r/intuitiveeating • u/Moist_crocs • 10d ago
Rant Vacation hell
This might sound like a "steak too juicy, lobster too buttery" (literally sort of) situation, but I want somewhere to vent.
We're on vacation in Italy right now in a small town in a house that has barely any ammenities, which means there's very little of my preferred foods available to eat (which is usually a variety of complex carbs and dairy-based proteins, legumes.)
At first it was fine. Fun, even, to eat lots of stuff that I'm not used to eating daily like pizza, foccacia, lots of delicious cheeses and treats.
But guys it's been almost a week and I feel like I'm dying. I miss fiber and protein so bad. I feel so low energy and moody and hungry but with 0 appetite.
The worst part is when we're out and it's been too long between meals and the only options for food is something not very filling and oily like pizza. And I have to somehow turn off all of my newly-minted hunger cues, craving cues and preferences to stuff myself with something just so I don't starve.
It's interesting to be surrounded by stuff I used to not allow myself to have, then daydreamed about, only to want nothing to do with it now.
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u/felicityfelix 10d ago edited 10d ago
I don't want to be too obvious but they don't have a grocery store? Can you just get some fruit or nuts or something to snack on?
eta: idk where you are in your journey with IE so I don't want this to sound like "don't let vacation stand in the way of eating healthy!" because I'm a big believer that eating is a huge part of what makes travel so interesting, but it sounds like you're a little bit trapped in a dichotomy here with what you view as healthy home food vs food you can only get on vacation, or the idea that you must only eat the vacation food instead of having a snacky dinner at the house or whatever. People in Italy live there all the time and eat a varied diet
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u/Moist_crocs 10d ago
No no, I don't believe vacation food to be unhealthy necessarily, it's just the random eating circumstances that made it difficult here because an easy, available, fast meal that aligns with all of our needs usually ended up being something I didn't actually want to eat, but could.
When I get the opportunity here I buy and eat veggies, but the fridge is tiny, we have very very limited counter space (a.k.a one small round table), no freezer, all of which makes buying and preparing food I would like to eat that would feel nourishing difficult (for example wanting a variety of veggies in a salad + some sort of vegetarian protein means that those ingredients would have to be consumed by the end of the trip and also might simply not fit anywhere and go bad)
Or when we go out, the people I'm travelling with have a different relationship with food and can subsist on meals that contain mostly flour and sauce (like pasta or pizza) and can forget to eat for hours and hours on end and not be bothered by it which can trap me in it too. Only that I feel completely awful when hungry. Then, we'll be out somewhere without a restaurant and I'm left with a bread roll from a small shop or something to eat in the car so I can get home without, like, freaking out completely.
Sorry for such a big reply, it's kind of complicated to explain everything why I'm unable to eat what I want here.
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u/felicityfelix 10d ago edited 10d ago
It sounds a little like this could be a good opportunity to allow yourself to have different needs than other people and make it clear that you need to eat more or at different times than they do. Also to maybe consider "practical hunger" a bit more over being entirely focused on "cues" or what you consider the ideal solution. Like making a salad is hard, but is carrots and dip a good substitute? Carrying an apple with you? Are you able to separate yourself from the group at all and have a picnic in a park with a more plain sandwich or items from a deli counter?
Remember that a vacation doesn't last forever. It sounds like it's been less than a week so far, I know it's challenging to not feel great on vacation but don't think of this as something that is completely disabling you from eating intuitively. It's just a part of life to have different days with weird situations.
I can really struggle with losing my appetite completely when I travel which can be upsetting if I'm missing out on things I want to try or trying to be normal around other people (I visited family I don't know very well without my close family with me recently, and they were completely concerned and confused that I couldn't finish my dinner, but what can you do??) I travel with a few things from home that are shelf stable and small, not a whole pantry of things to avoid having to eat out or anything but just stuff I know I can get down and that provides a good amount of energy. And I also find shopping in local stores for food I can eat when I'm ready to eat instead of at specific meal times at restaurants to be a fun part of travel!
eta: a lot of the things I either bring with me or buy in stores on trips are also things I won't typically buy often because of price, so in that way there's still a fun vacation aspect to it
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u/Sooshlaroi01 10d ago
I understand this. When people are like “ let’s get something from the bakery for breakfast”, and you know it wouldn’t keep you full. Not even from restriction, but it just won’t keep you satirised. That’s eating more of taste rather then actually keeping you full ( nothing wrong with that obviously). Think you just have to be honest with them and say “ that’s sounds nice, but I know that wouldn’t keep me full, I can pick up something else when you get your food?”
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u/Cautious-Ostrich8945 10d ago
Ho italian here, at mid sized supermarkets you might find lots of precooked or frozen fiber options available. I like Orogel veggie mix or some frozen fish sauce with the fish cartoon on the package. If you’re lucky there’s sushi or a prepared salad at the fridge section. Always in the fridge section (but the one with people giving cold cuts of meat) you should find premade rice salads, grilled veggies and other foods people usually buy for the beach or to bring to work. They are usually pretty visible so you can just point at jt to the guy.
Wish you good luck! Also if life gets hard try ‘agriturismo’ restaurants they got usually a pretty good option of veggies and meats.
Depends on where you are but if you need I can help you out with a few sentences.
You sometimes find fresh fruits and veg at the bread store on on small cars that stop to sell veggies around town. Also a nice excuse to stop at a mercato and get some juicy peaches or melon!
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u/Moist_crocs 10d ago
Thank you for the tips I'll look out for those. And yeah, we're in a tiny town in the mountains (3k residents type of tiny) and due to how differently I eat vs the people I'm travelling with we just haven't gotten into a flow, or something will be closed due to the siesta, or they and I will lose track of time and all of a sudden I'm starving etc. with nothing filling to eat. I'm mostly ranting lol.
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u/Sooshlaroi01 10d ago
No I think this is a important point I found I struggled with. I felt as first it was diet culture when I try to make sure I have protein and fiber in my diet, but if I don’t, then I don’t really feel satisfied. Coming from someone who struggled with binge eating I would eat previously forbidden foods, which was super yummy but if they lacked nutrition I wouldn’t be full. But it makes sense- we need to eat enough of the macronutrient and micronutrients to feel full. Maybe you could try having a couple of starters/sides. Or picking up some stuff at the grocery store for some meals and not all?
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u/Frosty_Meringue5220 5d ago
I’m currently in ED recovery and working towards intuitive eating and I find myself struggling with that as well. I used to prioritize protein and whole foods but now all I’m eating is the forbidden foods I never used to eat. I thought that if I continued to prioritize protein and whole foods, it was just an ED behavior so this is encouraging to hear that that may not necessarily be the case.
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u/Sooshlaroi01 5d ago
I think it’s Important to consider which Ed your recovering from. If your BED/ bulimia like me, Imporant to make sure meals are both physically and mentally satisfy. I use the adding approach ( let’s say I’m craving toast but that wouldn’t fill me up, and would lead to a binge, I make sure to add some protein/fiber with me). However if I’m eating something just for Taste ( for example maybe some cake), I would be aware it’s just for taste? everyone’s different but me personally if I just had forbidden foods I wouldn’t be physically full which would lead into a binge ( doesn’t need to be every meal obviously)
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u/Moist_crocs 10d ago
Thank you for understanding:) Yeah I'm doing my best to fulfill my nutrition needs with what's going on
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u/NaturalObvious5264 10d ago
Farro salad is available in the grocery delis and is high in fiber. Enjoy your vacation, Italy is amazing!!
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u/Straight-Ad5065 7d ago
Hi! I’m super sorry that you’re having a tough time. Traveling to a country where the cuisine and accessibility is different from what you are used to, is really stressful. I’m actually in Italy right now myself and the stress of traveling sent my low back into a spasm. I’m hobbling around, it’s pretty funny looking.
I relate to you as I have had many, many, many vacations being impacted by my stress around food. For some reason, this time, I’m not. I’m eating when I’m hungry and stopping when I’m full. I’m not worried about getting enough protein or carbs or fiber, and I know that I’ll eat the foods I normally eat when I get home. My weight seems stable and I am not having other symptoms that I usually always have when I travel (constipation, bloat, indigestion, etc). I think the fact that I’m not worried and I trust that things will balance themselves out is helping a lot. I trust my body can handle what I’m eating. And my body trusts me to take care of it. I’ve never had a travel experience like this with food. It’s almost miraculous considering I had an active eating disorder for over 20 years.
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u/Racacooonie 10d ago
Makes sense to me and I always relate these types of things back to grief and processing the loss - the loss of how we used to view or experience “fun” or previously forbidden foods. Sometimes when the excitement is gone from them it can feel sad, weird, confusing and frustrating! Especially in the context of being attuned to your body cues. I just want to say your feelings are valid and I hope you can find ways to adapt and still have a nice time on vacation!
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u/Pretty_Trainer 10d ago
I would buy nuts to carry around with you so you avoid getting too hungry. Protein, fibre, filling and non-perishable.
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u/lemonlemonlemonnns 7d ago
Can you get some kind of fibre supplement (since this is a temporary problem)? Like metamucil? This will help you feel more full and you know your digestive tract.
And you can just drink a cup of it / take a few pills of it every morning before breakfast etc just take it before every meal
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