There are No Vacations from Healthy Eating

There are few things that can sabotage a diet quicker than a vacation. So it was with great trepidation that I set off for the Dominican Republic a couple weeks ago. I knew little about Dominican food aside from rice and beans, but I knew myself well enough to know that "vacation" in my mind means "pig out." I think we have a tendency to take a vacation from everything in our lives the moment we check out from work. But I didn't want all my hard work (13 pounds so far) to be for nothing if I allowed myself a vacation from my diet. I had already stressed over swimsuits, trying on literally dozens of swimsuits that I ordered online, found on the back of a clearance aisle or dug out of my closet. I wanted to make sure the suit I left with still fit on the last day.

I'm happy to say I came home lighter, both emotionally and physically. Instead of eating at restaurants or grabbing fast food, my travel partner Denis and I opted to cook our own meals. In the Dominican that meant getting fresh seafood - enormous prawns, lobster and tuna steaks - right off the beach. We grilled all of it with nothing more than a little olive oil, some parsley and garlic. You can also buy avocados and mangos right off the back of a truck, which we did nearly every day.We made a "Serbian salad" called Shopska Salata, which is nothing more than cucumber, tomato, onion, feta and oil and vinegar. It's become a quick, easy dish for me to make for lunch.

But there were two reasons why I was able to eat this way on vacation, but find I struggle to do so at home. First, I had a companion for every meal. I eat alone a lot. It makes me rely on the food as a form of activity and a form of comfort. Having someone to cook with made me look forward to meal times for something more than just the food. And having someone to sit down with (at a table and not a couch) became the activity and the comfort. For me, it was no longer about the food but about the meal.

I also had a built-in support system who kept me in check in a way I can't seem to do for myself. At home I let my mind get the best of me and end up eating until the guilt takes over. Denis knows me well and knows my goals, which means he doesn't suggest things I shouldn't eat or tempt me with foods he knows are my weakness. Even after a long bus ride home from New York City one day, he whipped up a pot of polenta with skim milk when I was ready to make grilled cheese.

I'm on my own again, and so far I'm doing well. I still have to get back to the gym, but I'm not letting food be a constant stream of thought through my head like I did before. We'll see how long I last, but in the end, no one can lose my weight for me.