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I'm going to Vegas in a couple of weeks!
I'm so psyched about it!
This is gonna be my first big trip away from home-cooked meals since I started my journey and I've been stressing BIG time over the potential weight-gaining food choices I'll have to make in Vegas. Over the weekend I must have looked up two dozen restaurants on the Strip, checked out their menus, and planned our days/activities around which restaurants offered the 'healthiest' choices.
CRAZY RIGHT?! How did I let it get this far? The worse part: I didn't even realize I was planned my vacation around food until today. I was talking to a co-worker about my trip and I was going on and on about everything. I must have been talking for a good 5 minutes straight when my coworker looked at me kinda blankly and asked, "Are you only gonna eat food up there?" That's when I realized FOOD was running my Vegas agenda. How sad is that? I realize it's smart to have a plan of attack for vacations and special occasions but to plan an entire trip based on food choices?!?!
That's when I sat back and thought about everything. I threw out my entire agenda and started over with the things I actually wanna do on this trip - no food influences included!
When I took the time to stop thinking about food, it was much easier to relax. I realized this is life and I won't always have the opportunity to plan every single meal so I need to learn to make smart choices and strengthen my skills in willpower. My plan of attack to stay on track in Vegas:
- find the closest gym
- don't forget that all the walking around counts as physical activity
- bring my resistance bands to get in a hotel-room workout
- bring protein powder/Shakeology
- bring simple snacks to keep me full all day
- eat on my regular 6-meals a day schedule
- avoid all buffets except for one night... Rio World Buffet!
- no to the free drinks :(
- never finish everything on my plate - even leaving a bite or two behind will help
- choose only one: appetizer, dessert or drink
- document everything I eat - in pictures or in words - to keep me accountable
14 comments:
Vegas, I'm jealous, lol.. Enjoy your trip and it looks like you have a great strategy laid out. Just have fun!!!
Ahhh Vegas!!! Screw the list and just have a great time ... my last trip to Vegas I remember getting hammered on the plane and then the next 4 days were sort of a blurr ... Best.Time.Ever!
The ventetian's gym ROCKS! But theWynn's gym
is also very nice and u can relax in their sauna / steam rooms after. Have fun!
Hello Annie,
You are on the right track with your strategies already. Here are some of my tips which centers around; indluge in moderation!
1) Stick to the staples: Find a grocery store and stock up on stuff like apples, pears, etc. to have healthy and nutritious portable snacks. If your hotel has a fridge, you can go a little further and keep carrot sticks and pre cut and washed veggies in there and maybe even some greek yogurt.
2) The 70-30% rule: At home, you are eating clean about 90% of the time on good weeks right? On vacation, aim to have 2 healthy meals and snacks and splurge in moderation for the other ones. I usually do not have more than 2 drinks per day and choose red wine or a light beer instead of cocktails. Also, instead of having desert, maybe just keep a couple of squares of dark chocolate on hand or if you have a healthy meal then have desert.
3) Make it count: Splurge on what you cannot have at home.
4) Workout in the morning: Do at least 30 minutes before you shower or else you won't get to it.
HAVE FUN!
sounds like you have a great strategy
just relax its a vacation you can gain a pound or two we wont yell at you too much lol
have fun
I love love LOVE Vegas!!! And like you, I let FOOD dictate my first trip there. Unfortunately that went haywire and I splurged then too much. I think you've got a great plan of attack though with your work outs and stuff...so you should be okay! Relax and ENJOY the trip!!!
I think it's absolutely true that you should not plan your vacation around food. Don't get me wrong: stay on course, keep working out, don't overindulge, but the point of the vacation needs to be about having fun and seeing the sites.
My big vacation trick is packing (or buying at a grocery store once your there) healthy breakfasts, snacks, and lunches.
Sounds like you're on the right track!
Are you up for some hiking? It's definitely not traditional-Vegas-activity, but there are some worthwhile places around, depending on how far you want to drive. www.hikinglasvegas.com has some info on lengths and dificulty and stuff, but you don't have to purchase anything through them if you don't want to. It can be helpful, but generally you'll be able to find the info elsewhere (e.g., on the internet, or the visitor center at Mt. Charleston has maps of all their hikes for free, same with Red Rock last time I was there. Email me if you find one you're interested in but can't find directions).
Also, other than your one planned night, stay away from buffets! They really aren't worth it. 1) It's expensive for what you get (so you may feel obligated to eat more so you can get your money's worth), 2) Spend the same money and get way better food at one of the restaurants. I think the buffets are why people are so scared of gaining weight in Vegas, so don't go that route and you should be fine.
People say Vegas is a 24 hour town, but it's not. If there's some type of show or something you plan on seeing, keep in mind it's probably closing by 10 or midnight on the weekends (earlier during the week) so don't plan on doing it "whenever." You can drink and eat and gamble 24 hours (and go to the gym!) but you can't see shows 24 hours! There's some good ones, so it's worth planning before.
If you plan on staying on The Strip, don't plan on walking to downtown (e.g., Fremont Street) or vice-versa. It's only a few miles, but it's through some bad neighborhoods. There's a bus, or take a cab.
Most of all, though, just try to have fun! After all, this is a vacation, right? :)
The first thing I do after getting my bags in my room is go to the nearest CVS/Rite-Aid (there are many in walking distance) to stock on bottles of water and containers of almonds. The water is big help in cutting expense and calories from alternate drinks.
You've got a great plan in place.
Enjoy!
I was able to get a couple workouts done while I was in Vegas a couple weeks ago. I brought some resistance bands with me. Trying to do plyo in the hotel room was a bit tough with the limit space.
However, I ate like you read about!!!
Have a nice trip!
Ohhh pictures of all your food?! I can't wait! I think planning food is a smart choice, you have great plans, good luck turning the drinks down!
Have fun in Vegas! I was there last March for my birthday and had a blast. I didn't gain from the trip either because we were walking a ton. It also helped that our room had a fridge, so we bought a few things and didn't eat out for every meal.
Hawaii was a blast btw! I love all hiking you can do. I miss it already.
Make your weight loss/healthy lifestyle pay you extra money http://itshrunk.com/0090ed
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