The Holiday Diet: Maintaining Weight Over Summer

Summer is at its height (well in the northern hemisphere anyway)...

If you've been dieting for weeks or months to get in shape for your holiday, how can you ensure you don't undo all your hard work in just a week or two? Can you stick to healthy habits and still enjoy yourself?

Definitely! Here's my top six tips for having a brilliant, healthy holiday.

1. Plenty of water

   When you're traveling, make sure you have bottled water with you for the journey. If you're going somewhere hot - even if it's just the beach - be sure to stay hydrated. Even if it's a cool day, you'll need extra water if you're walking or hiking.

   (And, of course, be very careful about drinking tap water when you're abroad. If you're at all unsure, buy bottled water or boil the tap water first.)

2. Get active

   One of the best things about being on holiday is the chance to do something new. Wherever you're going, there's bound to be new activities to try - it might be horse-riding, rock-climbing, ski-ing, sailing, wind-surfing...

   If you're feeling less adventurous, how about walking? Whether you're going for a picnic in the countryside, or sight-seeing in a major city, getting there on foot guarantees seeing some interesting things along the way.

3. Five a day

   It's tempting to let healthy eating slide when you're on holiday, but keeping your fruit and veg intake up helps. Find a nearby supermarket and grab some pieces of fruit - take them with you when you're out and about, and you'll always have a healthy snack to hand. When eating out, order a side salad with your meal.

4. Ask about portion sizes

   Some restaurant dishes might easily be big enough for two; other places expect you to order tapas-style and have several dishes each. Ask how big the portions are - or try ordering less to begin with, then have an extra course if you're still hungry.

   Don't be afraid to request something a little different: here in the UK, guesthouses usually offer a "full English" breakfast (typically sausage, bacon, toast, egg, mushrooms, beans, tomato) but will happily provide a lighter option, such as scrambled eggs on toast, if you ask.

5. Plan ahead

   When you know you'll be stuck on a plane or train for hours, or if you're going to be out all day, make sure you have some healthy snacks to hand. Granola bars, trail mix, dried fruit and nuts, small boxes of fruit juice and even a bit of dark chocolate are all easily-portable options.

6. Eat for the right reasons

   Don't eat food that you don't want just because it's there, or because you've paid for it. Airplane lines in particular may serve you more than you want (especially when you're sitting down for eight or ten hours straight, rather than keeping active). The price of the food compared to the price of your flight is minuscule; leave anything you don't want, and consider taking your own snacks on board.

   Try to eat just when you're hungry - or when you're enjoying something as a special treat.

If you try to keep to the guidelines above, you'll be keeping up your healthy habits whilst away - and you won't return home to a nasty shock on the scales. But don't fret over putting on a pound or two; it'll come off almost instantly once you return to your usual routine, so enjoy your holiday!

See also: How to stay active during the holidays.