Well this past three weeks has been a doozy. I've been testing out maintenance mode since late November and have done really well, fluctuating by a couple of pounds but other than that staying right on target. However, the past couple of weeks have been rough and I'm up 5 pounds over my Christmas weight.

I've been traveling for work every-other week. So week 1:

Monday--fly all day
Tues-Thurs -- work
Friday -- fly all day

Then a week of working here locally, then repeat the above.

Now I have 2 weeks off before I have to travel for another week. Here are the pitfalls I encountered and what I intend to do about them:

Breakfast: On flying days, I will look for better choices than omlettes in the airport. There must be a banana and some yogurt SOMEPLACE in these huge airports, and I will find them. On hotel mornings, I will choose the oatmeal option.

Lunch: Airport lunches are hard, but again--surely SOMEONE here offers a salad with dressing on the side. Right? It's up to me to find it. On the working days, the facility offers many healthy options so I really have no excuses for not eating them.

Dinner: More problematic, since the hotel literally has one restaurant (full of bar food) nearby. But I can catch a shuttle to the grocery store and pick up a few healthy things to cook in my hotel room, which has a small kitchen.

Exercise: There is a treadmill in the hotel and I have not stepped on it even once. That will change next time.

I am also back to tracking my food as of this morning, something I haven't done in a couple of months. This five pounds scares me; I know it's not a lot but I can feel it in the way my jeans fit and I know this could be the beginning of a long, slippery slope if I let it be.

Good job on the progress you have made in the past.

But I agree with you - now is the time you must really
be vigilant in your food choices - because isn't that how
we all get to be repeat dieters. We lose the weight and
then stop being so careful, and slowly before we even
realize it the pounds are back.

But I know how hard it must be - trying to eat right on
the run. I am fine in my own house - but I have yet to
conquer the on the road food plan. I will be testing that
out in the month of June. I hope by then I will be able
to have a night out with mexican food and beer and
jump right back on the plan the next day.

No more diets !!! Life plan with treats.

Thank you for your post. I have alot of traveling coming up. A sun-fri conference in vegas. Then home for 2 weeks then leave again for 2 weeks, 1 week in bahamas (working) 1 week in miami (working). Right now if I even go out to eat I gain. Even if I work hard to be totally on plan. Last night I had grilled salmon with lemon squeezed on top. Steamed broccoli and baked red potatoes. While everyone around me eat burgers. Yet I gained 1.4 lbs this morning.

So if that can happen in 1 meal.....what is the travel going to do.

I am watching this thread with ALOT of interest!

My boyfriend and I are planning an overseas trip in May. There will be a lot of walking, but also a lot of opportunities to gorge on street food! I plan to pack whole wheat bagels, PB sandwiches and fruit for the airport days and a big box of low-sugar granola bars and almonds for hold-over snacks. For dinners, we won't be eating in the hotel, but will scout the neighborhood for other options (though this is mostly because hotel food is expensive and we have a really tight budget!)

Windchime, is it possible to arrange for a grocery delivery to be made to your hotel? When our family travels, we often try to stay in a condo/house rental with a kitchen. And I try to find a grocery delivery service to make a delivery at the beginning of our stay. My family actually prefers cooking at home to going out to eat everyday on vacation. Peapod.com is a good one that is available in most larger cities, but I've used smaller local stores as well. It's all about the planning isn't it?

I travel a lot, also, and one thing that helps me are protein bars. I pack several in my suitcase and usually eat them for breakfast before heading out for the day. I try to find fruit for a snack during the day, and then at lunches I try to do a turkey sandwich or some type of grilled chicken. It's tough! At airports I either eat a protein bar or find somewhere that can make me a turkey sandwich on whole grain with no mayo. And usually, if it's a vacation I end up splurging a little at dinner. But I figure with the walking and the healthy breakfasts and lunches, I can afford to treat myself at dinner without too much damage. I have gained some pounds after a vacation, but usually they come off pretty rapidly once I'm back home. In your situation, with having to travel for work, I think it's best just to seek out some healthy options where you can, pack yourself some snacks or even meal replacement bars and try your best to stick on plan. Best of luck to you...this must be so hard!