Traveling and diet

fitoverfortymom

I travel a bit for work, so that means a lot of creative meal planning.

Any tips and tricks from frequent travelers on what works for you? Staying within calories is not super hard, but keeping to macros can be a trick.

Do you travel with a food scale? Do you bring protein powder? If so, in what kind of packaging?

Any hotel gym suggestions? So far I've found most of what I've needed in hotel gyms, but any tips or tricks there always welcome.

I'm not training for anything specific, other than general strength building and recomp, so it's not the end of the world if my eating and exercise routine isn't totally perfect while I travel, but I like to be about 90%.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Experiences?

deannalfisher

do you stay someplace where you have access to a grocery store or access to a rental car? when i travel, i stop at the grocery store and buy stuff that i can cook in the microwave

you can buy ziploc microwave steambacks that i use to cook protein (i.e. buy some marinade, chicken tenders and then cook that evening); the microwave bags of uncle ben's right is a go-to for me (although they can be higher in sodium)

fitoverfortymom

I usually will have access to a grocery store, but not reliably fridge or microwave. I can work toward that though as I get better at booking my hotels.

I didn't think of the streamable veggie/protein bags, so that's a great suggestion. Everything while travelling is stupid high sodium.

deannalfisher

could you carry one of those portable plug in cookers - like this: https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Personal-Electric-Reheating-gathering/dp/B081DXX6P6/ref=asc_df_B081DXX6P6/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=385178004433&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9759836595441459567&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007652&hvtargid=pla-848346778990&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=81511523994&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=385178004433&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9759836595441459567&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007652&hvtargid=pla-848346778990

that you could use in your hotel room

janejellyroll

I always try to book a room with a kitchen, it can be a real lifesaver on longer trips. I don't travel with a scale. My personal motto is that I log as accurately as possible at home and estimate when travelling. If my weight didn't behave as expected, I would probably take a scale on the road.

I have a set breakfast buffet breakfast, so those calories are fixed. I also have some commonly ordered meals at a lot of chains, things that I know will fit well into my calorie/macro goals. If I'm in a team dining situation and don't get to pick the place and there's absolutely nothing that works well for me as a full meal, I'll eat something light (like a side salad) and then supplement with extra food later. I had to tackle the mindset that eating in a restaurant is a "special occasion" and I should get what sounds best. When you travel for work, you've got to treat it more functionally. So if I have the chance to try a regional food, I'll take advantage of it, but I won't indulge on stuff that I can easily get at home. Don't get me wrong: I still enjoy my food, but I'm not ordering Tater Tot nachos for dinner every night just because I love them.

Pre-cut fruit and vegetables, frozen burritos, canned soups, and protein bars are staples for me when travelling.
When on longer trips, I'll hit the grocery store right away and get what I want for the week.

Not sure what your industry is, but some of my work trips involve really long or irregular hours. Staying on top of my sleep, as much as possible, is key in avoiding cravings for high calorie food (for me, anyway). When I'm tired, I just want candy, constantly. So I stay on top of that.

Most hotel gyms, I've found, are pretty decent for my needs. All I really need is a treadmill and a space to do body weight resistance exercises. If something in the gym is truly terrible, I'll let the hotel know. Sometimes they've even made adjustments based on my feedback (for example, one gym had terrible air circulation and they bought a fan and put it next to the treadmills during my stay).

jeagogo

Most hotels have fridges and microwaves available that they can put into a room if you ask for it, so I usually do that.

Ditto on doing a grocery stop first thing when I arrive. I'll usually pack some protein bars in my luggage, then buy fresh fruit, cheese, and a couple low calorie meal options. I didn't bring any protein powder on my last trip because I just didn't have space for a shaker cup (I try to travel with only a carry on unless the trip will be longer than a week), but I kind of wish I had brought it. I would've just put a few servings of protein powder into individual ziploc baggies, probably.

For the gym you should be fine as long as you can adapt all your workouts to dumbbells since most hotel gyms don't have barbells. I'd just say don't be afraid to move weight benches around to suit your needs. If all else fails you can do some yoga or bodyweight exercises in your hotel room.

steveko89

Some things I often do when traveling for work
- pack single servings of protein powder in small snack-portion ziploc bags. If the powder is white, consider labeling them.
- Hilton properties are pretty consistent in having decent dumbbells and benches, most at which I've stayed recently have even have a functional trainer, which means one can actually do pull-ups.
- Hilton Garden Inns or Embassy Suites are nice as they usually have an omelet station that's included in the breakfast buffet so you can better eggs than imitation scrambled eggs.
- I'm also not above picking a hotel based on access to a Chipotle and/or Chick-fil-a. Those are my two go-tos for what I consider acceptable quality protein sources if I'm traveling solo.
- Overall I think of it as a something-is-better-than-nothing circumstance. Workouts aren't going to be the same, macros are going to be tough to nail.
- If driving, I have occasionally brought my set of bowflex dumbbells if I was stuck staying somewhere with sub-par amenities and just worked out in my room - ground floor room is preferred for that.

kali31337

I travel with my food scale if traveling for longer than a day. It's tiny and fits in my bag so I don't feel like it's a hassle to bring. Plus it keeps me accountable as I know it's there so I might as well use it.

fitoverfortymom

deannalfisher wrote: »

could you carry one of those portable plug in cookers - like this: https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Personal-Electric-Reheating-gathering/dp/B081DXX6P6/ref=asc_df_B081DXX6P6/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=385178004433&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9759836595441459567&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007652&hvtargid=pla-848346778990&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=81511523994&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=385178004433&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9759836595441459567&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007652&hvtargid=pla-848346778990

that you could use in your hotel room

Possibly. Great suggestion!

fitoverfortymom

kali31337 wrote: »

I travel with my food scale if traveling for longer than a day. It's tiny and fits in my bag so I don't feel like it's a hassle to bring. Plus it keeps me accountable as I know it's there so I might as well use it.

I have a small one I keep in my desk at work (because I got a larger capacity one for home). Maybe it's time for another for travel. Would have come in handy this morning estimating hotel cottage cheese.

fitoverfortymom

steveko89 wrote: »

Some things I often do when traveling for work
- pack single servings of protein powder in small snack-portion ziploc bags. If the powder is white, consider labeling them.
- Hilton properties are pretty consistent in having decent dumbbells and benches, most at which I've stayed recently have even have a functional trainer, which means one can actually do pull-ups.
- Hilton Garden Inns or Embassy Suites are nice as they usually have an omelet station that's included in the breakfast buffet so you can better eggs than imitation scrambled eggs.
- I'm also not above picking a hotel based on access to a Chipotle and/or Chick-fil-a. Those are my two go-tos for what I consider acceptable quality protein sources if I'm traveling solo.
- Overall I think of it as a something-is-better-than-nothing circumstance. Workouts aren't going to be the same, macros are going to be tough to nail.
- If driving, I have occasionally brought my set of bowflex dumbbells if I was stuck staying somewhere with sub-par amenities and just worked out in my room - ground floor room is preferred for that.

Love this. Thank you. I'm a Marriott girl, but easy enough to find comparable omelet stations. Good call on the chic fil a and Chipotle...or at least knowing where they are. Also my go-tos for predictable protein.

Macros are tough for sure, butbif I can nail calories and protein, I am ok with that.

janejellyroll

Something else I'd suggest is to check your company travel options: my company will pay for temporary passes at a local gym when we're travelling. Members of my team who want more equipment that a hotel gym offers have used this option. Also, some hotels will have free passes to a local gym - I've used this option before to do some spin classes.

MaltedTea

All the tricks have been shared lol When traveling (for work or pleasure), I tend to avoid room service and restaurants. Typically book with a grocery store within walking distance and load up on high-protein pantry snacks that are shelf-stable (jerky, raw nuts, etc) and a large salad that can stay out for hours. If there's no grocery store option around me and there's nothing but catered meals for meetings, I bring protein powder. Just the bucket. Never had an issue with it on an airline.