If you have an upcoming vacation and have been struggling with binge eating habits or binge eating, it is completely normal to feel anxious about ensuring you can enjoy the food where you’re going without doing so in an unhealthy manner.
Today, I’m diving into how you CAN enjoy the foods you eat on vacation without engaging in binge eating habits—and how you can stop feeling anxious about food during the trip.
Food Restriction
— and why it makes things worse in the long run: As counterintuitive as it may sound, how you respond to food while you’re NOT on vacation will largely determine how you respond to food when you are on vacation. If you find yourself restricting food before you go, you will likely experience a scarcity mindset (AKA, the fear of insufficient food later on) while you’re on vacation. You may want to eat as much as possible while on vacation, telling yourself you will go back to restricting when you get home.
Unfortunately, this is an extremely unhealthy mindset and can actually trigger binge eating behaviors. Instead, letting yourself enjoy all foods at all times—not just on vacation—will allow you to enjoy “vacation food” without feeling all-encompassing.
Tips to Help You Enjoy Vacation Foods
If you still feel like you don’t have the proper tools to take on your vacay confidently, don’t worry—I’ve compiled a list of tips that will help you stop feeling anxious about food while on vacation!
1. Make a note of what you want to remember from the vacation.
Before you go on the trip, note what you want to remember from the vacation—special moments with your family or friends, a beautiful landmark you’ll see, or something else. Write it down somewhere you’ll have access to (like in the Notes app on your phone) so you can refer to it if you feel anxious. This will ensure that what you want to remember stays top of mind!
2. Practice allowing all foods when you’re not on vacation.
Remember—you don’t have to be on vacation to enjoy all food—even dessert. If you know you can have amazing food even when you get home, you’ll be less likely to try to eat as much as possible when you’re on vacation.
3. Go into the vacation reminding yourself you can have delicious food whenever you want.
Following the previous point, remember you can have any food you want, even when you get home. Tell yourself, “I can have delicious food whenever I want—I don’t need to give myself a stomach ache over it now.”
4. Embrace that if getting overly full happens, you don’t have to punish yourself for it.
Lastly, if you get overly full, remind yourself that you DO NOT have to punish yourself for it or let it ruin your vacation.
You’ve got this!!!
Wishing you the best time on your vacation—I hope these tips help you enjoy it to the fullest.
Keywords: binge eating, binge eating disorder, stop feeling anxious about food
