Ep: #70 - Your Ultimate Guide to Having Food & Life Freedom on Holiday - Part 1

Faye Casement Author

Jul 21, 2023 |

Hello hello hello and welcome to Episode 70 of the Wellness 4 Women Show.

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For those who watch these episodes live have you missed me?? I actually didn't record for 2 weeks as I was on holiday. I had one week away to Cape Verde & and one week recovering ha ha.

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This week is the start of a 3 part series on holidaying Intuitive Eating Style as a Free Foodie! I gave this a lot of thought on the 6-hour plane journey, as well as whilst sitting on my sunbed and quaffing pina coladas!

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​In Part 1 I am going to cover the run-up to your holiday and address those pesky thoughts and worries that might creep in threatening to steal your joy!

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I realised when I was away how damn grateful I am to have found food freedom and I want to share that with you and how it relates to holidays.

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Going on holiday and trying to 'lose weight' before when I was on traditional 'diets' was near impossible. How then hell can you tell how many calories/points are in the buffet choice you have picked? You may have been ok if you were doing something like keto I guess apart from the fact you would have an array of gorgeous puds and drinkies starring you in the face each night.

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Take a moment to think about the last time you went on holiday or maybe if you have got one coming up how are you (if at all) going to try and honour your health and well-being goals?

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Maybe you are already panicking about the 'weight' you think you are going to gain.

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Maybe you have already declared, you will eat and drink what I want it is my holiday. I deserve it and deserve to 'treat' myself but yet secretly the niggles still come about whether you are doing the 'right thing'

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Maybe you know from experience that getting back into diet mode after a holiday can be hard and often the week turns into 2, 3, 4 weeks off plan.

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As an intuitive eater, it is simple. There are no big dilemas. I do not have any drama about what I can and cannot eat. I can simply go away and enjoy my holiday and continue to use the same methods as I do when I am at home. When I come back I don't have to get back on track or restart etc as I am just continuing because there is no track.

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No drama, nice and easy, no pressure.

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Does this mean I won't have thoughts about any possible weight gain? I wish but I can quickly work them through and get on with enjoying my holiday without fuss. As I have all the tools on board body and mind to continue to work on my relationship with food.

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Being a free foodie and still working on 'weight loss' is about being excited to eat when you physically need to, working on removing anxieties about your upcoming holiday and working on loving yourself and the journey as you go.

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So how do you do that?

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As said this is the pre-vacay run down so what do you need to do?

What Do Holidays Mean To You?

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First up, in the Triple-A-Way process is always awareness and finding out where you are right now.

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You have a relationship with holidays just like you have everything else. How you show up for holidays now is likely how you showed up for them in the past and you will have beliefs that have formed since you were little. So what are they?

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Did you never have holidays and now you can, you go all in?

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Did you always have holidays and so you are used to going all in?

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Whatever your experience you will have created a belief that will impact you, this will either be negative, neutral or positive.

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Unpicking those beliefs is vital. If you don't know what they are, they won't change and therefore you will either continue to do the same thing or you will be constantly butting heads with yourself.

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When I was growing up we were fortunate to have a few holidays abroad Magaluf before it became Shagamuff, Benidorm, Tenerife & Torremolinos and would always every year go to Devon or Somerset to visit relatives or we would have a holiday to Dorset. I also heard stories about how my Mum and Dad took me on holiday when I was little, they couldn't afford an ice cream for me and they vowed never to go unless they could enjoy it. These are the lenses through which I view holidays. Holidays especially abroad are a considered purchase and something of value.

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As I grew up and became an adult still now a holiday abroad is a rarity but even those cheap £50 caravan holidays when my daughter was growing up were special.

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I would imagine this is the same for a lot of people some more than others unless you are fortunate to have regular holidays

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This is important information though if I am going to super sleuth my joy and then also how this shows up with my holiday food.

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When I go away I want to capitalise on every moment and enjoy it. I have thoughts about earning and deserving holidays. I worry about 'getting my money's worth', having something to show for it and making the most out of my time off.

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It's funny how our mindset can sometimes turn even a relaxing break into a quest. There's this underlying pressure to make the experience worth it.

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So it is no surprise when I go on holiday especially if it is an all-inclusive that I want to get value for money, to eat, drink and be merry. I don't want to be restricted and come home with regrets.

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So what is your story what are your thoughts on holidays in general and how may this be impacting your food and drink?

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If you want to change your relationship with food you have to go deeper than just what you eat.

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Pre-holiday Jitters

Ok, let's talk about the pre-holiday jitters. What comes up for you before you go on holiday in life and 'weight loss'? Maybe you have to work twice as hard at work to get ready for the holiday? Maybe you get stressed thinking about what to pack? Perhaps you are worried about how you will maintain your 'weight loss' plan. Preoccupied with whether the kids will scream blue murder in the car or on the plane? or if you are like me you spend the week thinking you have forgotten something or the holiday is somehow going to be cancelled.

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True story this could have easily happened this time as my Dad bless him took us to the airport and I said the wrong one... thankfully my friends were on it and corrected me although they thought I was joking. I blame the fact it was 3am. Miraculously though despite my crazy excitement I had actually had a good nights sleep until I had to get up.

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The question is how are these pre-holiday jitters impacting your life and 'weight loss'.

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Do you find yourself getting into 'holiday mode' early with a few f'it thoughts 'I am on holiday next week what is the point?'

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Maybe you were so stressed at work you didn't make your workouts, grabbed off plan foods and ate without attention to your body just to get through the week and to numb out a bit?

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Maybe the kids and partner were driving you so wild when you got a moment to yourself in the evening you turned to food for comfort?

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Perhaps you are beating yourself up because you didn't get 'bikini ready' and getting upset about how you will feel on your holiday.

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Just as a side note.. if you have a bikini... your body is bikini ready but I appreciate this degree of self-love may not be something you know yet but it is something you can work on.

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This is all part of gathering awareness. Remembering that a situation occurs, you have thoughts, you have feelings, this leads to your actions or inactions aka eating, drinking, moving and then your results.

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Stepping Into Action For Your Hollibobs

So how do you step into action for your hollibobs? Shock and horror you are going to use the 5 D's of Action.

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First up - DECIDE. How do you want to show up before, during and after your holiday?

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Next go about getting that done and make it super DOABLE!

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DISCOVER what is working or not

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DEAL with it by problem-solving or using your mind ninjary skills.

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DO AGAIN. Rinse and repeat.

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It couldn't be simpler really.

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One of the biggest dramas we can have in 'weight loss' is conflicting beliefs. We want to 'lose weight' but we don't want to diet. We think we 'should' but eating salad but we really want the burger, we think we should be a gym bunny, a size 6, some kind of superwomen Barbie like the media portrays most of the time but thing we also know we are human and are meant to be all shapes and sizes as we are not clones.

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Deciding which belief you want to hold, what you want to think, what you want to feel, how you want to show up releases a lot of drama.

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Trying to keep things simple, releases a lot of the drama.

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It won't always go to plan which is why you need to discover and deal but again you channel love and reduce the drama.

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Making the 'doing it again' and being on the rollercoaster of life a little more gentle than topsy turvy.

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Own Your Shit

Accountability is the string that holds all of this together.

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We talk in the membership about having an accountability toolbox but in this case, it is a suitcase

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You have to show up daily for your intentions and decide what being a free foodie means to you during your holiday and write it down making a plan or I call it in the membership a Ninja move a protocol if you will whatever feels good to you. Write it down it is more likely to happen. You have to tell your brain repeatedly what it is doing and what you want to work on otherwise on comes the autopilot

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Take ownership of your body. Your body knows best and can guide you to make nourishing choices. It can tell you when you are hungry, when you are satisfied all you have to do is listen.

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Cultivate self-compassion and be kind to yourself and mind. Going on holiday can be a stressful event, so up the self-care during the pre-holiday period.

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At the end of your holiday. What do you want to be able to tell people and more importantly tell yourself?

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This is your life and weight loss, you are the one in control and you get to choose how you show up, what you show up for and what will bring you more joy and happiness.

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The world is your oyster as the saying goes, and it's time for you to embrace all the possibilities that lie ahead. As you continue on your 'weight loss' journey with love, remember that it is not just about shedding pounds but also about nourishing your body, mind and soul.

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Final Destination

Not the scary movies but the ending of this episode as we have completed are pre-flight checks and are ready for take off. The cabin crew has done the safety check and locked the doors and you are almost off.

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Your next step if you are in the membership is to dive into your complementary resource in the VIP lounge... ok the 'membership' I am really milking the holiday analogy now. Which will help you deep dive into this episode in more detail.

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Not in the members and ready to change your relationship with food and maybe ditch some holiday stress in the meantime, check out the description box.

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See you next week.

This week's bonus member resource:

Members <<<Click Here>>>

Not a member and want this resource get instant access 👇

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