I’m new’ish. 40th day logging but what do I do when I go abroad tomorrow?

suemaslin

I feel like I’m eating healthier and I am more mindful BUT how do you log accurately?
Is it possible without taking my scales with me. OH won’t be happy if I start weighing my meals in a restaurant!!

springlering62

I estimate when I travel.

A lot of international fast or chain restaurant food is already in. Most products are in as well. For example I can easily add just about any brand of hagelschlag when in holland.

I ate at a sort of “nutritious” takeout sushi chain in London several times last month. Prepackaged items, nutrition very well marked and easy to find on MFP. Salty, but plan to repeat next visit because I was so happy with the nutrition numbers and ease of the whole process.

Cheeses generally run 70-120 calories per ounce. I err on the side of high calories. Farmers cheeses, fetas, cottage cheese on the low end, richer fattier aged cheeses on the high.

If I’m eating some random bakery product or pastry, I select a similar Starbucks item because I know they’re are calorie laden.

If it’s a coffee, I enter the McDobalds equivalent. Everyone has gone to the same darn coffee machines and makes it the same way now.

If it’s something utterly random like quarkbällchen I’ll pick the higher end of the quarkbällchen entries I see. You’ll get more selections if you enter the name with the umlauts or other language-specific letters.

If you’ve got premium and have access to scanning, you may be able to simply scan some packages. If it’s Europe, remember the EU does nutrition by the 100gr serving, versus 1 ounce (28 gr) in the USA so be sure to adjust.

Otherwise just do like you do at an American restaurant. I break the meal down. Estimate the ounces of chicken, estimate how much sauce, enter a serving or two of the veg, and I usually add an ounce or two of butter or cooking oil to be on the safe side.

Youve got enough practice under your belt you’ll be confident in a day or two.

Don’t forget!!!!!! You will “gain” several pounds of water weight from cabin pressure during a long or international flight. Don’t freak out if you get home and you’re up several pounds. You’ll pee most of it out within a week. Cabin pressure has an astonishing temporary effect on your weight. Don’t flip out or wring your hands. It happens to almost everybody.

Have fun, try new things!

springlering62

As an example, I had a bacon naan wrap to die for at Dishoom in London.

I added a simple plain naan, the equivalent of about six servings of the bacon I eat at home (thin slice, 90 calories for 2 pieces) , and it had a sweet chili tomato sauce of some kind that I had no idea what it was, so I entered it as a sweet Thai chili sauce.

I’m pretty sure I was within 50 calories one way or the other. Trying to log and be aware is a darn sight better than just going wild and not doing it.

Breaking it down into parts is very helpful. Just fishing through MFP for a “bacon naan wrap” OTOH could return virtually anything.

What you’ve got to watch out for is “other” stuff. This naan wrap came with free chai refills and I swear I had two pots of the stuff, it was so good.

I was also averaging about 30,000 steps a day, so wasn’t too worried. Don’t forget that part! It really does help offset some of the eating, when you’re in the thrill of the adventure.

AnnPT77

How long will you be there?

In general, for vacation-type time periods, it works out OK to just not go crazy. Logging approximately is fine, certainly. Sometimes even going a little crazy (enjoying the occasional indulgent very special meal) is fine, too.

It's the majority of our days that are going to deliver the majority of our results, not the 2 or 4 weeks out of 52 weeks that we're on vacation, or the rare holiday or celebration. Focus more on the impact of what you do most of the time, worry less about what you do only very occasionally or rarely. It will be OK. (BTW, I'm saying this from the perspective of nearly 8 years at a healthy weight, after around 30 previous years of overweight/obesity. I'm not a beginner with a boatload of wishful thinking gumming up the works.)

Also, Springlering62 up there is right about the water weight potential. If you're up multi-pounds when you get back home, don't freak out, and absolutely don't give up because you think you've ruined everything. Just go back to your healthy habits immediately, be patient, and in a week or few, I'm betting everything will be fine. Water retention distorts scale results for a while after a period of unusual eating, and especially after airplane travel or long car rides. It's not fat. Sure, if we indulge we may gain a little, but the big jump post-trip isn't entirely fat, pretty much guaranteed.

Have a wonderful trip, enjoy some special things, exercise common sense, log approximately when you can, and don't feel crazy-anxious about the outcome. I'm betting it'll be OK, after a brief washout period post-trip.

suemaslin

Thank you all. I’m back. I don’t log. Tried the first 2 days but was getting disheartened by the amount of calories I was logging as when I’m away I like a glass of orange juice and fruit for breakfast. On the whole I don’t feel I did too bad with my choices but drank more than I would at home. I put on 7lb but I’m glad to hear most of that may be water and thing will level out in a week or 2.

SafariGalNYC

I just came back from a month abroad. Some at sea! I didn’t weigh anything, but I did log everything to the best of my ability. I guesstimate portion sizes.

Edit - to see you have already come back!

springlering62

What matters is, did you have an awesome time?!

AnnPT77

springlering62 wrote: »

What matters is, did you have an awesome time?!

Yes, big fun, I hope?

@suemaslin, if you feel up to it, maybe come back to this thread in 2-4 weeks, and let us know how the longer-term impact worked out? I think that would be instructive for others, if you're willing.

Meanwhile, welcome back!