by Cynthia Wall

Created on: November 07, 2009

Rolls with flavored butters, cheese platters with bread, grapes, and crackers, green salads, potato salad, pasta salad, pineapple slaw, grilled chicken breast with mushroom sauce, pan seared grouper with scallops, artichokes, and capers, penne rigate with baby shrimps and basil tomato sauce, rosemary roasted potatoes, buttered vegetables, rice pilaf, International and Caribbean desserts. Those are just some of the offerings on the lunch buffet at Sandals, one of the most popular all-inclusive resorts. Sound good? Well, actually it does, and there are many choices on the buffet that would serve a dieter well.

If you're the type of person who gorges at any kind of buffet, for heaven sakes, don't go to an all inclusive resort. Instead, camp out on the beach and eat raw fish and seaweed or lock yourself in a hotel room and have a responsible person meter out your food. But, if you have any will power and nutrition sense at all, an all-inclusive resort is a fine place to keep your diet. In fact, since you can pick and choose what goes on your plate instead of being served extras in the kitchen like a side of fried potatoes or a cheese sauce all over your food, you can be the one in charge. So here are some guidelines to keep you on your healthy diet track.

1. Limit alcohol. Many all-inclusives include drinks as well. With the high calorie content of alcohol, limit yourself. Don't let the clean plate club philosophy extend to your drinking (or your eating for that matter either). Your week in the sun is going to cost the same amount whether you behave sensibly or make a glutton of yourself. Unfortunately, many of the people who go to all inclusive resorts go there because of the bounty of food and drink available. If that's your vacation choice (or your partner's) you'll need to exercise self-control.

2. Keep yourself busy. One of the pluses of an all-inclusive resort is that they have an active social life with lots of exercise opportunities. Whether it's taking surfing lessons or playing tennis, sign up for lots of physical activities and do them. Not only will you burn more calories, but you'll make mealtimes secondary to other fun.

3. All inclusive resorts offer snacks as well as meals. Go ahead and join your friends poolside for Happy Hour but instead of a martini and chips, choose club soda and plain pretzels. Or better yet, skip the Happy Hour to go for a jog on the beach and meet up with everyone at dinner.

4. Choose low-fat, low carb items.

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