Eating While on Vacation

When you’re on vacation, you often face a dilemma when it comes to food. You want to enjoy yourself and not have to worry about macros, but you also don’t want to return home 10 pounds heavier.

Matt recommends a compromise that will allow you to eat what you like without adding too many inches to your waist.

Popularized by John Kiefer, it’s an approach called “carb back-loading.” Research suggests that when we consume carbs early in the day, our fat cells are more sensitive to the insulin spike that occurs after you consume those carbs which causes an increase in fat. If you consume carbs later in the day (and especially right after an intense anaerobic workout), the muscle cells (and not fat cells) are more sensitive to insulin causing muscle growth but not fat growth.

So during the day, you eat as few carbs as possible, sticking with meals that are largely made of protein and fat. When I travel, I usually bring along my protein powder of choice, a bottle of coconut oil, and a shaker to make some fatty protein shakes. I’ll also bring lots of sugar-free, no-carb beef jerky (this is a good one). If I’ll be staying someplace for a long time and have access to a kitchen, I’ll stock the fridge with some bacon, eggs, pre-cooked microwavable chicken breasts, and cold cuts.

Doing your workout right before dinner is ideal, but if your schedule doesn’t allow it, that’s okay.

Then at dinnertime, you enjoy yourself. Eat that burger and fries, and indulge in that maple creamee.

I like to combine carb back-loading with intermittent fasting (not eating for 14-16 hour blocks of time, followed by a “feeding” window), because it seems to up its efficacy, and just makes life easier. So I’ll start off the day by skipping breakfast, and not eating until lunch, which is a protein/fat meal. Then I keep any snacks low-carb until dinner, and don’t eat anything after dinner, fasting until lunch the next day.

Sticking with carb back-loading, with or without intermittent fasting, should allow you to gorge yourself on delicious vacation foods at dinner while minimizing the expansion of your waist.

If your vacation plans includes some carb-tastic breakfasts or lunches, just eat it. Again, you’re on vacation, and you can let up a little. It’s not going to kill you or set you back that much to enjoy a giant stack of pancakes with real Vermont maple syrup.

Bottom line with diet: Do your best, but don’t sweat it too much.

Once you get back home, just get right back into the gym and your regular routine again!

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