When you're traveling and surrounded by amazing local food, do you ever find yourself overeating? I love traveling and eating, and every time I visit a new place, I enjoy trying its specialties and sweets. But eating too much can make me feel heavy and reduce my enjoyment of the trip.
Recently, during my trip to Portugal, I discovered a way to enjoy food without overeating, and I’d love to share it with you. It's what I finally discovered after living for over 40 years 😉
The Discovery That Changed My Approach
It all started at the pool in Porto, the first stop of my trip. I noticed someone confidently rocking her swimsuit, and it made me think, "It would be great to feel comfortable in a swimsuit like her."
I chatted about my feeling with ChatGPT and through that conversation, I came up with three simple guidelines to prevent overeating during a trip:
- At breakfast buffets, stick to one plate of protein and vegetables, one plate of fruit, and one small plate of sweets with coffee. Prioritize local dishes whenever possible.
- Stay active by swimming in the pool, using the gym, and walking around to explore the destination.
- Don’t feel pressured to eat three full meals. If I’m not hungry, I opt for a lighter meal or skip it entirely to maintain a comfortable balance.
Just keeping these three points in mind made a huge difference in how I felt during the trip.
A Balanced and Enjoyable Breakfast
Here's an example of my breakfast.
And of course, coffee with a sweet treat! Portuguese pastries are famously sweet, and they paired wonderfully with bitter coffee 😉 I love croissants and Danish pastries too, but I focused on trying local specialties.
Keeping Active While Exploring
I always walk a lot when traveling, and this time was no exception—I averaged over 10,000 steps a day. But this trip was different because my daughter wanted to stay at hotels with pools, so I ended up swimming a lot too.
Surprisingly, I also enjoyed the gym! When traveling with family, waking up early can sometimes be inconvenient, but since many gyms open early or even run 24 hours, I could exercise without disturbing anyone. And it was fun. This was a great discovery!
Adjusting Lunch and Dinner Sizes
For breakfast, I enjoyed a full meal with my family. Lunch varied—sometimes at a restaurant, sometimes grabbing street food. Dinners were usually very light, sometimes just a small snack at the lounge.
Final Thoughts
I’m happy to say that I finally found a way to travel comfortably without overeating, and I wanted to share these tips with you. Of course, I still ate more than usual, but after returning home, I naturally went back to my usual simple, vegetable-based meals.
If you love food as much as I do, I hope these tips help you enjoy your travels even more!
旅先でおいしいものを前にすると、つい食べすぎてしまいませんか？私も旅とご飯が大好きで、毎回名物料理やスイーツを楽しむのですが、食べすぎるとお腹が苦しくなり、旅の満足度が下がってしまうことも。でも、最近のポルトガル旅行で「食べすぎずに快適に旅するコツ」が見えてきたので、共有したいと思います。
何がきっかけだったかというと、一番初めの滞在地のポルトのプールでかっこよく水着を着こなしている人がいたんですよね。ChatGPTに「水着かっこよく着られるのいいなあ」と話しかけてみて、雑談の中で見えてきました。
- 朝ご飯のビュッフェはタンパク質と野菜中心の1皿、果物1皿、コーヒーと楽しむお菓子を1皿まで。現地の料理があれば優先する。
- プールやジムで体を動かす、日中は歩いて滞在地の散策を楽しむ。
- ご飯は3食にこだわらず、お腹がいっぱいだったら昼夜は軽めにするか抜くかして腹八分目をキープする。
この3点を心にとめておくだけで、ずいぶん快適に旅をできました。
朝ご飯のメインはこんな感じ。フルーツはパパイヤがおいしくて毎食のように食べていました。
コーヒーのお供。ポルトガルの激甘スイーツがコーヒーとよくあいました 😉 大好きなクロワッサンやおいしそうなデニッシュなども並んでいたのですが、旅先の名物を中心に。
これまでも旅先ではよく歩いてはいて、今回も日々ほぼ1万歩越えでした。加えて今回は子供の希望でプールのあるホテルが多く、一緒によく泳ぎました。あと、意外にもジムが楽しくて、朝早起きしてジムに行くことがありました。家族との旅行では早起きして困ることがあるのですが、ジムは早朝オープンや24時間オープンというところもあり、早起きしてしまっても家族の邪魔にならずに活動でき、良い発見になりました。
朝ご飯は家族としっかり食べて、お昼はきちんとレストランで食べたりストリートフードで済ませたり。夜ご飯はラウンジの軽食か極々軽めということが多かったです。
そんなこんなで、ようやく食べ過ぎずに快適に旅をできるようになりつつあり、なんだかうれしく、コツを共有することにしました。とはいえ、いつもよりは食べたので、旅から帰ってからは普段の野菜中心のシンプルな食事を心がけています。
みなさん、特にご飯好きな人の旅のお役に立ったらうれしいです！
I feel you really give importance to your health. These are practical tips to avoid gaining weight after one's travel. I agree with the point about prioritizing local food. It's not often that you travel to that place then it is already a good chance to try the authentic dishes. It's good to have experience of the food culture of someone's place. I agree about walking a lot when travelling. It allows you to see more areas that you don't usually see if you take the transport system. When we go home after the trip, at least, we still feel healthy, and we may just need to lose a kilo hehhe...
Thank you for your thoughtful comment! Yes, trying local food is such a special part of traveling ... at least for me — it really adds to the experience. And I totally agree about walking. It’s amazing how much more you notice when you’re on foot. Haha, yes — as long as we feel good after the trip, a little extra weight isn’t a big deal 😉
When I travel, I often find myself overindulging in local dishes especially when they suit my tastebuds. Anyway, thank you for those tips 😍
I totally understand you and it happens almost always to me 😂 I wish the tips help you!