Even though I’m not exactly an angel when it comes to eating when I’m on vacation (I mean honestly, who really is?), there’s still a part of me that maintains some semblance of healthy eating so all is not lost when I get back home.

And that’s exactly how things unfolded this week when we were in Montreal for the jazz festival. Generally, I did pretty well. I’m not a big drinker so there weren’t lots of empty calories expended on that. And we walked everywhere, some days logging 5+ miles so that helped too. But i did indulge a bit with desserts. We came across some awfully good ones that I must admit I loved. The good news is that it was all in moderation.

So what’s the key to my success in averting weight gain while on vacation? It’s all about finding a few healthy snacks that are easy to carry, keep blood sugar stable and stave off hunger. My first order of business in a new city is always to scope out the closest market and we easily found the IGA about a 1/2 mile from our hotel. We stocked up on fresh fruit and nuts that powered us through our busy afternoons of exploring and listening to amazing jazz.

We also found the one healthy food stand at the whole jazz festival. Well actually, most of the food at this particular stand wasn’t the healthiest, but the big winner was the fresh mangoes on a stick that they featured. As soon as I saw someone eating one, I made a beeline to get my own.

Check out the video I created right at the festival with this yummy treat. It’s so easy, you can make it at home yourself!

What do you do to ensure that you don’t fall completely off the wagon when vacationing? What’s your success strategy to avoid weight gain? Do share what works for you.

Filed under: Exercise, Fruit, Healthy lifestyle, Snacking, Weight loss, weight gain