Surviving the ‘Free’ Drinks and All You Can Eat Buffet at An All-Inclusive Vacation

One day this February, after *lovingly* telling Makoto that he was breathing too loudly, I determined that I was either majorly deficient in B-vitamins or completely lacking from the happy rays of sunlight. Since I religiously take my B-vitamins, I knew that the lack of sun, warmth and all the wonderful glowing things that pure sunshine can do for someone had finally taken its toll. My very understanding and patient husband immediately booked an all-inclusive trip to Mexico.

We usually try to stay away from all-inclusives since we live for travelling, exploring new territory and trying all sorts of different cuisine but in the middle of our gloomy Canadian winter, 7days on a beach without having to think about your next meal or accomodations was veeeeeeeeeery appealing.

We welcomed the wave of humidity and brightness of the sun rays with open arms. The overflowing taps of ice-cold Corona and endless bottles of champagne at our all-inclusive resort also helped. After downing our third cerveza (beer) /glass of bubbly within the first twenty minutes of our arrival, we realized that we were going to that dark place…..we call it the “starving student” mode. A combination of being on a restricted post-secondary student’s budget for over eight years tied in with our greediness for anything that tastes delicious turns us into these scary consumption monsters. So after giving each other a pep talk and reminding each other that we must not embarrass one another, we came up with these rules to enjoy our holiday while keeping our good health in mind:


1.  It’s hard to believe….but all inclusive resorts offer bottled water! Just because you are on holidays doesn’t mean that the eight glasses of water per day rule should be thrown out the window. In fact, you are sweating more in the hot, glorious sun and drinking more alcohol than usual so make sure to constantly keep rehydrating yourself. Having water in between drinks also helps you to moderate your intake. Remember that you should have a glass of water for every alcoholic drink that you have.

2.  At the buffet, you already know that you’re going to go for seconds…you’re on holidays! So make your first round your healthy round. Fill up on more of the veggie dishes and salads offered. Choose a larger portion of chicken and fish over the red meat dishes.

3. Stay away from the extra large drinks - We saw people bring their own Big Gulp sized thermoses to the bar and ask them to fill it with beer/pina coladas/margeritas/etc. When you are at an all-inclusive, walking to the bar to get your drink may be your day's worth of exercise so take advantage of this ‘cardio'.  Besides, walking to the bar and waiting in the lines for your drink makes it taste that much better!  My favorite drink was the mojitowith tons of fresh mint leaves but I would ask for "very little" sugar (basically 1 shot of syrup instead of 10).  Makoto and I were addicted to the fresh juice bar and we'd have several cleansing celery and beet juices every day.  If you are not big on the sugary drinks but still want a fun cocktail, find the fresh juice bar at your resort and they will gladly add a shot of rum/tequila/vodka in your juice for you.

 4. Portion control – at the buffet, we tend to scoop WAY more food onto our plates than we realize. If you want to try that creamy dish, go ahead! Just don’t take a heaping scoopful of it. You will still have the satisfaction of tasting the dish without overeating. And now you can try several other dishes too!

5. Exercise – All-inclusive resorts do a great job of providing endless activities for the day. Now don’t be intimidated….the activities (yoga, aerobics, salsa dancing, volleyball, etc) are much more relaxed in comparison to your local gym. Most people join just to have a great time. After a Corona and double-mojito, Makoto decided it was time to participate in the resort’s daily "Iron Man" competition…..every single Canadian encircling the pool area was cheering for him and he won us a bottle of tequila!
Most importantly, remember to relax!  Ok...we'll forgive checking your e-mail once...twice MAX...but remember you are there to enjoy life and reward yourself with dealing with all the stresses that life can bring!  Arriba, Arriba!!!