Sticking to Your Diet While Traveling

If you are anything like me, part of the joy during a vacation is the food. That is not necessarily good when you have type 2 diabetes. When we plan our vacations, especially to Disney World, some of the first decisions that we make are where we will eat. I'm just being real. So how do you keep yourself from "falling off the wagon" while on vacation? Here are a few suggestions that have helped me when the aroma of everything I should not have seems to seek me out.

Tips & tricks to not "fall off the wagon"

1. Decide before you leave what you will allow yourself to eat. If you are on a very strict diet, you will need to prepare yourself to say no even when everyone around you is eating what you want. That is just the fact of life.
2. Plan a few ordering options at the different restaurants you may visit. In most cases, you can find the nutritional information for the restaurants on your "must go" list. You can use this to plan your meals. It may be a little extra work before you leave, but it could help you stay on track when the menu is in front of you and hunger is talking.
3. Don't miss your snacks. You know that it is also not good to go too long without food. Remember to eat your snacks. This will also keep you from getting too hungry and overeating at your next meal.
4. Pass the bread (or any other item that is off limits) to the other end of the table, and ask someone you trust not to pass it back. This may seem funny, but it can work. If you are like me, the bread at some restaurants will blindside you when you step in the door. You need an accountability partner.
5. Give yourself permission to have something yummy (within reason). It is vacation for goodness sake. The problem is when you decide that the entire vacation is "eat like there's no tomorrow." Some of you really need to work hard on keeping your carbs down and may not be able to splurge at all. Ask your server if there are any alternatives for the dessert you want. I know that when we visit Disney World, many times there are healthy desserts, and if those don't work, sometimes they can make an alternative.
6. Keep perspective. You have to view your "diet" as a new lifestyle. If you have not made this switch in thinking, it will be much harder for you to make good choices. Once I made that mental switch, it became much easier to say no to an entire plate of pasta and yes to a few bites of it. I can now say no to a milkshake and yes to some fruit and yogurt (which by the way, I am still trying to enjoy).

It is possible to enjoy your vacation and make good food choices. Decide ahead of the trip and activate that willpower. You can do it.