How to Lose Fat & Be Inspired on Vacation

August 2, 2010 By 1 Comment

HOW TO LOSE FAT ON VACATION

Hey. Just got back from a great 2 week vacation with the family. It was just what the doctored and more! Everything was great – the weather, the food, the people, the entertainment, the hotel, the sports facilities…. Just about everything. There is nothing I can really complain about (I don’t like whining anyway).

Typically going away with three young children can be fraught at the best of times, but the facilities and the care for the children at our hotel made it a memorable stay.

I’ve decided to split this post into 3 sections because there’s a lot that I wanted to share with you about my vacation. The first (and that’s what this blog is all about) is how I managed to lose 5lbs whilst on holiday! Yep that’s right. No BS – I managed to lose 5 lbs; returning from holiday leaner with a great tan… that’s not bad for the confidence! I’ll share with you how I lost fat on holiday and how you can too without sacrificing great food and compromising your enjoyment of the holiday in any way.

WHO’S YOUR ROLE MODEL?

In the second and third posts, I want to tell you about two very special people that we met whilst on vacation. For anonymity reasons I won’t disclose their real names – lets call them Andrew and Dave. Both of these people inspired and motivated me – but for very different reasons. They very quickly became role models – people that I aspire to be. Having a mentor or role model in your life is important. It is very easy to maintain the status quo – but that doesn’t help you grow as a person. Having a role model or model can help stretch, motivate and guide you. More on Andrew and Dave over the next few days.

Now let’s find out how I managed to lose 5lbs fat on vacation…

I didn’t have a plan to lose 5 lbs. Instead I set off with a plan to maintain my weight by not succumbing to masses of junk food and copious amounts of alcohol. Not easy when we were on an all-inclusive holiday!

HOW TO LOSE FAT… ON VACATION

So here are my secrets on how to lose fat on vacation:

  1. Make sure you spend time implementing great habits before setting off on vacation. You can’t just expect to turn up at the beach, decide to suddenly start eating healthily and exercising daily.
  2. Eat breakfast every single day. If there’s one thing I swear by is having oatmeal with low fat milk every morning. It’s great for slowly releasing energy throughout the morning without ever feeling hungry before lunchtime.
  3. Eat plenty of salads, vegetables and lean proteins (chicken and fish). Food portions whilst on holiday are notoriously huge. My tip here is to use a smaller-sized plate which will naturally limit the portion size. Avoid the starters, the side plates of bread, and the dessert tray.
  4. Once a week have a real cheat day. Enjoy eating whatever you want from lunchtime onwards. Don’t make yourself feel uncomfortable through overeating though – instead just enjoy some of the foods that aren’t typical of a healthy fat loss regime.
  5. Limit your alcohol consumption. There are many deleterious effects of consuming alcohol (I won’t go into them here). Instead drink plenty of water and then drink some more (water). I abstained from alcohol for most days and then had a few beers on a few special evenings (including a late night out with the boys until 3:00am after the World Cup Final).
  6. Make sure your holiday is an active one. If you spend most of your time lazing around in the sun doing nothing apart from soaking up the rays, lethargy sets in…. When this happens, it negatively impacts on eating habits with the end result being to eat more junk food.
  7. Hit the gym (if there is one) or do a bodyweight resistance workout in your hotel room. This again is about creating a good habit – for me and Julie it became a daily ritual for 30 minutes every morning. I introduced her to the wonders of metabolic resistance training (high intensity resistance training). She became a quick convert into the benefits!
  8. Have a game of squash or tennis or volleyball if the hotel facilities allow. Be careful though… make sure your body is ready for any ‘new sporting activity. Can’t use me as an example here – during my second game of squash I managed to partially tear my hamstring… putting me out of action for a few days. Note – my last game of squash was about 15 years ago at university.

Here’s another thing that I find on vacation. Even though it’s about spending great quality time with the family, I find vacations a great opportunity to have great self time – this means time to reflect, time to plan and time to feel good away from the day-to-day pressures of ‘the job’! Self-time for me is healthy time. Being healthy makes me feel and look great as well as clearing out all the garbage in my head.

So there you go. Not too complicated. Not too painful. We had a memorable holiday doing things we had never done before, enjoying the company of each of other and new friends….. and I still managed to lose 5lbs of fat.

NEED SOME PERSONAL ATTENTION?

Want to know more about how to lose fat fast. Why not grab one of my vacant coaching spots… it may just transform your life. Click on the link below to find out more…

==>  ”ONE-ON-ONE IGNITION COACHING” with Dave G  <==

You Can Burn Fat Fast! Dave G

P.S. I’ll leave my watersport adventures of windsurfing and sailing for another day – I’m not a natural at either of them.

P.P.S. Look out for Parts ’2′ and ’3′ of “How to Lose Fat & Be Inspired on Vacation”. I’ll be introducing you to two guys that made a real difference to me and make a real difference to those that are around them.
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Fat Loss Nutrition on the Road

April 27, 2010 By 4 Comments

Hey there!

Fat Loss Nutrition on the road is something I’ve struggled with for many years. Whether out socialising with friends or away on business, eating in a restaurant can be tough on the waistline.

The temptations to break the discipline can be tremendous!

It needn’t be all bad, however. With some simple steps, discipline and by making some polite requests to the waiter, you can still enjoy most of the benefits of a meal out without having to feel guilty.

  1. Don’t be Dictated to by the Menu. Have some confidence in yourself by customising your menu order. If your meal comes with a fatty source – ask to have it without. Instead of fries – ask for a baked potato. If they don’t comply (and why wouldn’t they?), simply walk out of the restaurant and remember not to go there again. Who’s the customer?  Is there anything wrong with “no sauces”, “extra vegetables”, “steamed instead of boiled”, “extra egg whites”? Just remember to say please and thank you.
  2. Skip on the Appetiser. How often do you have an appetiser at home? I don’t know about  you, but I never do. So what’s so different when you are out having fun? Do you really need one? If you need anything to graze on whilst your friends are consuming their chicken wings, have a sauce-free salad.
  3. “Undress” your Food. This is crucial. I know it’s easy to order that chicken sandwich with mayonnaise. Instead, just ask them to hold off it and have some mustard instead. This will significantly reduce your calorie intake.   Better still, ask for the sauce to be brought to you on a side dish. Then it’s up to you as to how much you should
  4. Ask for Steamed Vegetables. Raw vegetables are the most nutritious – period. Unfortunately, cooking destroys much of the nutritional content. Whilst eating out, ask the waiter to steam your vegetables instead of boiling them. Did you know that boiling your veggies removes up to 75% of the nutrient value?  Considering vegetables are not cheap, this is a horrible way to throw your money down the toilet.
  5. Eat Slowly. By eating slowly, it will ensure that you don’t over eat because it takes about 20 minutes for your brain to register that you’re full.  If you eat fast or even gulp your food down, then you can eat beyond the point of fullness. This leads to unhealthy weight gain (as well as indigestion!). Whether you want to pack on muscle or lose fat fast, enjoy your food and eat s-l-o-w-l-y.
  6. Grilled or Baked? Do your best to order you food grilled, steamed or baked. Grilling and baking food removes the fat as the cooking takes place. Avoid any kind of frying or deep-frying of your food – this adds so many unwanted extra fat calories.
  7. “No Thank You!” You need to get into the habit of saying this when the waiter brings along the basket of bread before your meal. I know it’s difficult to say “NO” to anything that’s free, but have him take it away to avoid the temptation. Remember that nothing in life is “free.”  Your over-fat belly will “pay” for it later!
  8. Avoid Dinner after 6pm. This is a little controversial. By booking early, it means that you’re not going to bed late with food in the stomach. I am sure that you have heard the theory that eating late causes weight gain. Even if you don’t believe this, I’m a firm believer that going to bed on a full stomach causes disturbed sleeping patterns.
  9. Pass on the Salt. Yes, your body need some salt to maintain optimum cellular activity.  You’ll get more in your diet than necessary, however, without even trying.  Two slices of bread, for example, supply more than your daily requirement for salt. Too much salt can cause a whole raft of health problems including heart and kidney diseases – not least it can cause water retention and a bloating appearance.
  10. Ask for the Fruit Bowl Instead of the Dessert Menu! You know what the dessert menu will look like – full of delicious calorie dense cakes, pastries and other goodies. Not great for your fat loss nutrition plan. So the best response is to ask for the fruit bowl instead. If you really need anything after your main meal, ask for an apple or some strawberries. You’ll feel better for it!
  11. Save the Alcohol for Special Occasions. Alcohol can be so overpriced in restaurants. Not only that, but it also costs your waistline 7 calories for every gram (vs. 4 for proteins and carbs). If your goal is to get fat-free then be prepared to cut back on your alcohol. Limit your intake to just one drink of red wine if required (at least there is some nutritional content here). Another problem with alcohol is that it very quickly impairs your judgement – making you likely to order more deep-fried foods, extra bread and dessert.

So there you have it – 11 Simple Fat Loss Nutrition steps on the road. As you can see they are not impossible. All you need is some discipline along the way.

Does anyone have any other suggestions? If so, please don’t forget to add a comment to this post!

Live Well

Dave G

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