Can you travel and avoid gaining weight? 

There are many ways to come home feeling great but it begins with a plan. You know the saying "if you fail to plan then plan to fail" that's so true with regards to preventing weight gain while traveling.

The first step is to bring healthy snacks for the flight. What's available in the airport may not be especially health conscious. If you'll be traveling in the car, same idea applies. Whatever you have is probably healthier than what you'd find at a rest stop.

I also encourage people when traveling to an interesting place to sample the foods of that area. In order to "allow" for the food, give up foods that are ordinary that you can have at any time. 

When traveling, we typically have two options-find healthy alternatives or eat less. If you can't manage to find a healthy option or order in a way to keep the fat/sugar/calories down, simply eat less.

As far as exercise, make sure you pack your exercise gear. Most hotels have gyms but if not, there's always a way to walk or run outside. You can also pack resistance bands which take up little space or do exercises using your own body weight as resistance such as push ups, chair dips, crunches and squats. If you bring your computer, pack a few exercise DVD's so you can workout right in your hotel room.

If you're making gradual lifestyle changes, vacations aren't an excuse to go crazy because you allow for some imperfection. Of course, if you slip, contain it to the meal and move on! 

How do you stay on track while vacationing? I'd love to know, comment and share!