Aaaaand I’m back. I had a wonderful vacation in St. Thomas filled with lots of doing nothing, lying on the beach, staring at the ocean, and reading Harry Potter (officially as obsessed as The Hunger Games).  With vacation, of course, comes “vacation eating”. (I’m not sure if that’s an actual term, but I totally think it should be in the dictionary.) There’s nothing like being out of our routine that causes all of our good intentions to go out the window…

It seems that being in a routine often helps keep our eating in check.

We don’t typically finish each meal with a decadent dessert (we don’t intend to, at least!), sample delicious new restaurants every night, and indulge in snacks, drinks, pastries and smoothies every day.

We are creatures of habit and we thrive in routines. And those of us who struggle with food are often control freaks (Yep, I’m the first to admit it).

Control Freak + Being Out of Routine = Recipe for Disaster

Why is it that when we’re out of our routine it’s so hard to eat healthy??!

Let’s take a look: I’d be in my routine and eat well for a few days. Then something would throw off my routine (a happy hour, a dinner invite, grocery shopping when I was hungry, a weekend away, a vacation, etc) and it would screw up my eating, I’d freak out, try to get it under control, and end up feeling like a crazy person!

But with a few tips, you can totally feel prepared for those “out of your routine” situations. Whether it’s a week vacation, a quick weekend trip, or something else that comes up during your week, you can feel under control by following these helpful hints:

1. Plan ahead. This can mean different things to different people. Whatever your version of planning ahead is, it can help you feel more “in control” of the situation. Bring snacks, look at the menu ahead of time, tell the person you’re with that you are struggling and may need some extra support.  For me, I’m a slightly obsessed snack-packer.  No matter where I go, I pack snacks.  I know that when I’m ravenous, I turn into a crazy person…like a get-out-of-the-way-before-I-eat-the-pantry– kind of person…so I plan ahead. If I’m out shopping for the afternoon, I’ll bring an apple and trail mix. If I’m away for the weekend, I’ll bring zone bars, hummus and veggies, fruit, nuts, and peanut butter.  This helps keep my hunger levels even, so I don’t end up devouring a whole pizza. How can you plan ahead? Think of your next “out of routine” event coming up and think about what would help YOU feel okay going into the situation.

2. Have the courage to voice your needs. Oooooh yes, this one is hard. It is still one of those things I struggle with. It really does take courage to speak up about your needs when you are used to swallowing your opinions and feelings.  Taking care of your needs, especially if they are different than the group you are with, is hard! But your eating needs may be different than others. If you’re on vacation, and know you can’t go out to eat every night without it triggering you, maybe you suggest cooking in for a night or two. If you’re away for the weekend and don’t want to have pancakes for breakfast because you know it will lead to binges the rest of the day, make yourself some eggs and toast. If family visits cause you stress and angst, perhaps you go off by yourself for 15 minutes each day to keep calm and sane.  It’s okay to be different and take care of your needs. Taking care of YOU first allows you to be present and enjoyable around everyone else. (Tweet that!)

3. Allow yourself to indulge. The control freaks (*raising hand) out there want to eat perfectly 24/7. But when you let yourself really enjoy your meals, it can become a very different experience (one without anxiety and fear). Remind yourself that these “out of your routine” situations don’t happen every day. So if you go away for the weekend, it’s really only 2 days that you are eating out every meal. In the scheme of things, it really isn’t a ton of time. Try and enjoy the treats and indulgences during those two days! Whenever you get “food stressed” about an upcoming event or occasion, remind yourself to ENJOY the out of the ordinary experience.  (Tweet that!) Maybe it’s a wedding weekend and you know you’ll eat too many desserts. Or it’s a holiday dinner and you are anxious about overeating pie. Or you are going away for 3 days and will eat out a ton. Enjoy it! These experiences don’t happen all the time, so allow yourself to really indulge in the lavish, delicious foods. You can get back to it on Monday 🙂

So next time you are faced with an upcoming “out of the norm” situation, remember these 3 helpful hints-you’ll feel calm, cool, and collected in no time!

Tell me-what’s your next non-routine-y (can that be a word??) event that you’re anxious about? Which one of these tips will help you? Share below 🙂

PS-Stay tuned for my FREE Yoga for Body Awareness & Acceptance online video! I’ll be sending it out via email, so if you want access, get on the list!

PPSS-An announcement to come next week about a super affordable, life-changing opportunity. You can check it out here, but I’ll be giving more details soon!