Tips for Living well on the Road

brianlampert

Over the next three weeks I'll be living in several hotel rooms, and places where I won't have a kitchen. It's going to be a quite the adventure, but does anyone have any tips on controlling intake during this time? I am mostly gluten free (but not allergic), and am looking for your favorite meals and tips for the road.

bwogilvie

My father-in-law used to do long stints in hotels for work. He wasn't watching his weight, but he did get tired of eating out in restaurants all the time, so he got a George Forman grill and used that to make steaks from the supermarket. That along with a salad from the supermarket salad bar and a beer or small bottle of wine made a decent meal.

If you'll have a microwave in your room, you can also look for prepared frozen meals in the organic/health section of a supermarket. They tend to have less sodium than the regular frozen dinners.

Many restaurant chains now have nutrition info online; you can look at them. If you're eating somewhere without nutrition info, check out a chain restaurant that has similar items, just to have a basis for guesstimating.

Finally, when eating out, take small bites, chew them a lot, and drink lots of water. Stop eating when you're no longer hungry, even if there's plenty of food left. I know, it's easier to say this than to do it! But it does help.

pbrinnm

I'm on the road alot for work.

1. Pack a cooler with hard boiled eggs, almonds, greek yoghurt, and protein bars that contain at least 20 grams of protein. Even when I fly for work, I carry a collapsible cooler and find a grocery store to buy healthy foods.
2. Pack a water bottle and fill it with hotel ice in the morning and then top off with water. I tend to skip drinking water because I'm working and then I'm buying bad drinks from vending machine. The water bottles in vending machines tend to be small and really expensive.
3. Never eat at fast food. Spend the time and eat at a real restaurant where if needed, I can have food cooked the way I need it. Initially I apologized to servers for asking for salad dressing on the side, grilled fish rather than fried, no cheese..... Most servers are accustomed to customers asking for something different than what is on the menu.
4. Jason's Deli. The salad bar is awesome, they always have hard boiled eggs for protein and their hummus is great.
5. Hotels with decent fitness rooms so I can do cardio. Tripadvisor usually provides info about the fitness rooms. A fellow road warrior joined the Y rather than a gym because Y members can use any Y across the country for free.
6. Stay at Hampton Inns because I know what is on the breakfast menu (it's almost always the same across the country) and I can get a couple of pieces of fruit I can eat later during the day. Fitness rooms are usually alright.
7. I have a hotel room fitness routine that my trainer created for me. All are strength training exercises that require me to use my body weight or I use therabands.
8. I always ask for a small refrigerator in my hotel room if I'm staying somewhere for more than overnight.
9. I'll do work lunches, but I try to avoid work dinners. Work dinners tend to take too much time and then I don't have time to workout.
10. Starbucks protein pack. Awesome. Latest one I had included turkey, cheese, pita, fruit. There are some Starbucks that don't carry the protein pack, but definitely worth asking for.
11. Dry protein shake powder with dry soy milk powder premeasured in ziplock bags. Just in case I don't have time for a real meal and I'm hungry. Put the powder in a shake bottle, add 8 ounces of water, shake, and drink.

I was going to send you a couple of ideas, but the list just kept growing. Hope it helps.

lee91356

Depending on what the main reason is it may not be too bad.

If its for work and your stationary then you can buy stuff and keep it at the fridge at work - I used to do that all the time and then I wouldnt have to worry about always packing food with me. I kept yogurts, small containers of milk for cereal, and frozen meals.

Regardless of the situation you can always keep on hand non-perishable items such as nuts, granola bars or protein bars - not ideal but they make a good snack or quick meal if you need something asap and unless there is chocolate included hold up well and can be left in a car or bag (I always have some in my bag as an emergency snack)

When I'm busy or staying away for a few nights I actually do eat out but I am VERY thoughtful about what I order and often prefer fast-food (the only time I eat that stuff). I get salads and have them remove the cheeses and croutons or veggie side and then always have grilled chicken. I prefer the fast foods because I can get the nutritional information via my MFP app and I know what I'm eating. Many places now have pretty good options ex: KFC grilled chicken, El Pollo Loco even has a meal of grilled skinless chicken with salad and steamed veggies, Yoshinoya you can get the chicken skinless and steamed veggies and side of plain rice, etc.

Good luck!

mklassy123

You've already gotten some great ideas. I would just like to add that I ALWAYS have small bags of 16 almonds with me, which has about 110 calories. I eat them slowly, but they definitely keep me from getting starving and therefore I am less likely to eat like crap. I also travel a lot, but I make sure to have my own snacks with me. A small refrigerator in your room is a MUST when watching weight. If you can find a market then get a small bag of baby carrots to keep in your room (and/or other healthy snacks). The important thing is to not let yourself get too hungry, temptation when away from home is fierce!