Being an Adult — City Breaks Are the One
Aaron Pyatt — July 22, 2025
I’ve just got back from a trip to Yorkshire—and it was lovely.
While I was there, I found myself thinking about conversations I regularly have with clients around going away, eating out, and how navigating these situations can feel challenging when you're dieting.
First of all, forget about dieting. I don’t currently diet to lose weight and haven’t done so for several years. I think there’s value in hearing this from someone who isn’t trying to lose weight—i.e. me.
While I was away I wanted to enjoy the sights and sounds of a different city—York— and the fresh Sea air of a coastal town—Whitby. Food was part of the experience and memories were there to be made. After all, its not every day you find an award-winning fish and chip restaurant and a pop-up, stone-baked pizza takeaway in the same town.
I started my mornings by researching the best coffee and breakfast spots in York—there were plenty to choose from. I had shakshuka on the first day, and on the second day, a delicious combo of avocado, eggs, sweet potato, and a creamy sauce served on sourdough. It was amazing.
One day I had fish and chips for lunch and Napoli-style stone-baked pizza for dinner. Before heading home, I also managed to squeeze in a visit to a cosy country pub, where I had baked sea bass with potatoes and seasoned vegetables—also lovely.
I have no idea how many calories I consumed across those two days—my best guess is somewhere between 3,500–4,500 per day. That would put me roughly 800–1,000 calories over what I need daily.
Now to my point.
I ate three meals a day. I didn’t stop every few hundred yards for ice cream, or drink endless caramel iced lattes while eating my body weight in gift-shop fudge. I did, however, walk around 20,000 steps each day and went for a run on Saturday morning before my wife and little boy woke up. Saturdays are my long run day—I enjoy running, so I run, holiday or not.
After the weekend, I stepped on the scale. To my surprise, I had only gained 0.3kg. I was genuinely shocked. I weighed myself simply because I had no idea how many calories I was consuming while away. I knew most of the food was high in calories, but I was also highly active. I guess I wanted to see whether it’s possible to enjoy a trip, have fun, and eat well—with little to no impact on body weight.
Turns out it is possible.
If your intent is to stay active and not eat like a dustbin—by that I mean not grazing on fudge, lattes, and ice cream every few hundred yards—but instead have three solid meals and behave like an adult (not an 8-year-old on a school trip), you can absolutely do it.
The key takeaway: actions have consequences. If you're on a weight loss journey, you don’t have to give up all of life’s little pleasures to hit your goals. But you do have to understand that the more you indulge, the more you'll need to balance that out. It’s all about acting like an adult, acknowledging that thermodynamics apply to food (yes, you can Google that), and upping your activity to make space for the finer things.
The moral of the story? City breaks are the one.
Don’t be afraid or anxious about going away and enjoying life’s little luxuries. Whether you’re on a weight loss journey or not, it doesn’t matter—you’ll be fine. Just remember: actions have consequences. Do more, or do less—it’s up to you. I just want you to be happy knowing that you can have fun and still smash your goals. 😊
Aaron
