How to Lose Vacation Weight?

So the Christmas vacation is over and now is the right time to take charge of your health and weight. Most people find themselves staring at the scale with an open jaw after a vacation. "How could this happen? I didn't eat that much!" When you're on vacation, it's all too easy to abandon everything you know about eating healthy and then return home unable to button your pants.

Vacations give us a chance to discover new places and to take time for ourselves. Many people destroy their diets when they go on vacation. Not only do they not lose or maintain their current weight, but most actually gain weight! The Reason is quite simple; anytime your daily routine is interrupted and you are confronted with the allure of foods you don't normally eat, doled out in larger portions than you are used to, you gain weight! So how does one battle the bulge after a trip and win?

The first bump in the path to success is the fact that our stomachs are happy eating a large meal size and coming down to "normal healthy" portion sizes leaves us feeling kind of unfulfilled. Of course, you have to overcome such emotions sternly. The next major obstacle is that we start our frenzied work routine after coming back from vacation. This leaves us with no time or inclination to eat in the morning or lunch hour. As a result we tend to eat the most at dinner time. This is the worst mistake one can make because dinner time calories are responsible for weight gain (especially in all metro city dwellers). Follow these simple steps to get rid of vacation weight:

• Your daily regime must consist of lukewarm water in the morning. You can also swallow 10 tulsi (holy basil) leaves along with water.
• The breakfast should not be skipped. You can have a light but nourishing food like egg and toast OR poha with milk OR a bowl of wheat flakes with fruits and milk
• Lunch is must and should consist of wholegrain products like brown rice, whole wheat phulkas (chapati) OR whole wheat pasta accompanied with veggies.
• In the evening, tea/coffee can be taken with biscuits.
• Dinner should be light with lots of salad, green vegetables, raita (yoghurt mixed with spices, vegetables or fruit) and one chapati for men and none for women (because women have slow metabolism). Alternatively, you can also have a continental meal consisting of grilled fish/chicken with sauté veggies and a salad.
• To lose weight in a jiffy, one must cut down on sugar and all sweet delights (Vacation is over remember!).
• Eat breads, pasta, noodles and other refined foods with moderation. Besides, one must also go easy on the alcohol for some weeks.

There are rationalizations of our wicked mind which we must guard against:

1. It is only a small weight that I have gained. It will go on its own.
2. If I lose weight very quickly, it may make me sick. Remember, this quick weight loss applies to vacation weight gain which has been gained quickly and not to general weight gain).
3. I will start tomorrow.
4. I cannot eat less because my stomach demands more. Your stomach demands more because it is habituated to the vacation food binge. Remind your stomach that the vacation is over!
5. It is better to die than to live a life of deprivation. Firstly, this deprivation is only for a short while and no one dies of overeating suddenly. It is better to stay healthy than to carry all the diseases and the medical bills associated with them.

If you couldn't sample the local cuisine, your vacation wouldn't be nearly as fun. It's okay to indulge a bit on vacation. Although the smartest approach is to resist the temptation to 'pig out', if you do decide to overindulge over a period of time, resume your normal eating habits as soon as possible. Lastly, one word of advice to the people who are overweight, You should knock off vacation weight on a priority or it will be stuck forever!