Losing Weight On Vacation?

It's about 6 weeks after I competed in the Maryland, and I just got back from a little 5 day vacation with my girlfriend, Kari. We took a cruise to Mexico and KeyWest, and spent some time in Miami, where we boarded the ship.

People were joking before I left about how I was going to gain a whole bunch of weight on the cruise. I had maintained my weight and leanness for 6 weeks withing a pound of my contest weight. I was 207 lbs on stage, and I was about 208.5 lbs on the day we left for the cruise. I came back at 211 lb and looked leaner, which means I filled out my muscle and lost fat. In 5 days!

On stage, Aug 20th 207 lbs.

Well, when I got back, people noticed the tan ... but they also seemed to notice that I looked leaner not fatter! People keep asking, "How did you lose weight on the cruise?" So now I will divulge my secret.

Me on the ship with Kari. I'm 208 lb here.

First, I brought some MRP's (meal replacements), my shaker, and a few protein bars. I had 2 MRP's per day and one bar. That's 3 meals.

Second, every day, I did a circuit workout before my first meal. It wasn't intense; just 3 sets of each exercise and rotated until I got through all the body parts. Then I had an MRP right away.

Third, we went on a cruise ... which meant there was a lot of walking at in all the port of call. In Key West, we walked for like 4 or 5 hours; in Mexico, we walked for 6 hours; and in Miami, we walked from 8am to about 6 pm. Thats a lot of calories burned off!

As for the other meals? Pretty much anything I wanted! Crab cakes, chicken parm, mashed potatoes, ice cream, pasta ... it really didn't matter because of the energy I expended all day. I was still under maintenance.  I went by how I felt: if I felt very flat, depleted and dehydrated, I loaded up on salt, ate tons of carbs, and went nuts at the dessert buffet. If I felt bloated, I would just drink an MRP and have something like cottage cheese and some fruit. Listening to my body is the key!

Fried conch fritters helping me lose fat!

Most people go on vacation and really just sit around, eat bad food, drink alcohol, and say, "I'm on vacation!" That's not how I roll. I like being one of the best bodies on a ship of 2,000 people! I feel better knowing I'm eating what my body needs and not just jamming things in there because I'm on vacation! Key lime pie and conch fritters have loads of fat and sugar ... so what? I just walked for 4 hours! And after I ate them, I looked  and felt better!

This was my 3rd dinner that night complete with sugar-free dessert!

So those are my cruise to weight loss secrets. They can be applied to any vacation. Just remember when packing:

1. MRPs
2. MRP bars
3. Water bottle
4. Still work out even if you are on vacation. Try some new routine and since you're in a new gym, 45 minutes will fly by!
5. Bring running shoes! Walk, walk, walk!
6. Don't forget the sunscreen, because sunburns SUCK!

Now you are ready to lose fat on vacation. Enjoy!