I'm going on vacation in a few weeks, there'll be a lot of eating in restaurants and since I don't want to fly home in the cargo hold of the plane, I need some serious help! I know I'll probably be eating in a Japanese restaurant since I wanted to try sushi (without the raw fish.) Also Chinese, for sure. Any suggestions? You all know what kind of vacation debauch I'm talking about!! I really need some good suggestions so that I can eat out with having to make the "I'm on Atkins" excuses.
I've been reading "Living Low Carb" by Fran McCullough, and one thing that really freaked me out was that if you go off LC, the weight you gain back will be all fat! That is NOT something I needed to hear right now. Is it possible for me to enjoy myself with people that feel food is a religion, and yet come home with my head held high??

I don't have a solution for you (sorry )cause I blew it last year on my honeymoon (and then rolled into the holidays...) and its taken me close to 5 months to get back down to the weight I was before my honeymoon.

But with that said, I would not cancel the vacation cause of "food". We all only live once and need to enjoy our time on this planet.

We need to remember that this is a WOE not a "diet" but a lifestyle. Do your best to stay on plan but do not worry yourself with guilt if you slip up to "experience" something new while vacationing (do not limit your life experiences cause that will lead to regret (but don't over do it...)).

I would advise "do your best" to stay on plan. If you gain, except it as an extra "bill" from the vacation that you need to pay off.

I know some people might disagree with this advice but I think in the long run....it's not a bad approach to this WOE (as long as your not vacationing every other day, week, or month!

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:silly:
Wolfman
207/178/175
Top Weight: 220 (Oct 2000)
Lowest Weight: 178 (Oct 2003/Dec 2006)

Well first of all don't cancel your trip!

Keep in mind that this is a WOL! That means that it is something you do no matter when or where you are. If you can't do it or you fall off the wagon.. then guess what.. that is part of life! It happens to all of us at some given point in time! It is nothing to be ashamed of!

Second of all..I tend to disagree with the weight you gain back from eating HC right after is all fat! NO.. it is mostly water! Keeping in mind that when your eating LC your body don't need as much water because it is not needed to process all them carbs! That is why they call this WOE very diaretic. Ok.. so now.. let say you ate HC food. Naturally your body is going to need extra water to process them carbs. Right there is your "weight" gain. Of course if you KEEP on eating HC it will eventually turn into fat gain. When I eat HC .. the next day I will be up 5 - 7lbs. It takes me about 3 days to take it back off again.

As for your food choices.. well I don't know what is all available..but if they cook it in front of you.. just tell them what veggies, and meat you want...what sauce you want and of course skip the rice.

I am sure there are a lot more ppl that know more about the menue there that can give you more specific information.

Most importantly.. enjoy your trip!

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"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on."
- Sir Winston Churchill

Tanya
Way of Life since Jan 2003! First time LC'ing 272/146/130! I didn't fail, Low carb didn't fail me.. my thyroid did!

My current stats are: 285/279/260(mini goal)/130

there are some sushi places offering LC versions made w/ all fish and veggies im sure it isnt the same but.. thought id let you know

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01/02/04-248{ 4/29/04- 218} 6/30/04- 204
7-05-04 198 8/30/04 - 190 (got lost after that-)
4/03/08- 261 -
Goal-140-145

I'm planning a trip in July, hoping I look better in a bikini than I did last year (didn't think I looked too bad, until I got the pics back ). But while I'm there, I'll do my very very best to stick with this wol, but if I mess up a bit, it's a vacation, I'll work on those few extra "mess ups" when I get home.

Live it up, and enjoy yourself, but don't do what dh says "I'll" do, and eat everything in site, lol

Have a fun trip!

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Kristie




remember: weight loss slow and steady wins the race

I don't know if you have the book or not - I gave mine away - but in the book, Atkins for Life, there is a list of what to eat in different types of restaurants - there are suggestions for a Japanese restaurant. Perhaps, someone else around here has that book and could give you some suggestions. I am not too sure what the difference is between Japanese and Chinese but if i were eating Chinese, i would have beef and broccoli or pepper steak and skip all the breaded items - or if they had it, I would just have 1/2 cup of brown rice to go with it - much better than white.

Sheyla

If it wasn't 22MB, I'd send you my powerpoint from last year of "What I Ate On My Summer Vacation".

I took my grandkid to Seaworld and Clearwater Beach for a week, ate well in many restaurants, and lost 5 pounds on top of it all. It ain't hard, really. It will be even easier now a year later with so many places being carb-conscience. Have fun, and don't sweat it!

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Mikeyrat

Maz -

I don't agree with Fran on that point. I'm the QUEEN of "going off lc" on vacation and every time I have, I've always lost the first 4-5 pounds in the first week back on LC.

Depending on how much you gain, I think the first 3-5 pounds are going to be water.

Why?

Because, IF you do go off and have some regular carbs, your body is going to use this opportunity to restore it's glycogen stores and WITH THE GLYCOGEN, it also stores water.

When you get back and go back on lc, the first thing that happen in the first 12 hours is your body depletes these glycogen stores and, with them, the water. So, that's why your first few pounds WILL be water.

Now, if you've gained 15 pounds on vacation, then that means you will likely lose say 5 pounds of water in the first week or so and then the other 10, will probably take a month or two.

Now, this is IF you go off.

Think long and hard about it. I've done several big trips since I started in 2001 and it isn't always easy to get back on. Sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn't.

I would recommend eating as low carb as possible as much as possible and save your "bad carbs" for something really special. Don't just go around all day thinking "hey, i'm on vacation, what type of crap can I find to stuff in my mouth!" That's what I've done in the past and it's not good!

I would just want to eat something "off lc" simply because I figured my vacation justified it. Dumb, dumb, dumb. What I should have done is eaten lc 90% of the time and "saved up" my bad carb allowance for one or two things I really wanted like a special bakery that has my favorite French bread or the little ice cream shop with my favorite gelato, etc. Not ALL DAY. Just a treat.

Sorry, I'm rambling! I have alot to say on this subject matter as I have LOTS of experience with it!

My best advice is to pick and choose your carbs very wisely and enjoy yourself!

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It is always necessary to leave some part
of cooking to improvisation. - Paul Bocuse
Member since 2001

When I was going on vacation about a month ago (to an all-inclusive, all-you-can-eat resort, no less) folks suggested I try following a CAD-type plan (basically like Atkins, but with a "reward meal" once a day that, following certain balancing guidelines, allows you to eat anything at all). I more or less followed this, with a few cheats (after all, wedding cake was involved!) and actually managed to lose 3 pounds.

NO WAY should you cancel your trip! Remember--any weight loss plan that you hope to have work for you forever must become a way of life. Unless you plan to have your new way of life never involve going on vacation then you might as well figure out how you're going to deal with it now.

Aderyn

I read about LCandrea on ediets.com, so I hope is o.k. to mention it(ediets.com) here. There is a Terri Z. who went on two vacations after she started Atkins. Her story was the first one I read during induction(day 4 or 5) and it really kept me going. I still have the first page of her story up tacked up where I can see it in my kitchen. She had to buy new clothes between cruises because she had dropped a size or so.

k.

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Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off of your goals.
222/180/150 5'9.5

My DH & I have been going to this one Chinese restaurant for 19 years and always order the same things: shrimp fried rice, beef fried rice, and shrimp egg rolls. We've ate this food 3 times since I've been eating LC. I pick the meat and veggies out of the rice and take the wrapper off the egg roll. Hey, I'm doing the best I can and it's not like we eat it all the time. So that would be my suggestion: pick out and eat what is legal and leave the rest.

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Karen
147/135 LF
135/127/117 LC

1. What SCIENTIFIC evidence did Ms. McCollough present to prove that weight gain after low carb is "all fat"? Just assumptions? or the results of actual body fat percentages done before and after????? (No offence to her - I'm sure she's a lot smarter than me. I just want to know were the info comes from, eh?)

2. MIKEYRAT: I'd love to see that power point, and maybe even use it on the site, credit to you, of course. Email me! webmaster@lowcarbeating.com

3. Vacations do not HAVE to mean blowing it, though you might want to ratchet up to maintenance levels rather than weight loss ones, depending on your goals.

4. "I'm on Atkins" is not an excuse. It's a statement of fact!!!!!!!! And I'll think you'll be surprised at how many people are making that same statement of fact while you're on vacation

5. The best advice I can give you is to PLAN PLAN PLAN. Know that for X meals, you'll be having a little extra, and save the "extras" ONLY for those meals. The rest of the time, be more strict. This helps you stay in control by creating a mentality that says, "This is not a cheat, it is planned. I am not cheating, I am still in control."

6. Have fun, gosh darn it! Your WOE shouldn't ruin your vacation - it will keep you feeling energetic and up!!!

7. Most of all, if you come back a few pounds over where you left, DON'T BEAT YOURSELF UP OVER IT!!! In the grand scheme of things it is unimportant AS LONG AS you just get right back on track and keep on going!

The danger is to say, oh man i gained back 7lbs, I'm terrible, it's no use, I'm giving up...

and we all know (all too well, for me) where THAT defeatist thinking lands us!

Check in here after you get back - will help you be accountable and get right back on track.
We'll keep the light on for ya.

Best wishes,
LCandrea

Water, Water, Water, Exercise, Exercise, Exercise..... Remember that during your vacation you will be eating things you might not normally.... all the more reason to drink more water than you normally do cause restaurant food tends to have more salt, msg, and other things that retain water....
Exercise... if you are staying in a hotel, they almost all have work out rooms these days, and pools. If not, walk, take a walk every day, besides the walking you do sight seeing.... even if it is just for 15 minutes, get in that exercise.... This should help you deal with the non-plan food you might have to choose or want to choose to try....
Everyone else has given you lots of suggestions for staying on plan... you can do it, but if not, don't beat yourself up, just come back and get back on track.
Most of all, enjoy your vacation.

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http://www.youravon.com/cnorulak
carolyn in texas
started 8/11/03 327/268/177
5/20/08/ - 348
onward thru the fog

One thing about vacations also is that you are more active than you normally are, taking long walks, swimming, and all the activities can counteract the little vacation goodies.

For Japanese, you can eat teriyaki chicken (ask for the teriyaki on the side), you can also eat a handroll (try california, its only crab/mayo,spice and avocado wrapped in seaweed) if you dont like the seaweed, pick out the inner and eat that, its like a crab salad, you can also get shrimp/cream cheese and avocado rolls, with a little bit of rice, there are ALOT of alternatives, have a salad with your meal. Chinese is easy to eat, steam veggies or veggies sauteed in garlic or chili w/ oil and a meat.

I definitely wouldn't cancel a trip, its what we work so hard for !

Good Luck

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2001 = 230 lbs
1/2003 - 218 lbs
1/2004 - 187 lbs
current 195/goal 150

Please, please, please don't cancel your trip! Life goes on, and it would be really sad if you let adherence to this WOE interfere with your life!

For Japanese food - seaweed salad (called kaiso) is my alltime favorite. It's seasoned with rice vinegar which has a little sugar in it, but overall it's a great choice. You can also ask for pickled veggies, and sashimi, which is sliced raw fish, no rice. I know you said no raw fish, butI am telling you, this stuff is manna! I think people get grossed out by the image, but really and truly, the taste and texture is out of this world. Add a little dollop of wasabi and some pickled ginger - heaven. Try to avoid my alltime favorite which is unagi (grilled freshwater eel) because it has a sweet sauce on top. Stick with the tuna (toro, I think, is the belly tuna - YUM!), salmon, sea bass, yellowtail (himachi - second all time fav). You can also have the flying fish roe wrapped in seaweed. I could go on and on.

Good luck to you and HAVE FUN!!!!!!

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Jen



179/179/120