Chocolate and Beyond

The problem with frequent travelling is weight gain

Having had a recent trip to the USA (and being served HUGE portions of food!), I currently feel weightier than I have done in a long time. In fact, I could barely fasten my jeans on the plane home!

I can honestly say, the idea of going on a diet is creeping into my mind. Especially since I have a holiday coming up in a few days, which is an all-inclusive trip, and I know I will be faced with mountains more of food.

I find intuitive eating principles are not easy for me to practice while away, and I go away a lot. Especially on a press trips, where we get full breakfast, lunch and dinner, in yummy restaurants and hotels, and I want to enjoy the experience fully. What I think is that I'm only going to be there this once, so it seems such a shame to not try things - but the effect is weight gain! At least for me.

I had a similar weight gain /dieting panic a few years back after returning from Tunisia, and I have just re-read that post to remind myself how I dealt with the feelings then.

However, my thoughts about intuitive eating have changed a bit over the years. I no longer think I should just eat 'what I want', as long as I'm hungry and I only eat enough to be satisfied. While this is a tactic for the initial stages of giving up dieting (to free yourself from deprivation mentality), I find that if I eat - for example - a lot of high-carb foods, I get hungry again very quickly and I am never satisfied for very long.

I also believe that some foods do have the effect of being 'addictive', while not necessarily good for you, especially sugary, carbohydrate foods. So I may think this is what I want, but it's not really the best choice for me (I get in a habit then of eating them and wonder why I feel bad and stodgy). 

So - I'm not dieting, no. But I am going to 'cut out the crap' for while, so to speak. That doesn't mean I will omit chocolate of course (I have cupboard loads of the stuff too, since it was recently my birthday and people bought me lots!), but I am going to make a conscious decision to aim for nutrition over 'empty calories'.

Hopefully some of this 'travel weight' will be shed in the process, and I will be able to fasten my jeans comfortably again. But I still have next week's holiday to get through. Hmmm.

Looking forward to a foodie experience of Berlin...

Off to Berlin tomorrow morning for the Valentine's weekend - yay! (Though the downside for me is I have got tonsillitis, not so yay). But I am looking forward to trying many of Berlin's fantastic food experiences.

I remember when going away for a romantic hotel break would set me in a panic when I thought about all the overeating I'd be doing. What got to me the most was how little control I would have relying on restaurants and hotels to feed me.

I know many people who restrict themselves terribly while away on holiday, and I feel relieved that I am no longer in that position. Travel is as much about new tastes as sights, smells and people. To forbid yourself this pleasure is denying the greatness of life.

One thing I know about Berlin is that it is excellent for vegetarians. There are loads of Turkish and Middle Eastern eateries that sell houmous and halloumi meals, and there are some very trendy veggie restaurants like Cookies Cream.

Just hope the tonsillitis doesn't last much longer :-( We've booked a lovely hotel though, the Adina Apartment Hotel Berlin Hauptbahnhof. A nice four star with a pool, and breakfast included.

I was initially thinking we wouldn't be managing the breakfast if we're having a bit of a mad disco-dancing weekend. Now, I'm guessing it's not going to be quite as crazy as anticipated, so we'll be manaing it perfectly fine (thank you very much). Oh well, at least we have the Berlin food!

 

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