3-Day Diet Plan to Bounce Back after Vacation (or anytime)
Oh, summer vacation. Or should I say VACATIONS with an ‘s’ since it seems that summer always turns into a big party of multiple trips, lots of BBQs, outdoor happy hours, and no small share of indulgences. And that’s what summer is about – CELEBRATING LIFE – good friends, family, exploring, relaxing, and of course….great food (and drinks!).
I'm coming back from a 4 day stint in Las Vegas (aka a ridiculous amount of vodka, plus some pizza and other unhealthy snacks) and my body is FEELING IT as I try to get back into my normal, healthy routine. I feel sluggish from late nights out, traveling and not-the-healthiest meal choices for 4 days straight. Note: I did make an effort to do my workouts and drink my superfoods while I was away, but I treated this as a vacation and indulged a bit.
So what happens when you get home? How do you reset?
These are some simple tricks I take to get back on track…. The best part is that you can use any of them anytime of year, not just after vacation.
How to get back on track after a Vacation
1. Eat clean foods.
2. Up your water intake daily (at least half of your body weight in ounces, daily).
3. Get your body moving for 30 minutes a day, 4x a week.
4. Shut eye for 7-9 hours per night.
5. Skip the booze for at least the work week.
From my experience, #1 is what's going to get you feeling back to normal the quickest. So skip eating out or grabbing fast food, and stock up your fridge for the next few days. I created a simple 3-Day Post Vacation Diet to follow to get back to feeling like ME.
Here's what I grabbed at the grocery store (grocery list is below):
PROTEINS
Eggs
1 lb - 99% Lean Turkey
0% Greek Yogurt
Shakeology (Email me how you can get a sample)
CARBS
1 large Sweet Potato
1 bag Quinoa
VEGGIES
Baby Spinach
2-3 Peppers
Broccoli
1 bag baby Carrots
FRUITS
1 carton Strawberries
4-5 Bananas
HEALTHY FATS
Low Fat 3-Cheese Blend
Hummus
On average, I try to eat the following daily:
4 servings of protein, 3 servings of veggies, 2 servings of fruits, 2 servings of carbs, 1 serving of healthy fats.
I follow a program called the Portion Fix, which has helped me learn what foods to eat and how much of eat type of food to eat daily. I've lost 25lbs following this program and exercising. Learn more about the Portion Fix here.
3-Day Post Vacation Meal Plan
Day 1
Breakfast: 3 Turkey Egg Cups
Snack: 3/4 cup Greek Yogurt with 1 cup Strawberries and honey
Lunch: Shakeology with 1/2 banana and P2B
Snack: 10 baby carrots and 2 TBSP hummus
Dinner: 1 cup Turkey Taco meat, 1 cup veggies and 1/2 baked sweet potato
Day 2
Breakfast: 3 Turkey Egg Cups and 1/2 Banana
Snack: 10 baby carrots and 2 TBSP hummus
Lunch: Shakeology with 2 TBSP almond butter
Snack: 3/4 cup Greek Yogurt with 1 cup Strawberries and honey
Dinner: Turkey Taco Salad
Day 3
Breakfast: Shakeology with 2 TBSP almond butter
Snack: 3/4 Greek Cookie Dough Yogurt
Lunch: Turkey Taco Salad
Dinner: Buffalo Broccoli Scrambled Eggs with Sweet Potato Wedges
Snack: 10 baby carrots and 2 TBSP hummus
Recipes:
Turkey Taco Meat
- Sautée 99% turkey taco meat until fully cooked (no pink)
- Rinse off in colander to wash off fat
- Tip: I like Trader Joe's low sodium taco seasoning
Turkey Egg Cups
You'll need:
6 Eggs
1 cup cooked 99% Lean Turkey Meat
1.5 cup diced veggies (I use broccoli)
1/4 cup cheese
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Whisk 6 eggs in a large bowl (if just Egg Whites, use 8-10 eggs)
- Chop 1.5 cup broccoli
- Spray non stick in muffin tin. Depending on size, you can make a whole tin of small muffins or 6 cups of medium/large muffins
- Pour egg into the tins, evenly distribute broccoli and cooked turkey meat into the tins
- Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes. Keep an eye on how muffins rise and distribute cheese to melt on top.
- Eat half now, freeze the second half for tomorrow.
Turkey Taco Salad
1 cup Turkey Taco meat, 2 cups spinach, 1/2 cup cooked Quinoa, 1 cup steamed veggies, 1/4 cup shredded cheese to top
Buffalo Broccoli Scrambled Eggs with Sweet Potato Wedges
- Scramble 2 Eggs and mix with 1 cup steamed or sauteed broccoli. Top with Buffalo or hot sauce.
- Dice 1/2 sweet potato into small wedges, cover with 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil and sea salt. Baked in oven at 400 for 15-20 minutes or until desired crisp.
Have you tried any of these strategies to get back on track after a vacation? Please leave a comment below and share your experience with me and other readers…I would love to hear what works for you.
And if you find this information could help someone in your life – please share this post, everyone deserves to feel AMAZING after vacation.
