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Hey everyone, it's Mikki here and you're listening to Mini Mikkipedia on a Monday. And I wanna share some strategies which I've put together that help you deal with nutrition when you travel. And I've actually done one of these before and I was just looking at it back in September, 2023. And it was on the back of Hubster's 50th.

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when we went over to Colorado, we stayed with some friends, we stayed in a tent, we climbed some mountains, we did all of that stuff. So, which is quite different to the trip that we've just come back from, which just required different strategies actually. Not that I sort of thought about them as strategies, but I recognized that there were other hints and tips that I could give you to help you feel more in control. Because a lot of people panic at the idea of going on holiday and

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quote unquote, ruining all of their progress with changing their diet. A lot of that progress comes from being out of routine and I understand that, but the end goal of holiday is to enjoy it and not stress about food when you're there. So if I'm thinking about it from a fat loss perspective or weight maintenance, know, 80 % of the people I deal with that is their end goal, then I always suggest to them to maintain their weight and not try to continue to lose.

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regardless of where you're at in your fat loss approach. Because if you immediately shift that goal to one where you can feel a little bit more relaxed, then you'll actually just, it'll take the stress out of it for you. And I think ultimately, I mean, it would be just pretty bloody frustrating if you had this holiday planned and you were really looking forward to it, but all you could think about was what you were eating. And that would just really totally ruin it for you. So I just want to save you that.

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You need some joy. So I want to save you from the pain of actually that happening. So here are some tips which may or may not be helpful for you. The first one, eat two meals instead of three. And obviously this does, you know, go against what I might normally say for most people. Not all. Some people I absolutely suggest two meals as opposed to three. But if you shift from your usual three meal structure to two satisfying meals and maybe a small protein snack,

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or a protein shake, so you're still getting an additional sort of X grams of protein, say 20 grams of protein, then this will naturally reduce the frequency with which you're eating, which for most people will reduce calories. Now, if I'm thinking about if you're eating in restaurants, if you're, you know, a hotel buffet or eating with people for say breakfast and dinner and you're out and about during lunchtime,

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Often you can't control what goes in, in terms of how the food is produced, but you can control the frequency. So having a decent sized brunch and having a decent sized dinner and then maybe having a protein shake or protein shake in the morning, lunch and dinner out. you will, the extra calories you're taking in with the meals are sort of offset by the fact that you're eating a little bit less often.

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and it's just a bit of a gentle form of intermittent fasting, which will naturally reduce your intake while accommodating some of these more social occasions. Of course, walking more, especially around your meals. So walking supports blood sugar regulation, digestion, mental clarity, as you know. 10 to 15 minute walk before meals will prime your body metabolically, gives you time to reconnect with your hunger cues.

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doing the same after meals will help with blood sugar regulation. And we do know that a post meal walk will change how quickly the glucose is disposed off from your bloodstream, which is what you want. And I don't think this is going to be terribly hard actually, because a lot of people I know when they're on holiday, they're just far more active anyway, and you end up getting a ton more steps in. But if you just have a think about that activity base and

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putting it in and around meals and getting some structure there, that can really help. Think about using a smaller plate. I think about this with regards to hotel buffets or things like that, where you are in control of how much goes on the plate. So a smaller plate can help manage your portions visually. And I know myself that I actually, my brain feels more satisfied if the plate is full. And the problem comes if you've got a super big plate or a big bowl,

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then it can quickly get a little bit out of hand with how full you can get because you just end up over stuffing your plate. So having a smaller plate that will help you connect visually more to the idea that you've got a full plate but you're not necessarily eating a whole ton more food. The fourth tip is using a reverse buffet strategy. So starting any meal or buffet with a plate full of non-starchy vegetables and protein

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And then after 15 to 20 minutes, go back for anything else that you truly want. This will prime your appetite with nutrient dense foods and reduce mindless overeating. And there does need to be a bit of cognitive restraint here, obviously, but what you're doing is you're not placing any limits or restrictions on what you can eat. You're just timing it more appropriately. So your appetite and your hunger cues have a time or your brain has time to catch up with where your stomach is at.

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and you'll end up eating far less of those other foods but also equally enjoy them more. Because there is something called the three bite effect and I've probably talked about it before. Whereas all those delicious treats and things that are available in say buffet meals at hotels like you know French toast, pancakes, the hash browns, the delicious pastries, the croissants, et cetera.

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the first few bites are always way more satisfying than the last few. So if you can get in the foods that make your body feel good first, then save a little bit of room for the sole foods, you'll actually end up eating less of those things and being satisfied on this. Tip five is accountability over tracking. And people stress about the idea of having to track when they're away. And I completely understand that rather than logging every bite, can you send a friend

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or someone who might be in a coaching group with you, a quick daily message sharing one food or movement win. This not only supports your mindful eating, but it will do it without the stress of detailed tracking. So that way you've got a little bit of accountability there, but you're also remembering of all of the good things that do happen. Cause sometimes, you know, if you're super stressed about the whole food and exercise environment, you can always focus easily on the negatives.

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and not think about the positives. So sending some sort of accountability text could be super helpful. Tip six, start your meal with sparkling water and maybe a pinch of salt or an electrolyte sachet. So this not only supports hydration, it can also help with appetite regulation. And I've shared studies before actually, like these have been trials, not clinical, but like human trials showing that drinking 500 mils of water for a meal

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does statistically significantly drop calorie intake in that meal? And it's very easy to go be out and about all day on holiday and not drink enough. So we can mistake our thirst for hunger. So by having something like sparkling water or having one of those electrolyte sachets like mineral here in New Zealand, MNRL, or Element overseas, I'm thinking, or there's Sodi as well in Australia. There are plenty of brands out there.

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but that'll ensure that you're hydrated and you will feel more satisfied on slightly less food. Some people like using travel days as fasting zones. So travel can be a great opportunity for some people to eat less without feeling deprived. So you eat before heading to the airport and you skip the usual ultra processed snacks that you find. And if necessary, just get yourself some protein powder and shake it up with water, have that.

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have some electrolytes, so you're still getting in a little bit of nutrition, but you're not relying on the calorie laden yet nutrient poor choices that you can come across in an airport. All that to say though, in the airports in both the UK and the US, they're very well sort of set up. It's hugely expensive, but with chicken breast, with

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hard boiled eggs and things like that. So you can find good choices, just pay a lot for them. I don't think that it's possible to actually find them in New Zealand yet. Although please prove me wrong. Tip eight is delaying dessert with the wait and re-decide rule. So instead of saying no to dessert entirely, commit to waiting 15 to 20 minutes after your meal, then decide if you still want it. It's a little bit like that reverse buffet strategy, but it's that pause that

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can often lead to a more mindful choice. You might find that you're satisfied either without it or by having a little less and instigating that three bite rule that I also mentioned. And I do use the term rule and I do think about food rules often and people often associate rules with boundaries and structures and that has negative connotations. But for so many people,

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Rules and structure are actually quite freeing and liberating because it takes that decision making out of it for them. They're not constantly deciding at every meal or every snack, do I or don't I? You set up structure, the decision fatigue for a lot of people just ameliorates. So I just thought I'd add that caveat in. Snack proof with a protein pack. So keep shelf stable protein options like jerky, like sachets of tuna if you're into that.

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hard-boiled eggs, wouldn't say they were shelf stable, but certainly fridge stable, and even sachets of protein powder, obviously. So that'll help you build a more balanced meal if the only other choices are carb-based. So you can at least not have to rely solely on carbs, and you can reduce slightly down that option by adding these other things in. Protein sachets are super easy. Many of the protein companies have sachets like obviously New Zest,

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do, the clean lean protein. I came across clean simple eats actually in the States and I bought them because they were in sachets but you can find them and take them with you, super simple. Another idea, tip number 10, is to book end your day. So start and end your day with nutrient dense protein and veggie based meals regardless of what happens in between. This anchors your nutrition and prevents the holiday free for all from just

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spiraling out of control. And if it doesn't suit to bookend, then maybe what you do, as I've suggested to some of my clients, is to be superstructured about breakfast and lunch, knowing that dinner can just be a meal that you're a little bit more relaxed around, but you don't have to stress about. So that could be another option, but just have a couple of anchors so you make food decisions that you feel really good about. Tip 11 is

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actually creating a default response to people who will push food. Be polite but firm and be ready for when others offer you food. Things like, that looks amazing, I'm just full right now but I'd love to take some for later. Keeps social harmony while honoring your goals and I do think this is important particularly if you're staying with friends or family where they may just eat different foods to you or they show their love through providing food. Now of course

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One of the other obvious caveats here is to share with people just your goals. didn't have to be that you're trying to watch what you eat or whatever on holiday, but just maybe if they are aware of what you've been doing prior to coming on holiday and they know it's your intention to still be mindful of what you're doing, then that might help you alleviate some of these sort of challenges that can come up. Don't be afraid to share this stuff with the people that just will

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innately want to support you. Often people don't think about sharing with their family or whatever they're trying something new. So their family's not to know it and they bring out the lasagna, they bring out the big dessert after the lasagna. They do that kind of stuff because it's a social occasion that you're even there. But if they are aware of your goals, it's just much less likely to happen. Set yourself a midday reminder. This is tip number 12. So use your phone to schedule a quick daily check-in. How do I want to feel tonight?

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This simple prompt will increase your mindfulness during the day, which could help you course correct before the evening. And it might be that you recognize that you haven't gotten out and done any exercise and you really wanted to, so you schedule in a walk, or that you're super dehydrated and you just need to have more water, or that you've been super light on protein, so you're really going to hit protein at lunchtime. Anything that helps you just feel a little bit more mindful can be super useful.

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Tip 13, practice the three, two, eating strategy. Before your meals, take three deep breaths, between bites, sip water twice, and halfway through the meal, pause and ask if you're still hungry or am I just continuing to eat? This kind of structure builds awareness whilst you're eating and slows down without actually, you know, having any sort of firm rules or anything around it. Tip 14, start each day with a simple morning routine.

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Even on holiday, begin with light movement, a protein rich first meal, and a few minutes of morning sun. This supports your circadian rhythm, mood, and energy, making better choices easier through the day. And I was having this conversation with a coaching kind of mine in my mastery group, and she's on a cruise right now, and what she usually finds at home is that weighing herself at the start of the day, which is of course when I would suggest anyone weigh themselves, really sets her up to focus on her intentions.

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And she was a little bit worried that the fact she couldn't weigh herself daily would make her lose sight of her intentions. So instead, what I suggested to her was to anchor another behavior at the start of the day. So for her, it's writing her intentions in a journal, just a couple of sentences, and doing a quick sort of little workout, like some star jumps, some press ups, some squats, something like that that you spend five or 10 minutes doing that just

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engineers the day so you've already got a win at the get-go and then instead of using weighing herself as the thing which sets her intentions, she's literally writing it down in a journal. Something like that can be super helpful because then of course, let's say things do derail, then every day you've got this little reset. it's only ever one day that's gone off track. Tip number 15, use the one-treat bucket approach.

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So categorize indulgences into three types, either sweet, like a dessert, savory, like cheese or stuffing or charcuterie boards, chips, things like that, and sips, alcohol. Choose one to indulge in each day. So this will avoid deprivation while reducing the cumulative effect of overdoing all three. I think that's really smart. And it's not deprivation, you're literally just choosing to have one,

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on each day and so if you're not having your savory snack doesn't matter having it tomorrow. And the last tip is bring a day one reboot kit. So the first 24 hours after a holiday can make or break your momentum on where you were at before you went. But instead of letting the I'll start Monday spiral kick in or I'll just give myself a week to get back into the swing of things plan for a smooth landing before you even leave. So

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Pack a mini-reboot kit to take with you. This is especially useful for longer holidays or if you're traveling to a place with limited food options. So do include a few protein sachets or bars or whatever you can get into the country, electrolytes for daily hydration and to curb sugar cravings, digestive enzymes or probiotics to support gut function. This can be helpful, particularly if you are having heavier meals, herbal teas to unwind and support digestion.

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a greens powder or magnesium to maintain routine and regularity, and of course get in those other micronutrients that you might be missing. Albeit, you're only away for two weeks, it's no big deal, but it can be helpful. These staples act as nutritional guardrails while you're away, so you're not starting from scratch when you return. And then importantly, prepare a home reentry plan before you leave. So before you go, get set up with healthy precooked meal in the freezer or fridge.

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A grocery list or online food order scheduled to arrive the day you get back. A morning workout or walk cancelled in for the next day. A short routine to reset like unpacking, prepping food and writing intentions. So this small ritual helps you shift mentally from holiday mode back into me mode without guilt, chaos or that post trip slump. So just think of it as your on-ramp to feeling grounded again in your real life. Albeit of course,

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you will be suffering those post-holiday blues. So probably my biggest tip for when you're traveling and getting home is to book that next holiday ASAP. All right, team, I'd love to hear what you do. Shoot me a message in the DMs on Instagram at mckewillidan. Actually, that's threads and X @mikkiwilliden as well. Facebook is @mikkiwillidennutrition or head to my website mikkiwilliden.com and book a one-on-one call with me.

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to talk through your holiday strategy plan. All right, team, have the best week. See you later.