I travel for my business, a week at a time sometimes, this time it was almost two weeks and as you can imagine I didn't keep up on my diet. Although I just got on the scale and I only fluxuated one pound. I sort of watched it but it's hard with restaurant food.
This was the first time I brought along a cooler and for the first three days I did really good - had healthy snacks, homeade sandwiches and veggies. The ice melted and I started eating out - and in small towns I travel through it's greasy spoon restaurants. I tried to mostly eat salads and chicken but at times I gave in to comfort food as I was getting tired. It was the last few days where I really gave in.
I saw a food cooler that you plug into your car, at a truck stop. I found even with packs the ice only lasted two days if that as it was hot. So I'm thinking if I bought a cooler that remained plugged into my car it wouldn't be as messy and I could pack foods for an entire week at a time - or at least 3-4 days. I even figure I could use traveling to diet more. I bought a few books that have ideas on what to eat at various restaurants, one is the Fast Food Diet and I think next time I'll actually bring it along for ideas on what to eat quickly.
At some point I went to the bookstore and found a book that had good ideas for exercising while on the road. I started doing squats, situps and other things at a hotel room. I felt better too. I'm 39 and I know that I can't just take a week and especially two off at my age without back sliding. So I'm going to have to get this down to a science. I drive when I travel so I could take along some dumbells to do at hotels to keep a routine going. I'm hoping to head torwards not just fit but ultra fit as I used to be a top athlete in my day - and tall and thin. Now I'm on the frumpy side and hate it.
Are there any other road warriors out there that have ideas on how to keep it up while traveling?
It's tough, but it can be done. I like the traveling cooler idea.
Of course, you can take a supply of nonrefrigerated snacks as well. I often take these along (Kashi bars, cheese & crackers, nuts, dried fruit). I always track calories because I always have my computer with me, and I downloaded my calorie tracker (FitDay) so I don't need an internet connection.
Many motels these days have microwaves in the room, and sometimes even a small refrigerator--so if possible, I might get myself a Lean Cuisine or two that I can heat up.
Portion control is also helpful--eat only half or less of whatever you order in a restaurant, and just say goodbye to the rest (why save it if you're on the road?).
I'm interested to see what ideas others will have...
Another thing you can do is to avoid restaurants all together and hit up a grocery store when you're hungry, buy fruit, precut veggies, hummus, a premade salad, sandwich, etc. And don't forget to refill that cooler! Dump the melted ice, buy a fresh bag and stock up!!
A lot of hotels will have exercise rooms or pools that make it fun/relaxing to exercise in the evening!
The cooler ideas are good, that's the best approach. How long are you in a place at a time? Perhaps you could buy some groceries if you're in the same hotel for a few days, then pack the groceries along in the car with you?
It's hard, I know. It's great that you are trying to figure out ways to make it easy though!
When I travel for business, it is never by car. I always fly. But I have made it a point to:
1. Stay at a hotel that has a fitness room
2. Stay at a hotel that has AT LEAST a mini-fridge and a microwave. A lot of times I look for hotels that have a mini-kitchen. This is great because I just go to the grocery store and make my food as I normally would!
That's one of the problems, when I travel it's only one night at a time in town's in hotels. It's my business so of course I stay at more "budet" motels. This time I actually took my little boy with me and it was quite fun, we camped and stayed at some camper cabins, plus some more "luxury" hotels for almost two weeks - yes he gets the kid of the year award for this. I drive a lot so I get really tired, sometimes I drive 10-12 hours a day.
I'm thinking so long as I QUIT restaurants then I won't gain weight while traveling, I think in the past I must have ate a lot of calories on the road - as now I started tracking them. Comfort meals must have been insane. I think I will buy the plug in cooler and will just prepack a lot of foods, and then will go to grocery stores. I think Subway wraps are good from reading, so I can do some of those and very small hamburgers or chicken sandwiches (no buns) with salads at fast food restaurants. The last day of traveling I cheated, had french fries, a huge double hamburger and the works. I felt guilty but life will go on - I was "pretty" good the rest of the trip.
I've never tried exercise bands and after I posted this I did a google on exercise while on the road. I'd have to use a dvd to learn how to use bands but they sure would be easy to pack. There's also decks of cards that I found that don't use weights, only body weight for those weight lifting which I'm trying to do more of. And a serious body builder suggested of course bringing lots of chicken (pregrilled or bring a George Foreman) and small bags of brown rice to heat up in microwaves. Almonds, meal bars and dried fruit are easy of course for snacks. Protein meal replacements, powdered, the kind you drink without milk, onlyl water.
I think I will start asking in advance if hotels have a fridge and microwave. I've stayed at lots of small town hotels, and actually I always go through the same towns so I can just get a list together of what budget hotels have the fridges and microwaves. And if we do this crazy camping again I actually bought a mini portable cooker that works with propane, couldn't that be used at a hotel too? They make some cool mini camping stuff and dishes anymore.
Next time I'm hoping to have this down to a science as I don't want to lose all of my hard efforts traveling.
I also like the idea of Lean Cuisine meals from grocery stores while on the road. I've been keeping my home fridge stocked with them and when I'm beat I just toss one in. They are good and feel like real meals for the small amount of calories, I just add a salad as people on this site said they do and on the road I could at least add celery and veggies with hummus.
Maybe too I need to learn some water exercises, when I travel there are some pools - and if I bring my little boy he loves them. I'm usually beat so I don't feel like making laps but I started just doing some kicks at the side of the pool while watching him. What are the exercises they do in water aerobics? Maybe I should go take a few classes at the ymca where I'm a member just to learn what to do as I'm clueless. I think I could "move" while my boy plays even when I'm tired and traveling... but nothing too serious. Even the bands, lunges, etc in the room need to be low key, just the basics I guess so I don't "lose it", lose the hard work. Thanks everyone.
When I travel for business, I always pack low calorie energy bars and fruit (apples and bananas usually) for breakfast, so at least that meal is on plan. I've have also packed my own breakfast cereal. You can buy milk in 8 oz containers at convenience stores (or, if you live near a Trader Joe's, they sell single-serve containers of 2% milk that do not require refridgeration).
I also try to eat at Subway (or other chains that publish nutritional info and/or have low calorie menus) when I can, because I know I can get a sandwich there that fits in my calories for the day.
Another thing I've done is create a menu memo in my PDA where I enter the calorie information for menu selections that fit within my calorie plan at common fast food restaurants (McD's, Au Bon Pain, Wendy's, etc.) That way if I end up having to eat at McD's, for example, I know what I can eat on the menu.
There are also lots of fully-cooked meals that you can buy in single-serve vacuum-sealed pouches that don't require refridgeration. I really like the tuna and salmon fillets that are sold in pouches. They are fully cooked and don't require you to heat prior to eating.
If you'll have access to a microwave, I also really like the Indian meals sold in pouches (and now you can even get fully cooked rice in pouches as well, to eat with the meals). Soup and fat free chili are other good options. Oatmeal is a great option for breakfast. Many low-budget chain hotels do give guests access to a microwave, at least in a common area if not in the hotel rooms.
In terms of exercise, I either go running or I stay in hotels that have a fitness center. Many low-budget hotels still have a dark room somewhere where they've stashed a treadmill and a stairmaster.
Part of it is attitude too. I do much better on business trips when I head into them with the idea that I will stay on plan, rather than treating it as a opportunity to eat whatever I want.
In the past I was using trips as an opportunity to eat whatever I wanted! Imagine an entire week of THAT?
I discovered those pouches of rice lately at home, they are handy aren't they? I'll look for the Indian food in pouches. Also I like the tuna/salmon in pouches and could bring them along too.
I was just thinking that - I'm not into pdas - I keep a paper daytimer, but I could put in a section of what I "can" eat at fast food restaurants, just have a list - there's always a McDonald's, Wendy's etc. I just get so tired of salads but usually the diet lists say small hamburgers are ok. We did Subway a few times but I need "the list" while there as even adding ingredients can double the calories of a wrap.
I didn't know about the single servings of milk at Trader Joe's, how could that be? I brought along the smaller sized soy milk that lasted our two first days on this trip for cereal and that helped cut my calories - those hotel breakfast's are horrible - muffins, doughnuts and junk. We don't have a Trader Joe's but there's a city 35 minutes away that does. Can I store these? How long? I'll find out...
It seems that body builders eat and eat chicken and rice. Not a bad idea with a cooler to bring precooked chicken strips along with pouches of rice and just heat them up. And oatmeal for breakfast. My mom's oatmeal recipe is to take the "real" oatmeal and soak it overnight in milk along with other nuts and seeds, then add a little more milk in the am, not using a microwave at all (and this woman at almost 70 looks better then me some days).
I think the main thing was I've been using food for comfort, just pigging out, hungry or not. After two months of really pushing nutrition and exercise I don't even feel like going to a greasy spoon restaurant at all. So the emotional eating isn't even driving me. Plus I think about consequences. Even though I've only lost 5 lbs (i think I gained muscle) I'm on the road to losing more and dont' want to ruin it.
You can also get pre-cooked chicken in pouches like the tuna and salmon. I think Bumble Bee makes them; they are usually with the tuna/salmon pouches. The pouches don't need to be refridgerated so that might be a better solution than the chicken strips, which I think require refridgeration.
And yeah, you've got to steer clear of the breakfast pastries. I attend a lot of business conferences and there are always pastries offered as breakfast and again as a mid-morning snack, cakes or other desserts with lunch, and cookies (or worse) as a mid-afternoon snack. It can be a real struggle to pass them up (one I don't always win, esp. the cookies--they often smell so good). I end up drinking a lot of decaf coffee. I swear, at some of these conferences it seems like they are trying to make us gain weight.
There are some hotels that offer healthy menu selections--Radisson is one. But I've never actually asked for the nutritional info. The choices are usually denoted as either low fat or low carb--I avoid the low carb since those are usually high in calories and go with the low fat choices. I suspect that the calories are still a lot higher than my normal meals.
Yes I've seen those pouches in chicken too, I think next time I travel I'll try them and turkey. I can't stand the taste of salmon unless I really marinade the heck out of it. I didn't know about choosing low fat over low carb menu items. Today I ate out with my boy, I thought a gyros sandwich would be a healthy choice, it was a private restaurant but I plugged it into the internet and one restaurant said this sandwich was 650 calories and some huge amount of fat. Then it really sent my fitday fat off big time. Is fat the problem with restaurant food? Since I didn't eat much else today I was at 1400 calories but now this evening I'll exercise more. I've never counted calories before but I can't even imagine pluggin in chicken fried steak, potatoes with gravy, etc that I used to like to eat on the road... I just won't eat it again or see.
The problems with restaurant food are many. Fat is one of them, but also carbohydrates. The worst case is when you end up with something that has both!
Always check entrees out before you order them, if you can. That might mean getting a menu online and looking up the choices you might want.
Eating right when traveling for business? Ideas?
