Quote:
Originally Posted by Journeysend
WELLLLL....my husband booked tickets to go to Germany today!!!! We leave on July 6th..boy oh boy would I love to be down to 175 by then....BUT I am worried about what I am going to eat when we are there for THREE WEEKS!! Yiks!!! Any ideas would be welcome....I am excited but nervous too, we will be staying with my husband's cousin and family..so no hotels to contend with.
I guess I can take the protein packets, but probably NOT the ready to go puddings and drinks????? 
Oh well another mini goal for me......July 6....175lbs....here I come ready or not  |
I spent 5 weeks last summer in Switzerland, Germany, Austria.... BE PREPARED is all I can say! I wasn't dieting at all and I was having a hard time eating healthy in general.
My suggestions are:
READ AS MUCH AS YOU CAN ON GERMANY AND THE AREA YOU WILL BE IN. Rick Steve's has great books and has tips/tricks/discounts in them. Check online for his website too.
http://www.german-way.com/dine.html
Learn how to ask for TAP WATER. They will provide it but we must ask. for tap water ("Leitungswasser, bitte.") and for bottled water ("Mineralwasser, bitte.") it is likely to come with bubbles or without aka STILL. BE PREPARED, most Germans will not drink tap water, nothing is wrong with the water, it just isn't done. You will likely get a strange look but, they will usually bring it anyway.
DON'T bring your own drink into a restaurant and then drink from it. VERY taboo. We kind of get away with it here in our more casual places but it is completely out of place over there.
When you get to your place of lodging find a market in the area. It is much cheaper to buy bottled water and keep it in your hotel. Our hotels had little mini fridges all along so, I kept some water in there (had to rearrange a bit) to have some cold things. If you have a car this is a really easy thing because you can buy several bottles of water and pay much less for the flats.
You might consider looking at a camping/hiking shop like REI and see about a water filtration bottle. You can take it in your suitcase dry then in germany, you can fill it from any tap, it will filter, save you a bit of money and give you better flavor.
I would suggest talking to your coach about going to PHASE 2 for the month. It will make things MUCH easier!!
The food in Germany was rich with butter, flours, fats, cheeses, and sodium. The meats were even fatty. I had to really look over menus to find and the ask for and pay extra for the vegetables and salads.
Speaking of salad TAKE your walden foods to go packets of dressing in your big suitcase. Otherwise, be prepared to use a salad oil and Lemon or whatever vinegar they may have. If you went for a dressing there... make the choice to go fatty over low fat/low cal. It will keep the carbs in check and with you walking around a lot I think you will be burning more calories.
Take your packets of cereal, vanilla pudding, chocolate drink, or other drinks you like. Take a good shaker than easily rinses/cleanse up. Buy the washing soap at a local market when you get there. You can always have chilled cold water delivered to your room or get a bottle of it. BE PREPARED you may need to put ice in your shaker, shake the ice with your water first to cool it down, then mix. VERY COOL water is not a common thing to many Germans. It is often done in touristy places though.
If you are at a hotel with a full breakfast, it is very nice usually! Our different hotels had great buffets with eggs, meats, veggies fresh and cooked, and all the "not now stuff" - breads, pastry, yogurt, cheese,fruit, and chocolate.
Depending on how you want to do it, it would be very easy to have:
A breakfast meal made from the buffet, A walk about shake/drink/cereal with a simple green salad, A dinner meal, An evening pudding/drink snack
OR:
a coffee drink breakfast (made with the vanilla pudding),A good lunch,
A good dinner, your evening snack
Take your SEA SALT
I bought little medicine bags at the pharmacy and packed my vitamins for the time of the trip. It made it easier to move things around in the suitcase not fighting the shape of the bottles.
You can get the omega oil capsules at the health food store or whole foods/sprouts etc. that you take with you so you don't need to think about where your oil is coming from.
Pack your splenda or stevia. It isn't readily available there.
Plan ahead, look online or ask at the hotel about a farmers market or fresh grocer. You can get things for a day or so at a time like cucumber, zucchini, celery, etc. Pick up a knife at the market, wash things in the room, eat on the go if you can find veggies in the restaurant. That is the most dire circumstance you might face. Most of the time, you will find what you need, it just may be a la carte.
Look to have meat dishes with roasted vegetables, they are on nearly every menu. AVOID THE SAUCES... they will hold them for you when you ask or say on the side and don't use it.
ENJOY YOURSELF TOO! I hate to say it on this forum and I know how much you want to lose the weight BUT, COME ON!!! You will be in Germany. I haven't the faintest clue about whether you have been there before or not or will ever go again but, assuming this is a first and only time... don't screw it up for 10 pounds.
Be careful and thoughtful about what you eat. Watch the carbs and the fat. But don't avoid the experience. The fat and protein will not take you out of ketosis. If you are prepared to have a slight carb gain, enjoy the trip, do your best but, if you really, really, want to experience a special culinary delight let yourself have a TASTE.
I did my trip, trying to be careful. I still wish I had experienced a few things I didn't, but, I DID have a wonderful, authentic, freshly made Sacher Torte at the Hotel Sacher. (Salzburg and Vienna are the only places in the world you can have these authentic and fresh. There is a similar place that ships them in in Italy. Others are shipped in or imitations.) I had fresh Rosti and Raclette in Switzerland. I enjoyed a crepe in France. And, I had weiner schnitzel in Germany. They were my only treats in 5 long weeks of culinary wonders. I wanted to remember my trip as as enjoyable and fantastic and a full experience so I chose carefully what foods were my splurges. I lost weight during that trip, probably all the walking, and I had a good time. SO, think about what you want out of the trip. Talk to you coach about going to phase 2 or 3 by then and enjoy your 3 weeks.
