Planning your vacation can be a good weight loss motivator but what happens during or after the vacation? Has all that hard work to take off the pounds and change your eating habits gone down the drain in a short time? A three-day weekend won’t blow all your efforts but a vacation lasting one to two weeks may throw you off course, putting you at risk to revert back to your old ways. Here are some ideas to help you stay true to yourself while on vacation, whether it is a week at home getting things done around the house, going camping, or traveling to fun theme-parks.

Don’t jump in the car and head off on vacation without eating something at home before you leave. A banana and slice of toast will help you feel full so you are able to resist high calorie muffins, doughnuts, and flavored coffees offered at gas stations as you fill your gas tank. Better yet, fill up the gas tank the night before you leave. If going on a road trip, pack a cooler with healthy low sugar and low salt snacks. Once on the road, about an hour before you plan to stop for a meal, pull out some fruit, yogurt, cheese etc. That way you won’t be tempted to stop at the first fast food restaurant you see, and when you do stop you can make less hunger generated choices. I don’t like to spend my calories on the way to someplace. I’d rather spend my money and calories on more of the local fare. On hot summer days it is tempting to “drink” your calories in attempts to cool off, whether it is ice tea, soda, or bottled juice. I often buy one bottle of water then keep refilling it with tap water each time we stop and if desired add single packets of Crystal Light for flavoring. On hot days, Dairy Queen signs seem more inviting and more numerous along the countryside than usual! If you are an ice cream lover like me, if you do stop, opt for a Dilly Bar as a dessert after a picnic lunch you’ve packed. It’s fewer calories and you’ll still feel like you’ve treated yourself but limited the calories. Use wayside rest areas to stretch your legs and have a picnic lunch. Have the kids play a game of tag or Frisbee on the grassy area. I’d pack individual lunches for each of my kids, as well as for my husband and I. They’d have their own snacks and they’d eat and ration their foods across the miles. If you do want sweets buy single serving packages for each person rather than large bags and include it in their sack lunch.

Airports have now become like modern gas stations. They sell everything from T-shirts to doughnuts and coffee. If you don’t eat before entering the airport, you will be enticed by food all the way to your terminal. I don’t like all the salty or costly snacks the airline sells on the plane so I make and bring my own. You can bring your own snacks on the airplane, as long it isn’t liquid. When the flight attendant comes down the isle with the snack and beverage cart, I pull out a bag of homemade trailmix and ask for a glass of water off the cart. I’ve been known to pack unsalted nuts, grapes, and Wheat Thins, for in flight munching and if necessary such items will hold me over while a flight is delayed or the plane is sitting on the runway. You also don’t need to give up exercise when flying. Walk to your airline terminal. Don’t use the moving walkways. If you have time remaining before your flight once you find your terminal, go for a walk.

Once at your destination, take advantage of the breakfast buffets that might come with the hotel. Don’t carbohydrate overload on the doughnuts and sugared cereals and spend 1,000 calories before you even start exploring. Rather, choose one food from each food group, like a slice of whole-wheat toast, a hard-boiled egg, a sugar-free yogurt and a banana. Such a breakfast won’t leave you feeling sluggish before your day even starts. Plus you save your calories for those special outings later in the day. Many hotels also have exercise equipment or pools which is nice if you are going to an area where you aren’t accustomed to the heat outside and don’t feel like you can tolerate the heat. If you don’t like to swim, you can do exercises in the pool.

When planning your vacation, even if you decide to stay home and get odd jobs done, don’t forget about the food. The “I’m on vacation” calories can add up quickly. A busy day of working outside in the garden builds a hearty appetite but are the calories burned while weeding more than those in the two brats you grilled for supper, along with the two beers? Probably not. Don’t forget to take meal or snack breaks during the day, a small snack will curb your appetite so you don’t overindulge later. I like to keep containers of cut up vegetables, fruit, and cheese in the refrigerator for quick snacks. Be careful with beverages like Gatorade or PowerAde. They go down easy and are full of sugar. I recommend to only drink those on hot days if you are sweating hard to replenish electrolytes. Don’t drink them just to satisfy your thirst. For little kids I make lemonade. To a cup of ice water I squeeze a fresh lemon into it. My grandchildren love it. For myself I like to make an ice tea mix that I learned from Starbucks. Then on my at home vacation days I sit on the porch swing and sip my tea. Here is a modified version of the flavored ice tea Starbucks makes.

Brew two bags of raspberry tea in one cup of hot water for 3 minutes. Take one cup of prepared Crystal light lemonade. In a tall glass containing ice, mix equal portions of the two.

Denise Arnold is a registered and licensed dietitian at Albert Lea Medical Center — part of Mayo Health System.