Recently, during a vacation, I managed to keep my weight the same. A good accomplishment. Earlier this year I gained five pounds when I was vacationing.

What techniques did I use this time? I:

• Ate a vegetarian diet. I recently became a vegetarian to help lower my cholesterol. That helped to keep my weight steady while vacationing. Now that I'm home, the vegetarian diet will help me lose those five extra pounds I gained on my trip earlier this year.
• Kept dessert-eating under control. I eat sweets one day a week. On vacation, it's easy to relax that rule when delicious-looking chocolate desserts are served in restaurants. I resisted.
• Limited snacks to healthy foods. One example: fresh pineapple and plain yogurt with no sugar. It was tasty.
• Slept eight hours a night. If you sleep to much or little, it can cause you to gain weight.

• Grab quick meals at grocery stories instead of fast food restaurants.
• Pick one local specialty a day for a treat; then eat green salads, soups, and small portions for the rest of your meals.
• Eat the lowest-calorie foods on your plate first so you spoon up fewer high-fat bites.
• Look around the restaurant to determine the size of portions being served so you'll know how much to order.
• Ask for to have your vegetable order doubled.
• Include one calorie-burning -- and fun -- activity in your itinerary each day, such as biking, walking on the beach, snorkeling, kayaking, or even hula classes, and aim for a manageable 30 minutes.
• Ask if the hotel has a trainer on staff, hire a trainer, or try the routines at Self.com.
• Eat a hearty breakfast with protein every day.
• Pack packets of instant oatmeal you can prepare by adding hot water.
• Check RoadFood.com before you leave to find restaurants with healthy eating options.
• Find a room with a refrigerator or kitchen.
• Stick to your regular meal times.
• Use room service; with more expensive, limited choices, you'll stick to the basics.
• Cut fast-food calories by downsizing to a junior meal to slash portion size and calories, leaving off special sauces, and choosing a baked potato with chili as a hearty small lunch or as a side -- instead of fries -- to an entrée salad.

For more information for boomer consumers, see my blog The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide.