Overseas business travel and my fitness

amy19355

I’m headed from USA to Italy this afternoon for 4 days of business and 1 free day bracketed by travel days.

I am hemming and hawing about packing my little digital scale. It isn’t a space issue, it’s a practical application concern. Meaning - am I really going to pull it out in a restaurant and try to weigh out the food I was served? Or, will I ask the server to take it to the kitchen and have the cook staff weigh and let me know?

My reluctance to eyeball my way through a week in the land of wine, olive oil and pasta is directly related to my ongoing success at meeting my weight goals through calorie reduction.

Anyone want to share some tips that they’ve used on travels to places with excess temptation?

Maybe just writing this out here as a post I can return to every day will be enough of a control on my eyes-to-mouth activity to keep my on target and happy with the scale readout on my return. (I’m going to miss my daily weigh in, I suddenly realize!)

My airplane carry-on bag has dried fruit and nut butter, pumpkin seeds and a couple of power protein bars.

I’m allocating some of my vegetable calories for a pre-flight Bloody Mary, extra olives, please! LOL

Chef_Barbell

If I were going to Italy, I would be eating all. The. Foodz!! Worry about weight loss when you get back. Definitely do not ask the chef to weigh your food for you. :noway:

amy19355

Chef_Barbell wrote: »

If I were going to Italy, I would be eating all. The. Foodz!! Worry about weight loss when you get back. Definitely do not ask the chef to weigh your food for you. :noway:

I do need to be able to fit into the clothes I packed!! LOL

You may be sure I will
Not pass by any thing unique, and a full food report will follow!

AnneUT

I would go and enjoy myself. It's only a few days. You have to enjoy life! You can't gain enough in 4 days to outgrow the clothes you packed. Most people can only dream of visiting Italy, so enjoy it!

mountainmare

You would be considered to be a weird American at best or a rude American at worst if you pulled out a scale to weigh your food in a restaurant (do you do this when dining out at home). That being said--enjoy yourself, this is a lifestyle change-do you plan on going out to dinner and having your scale with you for the rest of your life. I'm facing a similar (but not as cool) situation. I just reached goal--we snowbird for Jan/Feb and I will be scaleless. I'm just being careful now to see what portion sizes look like. By all means enjoy this adventure.

snowflake954

4 days is a drop in the bucket. I live in Rome, by the way. Forget the food scale. Walk a lot, as the Italians do.

777Gemma888

snowflake954 wrote: »

4 days is a drop in the bucket. I live in Rome, by the way. Forget the food scale. Walk a lot, as the Italians do.

Friends returned from Italy recently, they did mention walking a lot more than expected.

amy19355

mountainmare wrote: »

You would be considered to be a weird American at best or a rude American at worst if you pulled out a scale to weigh your food in a restaurant (do you do this when dining out at home). That being said--enjoy yourself, this is a lifestyle change-do you plan on going out to dinner and having your scale with you for the rest of your life. I'm facing a similar (but not as cool) situation. I just reached goal--we snowbird for Jan/Feb and I will be scaleless. I'm just being careful now to see what portion sizes look like. By all means enjoy this adventure.

I promise to be a sensitive, aware traveler intent on leaving a good impression of , at least, this American.

And I was joking about the scale; I only use it in my kitchen counter.

gatamadriz

Pasta is not considered a main course in Italy. It is a first course, and is a small serving. Also, European servings are small. They normally have a salad, meaning olives, artichokes etc, some meats n cheeses, perhaps a soup or pasta and a main course. In the south they do fabulous fish dishes, in the north more beef, veal lamb and poultry. Look and see what people are ordering around you. You can have a wonderful balance of food and not feel bad.

MaggieGirl135

Eat the yummy food. Eyeball the best you can if what you believe to be appropriate amounts and then eat everything on your plate but one small spoonful of everything, in case your eyeball is off a bit. You are only there for half of a week and if you gain, you can drop that weight in a short period of time.

amy19355

Success!

I thoroughly enjoyed all the food and drink opportunities during the week and my first weigh in on return has me at .4 pounds less than when I left.

It is my guess that my progress to date has helped me stay mindful to the choices that best serve my long term goals. For me, it is portion control, daily steps of 5000 or better, and very little (if any) alcohol as the choices that most enable my own stick to the plan.

While we sat n meetings all day fr four days, yet still the habit was a 5 minute brisk walk to and from the nearby restaurant for lunch each day. I used the steps instead of the elevator to and from the third floor at the hotel, (lobby is at floor 0, not 1). On my free day, I racked up 20,000 steps while indulging my dreams of shoes shopping in Milan.

Food hightlight: olives stuffed with sausage, batter dipped, and deep fried.
Drink hghlight: Mirto, an after dinner liquor made frm the myrtle plant.
Shoe highlight: red wingtips

Fear not the vacation , embrace it, enjoy it, and allow yourself a week off of logging with no guilt or worry.

ehobbs1970

Great story and love the shoes. Rock the walk!!!!