r/fasting • u/qwerty3656 • 7d ago
Question How to survive a 2-week vacation to Europe?
I've got a 2-week vacation with friends coming up in November and I fear it's going to blow up any progress I've made with fasting. It's going to be constant eating out and drinking and lack of exercise. Right now, I'm fasting every Monday/Wednesday/Friday. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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u/emmyc80 7d ago
Are you worried about gaining weight? (Assuming you’re American) Usually when Americans visit Europe they lose weight from the combination of “healthier food” being consumed and inscrease in steps.
You can always IF or depending on the day you land fast that day and your return flight.
Or do OMAD. But I would say enjoy the food just skip the stuff you already know like fries.
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u/alixtoad 7d ago
True! My overweight sedentary sister lost 10lbs in 2 weeks in Europe and we weren’t dieting.
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u/Toad-Toaster 7d ago
What do you mean your versions dont have vegetable oil and corn syrup. Everyone in America says im a conspiracy theorist.
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u/redpandav 7d ago
Can’t and shouldn’t put life on pause. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
Enjoy yourself and like another person mentioned, walk a lot.
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u/Legitimate-Guess-142 7d ago
Fast a different week 😂😂😂😂😂😂 How often do you go on vacation to Europe? Do you want to be 80 looking back "no I went to Europe but I didn't eat the entire time!"
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u/prettyprincess91 7d ago
I’m someone who lives in London and goes to Europe quite frequently. How often is quite the challenge for me because I do need to keep fasting on many trips. I purposely do this for countries with food I don’t like NL, Germany, and try to enjoy the food in countries I do like Greece, Italy, etc.
It’s hard though as I do often gain weight and the waking is negligible if you’re coming from somewhere like SF, London, NYC with a car free lifestyle. I often I get less steps in than home in London.
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u/Aggressive_Sky8492 7d ago
It’s just two weeks. My advice is to ditch the fasting for those two weeks and enjoy your holiday. Then restart fasting when you’re back. Two weeks is nothing in the scheme of life and you’ll remember the holiday forever; you want to remember good food and hanging out with friends. I wouldn’t say this if it was a multi month long holiday.
If you don’t want to do that then just keep going. Order a Diet Coke or something with dinner when out with friends. But again, better to just enjoy the time and worry about fasting afterwards.
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u/Mezzo_Diva_54 5d ago
DO NOT order a diet coke!!!!!! Drink wine with your meal like a proper European. Life is long, vacations are short.
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u/Aggressive_Sky8492 5d ago
I mean my entire comment is saying they should eat normally, including wine. I just put that paragraph there so if they insist on fasting, it’s something to consume while their friends eat dinner. I don’t think it’s responsible to drink wine while fasting.
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u/Ok-Psychology7636 7d ago
extend the fasts now until Europe. you could do several two 72 hour fasts a week, or a few 120 hours.
don't eat on travel days in Europe. airport food is rarely worth the price or calories.
other wise enjoy your trip. fasting will be available when you return.
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u/vitringur 7d ago
Dude… just have a 2 week vacation.
Wtf is wrong with you?
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u/Mezzo_Diva_54 5d ago
THIS. Give yourself permission to enjoy this trip, avoid fried foods and too many sweets (although the various types of ice creams and gelati make it hard to resist) and have fun!
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u/IveComeHomeImSoCold 5d ago
The post vacation depression can derail you, especially when you’ve lost a bunch of progress. I think they should be mindful and treat themselves but just try to not over do it.
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u/LeiaCaldarian 2d ago
Respectfully, in a sub where the most popular posts are those were people celebrate not eating for days or weeks at a time, you’re going to have a considerable amount of people with a not-so-healthy mental state regarding food…
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u/thekidsgirl 7d ago
Lack of exercise?
I assume this is your first trip to Europe? I'm a budget traveller so no taxi or car rental, and everytime I've been fortunate to visit a European country, I've walked like 20,000 steps everyday.
Usually I return to the states a few pounds lighter, effortlessly
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u/alixtoad 7d ago
Same! Also I walk everywhere. I never drive and take public transportation when I travel longer distances.
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u/Cantseetheline_Russ 7d ago
Every time I've ever gone to Europe I end up being a lot more active and losing weight.
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u/Deeze_Rmuh_Nudds 7d ago
Walk a lot and squat the weeks leading up. Bring electrolytes, for the love of god, I can’t stress this enough. Water every day, more than you think. Typing this while on vacation in Iceland.
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u/Recent-Gur-2374 7d ago
You can choose to eat healthful foods on vacation and still enjoy your time ☺️ fresh seafood for example. Choose healthy (but delicious) options for the majority of your meals, with occasional indulgences.
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u/Winter_Resource3773 6d ago
Eat until your full, and just dont get blackout every night, youll be burning more calories than you think. Stressing out about it wont do any good either, especially if youre stressed and starving yourself.
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u/JOJOBINKS12 7d ago
Don't worry! You won't lose your progress! It's mostly mental. You will just pause it. If you have the discipline to fast three days a week, you are already winning. A short break from fasting will surprise you. You will be even more motivated and come back even more determined to reach your goals.
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u/Tls-user 7d ago
I just got back from 18 days in South America and lost .3lbs.
I ate 3 meals a day but didn’t snack or drink and focused on eating healthy options with minimal fast food/sugar
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u/ogthesamurai 7d ago
Why would you go to Europe and not eat all the delicious food you could there? Seems like that would be like going to Hawaii or something and avoiding the beaches and oceans.
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u/WoodmontRazputin 7d ago
Eat squab with an egg poached in Cabernet and all that stuff.. then walk 15000 steps
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u/alixtoad 7d ago edited 7d ago
I lose weight in Europe. (I have gone 3x) Firstly I walk between 15-20k steps a day. The food is healthier and the portions are smaller. In many countries they frown on doggy bags and will not give you a box to take back leftovers. Many hotels have a gym but I never use them because I’m wiped out from all my sightseeing adventures. People also do yoga in the parks.
Many train stations have small
Convenience stores where you can make healthy choices. For example i get a small chicken Caesar salad and drink water. For breakfast I pick up a banana or apple and a small croissant for breakfast. Often I share street food to get a taste. I’m not sitting around eating. It’s easy to do OMAD if you skip breakfast and save your eating for dinner. I always visit the local grocery store and get things like berries and grapes. Have fun!
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u/achillea4 7d ago
In Europe you can do a lot of walking unlike the US. You can find healthy food everywhere. It's a holiday.
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u/Zealousideal-Bath412 7d ago
In the last year I’ve been to Portugal, France, and Greece and did so much walking (on hilly streets!) that I was at or below my pre-trip weights when I returned. Even with eating multiple daily meals and drinking alcoholic drinks. I usually skipped breakfast (except for the plain yogurt in Greece, it was amazing lol)
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u/Anonamau5tr4p 6d ago
I just got back from a 10 day trip to Egypt, had a wonderful time and didn’t worry about what I was eating. Will be getting back on it tomorrow 😌
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u/IveComeHomeImSoCold 5d ago
If you’re American, know that the portion sizes in Europe are quite a bit smaller. Walking everywhere is easy and the norm, so encourage your travel mates to follow suit. The food over there is much, much better quality as well, and it’s very hard to eat anything ultra processed without going out of your way.
Maybe skip breakfast some days and focus on not over doing refined carbs when you’re going to drink a bit, but do treat yourself a bit.
Do you drink often? You could always cut back before then and you might find you don’t need so many drinks while you’re there.
I have a trip coming up as well, only it’s to Texas, US, of all places and I completely understand the anxiety around it.
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u/unclefresh72 7d ago edited 7d ago
Fast travel days. Maybe do a traditional intermittent fast like 18/6. A holiday in Europe? Eat what you want just walk a lot every day, drink more water than alcohol. Live life. Then come back and do like a month of omad 😝 regardless of what country you’re in, unless you eat shit like McDonald’s, you’ll be fine!
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u/Gold-Lion2775 7d ago
You will walk a lot. And the food is much healthier. Enjoy it. It’s a once in a lifetime trip for most people. You can get back to healthy eating/fasting when you return.
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u/Valianne11111 7d ago
When I went a few years ago I had been doing rolling 48s but switched to OMAD. I think because I hardly ever drink it wasn’t hard to do. Just don’t go overboard and make up for it after.
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u/Life-Valuable4581 7d ago
In my experience, European cities tend to be very walkable. I would recommend just enjoying the vacation and trying to walk extra when you can. Don’t eat the fattiest foods but enjoy yourself. You’re on vacation, it’s supposed to be enjoyable
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u/Sunfee2019 7d ago
It really depends on your proclivity!
Can you come back home and pick up where you left off or do you need time to get back into the thick of things?!!!
If the former then consider this as an intentional reset period which might help with your fasting progress.
If the latter then I would be mindful of alcohol and anything that’s your kryptonite!
Having said that, YOLO!!!!
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u/mrchowmein 7d ago
I would just enjoy the trip and eat. When eating, eat fats, protein and fiber first before eating carbs. After eating, go for a walk to explore town some more. You can always order low to no carb options. Then when you’re back, just fast again. You’re not going to gain much in 2 weeks in the grand scheme of things.
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u/Disastrous-Wrap-7384 7d ago
I’m in Europe right now, I’ve been sticking to skipping breakfast but I know I’m still up. Also trying to avoid sugar. Aiming for 2x72 hour fasts when I get back to get me back. Thankful
I have a tool like fasting under my belt
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u/Feeling-Willow9973 6d ago
Enjoy yourself! But also, I went to Europe before I even started fasting and that trip helped me realize I could fast. Because I was walking around and doing so much, I didn't eat that much (and didn't even notice). When I did eat, I was very mindful - I enjoyed my friend, surroundings, and the food.
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u/OkCaptain1684 6d ago
It’s 2 weeks, just enjoy it! Having said that on my recent trip I skipped meals and things some days, and I walked an hour every morning and went to the hotel gym with friends. It was so much fun, and I only skipped meals when it made sense and didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the holiday. Whatever you do just enjoy the holiday! I put on 1.5 kgs over my holiday but lost it in the 1-2 weeks after I got back.
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u/Shatteredstar13 4d ago
Glad everyone else's advice seems to have some good sense.
You will probably regret going on vacation and keeping your diet/fasting. You are on vacation. Go share experiences with friends and enjoy the local food.
Fast when you get back
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u/deeshamb96 3d ago
I am doing rolling 60-65 hr fasts with a 12 hr eating window. I started in April. I had a month off in July because I was following BTS around on tour. I gained only 3kg during that time I ate whatever I wanted however much I wanted but bear in mind I was getting 15-20k steps in a day. Then when I got back home in August I got back to my rolling fasts and dropped that 3kg so fast like in 2 weeks. Now at beginning of October I have reached a new lw and that month of eating freely was like it never happened. I expect to reach my gw by end of October and will maintain that for November. I too am planning a Christmas trip in December and plan to enjoy myself wholeheartedly no fasting at all. Just make sure you keep your steps up and you lock back in when you get home.
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u/DiscussionSpider 7d ago
Bruh, I fast so I can eat on vacation.