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Corbis

Corbis

You know how, when you go to a buffet, you always over eat? Well, an all-inclusive resort is like a week-long buffet. You get a buffet at breakfast lunch and dinner. There are usually snacks laid out around the pull, appetizers at cocktail hour, and not to mention all the fruity, sugary, whipped cream covered drinks you could ask for. Then there is the mentality that, “Well I paid for this. I want to get my money’s worth!” So you start doing this grab-all act with the free goodies, as if you’re on one of those game shows where whatever you can stuff in your bag within three minutes, you get to keep. But your bag is, well, your mouth. And you’ll keep it alright—on your tummy and thighs. So if you are packing your sarongs and teeny bikinis as we speak, here are some tips on how to survive an all-inclusive resort without gaining weight.

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Don’t try to get your money’s worth

One major mistake people make when going into all inclusive resorts is feeling like they have to eat until they’re stuffed to the gills to get their money’s worth. What’s more is they want to get way more than their money’s worth, and feel like they’re winning by literally being sick with fullness after every meal.

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Shutterstock

Do do some calculations

Think about it. Let’s say you spent $1,500 to spend five days here, and that included your airfare, hotel room, and all meals. That airfare was maybe $500 or $600 of that. Your hotel stay probably took up another $700 of that. $200 was built in for your booze (oh yeah, it was). So maybe—maybe–$200 goes to food. That’s 15 meals. That’s around $13 a meal. That’s already less than you would pay for a full meal at a regular, non-inclusive resort. You’re saving money. Just eat enough to be comfortable.

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Shutterstock

Don’t order the colorful drinks

The drinks that have umbrellas and sticks of fruit and rainbows inside? Yeah. You can’t order those. Those usually have somewhere between 500 and 1000 calories per drink. If there are tons of mixers and colors, it’s not for you.

Image Source: Shutterstock

Image Source: Shutterstock

Do try every food during your stay

Just scan the buffet and pick out the foods you’d like to try at some point during your stay. This will help you not eat everything at once, and will help you focus on those during the week instead of becoming distracted by the creamy mashed potatoes.

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Shutterstock

 

Don’t just lay by the pool

This is your vacation, so there should be some amount of laying by the pool. But really, how much of this can you do? You’re asking for skin damage if you’re just baking out there in a tiny bikini, next to the reflective water.

 

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Shutterstock

Don’t worry about wasting food

If you take a bite of something you got at the buffet and didn’t like it, don’t feel like you have to eat it. I know you don’t want to waste food but, unfortunately, all inclusive resorts waste so much food every day. You aren’t going to solve that issue by stuffing yourself.