Hi all, I know this has been quite a common topic but mines a bit different…
I have been loving the bsd, been doing it for 4 or 5 weeks and seen great results. However I’m going on holiday in 2 weeks (really excited). As much as I’ve been enjoying the diet I don’t want to be doing it for that week on holiday. I want fish and chips on the beach, I want to enjoy my baking rather than make it for others and not eat it and gosh darn it I WANT a bacon sandwich! 😂
I’m not gonna be doing the diet on holiday so my plan is to eat some things I enjoy but not overeat at any meal. We will also be doing lots of walking on the beach.
My question is… Has anyone done this and roughly how much weight did you gain in the week? I’ll get right back on it once I get home but I’m terrified of losing loads of progress. I’ve lost a stone and 4 lbs so far and I can cope with gaining about 4 lbs or so. I know everyone’s different but if anyone has any experience so I can get a rough idea of what to expect I would really appreciate it. Thank you x

Hi Laurlyloo
I am probably not going to say what you want to hear…. but here goes anyway..
If you are loving BSD and seeing great results that is fantastic ! Why would you want to risk a set back in your progress ? You can still eat great food on holiday ! It doesn’t have to mean chips, bread and cakes surely ?
It ‘s only my opinion but it seems a shame to plan for a weight gain. It may be that 4 to 5 weeks is a short time to crack the carb cravings but I really believe that for this way of eating to be sustainable you have to make food choices which don’t leave you feeling dissatisfied that you can’ t have what you really want ..
When we go away I find delicious foods but it doesn’t mean a radical change from my usual pattern.
This is just my view but I would say the longer you can eat low carb, the less appeal foods like chips etc will have.
Enjoy your holiday though :: that’ s important but keep an eye on the long term goal ?

Hi Laurlyloo, I know it’s really hard when your whole concept of holiday or celebration is tied to the food that goes with it. Free pass to eat whatever you want. That’s what my holidays were (ahem, are still a bit, also when I’m sick comfort food is practically medicinal) – which means I’m going back to work today in my biggest pair of trousers. The problem is your body doesn’t realise that holidays mean calories somehow don’t count!
Because you’ve lost a lot of bloating water weight when you cut carbs, you may put on a lot more weight than you expect if you reload on carbs again for two weeks. Some of this will drop off quickly again when you get back to this WOE (way of eating), but it can be really difficult to give up sugar and starch all over again. It’s as if you’ve successfully given up smoking then have a two week smoking holiday, you have to go through the cravings all over again. Not fun. And without the excitement of starting a new diet the first time.
My advice is eat MORE if you want but not more sugar/carbs. Have holiday bacon, cream on strawberries, crispy skin on chicken. Don’t count calories if you want a break from being strict, but stay away from the chips and baking. And focus on the other aspects of your holiday, not the food. Enjoy the company, the sightseeing, the relaxing, being more active now you have lost weight, whatever you are doing.

Hi,
I think the problem is that you are still thinking in terms of your old way of eating. Its important for long term success to change your mindset.
You can have bacon for breakfast (or lunch or evening meal) but with eggs rather than bread.
You can cook and enjoy it, and share the results of your work with others. You just have to choose to cook / bake low carb options.
Rather than fish and chips by the seaside, its time to build up new special experiences. Maybe fresh shellfish, maybe something that isn’t food related.
Part of the benefit of eating low carb is a reduction in the levels of bad bacteria in your gut because they die off if you don’t eat carbs, but as soon as you start to eat high levels of carbs again they will rapidly multiply. These bacteria have the ability to urge you to eat carbs to keep them alive, so you will have gone back to square one in controlling your urges to eat carbs.
I realise its hard, I went through the stages of viewing this as a diet which once you had lost the weight you wanted to you could leave and go back to eating normally. But I am fortunate, I had enough weight to loose that I had time to get used to this way of eating. If you want to successfully maintain your weight loss you need to change your way of thinking about food.

Hi laurlyloo it is very exciting and lovely going on holiday and yes you have only been on this woe for a short while so you still think of food as you always have. Rewards and comfort! As JGwen said once you eat enough carbs again your bacteria will be shouting at you for weeks after to feed them and will make it hard to get back on track! When I went away I did stray from the woe, I drank but not in excess and I had bread, but I only had it 3 bits in the whole week, I didn’t go mad on anything but I did enjoy one or two ice creams in that week and I did have chips! I gained around 4lbs I think and I did get them off again! In fact within a few days 2lbs had gone and that must have been water retention leaving. But I don’t advocate it as such but I do think every now and again that everything in moderation is ok. This is my opinion and I am not saying that anyone is wrong or right as every one is different. I also agree with both Wendy and Natalie as I have recently packed the cancer sticks up and I know if I have any I will probably not be able to give up again and that is the same with carbs! Nicotine monsters are the same as the bacteria monsters who love carbs! They both shout at our brains to feed them! I must admit to putting 7lbs on since I stopped the fags just over a month ago but I know if I stick to this woe when I am ready it will come off again. It is a very fine line between giving in and enjoying life as you remember it before this woe and completely overdoing it and making yourself miserable to a point that you end up eating a lot more carbs than you intended because you are miserable 😩. So maybe you can have fish and chips one day but eat the bacon with eggs not bread, make a low carb cake not eat a bun and so on. It is your woe and your body and only you will know what you can handle hun. I am sure whatever you decide your holiday will be amazing. Just don’t put too much pressure on yourself❤️❤️ Sorry waffled on a bit and I hope this helps. Birdy 💞🦜

@lauryloo hello! I haven’t read the other replies yet but I can share my experience.
I went for a week holiday in Bali after 8 weeks on the program. I don’t have any health concerns except too much fat in my body – by that I mean that I don’t have diabetes or insulin resistance.
For that week in Bali, I had beer every day, i had dessert sometimes, i would have eggs and toast in the morning, most of the food was rice based, etc. So yes there were carbs 😅
We were very active all day and I made sure not to over eat nor eat and go all in for the sake of it. So stayed very in tune with my appetite and only eating to satiety. Also didn’t snack whatsoever.
I came back 10 days later with a +3 or 4 kilos on the scale. Hoped on the same scales less than a week later and they had disappeared.
Personally, food is a big part of the travelling experience and I didn’t want to obsess over carbs. I was very happy to have managed to basically maintain over a 2 weeks period ☺️
I then got back to the program and got to goal 6 weeks later. I have lost 18kg all up.
A new thing for me with this WOE is that if I do eat a bit more carbs for a while, I can’t wait to get back to low carbs high fat. So I don’t feel like I’ll unravel. I feel much better on LCHF diet and plan to stay with forever outside of celebrations/holidays.
Good luck!

Thank you all so much, unfortunately I didn’t see your replies in time or I may have done it differently! I was mindful about what I ate but I did still have the carbs. Gained 5 lbs which to be honest I’m very happy with. Straight back to this WOE. I was quite excited to cgo back to it to be honest because (as expected) I felt sluggish and a bit sick throughout the week! Maybe this was what I needed to convince me that I need to make this way of eating permanent! Thanks all x