Diets for Traveling

Even though you're going on vacation, careless weight gain will not miss a day. Traveling provides ample opportunity for mindless eating and empty caloric intake. If you don't want to be disappointed by the scale when you return home, stay on top of your eating habits while you're out of town. Remember, the goal is to look just as good (if not better) stepping off the plane as you did when you stepped on.

Start off Right

• While traveling, start your day with healthy breakfast choices. Most hotels and restaurants offer fresh fruit options in the morning; eat a fruit platter with some protein to give yourself a healthful energy boost until your next meal. Don't drink fruit juices, as are they laden with sugar and hidden calories. Always drink water instead.

Move Your Body

• Exercise must be included in any successful diet plan in order to maximize weight loss. While traveling, you won't have access to your normal workout routine, but there are plenty of chances to improvise. Swim a few laps in the hotel pool or walk on the treadmill in the hotel gym; if the hotel doesn't have a gym or a pool, walk a few laps around the perimeter of the hotel parking lot, or around the surrounding neighborhood if you feel comfortable exploring. If the weather doesn't permit an outside workout, walk up and down the hotel stairs until you bust a sweat.

Make Smart Menu Choices

• For lunch and dinner, order the more healthy options on the menu. Order a salad (with dressing on the side) or baked potato instead of french fries or potato chips with your afternoon and evening meals. Choose grilled or baked meats instead of fried. If you order soup, go with a water or broth base instead of a cream base. If you order pasta, order a tomato sauce rather than a cream sauce. Ignore the bread they put on the table, or refuse it all together. Don't waste valuable calories with fruit juice or soda; drink water instead. And watch out for those alcoholic beverages that sneak in on every vacation; they are high in calories and the more you drink, the more you won't care about drinking and eating.

Snack Yourself Silly

• Be prepared for hunger to strike while traveling. Keep healthy snacks with you at all times so you won't be tempted to cheat on your diet with potato chips or candy found in your mini bar or the hotel gift shop. If your hotel has a buffet, wrap up some cheese and fruit to eat for later. You can also purchase protein bars, granola bars, or multi-grain tortilla trips to satiate you until your next meal.

Drink Plenty of Water

• Not only is water good for you, it will help curb your appetite to prevent overeating. Before every meal, and before eating snacks, drink eight ounces of water.