Holiday & Vacation Planning Worksheet

Having a plan for holidays or vacations will help you achieve your weight goal while reducing stress so you can enjoy time with family and friends. Take this time to answer the following questions to help insure your success during upcoming events. If you don’t have an event planned or don’t know the details yet, this can still be a valuable practice exercise.

1. What is my next planned holiday/vacation?
2. What is my weight-related goal for this holiday/vacation?
   1. To MAINTAIN my current weight of ________
   2. To make this holiday event/vacation an opportunity to LOSE weight.
   3. To GAIN fewer than ______ pounds during this holiday/vacation.
3. Strategies I can use to meet my goal (choose all below to which you can commit)
   1. Keep a daily food diary of what I eat
   2. Keep exercise records daily
   3. Ask a family member or friend for support
   4. Get 7-8 hours of sleep all (or most) nights
   5. Eat a healthy snack (containing protein if possible) before going to events
   6. Position myself away from buffets and food tables at events to avoid grazing
   7. Minimize alcohol intake (see above)
4. Review the strategies you chose in Question 3. How sure are you that you can apply them at the actual holiday/vacation? Circle the number that best reflects your confidence:
   ◄     1         2         3         4         5         6         7         8         9         10       ►
5. Think about the number you chose. What would it take for you to be more confident about using the strategies you chose in Question 3? Are there more strategies that would help you? List them:
6.   What are my goals for exercise and purposeful activity during this holiday/vacation?
   I will CONTINUE to _________________________ for ________ mins ______ x weekly
   I will START to ____________________________ for ________ mins ______ x weekly
7. How will I work my purposeful activity goals into this particular holiday/vacation?
   List problems- i.e. no gym, on a bus tour or cruise, safety, urban area/camping, weather
   List possible strategies
8. Objective (not self-reproachful) follow-up: What were your results?
   1. What went wrong, couldn’t be done or wasn’t anticipated?
   2. What will you do the same way next time?
   3. What will you do differently?