May 15, 2025 • 12 mins
Summer’s coming, and that means vacations, road trips, beach days, and more. But with all the fun can come that nagging fear of "What if I mess up all my progress?" You know the voice - it’s the diet culture trying to sneak back in. So today, I’m here to show you how to enjoy your vacation without stressing about food or feeling guilty.
In this episode, I’ll break down how to:
- Let go of the pressure and stop micromanaging your meals while on vacation
- Enjoy your food without feeling guilty or thinking you need to "earn" it
- Stop the cycle of "starting over" once you get back from your trip (because, spoiler alert, you don’t need to)
- Feel grounded and balanced even when you’re away from your routine
Connect with Ashlee:
Resources:
Download the Top 10 Dieting Mistakes Keeping You Stuck
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Step Off the Scale, the podcast where we
are redefining health andhappiness beyond the numbers.
I am your host, ashley Wright,a dietician for over a decade,
mom of two and craft beer lover.
Together, we'll say goodbye torestrictive diets and learn
simple strategies to help youactually enjoy your food again
without guilt.
(00:20):
Now let's dive in together.
Okay, I know that summer isalmost here and I know that some
of you are already packing upfor your beach trip, for a long
weekend getaway, for a road trip, a cruise, whatever you're
doing, and while part of you isjust super excited, there's this
(00:42):
little voice in the back ofyour mind that just says what if
I screw it all up?
What if I overeat the wholetime?
What if I end up back at squareone?
What if I lose all the progressthat I've made?
Does that sound at all familiarto you?
It sounds familiar to me and somany other people that I've
talked to over the years.
As a dietitian, let me tell you, I know that vacation can seem
(01:04):
just like this daunting thingcoming up, and I don't want it
to be this daunting, scary thing.
I want you to enjoy yourflippin' vacation.
So today I'm going to show youhow to enjoy your vacation
without stressing about losingprogress, ruining your hard work
, all the things, because it isso possible.
You don't need to micromanageevery bite, not at all.
(01:27):
So I want to talk to you abouthow you can feel free and
grounded even while you're awayfrom your usual routine.
So hello there and welcome backto another episode of Step Off
the Scale.
I am your host, ashley Wright,and I believe that food freedom
isn't just about when you're in.
You know, you're in your home,you're in your kitchen, you have
(01:49):
all your things organized,those perfectly scheduled days,
right.
It's about real life.
It's about real travel, realmessy family road trips, packing
some poolside snacks and youknow airport french fries
because, let's face it, there'snot that many great options at
an airport, right, you knowairport french fries because,
let's face it, there's not thatmany great options at an airport
, right?
So this episode is all aboutgiving you the tools and mindset
to enjoy your vacation withoutstress, guilt or stupid diet
(02:13):
drama.
So the first thing I want totalk about is that it's so
incredibly normal to feelanxious about vacation, so don't
feel like you're weird aboutlike, oh gosh, what am I going
to do about eating and you haveall these things in your mind.
You are not alone, trust me.
For years, we've been told thatsuccess means sticking to the
(02:35):
plan, and if you're steppingoutside of that, well holy crap,
what are you even doing?
You know it's portrayed as thisdangerous, risky thing and
something to fear.
So if you're feeling anxious,you're not failing.
It makes total sense.
We've all been there, right?
I know that there are so many ofyou out there who have worked
so hard to build a healthyrelationship with food.
(02:57):
So like leaving your kitchenand your normal grocery list
feels like super vulnerablebecause you've worked really
hard to have that healthyrelationship with food, like in
your normal circumstances, butthen, like something throws a
wrench in it and then you feeluneasy.
It feels uncomfortable, right,but remember that food freedom
is not a fragile thing.
One vacation cannot undoeverything whatsoever.
(03:20):
I think for a lot of us, wehave this feeling like we need
to be able to control everything, and I know I can certainly
relate to that myself, andthat's not what we're doing here
.
We're not going to be able tocontrol everything.
I just want to give you thetools that you need so that way
you feel as prepared as youpossibly can going into your
vacation.
So let's talk about the fear ofmessing it all up.
(03:41):
Right, I totally get that.
I've been there myself.
So many of my clients have beenthere too.
You're like pre-vacationplanning.
You're like trying tomicromanage every little thing
and trying to stay in control,and then either you're trying to
stick to the plan you set toyourself and you're feeling
miserable about it and you'refeeling deprived, or like you
can't enjoy things, or you quoteunquote fall off, eat
(04:04):
everything and then spiral intoguilt.
Well, let me tell you, neither.
One of those is what foodfreedom is all about.
You don't ever have to startover.
You just keep going withcompassion and curiosity and
that's it.
You don't be hard on yourself.
You're like okay, well, I had aday where I decided to have
some beer and wings and Frenchfries.
Not, you're like okay, well, Ihad a day where I decided to
have some beer and wings andfrench fries.
(04:25):
Not, you know, speaking ofanybody that I know, maybe me.
Full disclosure this pastweekend was Mother's Day and you
know, most people maybe want togo to a nice brunch or
something like that.
I went to Buffalo Wild Wingsbecause I freaking love chicken
wings.
It's one of my favorite foodson the planet and I don't eat
them every day, but when I wantthem, I want the extra crispy
(04:47):
salt and vinegar wings atBuffalo Wild Wings and I want a
nice tall cold beer with it.
So I hope that for all the momsout there, you enjoyed your
Mother's Day and you had thefood that you truly enjoy.
So well, let's circle back tovacation now.
So I want to give you a couplethings to think about in your
vacation food game plan with nofood rules, by the way.
(05:11):
So the first thing that I wantto talk about is just keep
eating, please.
Vacation is not the time to skipmeals or try to save up for
dinner.
I think that's one thing thatcan happen is like we'll eat
breakfast and then we'll think,oh, I'm going out to dinner
later, so maybe I shouldn't eatanything else today to save up
for later.
(05:31):
But then you get to dinner andyou're freaking starving, and
then, of course, you're going todecide on whatever the hell
choice you want and you're goingto be like OK, give me the damn
chicken wings again.
Right, where, if you would havesaid OK, I'm going to have my
breakfast, I'm going to have mybreakfast.
I'm going to maybe have alittle bit of a lunch to help
keep my hunger at bay.
Get ahead of it a little bit.
Then when I go to dinner, mybrain's going to be a little
(05:52):
more grounded and I could belike, okay, what's the meal that
I really want to have?
But it's also going to make mefeel really good.
Don't be skipping meals.
That's just diet culture, likesneaking back in, you know, and
I want you to make sure thatyou're feeding yourself
regularly.
Stability matters more thanperfection.
Secondly, bring a groundingsnack or two with you.
(06:12):
So you know travel can be areally unpredictable thing,
right?
You know flights can be delayed, there's schedule changes and
we need to be a little bitprepared for ourselves, you know
.
Bring a snack or two that makeyou feel safe and satisfied.
So like you know, bring a snackor two that make you feel safe
and satisfied.
So like, whether it's like aprotein bar you really love or a
pack of nuts or trail mix.
(06:34):
You know, something that reallymakes you feel good and
satisfied for a little while andthat's going to help you too.
Like if you're in a pinch atthe airport and your kids want a
snack while you're waiting toboard the plane, right?
You think, okay, I got my go-tosnacks with me, right?
So that way you feel at least alittle bit prepared.
So it's not about control, it'sabout like, okay, how can I be
(06:57):
a little prepared to help myselfin this situation?
Next thing is to focus on howyou want to feel.
Instead of asking yourself whatshould I eat, try asking
yourself, maybe well, what wouldactually make me feel good
right now, physically,emotionally, mentally, what's
something that's going toactually make me feel really
good?
(07:17):
Sometimes it might be a nicesalad, sometimes it might be
fries Both are valid things,okay.
But just like, take a step backwhen you're making your food
choices and this goes for anytime, really but focus on how
it's gonna make you feel.
How is this gonna support mybody?
How is this gonna make me feelbetter right now?
Am I gonna feel good in my bodyeating this Like?
(07:40):
Is it gonna give me energy?
Is it gonna last longer?
Then that's one thing to payattention to as well, like what
foods actually help keep youfuller for a longer amount of
time.
So that's also something tokeep in mind.
And last thing I want to tellyou is please, please, please.
If you have a moment, remindyourself that you're still okay.
If you eat past fullness or youstress snack, or maybe you just
(08:02):
feel off, that is not failure.
It's information.
Instead of spiraling andfeeling guilty, take a deep
breath and remind yourself.
This is part of the process.
I'm still doing the work.
I'm still moving forward.
I am not a failure.
I'm not starting over.
Do not effing punish yourself.
There's no need to restart.
(08:22):
You just need to keep going andmove forward and remember that
you are a beautiful human andyou deserve better than feeling
guilty and berating yourselfabout food.
And if you need to hear thisright now, here, it is Okay.
You are allowed to rest, youare allowed to eat, you are
allowed to explore, you areallowed to enjoy your food on
(08:44):
vacation.
You don't have to earn thatexperience.
You don't have to earn thatexperience.
You don't have to balance itout.
Your progress is not undone byenjoying what you're doing.
You're not starting over.
You're moving forward, onechoice at a time.
And that is what's so important.
Give yourself a little bit ofgrace.
Don't give yourself the goddamnguilt, please.
(09:05):
Okay, and one more little thingI want to tell you before I let
you go today.
Please, please, please, please,do not weigh yourself the
second you get back fromvacation.
Listen, I know the temptationis real, but you have so many
factors at play with just thetravel itself, like if you're on
(09:26):
an airplane.
I mean, everybody gets a littlelike puffy ankles, right.
So if you're on an airplane,you're eating out, you're having
more sodium, there's changes inyour routine.
There's no need to measure yourworth by that number first of
all, right, and there's no needto weigh yourself as soon as you
come back from vacation.
It's not going to be trueanyway.
And if you do decide to go onthe scale, at least give this is
(09:52):
step off the scale, after all,and I want you to focus on how
you feel and not the number infront of you, and you deserve
that grace for yourself.
I really hope that this episodehelped to ease some of that
vacation anxiety for you.
I want you to go on thatvacation unplug, rest, relax,
eat the freaking food that youwant, to enjoy a margarita by
(10:14):
the pool and not feel one bit ofguilt about it, because if
you're stressed out and feelingguilty all the time, that's not
going to help any of yourprogress either.
So we have to keep those thingsin a perspective, right.
It's not just about the food.
It's about the stress, it's thesleep, it's how you're feeling.
It's just so much more thanthat and sometimes I think that
we forget that.
(10:34):
I am just so thrilled that youdecided to spend some time with
me here on Step Off the Scale.
I would love to hear from you.
You'll see a little link belowthat.
You can shoot me a text if youwant to.
It's such a cool way to hearfrom my audience.
Just know that that text.
It does come right to me, butit is anonymous, so I don't see
who's sending it.
But I am always thrilled when Ihear from you guys.
(10:56):
Or you can go ahead and DM meon Instagram.
It's at Ashley the dietitian.
I would just love to hear fromyou and I can't tell you how
grateful I am for you.
And if you want even moresupport when emotional eating,
strikes or stress eating, I wantyou to keep in mind that I have
a very special offer for youcalled Stay Calm and Carry
(11:18):
Snacks.
It is my very special toolkitthat helps you handle those
overwhelmed moments withoutlosing your cool, and you'll
find the link in the show notes.
And, most important thing is,enjoy your vacation.
You deserve it.
Enjoy the food, enjoy the timeaway and enjoy the hell out of
it.
Okay, your food freedom is realeven when you're on vacation,
(11:38):
and I will see you next time onStep Off the Scale.
Thank you so much for spendingyour time with me today on Step
Off the Scale.
I know that life can be crazybusy and I truly appreciate you
taking the time to be here withme today.
And just a quick reminder thatyour worth is not defined by a
number on the scale and youdon't need to follow restrictive
diet rules to feel good in yourbody.
You deserve to feel freedom,confidence and a life where
(12:02):
eating feels easy again.
If today's episode resonatedwith you, I'd love for you to
subscribe, leave a review orshare it with a friend who needs
to hear it.
Your support means the world tome and it helps this message
reach more women who are readyto break free from diet culture
and live a happier life in theirown body.
Take good care of yourself andI'll see you next time.
Welcome to Step Off the Scale, the podcast where we
are redefining health andhappiness beyond the numbers.
I am your host, ashley Wright,a dietician for over a decade,
mom of two and craft beer lover.
Together, we'll say goodbye torestrictive diets and learn
simple strategies to help youactually enjoy your food again
without guilt.
(00:20):
Now let's dive in together.
Okay, I know that summer isalmost here and I know that some
of you are already packing upfor your beach trip, for a long
weekend getaway, for a road trip, a cruise, whatever you're
doing, and while part of you isjust super excited, there's this
(00:42):
little voice in the back ofyour mind that just says what if
I screw it all up?
What if I overeat the wholetime?
What if I end up back at squareone?
What if I lose all the progressthat I've made?
Does that sound at all familiarto you?
It sounds familiar to me and somany other people that I've
talked to over the years.
As a dietitian, let me tell you, I know that vacation can seem
(01:04):
just like this daunting thingcoming up, and I don't want it
to be this daunting, scary thing.
I want you to enjoy yourflippin' vacation.
So today I'm going to show youhow to enjoy your vacation
without stressing about losingprogress, ruining your hard work
, all the things, because it isso possible.
You don't need to micromanageevery bite, not at all.
(01:27):
So I want to talk to you abouthow you can feel free and
grounded even while you're awayfrom your usual routine.
So hello there and welcome backto another episode of Step Off
the Scale.
I am your host, ashley Wright,and I believe that food freedom
isn't just about when you're in.
You know, you're in your home,you're in your kitchen, you have
(01:49):
all your things organized,those perfectly scheduled days,
right.
It's about real life.
It's about real travel, realmessy family road trips, packing
some poolside snacks and youknow airport french fries
because, let's face it, there'snot that many great options at
an airport, right, you knowairport french fries because,
let's face it, there's not thatmany great options at an airport
, right?
So this episode is all aboutgiving you the tools and mindset
to enjoy your vacation withoutstress, guilt or stupid diet
(02:13):
drama.
So the first thing I want totalk about is that it's so
incredibly normal to feelanxious about vacation, so don't
feel like you're weird aboutlike, oh gosh, what am I going
to do about eating and you haveall these things in your mind.
You are not alone, trust me.
For years, we've been told thatsuccess means sticking to the
(02:35):
plan, and if you're steppingoutside of that, well holy crap,
what are you even doing?
You know it's portrayed as thisdangerous, risky thing and
something to fear.
So if you're feeling anxious,you're not failing.
It makes total sense.
We've all been there, right?
I know that there are so many ofyou out there who have worked
so hard to build a healthyrelationship with food.
(02:57):
So like leaving your kitchenand your normal grocery list
feels like super vulnerablebecause you've worked really
hard to have that healthyrelationship with food, like in
your normal circumstances, butthen, like something throws a
wrench in it and then you feeluneasy.
It feels uncomfortable, right,but remember that food freedom
is not a fragile thing.
One vacation cannot undoeverything whatsoever.
(03:20):
I think for a lot of us, wehave this feeling like we need
to be able to control everything, and I know I can certainly
relate to that myself, andthat's not what we're doing here
.
We're not going to be able tocontrol everything.
I just want to give you thetools that you need so that way
you feel as prepared as youpossibly can going into your
vacation.
So let's talk about the fear ofmessing it all up.
(03:41):
Right, I totally get that.
I've been there myself.
So many of my clients have beenthere too.
You're like pre-vacationplanning.
You're like trying tomicromanage every little thing
and trying to stay in control,and then either you're trying to
stick to the plan you set toyourself and you're feeling
miserable about it and you'refeeling deprived, or like you
can't enjoy things, or you quoteunquote fall off, eat
(04:04):
everything and then spiral intoguilt.
Well, let me tell you, neither.
One of those is what foodfreedom is all about.
You don't ever have to startover.
You just keep going withcompassion and curiosity and
that's it.
You don't be hard on yourself.
You're like okay, well, I had aday where I decided to have
some beer and wings and Frenchfries.
Not, you're like okay, well, Ihad a day where I decided to
have some beer and wings andfrench fries.
(04:25):
Not, you know, speaking ofanybody that I know, maybe me.
Full disclosure this pastweekend was Mother's Day and you
know, most people maybe want togo to a nice brunch or
something like that.
I went to Buffalo Wild Wingsbecause I freaking love chicken
wings.
It's one of my favorite foodson the planet and I don't eat
them every day, but when I wantthem, I want the extra crispy
(04:47):
salt and vinegar wings atBuffalo Wild Wings and I want a
nice tall cold beer with it.
So I hope that for all the momsout there, you enjoyed your
Mother's Day and you had thefood that you truly enjoy.
So well, let's circle back tovacation now.
So I want to give you a couplethings to think about in your
vacation food game plan with nofood rules, by the way.
(05:11):
So the first thing that I wantto talk about is just keep
eating, please.
Vacation is not the time to skipmeals or try to save up for
dinner.
I think that's one thing thatcan happen is like we'll eat
breakfast and then we'll think,oh, I'm going out to dinner
later, so maybe I shouldn't eatanything else today to save up
for later.
(05:31):
But then you get to dinner andyou're freaking starving, and
then, of course, you're going todecide on whatever the hell
choice you want and you're goingto be like OK, give me the damn
chicken wings again.
Right, where, if you would havesaid OK, I'm going to have my
breakfast, I'm going to have mybreakfast.
I'm going to maybe have alittle bit of a lunch to help
keep my hunger at bay.
Get ahead of it a little bit.
Then when I go to dinner, mybrain's going to be a little
(05:52):
more grounded and I could belike, okay, what's the meal that
I really want to have?
But it's also going to make mefeel really good.
Don't be skipping meals.
That's just diet culture, likesneaking back in, you know, and
I want you to make sure thatyou're feeding yourself
regularly.
Stability matters more thanperfection.
Secondly, bring a groundingsnack or two with you.
(06:12):
So you know travel can be areally unpredictable thing,
right?
You know flights can be delayed, there's schedule changes and
we need to be a little bitprepared for ourselves, you know
.
Bring a snack or two that makeyou feel safe and satisfied.
So like you know, bring a snackor two that make you feel safe
and satisfied.
So like, whether it's like aprotein bar you really love or a
pack of nuts or trail mix.
(06:34):
You know, something that reallymakes you feel good and
satisfied for a little while andthat's going to help you too.
Like if you're in a pinch atthe airport and your kids want a
snack while you're waiting toboard the plane, right?
You think, okay, I got my go-tosnacks with me, right?
So that way you feel at least alittle bit prepared.
So it's not about control, it'sabout like, okay, how can I be
(06:57):
a little prepared to help myselfin this situation?
Next thing is to focus on howyou want to feel.
Instead of asking yourself whatshould I eat, try asking
yourself, maybe well, what wouldactually make me feel good
right now, physically,emotionally, mentally, what's
something that's going toactually make me feel really
good?
(07:17):
Sometimes it might be a nicesalad, sometimes it might be
fries Both are valid things,okay.
But just like, take a step backwhen you're making your food
choices and this goes for anytime, really but focus on how
it's gonna make you feel.
How is this gonna support mybody?
How is this gonna make me feelbetter right now?
Am I gonna feel good in my bodyeating this Like?
(07:40):
Is it gonna give me energy?
Is it gonna last longer?
Then that's one thing to payattention to as well, like what
foods actually help keep youfuller for a longer amount of
time.
So that's also something tokeep in mind.
And last thing I want to tellyou is please, please, please.
If you have a moment, remindyourself that you're still okay.
If you eat past fullness or youstress snack, or maybe you just
(08:02):
feel off, that is not failure.
It's information.
Instead of spiraling andfeeling guilty, take a deep
breath and remind yourself.
This is part of the process.
I'm still doing the work.
I'm still moving forward.
I am not a failure.
I'm not starting over.
Do not effing punish yourself.
There's no need to restart.
(08:22):
You just need to keep going andmove forward and remember that
you are a beautiful human andyou deserve better than feeling
guilty and berating yourselfabout food.
And if you need to hear thisright now, here, it is Okay.
You are allowed to rest, youare allowed to eat, you are
allowed to explore, you areallowed to enjoy your food on
(08:44):
vacation.
You don't have to earn thatexperience.
You don't have to earn thatexperience.
You don't have to balance itout.
Your progress is not undone byenjoying what you're doing.
You're not starting over.
You're moving forward, onechoice at a time.
And that is what's so important.
Give yourself a little bit ofgrace.
Don't give yourself the goddamnguilt, please.
(09:05):
Okay, and one more little thingI want to tell you before I let
you go today.
Please, please, please, please,do not weigh yourself the
second you get back fromvacation.
Listen, I know the temptationis real, but you have so many
factors at play with just thetravel itself, like if you're on
(09:26):
an airplane.
I mean, everybody gets a littlelike puffy ankles, right.
So if you're on an airplane,you're eating out, you're having
more sodium, there's changes inyour routine.
There's no need to measure yourworth by that number first of
all, right, and there's no needto weigh yourself as soon as you
come back from vacation.
It's not going to be trueanyway.
And if you do decide to go onthe scale, at least give this is
(09:52):
step off the scale, after all,and I want you to focus on how
you feel and not the number infront of you, and you deserve
that grace for yourself.
I really hope that this episodehelped to ease some of that
vacation anxiety for you.
I want you to go on thatvacation unplug, rest, relax,
eat the freaking food that youwant, to enjoy a margarita by
(10:14):
the pool and not feel one bit ofguilt about it, because if
you're stressed out and feelingguilty all the time, that's not
going to help any of yourprogress either.
So we have to keep those thingsin a perspective, right.
It's not just about the food.
It's about the stress, it's thesleep, it's how you're feeling.
It's just so much more thanthat and sometimes I think that
we forget that.
(10:34):
I am just so thrilled that youdecided to spend some time with
me here on Step Off the Scale.
I would love to hear from you.
You'll see a little link belowthat.
You can shoot me a text if youwant to.
It's such a cool way to hearfrom my audience.
Just know that that text.
It does come right to me, butit is anonymous, so I don't see
who's sending it.
But I am always thrilled when Ihear from you guys.
(10:56):
Or you can go ahead and DM meon Instagram.
It's at Ashley the dietitian.
I would just love to hear fromyou and I can't tell you how
grateful I am for you.
And if you want even moresupport when emotional eating,
strikes or stress eating, I wantyou to keep in mind that I have
a very special offer for youcalled Stay Calm and Carry
(11:18):
Snacks.
It is my very special toolkitthat helps you handle those
overwhelmed moments withoutlosing your cool, and you'll
find the link in the show notes.
And, most important thing is,enjoy your vacation.
You deserve it.
Enjoy the food, enjoy the timeaway and enjoy the hell out of
it.
Okay, your food freedom is realeven when you're on vacation,
(11:38):
and I will see you next time onStep Off the Scale.
Thank you so much for spendingyour time with me today on Step
Off the Scale.
I know that life can be crazybusy and I truly appreciate you
taking the time to be here withme today.
And just a quick reminder thatyour worth is not defined by a
number on the scale and youdon't need to follow restrictive
diet rules to feel good in yourbody.
You deserve to feel freedom,confidence and a life where
(12:02):
eating feels easy again.
If today's episode resonatedwith you, I'd love for you to
subscribe, leave a review orshare it with a friend who needs
to hear it.
Your support means the world tome and it helps this message
reach more women who are readyto break free from diet culture
and live a happier life in theirown body.
Take good care of yourself andI'll see you next time.
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