for 6 months. I will never forget how AMAZING she looked when she came home - the most stunning tan, and so slim and healthy. No hangover so up at the crack of dawn on the beach. The holiday romance of a lifetime took place, and just a completely different experience from the holiday she thought she was going to have.

It sounds like whatever you choose to do, you'll do it with a lot of insight, but there's no doubt that if you choose to abstain that absolutely doesn't automatically mean you'll have a rubbish time. You might just surprise yourself!

[scotsnat38]

Thanks so much for all your inspirational comments...am now going with the plan to abstain completely for the 2 weeks. Should I falter then I'll deal with that if/when it happens but my PLAN is to stick to this diet 100%. I had my 11th weigh in lastnight and stayed exactly the same as last week which I was GUTTED about so I think I can't afford to put weight on when I get back from hols...I've about another 3 stone to lose and my target is 17th Dec (for no other reason than it's the week before xmas)...my LLC said she thinks 3 stone by 17th Dec is manageable...ideally I'd like it to be 1st Dec but we'll see. I told her it's inch loss I'm struggling with..the weight is coming off but the dress sizes aren't budging!!...weird!!

[KerrieW]

Hi scotnat38 - I had this same problem just a couple of days ago. Was going on my holiday (24 days to go!) with the intention of having low carb meals but Cerulean gave some fantastic advice and after examining my reasons I have also made the decision to stay abstinent. I also am not ruling out slip-ups but I am not going away with the intention of eating and I feel good about that now. If I do slip up then I will deal with it but I definately value the advice form those who have faltered and are having a harder time with the rest of their LL journey. I have a long way to go so don't want to make it harder than it needs to be! Oh and by the way I am also struggling with inch loss, only truly dropped 1 or 2 dress sizes even though have lost 50 pounds wherease others in my group have lost less weight but more inches but I'm sure it will all balance out in the end! Good luck with your hols - I'll think of you when I am having banana milkshakes by the pool! Kerrie x