Going on Vacation Versus. Going on a Diet

We are going on vacation to Tel Aviv. It's like the country mice going to the big city.

Along with my clothes there is other baggage that I always take along with me wherever I go – and that's my food addiction. I need to remember that I take my addicted brain with me everyplace and there are no vacations to eating healthy.

I know that there are diet programs that say the opposite – don't feel deprived! Let yourself have a cheat day or week if you're away and then you'll be happy to get back to routine. That's classic diet mentality and for many people doesn't work, especially for those who are addicted to sweet, starchy, hyper-processed foods.

Do I feel deprived? HECK NO! It's not about what's allowed or forbidden. That's the diet mentality that sends people back into the vicious cycle of addictive eating. I choose to let go of certain foods in my life so that I will not be deprived. That is how I am not deprived of what's really important - health and happiness. My sugar addiction does not go on vacation and neither does my recovery from it. If I eat my "drug foods" I prime my brain to want more. For me and many others, having a "treat" makes us feel UNsatisfied, I start craving more and eventually find myself thinking about ice cream instead of the amazing sunset I'm looking at on the beach.

Yes, I make some allowances in my food plan for travel. I eat some foods that I don't eat at home, and I make sure to have with me good real food that keeps me satisfied and full. The foods that I am really addicted to are not an option. When it’s not an option it's not a problem.

It's not about staying on or going off the diet. It's not about depriving myself of delicious foods. It's about accepting that my brain works differently from all those diet gurus and others who do okay with cheat days. It never worked for me and believe me, I tried. It's choosing to truly let go of the foods that deprive me of a good life. I celebrate life and vacations in non-food ways. That's what makes me happy and enjoy vacations to the max.