Step off the Scale: Break Free From Dieting

6. Eating Healthy on Vacation? Maybe...

• Ashlee Wright

Share episode

Send Ashlee a text!

Summer’s coming, and that means vacations, road trips, beach days, and more. But with all the fun can come that nagging fear of "What if I mess up all my progress?" You know the voice - it’s the diet culture trying to sneak back in. So today, I’m here to show you how to enjoy your vacation without stressing about food or feeling guilty.

In this episode, I’ll break down how to:

  • Let go of the pressure and stop micromanaging your meals while on vacation
  • Enjoy your food without feeling guilty or thinking you need to "earn" it
  • Stop the cycle of "starting over" once you get back from your trip (because, spoiler alert, you don’t need to)
  • Feel grounded and balanced even when you’re away from your routine

Connect with Ashlee:

Website

Instagram

Facebook

Resources:

Download the Top 10 Dieting Mistakes Keeping You Stuck

The Emotional Eating Reset




Speaker 1:

Welcome to Step Off the Scale, the podcast where we are redefining health and happiness beyond the numbers. I am your host, ashley Wright, a dietician for over a decade, mom of two and craft beer lover. Together, we'll say goodbye to restrictive diets and learn simple strategies to help you actually enjoy your food again without guilt. Now let's dive in together. Okay, I know that summer is almost here and I know that some of you are already packing up for your beach trip, for a long weekend getaway, for a road trip, a cruise, whatever you're doing, and while part of you is just super excited, there's this little voice in the back of your mind that just says what if I screw it all up? What if I overeat the whole time? What if I end up back at square one? What if I lose all the progress that I've made? Does that sound at all familiar to you? It sounds familiar to me and so many other people that I've talked to over the years. As a dietitian, let me tell you, I know that vacation can seem just like this daunting thing coming up, and I don't want it to be this daunting, scary thing. I want you to enjoy your flippin' vacation. So today I'm going to show you how to enjoy your vacation without stressing about losing progress, ruining your hard work, all the things, because it is so possible. You don't need to micromanage every bite, not at all. So I want to talk to you about how you can feel free and grounded even while you're away from your usual routine. So hello there and welcome back to another episode of Step Off the Scale. I am your host, ashley Wright, and I believe that food freedom isn't just about when you're in. You know, you're in your home, you're in your kitchen, you have all your things organized, those perfectly scheduled days, right. It's about real life. It's about real travel, real messy family road trips, packing some poolside snacks and you know airport french fries because, let's face it, there's not that many great options at an airport, right, you know airport french fries because, let's face it, there's not that many great options at an airport, right? So this episode is all about giving you the tools and mindset to enjoy your vacation without stress, guilt or stupid diet drama.

Speaker 1:

So the first thing I want to talk about is that it's so incredibly normal to feel anxious about vacation, so don't feel like you're weird about like, oh gosh, what am I going to do about eating and you have all these things in your mind. You are not alone, trust me. For years, we've been told that success means sticking to the plan, and if you're stepping outside of that, well holy crap, what are you even doing? You know it's portrayed as this dangerous, risky thing and something to fear. So if you're feeling anxious, you're not failing. It makes total sense. We've all been there, right?

Speaker 1:

I know that there are so many of you out there who have worked so hard to build a healthy relationship with food. So like leaving your kitchen and your normal grocery list feels like super vulnerable because you've worked really hard to have that healthy relationship with food, like in your normal circumstances, but then, like something throws a wrench in it and then you feel uneasy. It feels uncomfortable, right, but remember that food freedom is not a fragile thing. One vacation cannot undo everything whatsoever. I think for a lot of us, we have this feeling like we need to be able to control everything, and I know I can certainly relate to that myself, and that's not what we're doing here. We're not going to be able to control everything. I just want to give you the tools that you need so that way you feel as prepared as you possibly can going into your vacation. So let's talk about the fear of messing it all up. Right, I totally get that. I've been there myself. So many of my clients have been there too.

Speaker 1:

You're like pre-vacation planning. You're like trying to micromanage every little thing and trying to stay in control, and then either you're trying to stick to the plan you set to yourself and you're feeling miserable about it and you're feeling deprived, or like you can't enjoy things, or you quote unquote fall off, eat everything and then spiral into guilt. Well, let me tell you, neither. One of those is what food freedom is all about. You don't ever have to start over. You just keep going with compassion and curiosity and that's it. You don't be hard on yourself. You're like okay, well, I had a day where I decided to have some beer and wings and French fries. Not, you're like okay, well, I had a day where I decided to have some beer and wings and french fries. Not, you know, speaking of anybody that I know, maybe me.

Speaker 1:

Full disclosure this past weekend was Mother's Day and you know, most people maybe want to go to a nice brunch or something like that. I went to Buffalo Wild Wings because I freaking love chicken wings. It's one of my favorite foods on the planet and I don't eat them every day, but when I want them, I want the extra crispy salt and vinegar wings at Buffalo Wild Wings and I want a nice tall cold beer with it. So I hope that for all the moms out there, you enjoyed your Mother's Day and you had the food that you truly enjoy. So well, let's circle back to vacation now. So I want to give you a couple things to think about in your vacation food game plan with no food rules, by the way. So the first thing that I want to talk about is just keep eating, please.

Speaker 1:

Vacation is not the time to skip meals or try to save up for dinner. I think that's one thing that can happen is like we'll eat breakfast and then we'll think, oh, I'm going out to dinner later, so maybe I shouldn't eat anything else today to save up for later. But then you get to dinner and you're freaking starving, and then, of course, you're going to decide on whatever the hell choice you want and you're going to be like OK, give me the damn chicken wings again. Right, where, if you would have said OK, I'm going to have my breakfast, I'm going to have my breakfast. I'm going to maybe have a little bit of a lunch to help keep my hunger at bay. Get ahead of it a little bit. Then when I go to dinner, my brain's going to be a little more grounded and I could be like, okay, what's the meal that I really want to have? But it's also going to make me feel really good.

Speaker 1:

Don't be skipping meals. That's just diet culture, like sneaking back in, you know, and I want you to make sure that you're feeding yourself regularly. Stability matters more than perfection. Secondly, bring a grounding snack or two with you. So you know travel can be a really unpredictable thing, right? You know flights can be delayed, there's schedule changes and we need to be a little bit prepared for ourselves, you know. Bring a snack or two that make you feel safe and satisfied. So like you know, bring a snack or two that make you feel safe and satisfied. So like, whether it's like a protein bar you really love or a pack of nuts or trail mix. You know, something that really makes you feel good and satisfied for a little while and that's going to help you too. Like if you're in a pinch at the airport and your kids want a snack while you're waiting to board the plane, right? You think, okay, I got my go-to snacks with me, right? So that way you feel at least a little bit prepared. So it's not about control, it's about like, okay, how can I be a little prepared to help myself in this situation?

Speaker 1:

Next thing is to focus on how you want to feel. Instead of asking yourself what should I eat, try asking yourself, maybe well, what would actually make me feel good right now, physically, emotionally, mentally, what's something that's going to actually make me feel really good? Sometimes it might be a nice salad, sometimes it might be fries Both are valid things, okay. But just like, take a step back when you're making your food choices and this goes for any time, really but focus on how it's gonna make you feel. How is this gonna support my body? How is this gonna make me feel better right now? Am I gonna feel good in my body eating this Like? Is it gonna give me energy? Is it gonna last longer? Then that's one thing to pay attention to as well, like what foods actually help keep you fuller for a longer amount of time. So that's also something to keep in mind.

Speaker 1:

And last thing I want to tell you is please, please, please. If you have a moment, remind yourself that you're still okay. If you eat past fullness or you stress snack, or maybe you just feel off, that is not failure. It's information. Instead of spiraling and feeling guilty, take a deep breath and remind yourself. This is part of the process. I'm still doing the work. I'm still moving forward. I am not a failure. I'm not starting over. Do not effing punish yourself. There's no need to restart. You just need to keep going and move forward and remember that you are a beautiful human and you deserve better than feeling guilty and berating yourself about food.

Speaker 1:

And if you need to hear this right now, here, it is Okay. You are allowed to rest, you are allowed to eat, you are allowed to explore, you are allowed to enjoy your food on vacation. You don't have to earn that experience. You don't have to earn that experience. You don't have to balance it out. Your progress is not undone by enjoying what you're doing. You're not starting over. You're moving forward, one choice at a time. And that is what's so important. Give yourself a little bit of grace. Don't give yourself the goddamn guilt, please.

Speaker 1:

Okay, and one more little thing I want to tell you before I let you go today. Please, please, please, please, do not weigh yourself the second you get back from vacation. Listen, I know the temptation is real, but you have so many factors at play with just the travel itself, like if you're on an airplane. I mean, everybody gets a little like puffy ankles, right. So if you're on an airplane, you're eating out, you're having more sodium, there's changes in your routine. There's no need to measure your worth by that number first of all, right, and there's no need to weigh yourself as soon as you come back from vacation. It's not going to be true anyway. And if you do decide to go on the scale, at least give this is step off the scale, after all, and I want you to focus on how you feel and not the number in front of you, and you deserve that grace for yourself.

Speaker 1:

I really hope that this episode helped to ease some of that vacation anxiety for you. I want you to go on that vacation unplug, rest, relax, eat the freaking food that you want, to enjoy a margarita by the pool and not feel one bit of guilt about it, because if you're stressed out and feeling guilty all the time, that's not going to help any of your progress either. So we have to keep those things in a perspective, right. It's not just about the food. It's about the stress, it's the sleep, it's how you're feeling. It's just so much more than that and sometimes I think that we forget that.

Speaker 1:

I am just so thrilled that you decided to spend some time with me here on Step Off the Scale. I would love to hear from you. You'll see a little link below that. You can shoot me a text if you want to. It's such a cool way to hear from my audience. Just know that that text. It does come right to me, but it is anonymous, so I don't see who's sending it. But I am always thrilled when I hear from you guys. Or you can go ahead and DM me on Instagram. It's at Ashley the dietitian. I would just love to hear from you and I can't tell you how grateful I am for you. And if you want even more support when emotional eating, strikes or stress eating, I want you to keep in mind that I have a very special offer for you called Stay Calm and Carry Snacks. It is my very special toolkit that helps you handle those overwhelmed moments without losing your cool, and you'll find the link in the show notes.

Speaker 1:

And, most important thing is, enjoy your vacation.

Speaker 1:

You deserve it. Enjoy the food, enjoy the time away and enjoy the hell out of it. Okay, your food freedom is real even when you're on vacation, and I will see you next time on Step Off the Scale. Thank you so much for spending your time with me today on Step Off the Scale. I know that life can be crazy busy and I truly appreciate you taking the time to be here with me today. And just a quick reminder that your worth is not defined by a number on the scale and you don't need to follow restrictive diet rules to feel good in your body. You deserve to feel freedom, confidence and a life where eating feels easy again. If today's episode resonated with you, I'd love for you to subscribe, leave a review or share it with a friend who needs to hear it. Your support means the world to me and it helps this message reach more women who are ready to break free from diet culture and live a happier life in their own body. Take good care of yourself and I'll see you next time.