I'm getting ready to go on my first of doubtlessly many business trips this year. Once again I'm trying to eat healthier. I find this particularly challenging when living out of hotel rooms.
Breakfast isn't so bad, usually. It's easy to find yogurt, or fruit, or cereal. The places I normally stay at have a continental breakfast for all those sorts of things. The challenge is simple in avoiding the pastries and donuts they put out.
Lunch and dinner are another story. Lunch is always catered or out at a sitdown restaurant in a meeting setting. Dinner I'm on my own, but in a hotel options are limited. Complicating the fact is that the only meat I eat right now is fish, so I miss out on low fat chicken choices. I've been thinking of adding chicken back into my diet -- I'm semi-vegetarian more on whim than anything -- but it's been a year since I've had any and I just can't seem to start. (I wish I had this problem with candy!)
So I was wondering if other folks around here went on business trips, at least occasionally. I end up going on about two per month, for anywhere from 1-5 days. I've lost weight while doing business travel before, so it must be possible. It's just an extra challenge in the road.
I do travel quite a bit when working, though I'm not employed by anyone but myself, so maybe I have a bit more freedom to avoid the dreaded (to me, anyway) meeting setting. But I do sometimes get stuck in catered meetings, conventions, luncheons, banquets, etc., where invariably someone feels a need to comment on my lack of desire to eat the food. Also, until recently, I was an ovo-lacto vegetarian and sometimes would find myself looking down at a steak on my plate when sitting at a table with people I don't want to offend or discuss my lifestyle with.
It IS a challenge. Usually in the above scenario, I just nibble on bread and keep asking for more tea or something and try to deflect any conversation having to do with me or with the food.
In hotels, I have no problem, as I simply don't eat any pastries or stuff delivered to my door! It's just a rule I have.
On the road, I just live out of a cooler filled with healthy stuff or make stops at convenience or grocery stores for healthy choices. Convenience stores don't have to be dietary disasters. They have fruit, lowfat milk, single servings of cheese, yogurt, bread, water, bottled diet sodas and teas, etc. My weakness is canned slimfast, which is really a sugary treat to me. But even that isn't bad if I add a piece of fruit and a lowfat cheese stick.
I try to ignore the donuts, but sometimes succumb!
Scuttle-
I understand exactly what you are going through. For over a year I traveled every single week. The food thing was a definately a challenge. I agree with you that breakfast was easy in the hotel I stayed in. Most of the time though, I would take a couple extra pieces of fruit and a nutrigrain bar from the breakfast bar back to my room to have during the day. Lunch and dinner were both on my own and the majority of the time I ate out. On occassion someone from work would invite me to their house for dinner, which seemed to be worse than eating out! I mananaged to find a few restaurants close to the hotel that I had a healthy dish or two. The challenge was also finding a place that I could get carry out from also because eating alone every day sucks. I ate at the same places over and over and over....often having the same things over and over and over. It was so hard to resist all those other places with their yummy southern food though!
The catered meals are a whole different situation. I usually find myself picking through it eating the veggies, some lean protein (if they have it) and maybe some bread or plain pasta. They dont usually serve very health conscious foods, certainly never fruit. I generally have sneak off somewhere and eat one of those pieces of fruit or nutrigrain bars from breakfast that I have stashed in my purse!!
Good luck with you travels and I wish you the best of luck. I understand how tough it is!
Hi Scuttle: I thought I would throw in my two cents worth. I don't business travel anymore, but when I vacation I face the same sorts of troubles. When you can pick a restaurant it's often not that bad, however, when I go to buffets I can usually fill up on salad and then there is usually a 'green beans almondine' or 'roasted carrots' that seem to be offered alot on buffets. Bread can be a really calorie devil depending on how good it is so I usually stay away from the breads, but I do eat chicken so that is where you and I differ.
On vacation, I have been known to carry powdered Crystal Light and I larger container to mix it in. I make that up and have it for in my room so that no matter what I have had to drink when I'm 'out', I can get all of my water in. You can always get ice from down the hall if there's no fridge in the room.
I also pack apples, at least enough to get me through the first day and a half or so until I can find a little grocery.
Also, BubbleBee and Starkist make a tuna lunch kit that comes with a small can of tuna, already mixed with low fat mayo and 5-6 crackers all in one package. Those are really convenient even on a plane.
I hope this has helped some. Good luck in your travels.
I am about to begin packing for a one week out of town trip (tomorrow to next Sunday)...to attend a conference...actually a competition...where I will be extremely busy, stressed and have to stay in top form in order to help my team make it to the semi-finals...and possibly the finals (if all goes well).
I am also very concerned about food consumption, especially since we will only have a few breaks during the day, and lunches are all hotel sit down affairs where there won't be much choice. Dinners will be eaten at restaurants, in a group, so I may be forced to eat in places that are not the best, but I will try to eat what I believe to be good for me!
There are cocktail parties & hospitality suite socials every evening...I will have to at least "visit", but hope to be able to stay away from the fattening goodies...altho I am known to be an extremely emotional eater when it comes to being stressed.
I am packing some goodies to take with me (coffee, tea, instant soups & oatmeals, diet coke and gummy candy) and a small kettle to boil water in.
There is a pool & fitness centre in the hotel, but our schedule is so tightly packed that I think the only free time we get is a couple of hours on thursday afternoon (and no I'm not kidding!!!).
I guess I will try to load up on salads & veggies, and watch out for the rest. Realistically I don't believe I am able to lose weight, but at least maintaining my current loss would be great!
Business Travelers
TOPICAL FOR ME....
