How To STOP Worrying About Gaining Weight On Vacation

Imagine being in ITALY and spending so much time stressed and concerned about gaining weight that you never get to enjoy the food, the sights, or the fun?!

I had the privilege to study abroad in Italy. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, living in the beautiful city of Florence, like living in a history book, just steps away from the world-famous Duomo, and able to enjoy some of the most delicious foods at any moment of the day.

Yet, the first thing that came to my mind when I hopped on the plane with a one-way ticket was -- is my body going to change?

Here I was, about to live an absolute dream, and all I was worried about was gaining weight, and I know I'm not the only one (I hear this same worry/fear from my clients all the time).

This is the problem with diet culture -- it keeps you focused on your body instead of living, experiencing, and enjoying our lives!

I’m so grateful that my roommate helped me out of this weight-focused, diet mindset.

We were sitting in our apartment, listening to the chimes of the Duomo church bells in the streets and she looked at me and said:

“We’re only here for a few short months, we can’t take any of it for granted.”

And, thankfully I listened.

I spent the next 6-months stress and diet-free.

I went to a gelato festival and ate 5 gelatos in one day.

I ate carbs and cheese at almost every meal.

I sipped my way through JUGS of wine, making so many memories with my roommates.

Diet-obsessed me would be appalled, but food & body freedom-me, was living her BEST LIFE (see photos below).

I remember a few other girls studying abroad telling me they were feeling super guilty about the amount of gelato they were eating so they gave up gelato for lent.

Lent is when Catholics give food or something up for about 40-days, as a sign of sacrifice.

With no disrespect to the religion (I grew up Catholic), it was pretty clear to me that these girls weren’t giving up gelato as a symbol of sacrifice -- they were using lent as an excuse to diet.

I was in shock - we only had two months left in Italy. Studying abroad for ONE semester is short enough, and they were willing to give up gelato for most of it?

That’s diet culture in action.

I can’t imagine how much I’d regret wasting any time worrying about my weight while this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity passed me by.

Having food and body freedom while studying abroad allowed me the mental freedom to travel around Europe without stressing over if I ate ‘healthy’ enough that day, or if I had a calorie deficit or not.

Having food and body freedom freed up my energy to plan an incredible 10-day trip to 6 different cities, and experience so many different cultures and food!

Having food and body freedom allowed me to embrace and enjoy the opportunity to live with family in Sicily, and eat every.single.thing they put on my plate guilt-free -- whether it was nutritious or not!

Having food and body freedom allowed me to create so many memories, more than I can count in just 6 short months, and I didn’t take ANY of it for granted. And, honestly, my body didn’t even change! I didn’t gain a ton of weight, my clothes still fit, and I felt more comfortable and confident in my body than ever before.

Don’t let diet culture hold you back from living these irreplaceable moments!

When you’re planning your next vacation -- I want you to remember this, and say:

“I’m only here for a short time, I won’t take anything for granted.”

But, food and body freedom isn’t just for traveling, vacations, and trips, it’s for every.single.day of this short life we have!

Life is meant to be experienced and I don’t want you to waste one more minute of it worrying about your diet, or the ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ foods to eat.

I want to help YOU find your food and body freedom, so you can enjoy and embrace every moment: on vacation and in your day-to-day life!

Instead of wasting your time worried about how many calories you’ve eaten, or how many times you’ve had carbs in one day, you can use that time and energy creating memories with your family and friends, and enjoying every minute!

Are you ready to STOP wasting your time and brain space stressing about your diet, and START living your LIFE?

For a limited time I’m offering a free 30-minute food & body freedom assessment call, where we can get clear on the first steps you can take this week to heal your relationship with food and your body, so you can finally enjoy your next vacation, and the rest of your life without even thinking about starting another diet ever again!

Sign up for your free call here!

Be Well,

Marissa