Healthy Lifestyle Balance on Vacation

Plan pleasures other than food and drink.

a. Plan the kind of vacation you want. One way to think about this is to ask yourself, What about your daily routine do you want to escape from? (For example, if your routine is a hectic, crammed schedule, it’s vital that you not repeat this pattern on your vacation. If you do a lot of driving on the job, you might not want to spend your vacation driving.) What kinds of pleasures and freedom do you want to escape to? (What do you like to do most? Go to a faraway, scenic spot? Or stay at home and enjoy some free time? Make lots of time for a favorite hobby or sport? Spend time with old friends?)

b. Think about what you like to do for physical activity. Can you find a way to make that part of your vacation?

c. Be prepared to be assertive with others about what you want to do on vacation if you are going on vacation with family or friends. Negotiate a compromise if necessary.
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Irrational Beliefs and Challenges #13 of 13

Irrational Belief #13: Because I’ve fallen back from my food plan many times, it’s hopeless, and I’ll never be able to keep eating properly.

Challenges:

• Because I’ve fallen back from my food plan many times, I find it difficult to keep eating properly. But that doesn’t mean it’s hopeless or impossible.
• It is quite common that people fail many times at a goal before they find their way to succeed.
• I am as human as the next person.
• I’ll keep trying!

Behavior: Keep a log of incidents of falling back from your food plan, then note how you challenged your irrational belief, and how you successfully managed your food plan following the incident. Identify other situations where you failed multiple times but then eventually succeeded.

Irrational Beliefs and Challenges #10 of 13

Irrational Belief #10: I am poor at managing my food.

Challenges:

• At times I eat well and can manage food better now and in the future.
• I lacked skills in managing, but I am able to learn and do better each day.
• Because I was poor at managing in the past does not mean I cannot be good at it with time, effort, and patience with myself.
  

Behavior: Develop written guidelines for each meal to follow your food plan. Avoid impulse shopping. Prepare shopping lists and shop when not hungry.

Irrational Beliefs and Challenges #5 of 13

Irrational Belief #5: By going off my food plan, it proves I can’t stick to it.

Challenges:

• If I go off my food plan it proves nothing more than I choose not to stick to it at that time.
• I can now freely choose to go back to it at any time even though it may be difficult.
• Variations are normal; I have the ability to go back at any time, including today.
  

Behavior: Identify and log the triggers that led to the lapse. Log behaviors following a lapse that support resuming your food plan. Identify other situations where you failed multiple times but then eventually succeeded

Irrational Beliefs and Challenges #2 of 13

Irrational Belief #2: I must adhere to my food plan perfectly. Any lapses are catastrophes and mean I may as well give up managing my food.


Challenges:

• I don’t want to lapse. But if I do, it does not mean that my food plan is a total failure.


• I don’t have to be perfect in order to resume my efforts.


• If I tell myself I prefer not to lapse, it will be easier for me to resume my efforts.


• Lapses are normal and they happen to everyone.


• Lapses don’t make me a failure.

Behavior: Identify and log the triggers that led to the lapse. Keep a log of what you did after a lapse to resume your food plan.