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MyFitnessPal Community

Business travel

PaulHalicki

Just because you're traveling for business doesn't mean a vacation from MFP.

I first heard about MFP from my boss. He lost 35 lb. with MFP. He travels quite a bit for business and he had several trips. Fell off the MFP wagon and gained it all back (and them some, I think.)

I need to weigh in tomorrow morning, but I just got home from a business trip. I didn't exercise as much, as my bicycle stayed home, but everything I ate got entered into MFP. Yesterday I went over a little, so I went for a 4 mile walk after dinner. This was kind of planned; we (my two traveling companions and I) ate at Applebee's every night; they have a pretty decent 550 calorie and under menu. Last night I splurged and got dessert - 370 calories. I literally walked it off.

Who else travels? Do you stick with MFP, or do you take a break on travel?

Replies

JessiBelleW

I travel - sometimes for work, but mostly as a tourist. I try really hard to stick with it. I find exercise the hardest because where I live we have a gym in the backyard - easy set up to get in my exercise.

I was away for two month this summer and I didn't gain any weight - some days I stuck with the plan, and other days I didn't but I didn't gain any weight. However I did lose some of my hard won strength - when I go to Manila later this month (even though its only for a week) I will be trying very hard to ensure I get in some strength training and perhaps a run or two! I will also be trying very hard to stick within my calories!

PaulHalicki

When you're not on the plan, do you mean you eat too much/don't exercise, or that you're not tracking?

kristen49233

I travel quite a bit for work. I also still track everything while I'm out and about. Sometimes finding the correct calorie count can be difficult depending on the restaurant choices.

My hotel room had a microwave, so I took my own oatmeal packets for breakfast. Lunches varied--those were all restaurants and depending on those I was having lunch with--but I still had healthy choices. Dinner...I found a local park with a 1 mile walking trail and walked 4 miles each night and followed it up with a 1/2 sandwich / salad from Panera Bread.

But...I got lucky in that I had my evenings free. Sometimes I'm on the go from morning til night. I'll use the hotel treadmill as a last resort if my calories were excessive for the day.

Now personal vacations--no MPF. Those are my break times!

kowajenn

When I'm away on business, I stay on plan. When I'm on vacation, I relax. I'm not logging my food when I'm on a cruise, but I still try to make healthier choices and am happy if I come home having maintained.

langurmonkey

I stick with it. I run when I am way - you don't need any gyms for that! Calorie counting is obviously only going to be a rough guide if you are eating in restaurants, but my goal is usually not to put on weight while away, rather than lose. Airports and plane flights are the trickiest, as you typically have very little choice about what to eat, and you can't suddenly start running about!

Val_from_OH

When I travel for business, I am always either attending a conference, or entertaining clients. Sticking to my calorie goal becomes nearly impossible. I usually eat a filling breakfast, like egg whites, fruit and oatmeal, almost always a salad with protein for lunch, and then just go with the flow for dinner, dessert & drinks. I don't completely forget my goals, i.e. I drink Jim Beam & diet coke, not margaritas :-) I track as much as I can remember. I also work out a lot more when I'm away, as I'm not tied down with the usual household & parenting duties. I usually show a large gain when I get back from the alcohol & sodium, but I can get back to normal within a week.

AllanMisner

I travel a great deal. I'll carry some food with me (I get strange looks from TSA sometimes). I also research ahead to find a gym in the area. I also use walking as a way to see things around the area I might not have seen otherwise.

That said, I have had to become very picky with my eating at restaurants. I've found that they aren't always correct about their calorie count (there was some work done on this exposing they can be off by 20% at times).

mruntidy

I usually fail epically when I go to head office, the trip takes so long and I am so tense that I end up eating on the train home rather than waiting until I get in.

That said, I've usually not eaten other than breakfast so although I go over it isn't as much of an epic fail as it could be; shower-mash food into head-bed

lysslax

I've been traveling just about every week for business for about 4 1/2 years, which is what got me to MFP in the first place!!! Initially I found it really difficult to eat appropriately, when eating out for pretty much 3 meals a day (with the exception of Friday-Sunday). I stopped working out as much, because hotel gyms suck....and I got suckered into going out for team outings all the time (aka drinking instead of working out). I made a ton of excuses (see above) and gained about 30 lbs in 4 years.

So 5 months ago I decided I needed to get my life and weight back on track! I run every Mon/Tues/Thurs either before work or late at night, and I usually "lift" at least one of the days as well. I'm using the hotel gyms which aren't ideal, but hey, it's better than nothing!

As far as food, I've almost mastered eating out healthily. It is insane looking at nutritional facts for some restaurants...really eye opening. I will usually buy peanut butter, english muffins, and skim milk (if I have a fridge) at the beginning of the week and that becomes my breakfast most days. For lunch I try to go to restaurants that provide nutritional information, so I know I'm on track...or I'll stick to salads/sandwiches with grilled chicken and no dressing/condiments/cheese. For dinners, they get a little tricky, but I've found if I'm extremely picky and specify how I'd like everything cooked (Grilled, no additional oil, steamed, etc) it keeps me focused.

I also limit myself to 1-2 glasses of wine a week when traveling. This has probably been the hardest change, but I think it has helped the most. I could probably cut it out completely if I tried, but hey I'm not perfect!! Everything in moderation :-)

alpine1994

I used to travel a lot until I got a new job in August, but I lost all the weight while I had that traveling job. The first couple of trips were tricky. I was in that mindset of not home = kinda vacation = eating out all the time = calories don't matter. I found that I had to put a LOT more effort into making healthy choices when I was away than when I was home, especially since my routine was off. I like to exercise right after work but we always went to dinner from work, so I had to work around that. Usually I would eat a light dinner, wait an hour or two, and do a fitnessblender workout video in my hotel room or go for a run on the treadmill in the hotel gym.

Since I had the least seniority on our time, I could never choose where we went to eat so that was challenging for me, especially if no nutrition info was available. I made it a goal to maintain my weight during business trips and after the first couple trips, I always ether maintained or lost. It just takes a little extra effort and practice.

cwolfman13

I find traveling and dieting for weight loss to be somewhat of a challenge and I've honestly never been able to do it. Traveling and maintaining my weight I've found to be rather easy so long as I just manage my portions and make overall good decisions and keep up with my fitness.

I maintained for 6 months or so without logging anything...traveling and at home....I'm logging agin to try and drop a couple more points in BF and about 5- 10 Lbs really slowly so it wouldn't be that big of a deal to me to have to log off for a few while I was on the road...but I would find it pretty difficult if I was actively trying to drop significant weight.

thistimewillbedifferent

I travel a lot (both business and pleasure) and absolutely agree that it can be done -- I always log, even if it has to be on paper because the hotel has no wifi (I then type it in later). I have a few travel workouts that I do while on the road (I travel with resistance bands), I use an insulated cooler bag filled with healthy foods as my carry-on bag, and I try very hard to focus on which meals will be splurges and which ones are simply for keeping me fueled. I'm just coming off a nearly-four-week-long series of trips, and I managed to lose a few pounds despite the interruption to my routines. If you want it enough, you can make it happen.

PaulHalicki

So it's official... I *did* drop about a half pound while I was on the road this week. Yay for me. So officially, I'm down 22 lb. since mid-August.

It looks like I'll be traveling next week as well. Here we go again. I'm going to try to stay in Homewood Suites if I can. They serve dinner as well as breakfast with the room price; I can typically get away with eating a serving a meat, some veggies and a salad.

YaGigi

I travel a lot but still losing weight now. I'm following the basic diet rules even when I'm traveling. It's easy not to eat certain food, like break, pasta, rice, butter and sweets. I just eat the same food I would eat if I wear at home. Just it's always dining out.

I find its easier to lose weight when eating out at restaurants.

PaulHalicki

I got through another business trip this week and lost another pound. The difference MFP makes: 1. I do try to eat smaller portions & more salad, even if I'm in a restaurant; and, 2. I make it a point to go out and walk to get some exercise, especially on the days when I know I've eaten a bit too much.

revolutionchick

I try to eat as clean as possible. Any suggestions on things I can take with me on a business trip/flight? I have no problem finding low cal snacks etc. but I'm looking for something that's not loaded with artificial sweeteners, etc.

vjohn04

I try to eat as clean as possible. Any suggestions on things I can take with me on a business trip/flight? I have no problem finding low cal snacks etc. but I'm looking for something that's not loaded with artificial sweeteners, etc.

quest bars

MinimalistShoeAddict

Just because you're traveling for business doesn't mean a vacation from MFP.

I first heard about MFP from my boss. He lost 35 lb. with MFP. He travels quite a bit for business and he had several trips. Fell off the MFP wagon and gained it all back (and them some, I think.)

I need to weigh in tomorrow morning, but I just got home from a business trip. I didn't exercise as much, as my bicycle stayed home, but everything I ate got entered into MFP. Yesterday I went over a little, so I went for a 4 mile walk after dinner. This was kind of planned; we (my two traveling companions and I) ate at Applebee's every night; they have a pretty decent 550 calorie and under menu. Last night I splurged and got dessert - 370 calories. I literally walked it off.

Who else travels? Do you stick with MFP, or do you take a break on travel?

When I travel, almost nothing changes. I still exercise as normal (run outside, use hotel gym to lift weights if available, substitute calisthenics for weight lifting if necessary) and keep the same calorie/macro targets. I never let my goals influence my diet in social/business situations. I track my weekly averages so that if I am way over my caloric target one day, I can compensate by adjusting my intake on other days that week.