Vacation Prep! How Much Change Can You See in a Week?

Let’s cut to the chase. Any large ad you have seen that claims ‘Lose 10Lbs in a week’ or ‘Get visible abs by doing this exact workout’ is “click bait” – putting a title out, that sounds too good to be true (because it is), just so that you will click it, buy it, and share it. It will 100% of the time lead to either no results or water weight loss results which will last until… you eat again.

Whether you are going through vacation prep or an event prep - Cutting your caloric intake or intensifying your exercise/cardio regimen the week of your trip will only release WATER WEIGHT. This means that as soon as you eat a full meal, the ‘weight’ will come back on. Restricting food and liquid the week of a trip or event can also make you binge more when you do go.

I never recommend restricting and instead I encourage habits that you can do long term, consistently. This means incorporating your favorite foods – maybe it Is a bag of 140 calorie Fritos at lunch or a fun size kit kat bar each afternoon. You CAN enjoy these things and see body fat loss (which if you are seeking weight loss or toning – decreasing body fat IS your goal) as long as you are in a caloric deficit.

Things you CAN do the week of a trip or event to feel your best when you go:

1.)    Get plenty of water at least 6-8 bottles per day. This will help with reducing bloat, brightening skin, & feeling full of energy.

2.)    Get lots of antioxidants through incorporating multiple colors through the day with fruits and vegetables. Adding blueberries to your morning oatmeal, spinach to your protein shake, a sweet potato at lunch, a banana after supper. All of the range of colors provides your body with different vitamins & minerals.

3.)    Get plenty of protein so that you stay full and are less likely to over indulge.

ANY movement is better than no movement at all! There is no reason to spend hours doing cardio the night before you are going somewhere, you can not lose body fat over night. Instead, focus on staying moderately active in the months and weeks leading up to your trip through a mixture of resistance training and cardio vascular training. I like to do a 15 minute workout video followed by a 15 minute walk outdoors, which is what I teach through my boot camp group.

A realistic goal to know that it is sustainable weight loss, and not just temporary water weight, is about 2LBs per week. However, as you make more progress, the weight will not come off as quickly as it did in the beginning. Also, as your body composition changes (which is what you want to be left with tone and not flabby skin) and you are building muscle, you will notice that your inches and shape is changing while the number on the scale may not be. That is totally okay and is a great reinforcement that you are tightening your body up!

Go ENJOY! Life is short and just like you can not lose body fat and completely change in one week or one night, you also can’t gain a ton of body fat and completely change the other way with one week ‘off’ your normal.