Walking the streets of New York – 22,000 steps.

3 days at Disney World – 72,000 steps.

Hike to see sunrise – 30,000 steps.

Dengue fever – no food for 3 days.

If you gain weight on vacation, then you need to go read my 20 Reasons Why You Gain Weight On Vacation. But if you’re lucky enough to be one of those people shedding weight while on vacation, I’m jealous! Here’s a list of reason’s why people are losing the pounds when on vacation.

You have kids

There’s nothing like little ones to keep you active. Whether it’s playing in the pool with them, chasing them down as they race towards the beach or just trying to keep up with them at a water park. Little ones avoid rest and will keep you on the go.

You feel fat

If you head to Asia chances are the clothes won’t fit and the staff in the mall will shake their heads at your size.

I’m not saying you are fat, I’m saying there are some parts of the world where you’re sure going to feel it. And let’s face it our Western Countries certainly have their share of obesity.

And let’s face it when the beautiful Balinese lady offers me a second helping of Pisang Goreng (fried banana) I may find myself saying no while eyeing off her impossibly slim waist.

You are always on the go

Perhaps it’s not the kids that keep you moving. Perhaps you have a travel partner who’s vacation idea is constant sightseeing and hiking. Or perhaps that’s your idea of holidays. When you are travelling the majority of your time is spent seeing the sights, or doing the sights and then getting up to do it all over again.

Sunrises, sunsets, views for miles usually all require a certain amount of exercise. Want to see a waterfall? That’s a good hike. Want to ride a slide? Then start climbing those steps. What to be on the river, hop in your kayak.

I mean you can cheat in Paris and take the elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower, but don’t let the lack of elevator stop you from seeing Batu Caves in Malaysia. And certainly, don’t let your lack of fitness stop you from doing yoga in Bali.

You’re going to have to put on your swimmers

In Malaysia, I felt risqué in my bikini, so I went and bought a tankini and swim skirt. After that trip, I headed to the beaches of Mexico and I felt like a nun. Everybody was in a bikini. But after having my body covered in so much material I was loathed to start stripping.

Back home you may find yourself drinking the best tasting protein powder for weight loss just to fit into a bikini for your beach vacation… and maybe you’ll keep drinking them during your vacation too.

No need for a sauna, you’re going to sweat

Australian summer, Asia at any time. There are plenty of places around the world that will help you lose weight by their sheer force of weather. The humidity of Bali will have you sweating day and night and shedding those kilos instantly.  But you won’t need to fear the disheveled sweaty look because everyone else will be sharing those wet armpit t-shirts. Plus, who wants to eat full hot meals in that heat, you’ll be reaching for salads.

You may get sick

My dengue fever in Bali had me lose my appetite for 5 days. But if it’s not some mosquito born disease it might be something else. Chances are if you travel a lot at some point in those vacations you may get food poisoning. And as your stomach attempts to deal with all those foreign invaders the vomiting and diarrhea will be an instant weight loss program. Don’t get stuck with a hospital bill, make sure you review International Health Insurance. 

The good news is once your stomach has passed through several street food vendors you can form an iron gut and pretty much eat anything from anywhere. Kind of.

Dengue fever in full effect

You’ll be eating fresh food

In Greece, the vegetables and fruit came from the chef’s backyard. In Bali, the chicken you’re eating most likely was never frozen, but wandering down the street.

Not only is a lot of the food in other countries absent of chemicals and hormones, but a lot of it is farm to table.

And not to point fingers but the corn syrup found in the majority of foods and drink within the US has not been found anywhere else in the world. So even if you are eating bread or drinking soda, chances are it is void of sugar or at least using real sugar.

You will eat less

The portion sizes in the US are insane! I remember sharing meals with my kids to avoid overeating. Then the day we crossed the border into Mexico and ordered a meal to share we quickly realised we were back to normal and had to order a separate meal for everyone.

I mean one meal at Tony Roma’s fed our family of 2 adults and 2 kids! In Mexico, you order one taco… or more. But it doesn’t just come as a standard three.

There’s also the fear of eating that might hold you back from the food. I was pretty scared of the meat in Guatemala that I found myself eating vegetarian.

Plus, with all those activities keeping you busy you may find yourself skipping a meal or two.

You’ll find less dairy and wheat

Cheese costs a fortune in South East Asia that it’s not worth buying. And, of course, most meals are made with rice, not wheat. So you may not even notice your new gluten free diet when visiting.

Granted this is not true in vacation spots in Europe where bread is your every meal accompaniment or in the US where the cream is served in coffee.

You may just hate the food

What do you do when you go to a country and you can’t stand the food. I remember seeing a friend’s meals in Japan and thinking I could eat nothing if I ever visited there.

If you hate the food you will inevitably lose weight just from avoidance. In Australia or the US, it’s so easy to get what you want, when you want it. But there are other large parts of the world where if you don’t eat seafood then you’ll be eating noodles or rice and that’s it.

You are not alone. Check out all my blogging friends who lose weight while on vacation.

And by the way… if you don’t lose weight on vacation you are not alone. Check out my blogging friends who gain weight on vacation.

Look how easy it is to pin this!