I recently spent 10 days in Italy where I had a ton of pasta, pizza, cheese, pastries, and wine, only got in one actual workout, and I 1000% enjoyed myself without feeling guilty about any of it. Before going on the trip I had set up some guidelines/tips for myself (which I’ll talk about below) but one of the things that I had honestly truly accepted is that if I gain weight/fat on this trip then it will be worth it. I was NOT going to restrict myself on the trip of a lifetime because I didn’t want the scale to go up when I got home. And I think this mentality helped me execute my travel tips because I had put the pressure off of myself to be perfect and taken the anxiety of what I was eating away. As a fitness coach, I just know that there can always be a time dedicated to trimming fat if necessary and this trip wasn’t my time. As someone whose overall body goal is to just maintain and do a more slow consistent body recomp (where I focus on building fat burning muscle year round and then do a 6 week mini cut 1-2 times a year) and with this goal, I already have planned for myself to do a cut in the New Year so if I gained a few lbs on this trip or even over the holidays then I’m not going to feel any type of shame about it but instead know that those lbs came from memories that I wouldn’t want to replace. But with all of that said, I also didn’t want to spend my vacation stuffing my face or eating everything in sight which could have made me feel too full and physically sick because that would have ruined the experience also! So how did I spend 10 days in Italy without feeling restricted AND without gaining weight? Read below:
1. Having a Nutrition Game Plan
This trip was my second time traveling to Europe and what I learned from last time is that while it’s easier when traveling in the US to find more macro balanced dishes with protein and veggies, in Europe it’s a different story. The last time I went I tried to limit myself to getting more high protein and veggie meals (even though it was hard to find) but this time I accepted that enjoying moderate amounts of pizza and pasta will be 1000% worth it and great for my mental health and happiness in fully enjoying this trip 🤗🙌 BUT I did want to supplement what I may be missing from my normal diet (which was protein and veggies) which is why I’m brought the following:
✅ @questnutrition Protein powders and shaker 💪 I had a protein drink for breakfast each morning which worked out since breakfast isn’t big in Europe anyways .
✅ @amazinggrass Sweet Berry Greens (I LOVE to EAT and not drink greens 😅 but these actually taste pretty good! I had a scoop on days I felt like I didn’t get 🌿)
✅ @vitalproteins Collagen Peptides to help with getting in some additional protein in my greens drink .
✅ @heronutritionals Complete Women’s Multivitamin Gummies (This is the only supplement I take daily because I try to get most of my nutrients from whole foods)
Also I also brought some jerky and protein bars for the plane and to have as additional protein snacks/breakfast
Having this game plan took the pressure off of me needing to keep up with having more macro balanced meals and let me truly enjoy myself and the experience. But I did want to make getting in protein a priority in the morning because having a balanced amount of protein helps with managing fullness and hunger cues which was important for me to be aware of when I was eating my actual meals.
2. Adjusting Meal Timing
I think that most people in the US eat 3-4 times a day (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack) and that’s something I typically do also. I eat 4 moderate size meals every 3-4 hours each day which keep me fueled and full and also allow me to satisfy different palate cravings I may be having each day (salty, spicy, sweet, etc.) but when traveling I was realistic in knowing that I was going to be having heavier and larger meals and wanting to try more dishes when we were at a restaurant, so besides having a protein shake or bar for breakfast, I just stuck to have 2 meals per day which ranged from being 6-8 hours apart. Our “lunch” was typically around 2 and “dinner” was about 9 (which is pretty common in Europe!) and this works out well when wanting to explore cities! We could fuel up and then explore, and not have to worry about being hungry which could take away from other nonfood moments of our trip. And yes, there were some nonfood moments 🤣
3. Making Each Meal Fueling and Satisfying
My biggest goal with myself and clients is for us to fully embrace a concept I’ve come up with about food in which we can ask what portion is going to “fuel our bodies and satisfy our cravings”. And what this looks typically is knowing that about 80% of the time, I need to eat nutrient dense foods because they fuel my body and health, and of course I try to make them delicious and enjoyable (that’s kind of how my page got started 😉 ) But I also want to make sure that we are also satisfying our cravings, which means having any treat or drink without feeling guilty or deprived. While traveling, making each meal fueling and satisfying was a little different. Since most of the dishes weren’t super nutrient dense, the fueling part I focused on was looking at a dish and being realistic with what portion was going to leave me fueled and not too full. I had to be aware that I wanted to leave the meal not feeling sluggish so if there was bread on the table and also 2 courses coming, then I knew that probably 1 slice of bread and 1/2 or 2/3 of each course was going to fuel and satisfy me. For pasta dishes that had protein, I opted to have all of the protein and half of the pasta. For large sandwiches I had a couple bites with both pieces of bread and then removed the top half to eat it open faced. For gelato and pastries, I got the mini sizes which allowed me to feel fully satisfied.
But I want to be honest that I didn’t always get it right! Some meals I left feeling WAY too full because of an impromptu dessert that was on the house because the power went out on the block, but actually getting too full from that meal was part of the experience because we were able to try some yummy desserts and have an incredible conversation with the owner for an hour until the power came back on. The times I left feeling too full, I accepted that they were worth it because they were either part of the experience or it was something that I could learn from.
4. Staying Hydrated
Staying hydrated directly lends itself to feeling what portions are going to leave you full. I’ve had tons of clients tell me they’re always hungry even when it seems like they’re eating more than enough, and it often comes back to them not drinking enough water. Water helps with digestion and absorption, and I’ve legit had meals that I didn’t feel that full from and then I drank a glass of water after and felt SO full! So on this trip (and pretty much always) I made sure to keep my water intake SUPER high! After having a couple bites of a dish I would put down my fork (or slice) and drink some water. When taking that drink, I could examine my plate and check in with my body’s fullness signals to see if I was reaching the point of a dish that would properly fuel and satisfy me. I also made sure to drink a lot of water throughout the day because we were doing so much walking (which I get into below) because staying hydrated also helps keep you energized.
With staying hydrated, I want to take a moment to talk about alcohol. If you don’t drink then you can skip over this part, but I think vacation comes with the hopes of wanting to relax and for many this can mean enjoying alcohol. And I 100% had at least 2 drinks a day but tried to regulate it to be no more than 4. And this was because I wanted enjoy and be in each moment instead of having it be all blurry. Most of my drinks were also pretty much all wine which has a lower alcohol content (and calories) so enjoying a couple glasses didn’t leave me feeling sick or extremely drunk…though there was one time I did if I’m extremely honest 😳 but hey, like I stated above I tried to just accept that if I overdid it, it was either worth or it was something I could learn from. And with wine drinking, I also made sure to try to have a glass of water in between drinks to help with staying level headed because I’m definitely someone who will eat past fullness if I drink too much and both will leave me feeling sick 😣
5. Staying Active
I’m embarrassed to say that even as a fitness professional, I am sitting most of the day when I’m home and I average 1,500 steps a day 😳 when I was in Italy I was averaging 15,000 steps a day! That’s 10 times more than normal! Now this is according to my iPhone which may be a little less accurate than a fitbit or apple watch, but either way I know I was doing a TON of walking which is SO easy in Europe because there’s so much to see! Hotels/homes, restaurants, and museums are all in the same vicinity so it’s just natural to walk everywhere. When I’m home my workout routine is typically 4 days a week strength training and I only do actual extra “cardio” when I’m in a cutting phase which is not right now lol but instead my strength training with compound movements accelerates my heart rate which aids in my cardiovascular health. And I just bring this up to say that while I actually only did one “workout” with mini bands ( I had thought if I had more time then I would do more but it just didn’t work out that way) but I think the increase in my walking for this trip played a HUGE roll in keeping me from gaining weight despite the pasta, pizza, and wine I was consuming regularly. And while I think the other tips I’ve given can be applied to most traveling, I think this one can only lend itself to traveling abroad or in metropolitan cities in the the US like New York or San Francisco. I’d suggest when booking where you’ll stay for trips, to try to make in centralized to where you want to visit in that city so that walking is enjoyable and doable.
Some final thoughts…
I think something else to point out that could also contribute to why it’s totally possible to travel to Europe and not gain weight is that fact that everything is locally sourced and fresher. Their meat isn’t pumped with antibiotics and their grains don’t have preservatives, this means easier digestion. Their portion sizes are also generally smaller which leads into the culture. Because while it was easy for me to be in some of these booming cities and not think about the real lifestyles of that the people that live there, I had a conversation with the Chef we took our cooking class from and she informed us that pasta made with eggs was a luxury and typically done once a week (with the other days pasta being made with flour, water, and oil). This is because Italy is still considered a poor country which was eye opening to me in just realizing that this could be a contributing factor in that their culture overall doesn’t seem to lead to obesity. Most may not be ale to afford to have 3 larger meals a day with snacks or afford a car or a home/apartment that has a parking spot so walking everywhere is just part of life. And that’s definitely not to say that living a more simple life like this isn’t lovely because I thoroughly loved every minute in Italy, but it’s just very different from the States. I honestly didn’t see anyone obese that was a local, and while I also didn’t see anyone super “fit” or like they lifted weights because I never saw a gym, but I left with the perception that while they may be eating more of what we could consider in America “fun foods” they’re NEAT (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) is high enough and their portions are moderate to let this be a healthy lifestyle.
So with all of that said…
What should you do if you come home from a vacation and did gain weight? First of all DO NOT freak out! Instead be kind to yourself and check out my 5 Tips On How to Feel Your Best After Too Much Indulgence . And also, it’s good to note to wait a few days after a trip to weigh in. If you were on a trip that you were eating maybe more salty foods, not having regular bowl movements, not having regular sleep, or if you had to fly home, these are all factors which can cause water retention and weight fluctuation which can level out after a few days back to routine. This is how I determined that I didn’t gain any weight as I waited a few days to weigh in once I was getting back to my normal eating and routine.
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*This post was created by Ashley Cates who is not a Registered Dietician or a Medical Professional, nothing said should be taken as medical advice or replace any advice given by a Physician. This information does not in any way intend to diagnose or treat any health condition/disorder. The information provided is based on Ashley’s education and experience.