Working Abroad for 2 months - Maintain? HELP!

rachelbornstein13

In 2 weeks I will be working abroad for 2 months! Woo!

For the past 10 months I have been eating a Macro diet and keeping up a strict routine of weight training 4-5x/week because I am a skinny fat inverted triangle. I eat the following:
1450 calories
-109 g protein (try to exceed it)
- 127 g carbs (lower on rest days)
- 56g fat (higher on rest days)

My main worry is my stomach since my body type tends to gain weight there. My goals are to drop my BF% so my stomach is leaned out— abs!!!! I understand this will be such a slow process because of my genetics and body type. Feel free to check out my post about my insecurities with it— though the MFP community has been so supportive and helping me to see myself better(:

I am very anxious about how to maintain muscle mass.... the only workouts I can think of are HIIT cardio or bodyweight exercises/pilates in the bedroom of my host mom's.. though bodyweight is not the same as carrying heavy weights. However I do not want to overdo the cardio, since that is like the Skinny Fat's enemy. I rather lose a mix of muscle mass and fat due to not exercising as much, rather than overdoing the cardio and burning too much muscle in ratio to the fat... understand?(':

I will have little control of what I eat nor the knowledge of the nutrients in what my host mom gives me. Luckily counting my macros for so long can give me a sense of "intuition" about what I am eating, but it is still scary to not be able to count my macros as much/accurately anymore. I may skip breakfast in anticipation for large lunches/dinners high in fats/carbs. Thoughts? I am going to Argentina btw.

Any advice? I will be trying to focus on eating high protein and fat and eating carbs in moderation in expectations for not being as active.

dragonflyj0nes

You’re going to probably be doing a lot of walking. I don’t know what you’re avg steps / activity are in a day but if you’re on your feet more than you are at home it’s safe to assume you’ll have more room for food. Also, home activity burpees, Pilates, air squats and push ups are more than sufficient. If you have ample access to food, you shouldn’t worry about over doing cardio. Just eat more to replenish what you love burned. I would not skip meals if you can, that’ll mess with your metabolism. If you’re constantly eating large meals, try and eyeball you macros. Does it look like 2 or 3 cups of rice? Does it look like an 8 Oz steak? And go from there. And most of all enjoy your stay

Machka9

Do the cardo. You might be surprised at the results.

sijomial

Cardio doesn't "burn muscle" for fuel.
Over-thinking things and belief in myths going on I'm afraid.

Advice:
Relax a little, enjoy your time away, do the best with your exercise. Nothing significant is going to happen to your muscle in that timeframe unless you become totally immobile.

Protein in the form of Argentinian steaks sounds wonderful.....


BTW - all diets are macro diets so not quite sure what you mean by that as could be high protein, high fat or high carbs or moderate all macros.

Buff_Man

If you're really concerned about protein but some whey and have that as one of your meals e.g. a light breakfast from home with a shake. If you can find a gym that would be ideal so ask around as soon as you can. 8 weeks is not a huge time as long as your diet is good and you're eating in maintenance or deficit you'll be fine. You might feel and look a bit deflated but that's because you won't have your normal pump from your workouts

tinkerbellang83

Try not to stress, it's only 8 weeks, just be mindful of portion sizes, enjoy trying new foods, contrary to post above there is absolutely nothing wrong with skipping breakfast - it doesn't mess up your metabolism.

Do what you can in terms of keeping your activity level up with your cardio and bodyweight exercises. You may see the scale rise a bit when you get home from changes in macros/air travel/etc, so don't panic when you get back.

Argentine cuisine is pretty Beef-centric with a lot of Mediterranean influence so you should have no issue getting your protein/fat in.

tlpina82

Argentina is a developed country. You don't have to worry about options, and if you can take a few hundred bucks, you'll be able to get everything you need without problems.
Just look for the nearest Carrefour, Coto for Walmart sized supermarket or Pao de Acucar for a smaller quick place to go on day by day. I guarantee you, the options are better than in the US due to the climate and having Brazil, Chile, Uruguay etc so close.
In Buenos Aires, chains like Always Gym are cheap and very well equipped.

Plus, there's so much to do that you will always have a place to go.

2 months will go by like nothing.