Food tracking whilst away

dalerst

Just after a bit of help for tracking food whilst working away and stopping in hotels, With my work I spend quite a bit of time eating in hotel restaurants and bars. With that in mind I’m struggling to work out the best way of keeping track of my calorie intake and macros. Has anyone got any advice that can help?

Cheers

23rochelle23

I just work on what’s in what I’m ordering (if say a salad - 200gm chicken, 2tbsp honey mustard dressing, lettuce etc etc etc)
Otherwise search the meal on mfp and pick one that’s about 2/3 the way to the calorie spread for that meal.

Obviously it’s not perfect but gives you ball park figures

RodaRose

It's a little easier to guess the calories if you order grilled or baked chicken, beef, pork, seafood, or fish without butter, sauce or breading. Restaurants usually have steamed veggie options. Baked potatoes are relatively easy to guess size-wise if you are used to cooking them at home. Lots of restaurants have low-ish calorie options listed on their menus.

VUA21

I would try to stick to foods that you normally eat at home and are familiar with there size vs weight. Do your best guess.

Cheesy567

Separate “meals away from home” from “special meals out”. Meals away from home should fit within your usual meal plan— it’s a normal day for you, just that someone else is cooking it so you don’t have as much control. For these meals at a restaurant, I try to order ala carte without opening the menu. I pick a protein and a couple veggies that would approximate what I eat at home.

Special meals out are for celebration, etc. Dont confuse the two— simply working away from home isn’t a reason to celebrate and blow your meal plan.

I also add fake “restaurant overage calories” to meals when I eat out. I made an entry that matches my macro percentage goals. When I order something I can count/ weigh/ accurately estimate (eggs, etc), I calculate 25% of the meal and add that many extra “restaurant overage calories” to the meal. If it’s something that I can’t estimate as accurately (mixed dishes, curries, stirfries, soups, etc) I add-in 33% overage.

Make a list of “green light” meals that you can easily choose when your tired from a long day of travel and work. Have specific restaurants listed that you know have meals that fit in your plan. Have generic meals that you can find at most restaurants that will fit in your plan. The fewer choices you have to make at the end of the day, the better you’ll stick to your plan.