BusyBits #226: How to Come Back From Holiday in Better Shape Than You Left

Hey fitness nerds!

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I went on holiday for two weeks to Bangkok recently. I am trying to slim down for summer, and the last thing I wanted was to come back bloated, sluggish, and starting over. So I tried a structured but realistic approach. Not obsessive. Not miserable. Just smart.

Here is what worked, what did not, and the final result.

Read below! 

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IN LESS THAN 10 MINUTES WE WILL COVER:

I am going to be honest with you.

I do not think you need to care about fitness on holiday. If you want to eat everything in sight, drink cocktails by the pool, and come back five pounds heavier, that is completely fine. Holidays are for living. No judgement here.

But this article is not for those people.

This is for the people who are in the middle of a cut. Who have spent months building momentum. Who do not want two weeks abroad to undo their progress.

This is the most underrated fitness decision you will make before your trip.

Whether you are heading to a beach destination or a city break, the hotel you pick will either make staying fit effortless or nearly impossible. Most people choose based on price, location, and how it looks on Instagram. You need to add a few more criteria.

Here is what I look for.

Does it have a gym, ideally 24 hours? It does not need to be a CrossFit box. It just needs the basics. A few machines, some free weights, a cable station, and cardio equipment. A 24 hour gym matters because jet lag and holiday schedules mean your training window will not always be 7am.

Does it have restaurants where you can get enough protein? This is the one most people overlook. If your only option is a buffet of pastries and fried rice, you are fighting uphill. Look for hotels with multiple dining options, especially local cuisine. Thai, Japanese, and seafood restaurants tend to be naturally high in protein and lower in unnecessary fats.

Does it have a continental breakfast? You want the ability to build your own plate. Eggs, meat, fish, fruit. Skip the croissants.

Does it have a pool? Not just for lounging. A pool is your secret weapon for burning extra calories through low impact cardio. More on this later.

Does it have any wellness or recovery facilities? A spa, a sauna, hydrotherapy. Bonuses, not essentials, but they make a real difference if you are training daily.

The hotel I stayed at, The Salil Hotel Riverside in Bangkok, ticked every one of these boxes. 24 hour fitness centre with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the river. Multiple restaurants including Thai, sushi, and seafood. Continental breakfast. A pool with jacuzzi. A rooftop aquatherapy pool. A heritage spa. And it was relatively affordable for the location.

You should think about these things before you book anywhere.

Get your session done first thing. Once you are out exploring, eating, and socialising, you will not go back to the gym. Morning training is non-negotiable.

Now, you are not going to follow your normal push/pull/legs split on holiday. That requires too many sessions and too much mental energy in an unfamiliar gym. Instead, switch to full body training every single day.

Full body sessions burn more total calories per session than isolation splits. You hit every muscle group daily, which keeps development consistent even if you miss a day. And it is simpler to execute with potentially limited equipment.

The structure is straightforward. Pick two exercises per major body part. Alternate between a heavy day and a volume day. Keep sessions to around 45 minutes. Follow every session with 20 minutes of steady state cardio on the treadmill, bike, or whatever is available.

Here are two example workouts you can use.

Alternate between A and B each day. If the hotel gym does not have a specific piece of equipment, swap it for the closest alternative. The point is not perfection. The point is showing up every morning and putting in the work before the holiday starts.

Training is important. But nutrition is what actually determines whether you gain or lose weight on holiday. Let me walk you through exactly how I structured my eating for two weeks.

I used the continental breakfast every morning and prioritised protein. My plate usually looked like this: scrambled or boiled eggs as the base, grilled meat skewers or chicken, sushi or sashimi (many Asian hotel breakfasts offer this), fresh fruit on the side, and black coffee.

The whole meal came in at roughly 500 calories. High on protein, low on fat and carbs. This kept me full for hours and meant I had more calorie budget for dinner and dessert later.

I did not skip lunch, but I kept it small. The strategy is simple. You know dinner is going to be your biggest meal, probably 800 to 1000 calories, so lunch should sit around 200 to 400.

Some fruit. A light salad. Maybe a small portion of something protein rich if I was hungry. The point is not restriction. The point is strategic allocation of your daily calories.

My hotel had a fruit bar for lunch so that is what i went for together with a flat white.

The Salil had multiple restaurants, and I rotated between three types of cuisine throughout the two weeks.

Traditional Thai at NAVA. Thai food is one of the best cuisines in the world for staying lean. High protein from prawns, chicken, and fish. Fresh herbs and spices. Light broths. A typical dinner was Tom Yum soup, a grilled fish or prawn dish, and steamed rice. Roughly 600 to 700 calories with 40 plus grams of protein.

Sushi at Sushi Itto. Sashimi is one of the best protein per calorie foods that exists. A sushi dinner can hit 40 to 50g of protein at 500 to 600 calories if you prioritise sashimi and nigiri over tempura rolls. I would order a sashimi platter, a few pieces of nigiri, and maybe one roll.

Seafood at Jumbo Lobster. Grilled seafood, prawns, fish. All very high protein and relatively low calorie if you avoid heavy sauces. A seafood platter with rice and vegetables was filling, delicious, and kept me well within my targets.

By rotating between these three, I never got bored, I always hit my protein target, and it never once felt like I was dieting.The Future Is Already Here

I had mango sticky rice every day. Every. Single. Day. Because it is Thailand and that is non-negotiable.

The trick was customisation. I ordered extra mango and extra coconut milk but less sticky rice. This cut the carb and calorie load while keeping the experience just as good. Find your priority treat. Have it daily if you want. Just be smart about how you order it.

Most people will drink on holiday. That is fine. The issue is not alcohol itself but the hidden calories in cocktails, sugary mixers, and the snacking that comes after.

Here is how I thought about it. Each evening I would decide what my priority was. Is it a great cocktail tonight? Is it dessert? Is it a big dinner? You probably cannot have all three every night without going over your calories. Pick two out of three and rotate.

If cocktails are your priority, have one or two good ones and skip dessert that night. Spirits with soda water and lime are the lowest calorie option. Dry wines are reasonable. Beer is the worst option calorie wise but if it is your thing, just account for it. Avoid frozen cocktails and anything with cream or sugary mixers.

The framework is simple. Know what you are going to prioritise before you sit down. Compensate by eating a lighter lunch or adding a bit more protein and fewer carbs at dinner.

Every evening before dinner, usually when the pool closed at 8pm, I did 15 to 20 minutes of laps. Not intense. Just steady swimming back and forth.

Swimming burns a surprisingly high number of calories for relatively low perceived effort. It doubles as active recovery for your joints and muscles after a morning gym session. And it creates a calorie buffer that lets you eat a bigger dinner or have dessert without guilt.

This became a daily ritual. Swim, shower, go to dinner. It also meant I was burning extra calories at the exact time I needed them most, right before my biggest meal.

Most people pay for hotel wellness facilities and never touch them. Do not be that person.

The Salil has a rooftop aquatherapy pool. Nine hydromassage stations, overlooking the river. Hydrotherapy reduces muscle soreness, lowers cortisol, improves circulation, and helps with joint relief after daily training. I used it several times during the two weeks and it made a noticeable difference to how my body felt.

They also have a Heritage Spa, which is based on traditional Thai naturopathy and the five elements. Not a generic hotel massage. I booked a deep tissue treatment twice during the trip and it genuinely helped with recovery and sleep quality.

I also joined a meditation and wellness activity they offered. I am not someone who meditates regularly at home, but on holiday you have the time. It helped with stress, sleep, and general mental clarity.

The point is this: look at what your hotel offers and actually use it. Spa, hydrotherapy, wellness workshops, yoga classes. These things exist and they are usually included or very affordable. They are not luxuries. They are recovery tools.

Let me be honest. Sleep on holiday is not perfect. You are eating late. You might be drinking. Your circadian rhythm is adjusting to a new time zone. Hotel rooms can be noisy.

But you can optimise what you can control.

Set a cut off for your last alcoholic drink, ideally two to three hours before sleep. Match every alcoholic drink with a glass of water. Avoid heavy carb loaded meals right before bed. Use the hotel blackout curtains and set the air conditioning to around 18 to 19 degrees. Keep your phone out of the bed.

Try to wake up at the same time every day regardless of what time you went to sleep. Consistency matters more than total hours.

You will not sleep perfectly every night. That is fine. Optimise the nights you can control and do not stress about the nights you cannot.

Here is the part you have been waiting for.

I came back from two weeks in Bangkok one pound heavier.

For the first two days at home, I ate slightly less than usual and added a bit more cardio to sweat out what I suspected was water weight from the flight and the sodium in restaurant food.

Four days after landing, I weighed myself again.

I was almost a pound lighter than before I left for holiday.

Two weeks in Bangkok. Ate dessert every single day. Drank on multiple occasions. Never once felt deprived. Came back lighter than when I left.

The point is not that this is some magic system. The point is that with a small amount of planning, the right hotel, and a few daily habits, you can enjoy a holiday fully without undoing months of progress.

Pick a hotel with a gym, pool, multiple restaurant options, and wellness facilities. Train full body every morning for 45 minutes plus 20 minutes of cardio. Eat a high protein 500 calorie breakfast. Keep lunch light at 200 to 400 calories. Enjoy dinner fully but choose high protein cuisines like Thai, sushi, and seafood. Pick your daily treat and account for it. Do 15 to 20 minutes of pool laps before dinner. Use the hotel spa and recovery facilities. Optimise sleep where you can. Expect to come back one to two pounds heavier, mostly water weight, which drops off within a week.

Your holiday does not have to be a setback. It can be proof that your habits actually work.

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