Too worried when I can't get low carb
TravellerRay
Posts: 94 Member
Another newbie issue. :-). I travel a lot with work, usually 3 nights a week in different hotels. And it means I have to work hard to find choices that are low carb. So next week for lunch my only choice may be something not on my diet or a packet slimming soup. I am trying to minimise those because last week I didn't lose much and I suspect it was because I was eating too little while exercising a lot. Do I need to feel worried every time I can't get the right food?
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Bun less burgers are an easy option. There's a keto board on Reddit you should really check out; it's very helpful.2
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I travel a lot for work and you do have to be creative and prepared with this way of eating when on the road. Carry a bit more luggage and pack,some staples to get you through. Know where the grocery stores are near your hotels. Even tiny little towns will have a convenience store where you can usually find jerky or pork rinds to get you through in a pinch. I do rely more on protein powders than I like when I travel but its better than nothing.
A guy who works for me lost a lot of weight following weight watchers. Hes kept it off for about 3 years now and he always has his cooler of food with him. Even on the plane. Silly looking but ensures he has what he wants!1 -
I travel a lot for recreation and get a lot of bun-less burgers. Also, depending if you eat low-carb veggies, Subway salads or salads at any other restaurant.
Hint: Arby's really does has the meats! Seriously, I love to get a max roast beef with no bun... it is a tub of roast beef and a fork.. Sometimes they put a piece of lettuce under the meat, but why?!
If you don't eat veggies at all (not even lettuce, spinach, etc. with low net carbs), that adds an additional challenge. I'm personally not looking forward to a work trip next week for that very reason. For lunch, I'll just stay on site and eat in the cafeteria. Last time, the only low carb option was a make-your-own salad. The main items are different from day to day, but always seemed to have carbs that were difficult to separate. Burritos, breaded chicken, lasagna - so it was basically salads every day. Now that I'm trying to transition to pretty much only meat, I'm thinking I'll have to skip lunch. Or get a "salad" with shredded cheese, egg chunks, bacon bits, and ham cubes.1 -
We have had a few similar threads that may be of help like:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10511191/how-to-deal-with-a-conference#latest
and
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10452011/low-carb-dining-out#latest
Personally, after eating this way for a while skipping meals became very easy. I started doing IF more by accident. Typically this meant eating only lunch and dinner. However, when I went to Colombia on a mission trip back in October, I knew lunch would be the most challenging meal, so I ate breakfast at the hotel (which was buffet so very easy to find LC options). If lunch had a good option, I ate it and would skip dinner. If there wasn't a good option, I would skip lunch and have dinner.
To someone who is new to this WOE, I know it sounds crazy. I know for me it was totally nuts. I was always the guy who basically ate from the time I got up until I went to bed - one meal a day that just happened to be 18 hours long. However, after becoming fat adapted, I realized much of my eating had started becoming habit driven and not hunger driven. Now, I try to do better about listening to my hunger queues. I do eat lunch a bit earlier than I need to most days just so I will be able to eat dinner with my family. If I waited until I was hungry, I might not eat until 3 or 4 in the afternoon some days which would make 6:30 dinner with the family impossible.2 -
Lol I am just about living off Subway salads when I am away. I carry a bottle of low calorie salad dressing. And I make a vegetable soup to have on the train.1
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Hi Ray - are you UK or US based?
A lot of hotels/restaurants put their menus online, have a look at where you're staying and see if they have some good options before you hit the road (steak or salad is pretty universal!), if not personally I'd stop at a supermarket on the way and stock up on cooked meats, cheese portions, nuts etc and keep them in the mini bar.
It can be difficult to be away from home but don't stress about it, just make the best choices you can - sandwich without the bread (I've picked apart more than 1 beef sandwich in meetings), salad instead of pasta. Every carb not eaten is a win in my book!0 -
If you embrace the HF part of LCHF, it makes the LC while out and about much more enjoyable.
Subway salads with low calorie dressing? Have some fat man!!
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If you embrace the HF part of LCHF, it makes the LC while out and about much more enjoyable.
Subway salads with low calorie dressing? Have some fat man!!
I was thinking that too. Also, most low calorie salad dressing is higher carb anyway. There are only 2 ways to make dressing lower calorie: 1. Dilute with water, or 2. Replace fat with carbs.1 -
If you embrace the HF part of LCHF, it makes the LC while out and about much more enjoyable.
Subway salads with low calorie dressing? Have some fat man!!
Ditto, take some sunflower seeds, macadamias or pecans with you, so if you don't have a good option you can munch on those. I find bbq places that keep the meat and sauces separated are a good option when traveling also. Mexican places often have taco salads, don't eat the fried bowl, or carnitas plates just ask for more lettuce and tomato instead of the rice and beans will work as well.1 -
When I go to work conferences, I take mayonnaise packets with me and add them as needed. I have found that most box lunches are lowfat lunches so I add my own fat.3
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Fill up on eggs and bacon at the hotel in the morning! Do your subway salad lunch and grab a steak for dinner, skip the chips.0
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Burger joints/fast food -- Red Robin, 5 Guys, McDonald's if you have to. Just ask for lettuce wrapped. 5 Guys and Red Robin do the best with this, in my experience. They use a fair amount of durable lettuce, instead of a leaf of fragile lettuce.
Breakfast diners -- most serve omelets or eggs and bacon type dishes. Trade the bread and potato for salad and/or low-carb soup and you're golden.
Steak joints -- steak. 'nuff said.
Anything else -- you can't usually go wrong with the biggest salad you can get your hands on. Cheese, meats (ham, turkey, salami), olives, avocado, whatever other veggies suit your fancy, hold the croutons, add an oil or cream based dressing (Ranch, bleu cheese, oil and vinegar).
If all else fails, keep some butter and coconut oil and a stick blender on you, pick up a coffee wherever you can find it and have yourself a Bulletproof Coffee.
As others said, embrace the "high(er) fat" part of low carb. Full fat yogurt, full fat cheese, meat other than chicken (which is very likely boneless, skinless) and tuna, avocado, full fat dressings, olives, etc.
And since you're tracking your stuff on MFP, be sure to set up your goals to actually be low carb. That will help you gauge your intake and give you a better idea of how much fat (and food!) you actually can eat. By any standard, according to your diary, you're not eating enough in general. Upping your fat will go a long way toward fixing that, but don't be afraid to eat more. This isn't really the lifestyle of "low calorie"....well....anything.0
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