HELP! please :)

Gorgeous222

Okay, MFPs, I need your help, please!!

My husband and I are moving across the country this week - yikes! I'm really excited, but at the same time, sad to leave my wonderful friends and family behind. We have two dogs, so we are driving to our new home, and it is going to take about 4 days. With 11-12 hours of being in the car a day, I am doubtful I will have much (if any!) time to exercise, and am nervous about the lack of healthy food choices on the way. I stocked up on all sorts of health and fitness magazines to keep me motivated and on track, and packed some healthy/low-cal snacks for the car, but am still nervous I'll have a setback on the road. Don't get me wrong, I plan on trying my absolute hardest to stick with it - salads with grilled chicken, for example, are pretty common everywhere - but would still appreciate any advice, tips, motivation, etc. from all my fabulous MFPS!! Thank you!!

gemmaldavies

firstly hope u love new home.

look up isometric exercises (bruce lee swore by these after he hurt his back) u can do them whilst sitting with nothing other than ur body.
best example of isometric exercise is wen u press the palms of ur hands together infront of you (as if u r praying) & push against each hand - creates an incredible force that confuses brain. isometric basically means the muscle remains same length but all muscle fibres are being used at the same time. im awful at explaining. lol. best google.
good luck.

Gorgeous222

That's awesome, I'm definitely going to look those exercises up! They will prob keep my bottom from getting sore from sitting for so long, too! lol Thanks so much

freaksfitness

I recently was out of town for a week for a convention (yawn) and what saved me from all the bs food was twobags of pistachios and organic beef jerky. I ran into a clean cafe that sold healthy cooked foods alacarte by the pound. That helped too

TinaDay1114

Moving across the country is a BIG DEAL. And STRESSFUL. You're making a lot of changes, and a lot of adjustments, and it's gonna take a while to settle in. Just take a deep breath, and give yourself a little bit of a break -- keep logging as much as you can, workout if you can, but keep in mind that moving (esp. so FAR) is one of life's most stressful events, and you may need some extra leeway to get through it.

I know that my natural tendency in times of big stress is to buckle down and try to get EVERYTHING under control. And that just adds to the stress and exhaustion. Sometimes just slow and steady on gets you through the storm.

Good luck with the move!!

Captain_Tightpants

I'm with TinaDay on this. Moving is one of the busiest and most stressful things you can do. If you need to stop and grab a burger, stop and grab a burger. You'll probably be lugging furniture and cleaning so much you'll easily burn it back off.

It sounds like a new beginning, have a blast!!!

MrDude_1

Theres always the "best of the fast food options".... for example instead of a wendys triple and large fries (lol) get a grilled chicken deluxe with a chili side...
theres tons of info on the "lowest calorie fast food options"... none are great, but its good road trip info.

have fun.. moving sucks, but roadtrips are cool... be sure to stop atleast once to look at something you're driving by.

jedibunny

We did this last year -- CA to NY! (With the weather here right now I kinda wish it was the other way around... brrr) It's tempting to eat lots of fast food because it's easy and sometimes your only option, and definitely a stressful trip to make particularly if you're rushing along (we made the trip in 4 days). My advice: don't walk into the gas stations unless you have to, and when you do, get the filling snacks like trail mixes (even if they have loads of sugar packed in, the nuts and fruits are still better than a bag of chips); when you get drinks go straight for the water section or juices; and don't kick yourself for eating some junk along the way. Like cg said it's a busy time, and you'll absolutely work whatever calories you get from a McDonald's meal off well before the move is over.

edmoulaison

I'll predict that when you unpack your scale and hop on you'll see a 5 or 6 pound gain. Don't panic. Mostly water. The stress alone will be enough to cause this not to mention the out of routine eating. Ignore the "weight gain". It will disappear when you settle in. I'm with a lot of these posters. Give yourself a break and try to enjoy your adventure. Good luck!!

southernyankee716

We did this last year as well (Dallas to Buffalo). It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. We planned to pack our own food and only get one fast food meal a day. I packed carrot sticks, celery sticks, and bell pepper slices along with the individual ranch dressing cups. We made sandwiches, brought along protein bars and cheese/beef jerky. I also bought stuff to make our own trail mix and measured them out into little baggies. We packed a cooler with waters and low-carb Monster because we were driving without stopping. At night, we'd stop and I would eat a burger or chicken sandwich without the bread and I'd get yogurt or a side salad. When we finally got here, I found I had lost several pounds. :happy:

You'll do great. Just try to keep your focus on the move because if you're thinking about what you can or can't eat, you'll stress yourself out. Have a happy and safe trip!

Pandadora

I'm a long ways from home and a couple times a year make the 8 hr drive there and back from visiting my family. I usually make the drive alone which can make it worse. For my snacks on the trip I always bring something sweet, something salty, something crunchy, lots of water, and a very light lunch. I like to munch on sliced carrots instead of chips, grapes, and maybe do some cheese and crackers. Boredom eating can be a big problem so also I also bring a pack of long lasting flavored gum. It helps me stop the unnecessary eating when I have something yummy in my mouth.

I know everyone's different but I hope this helps!

Lissakaye81

I have done several car trips back and forth from CA to NY and back. We go I-80 the whole way and a few things I have found Jack N the box has a really good chicken fajita pita, arby's has some really good fresh home style sandwiches, and subways all along the way. Our last trip I pre-programed our gps with all the whole foods, stores on our route, also I look for raley's, safeway's, albertsons, cause you can hit the deli's and get fresh fruits and salads. I also took canned chicken, bread and little mayo packets from deli to make chicken salad sandwiches, dont forget your can opener though haha, had to pay 10$ for a crappy one at a gas station. Also take protein powders cause you just add water.

Gorgeous222

See?? This is why I you all! Glad to hear some people have done this before! That's a good idea, to stop at grocery stores for fresh produce. Thank you all so much for the advice, thoughts, and support:)

Shellyyy7928

Congrats on the new home! I think that having the dogs will be a good help. You'll have to stop atleast a couple times. Drive the general area before you stop (unless it's a highway rest stop) and take each dog out separately so it takes twice as long. It'll help stretch your legs and I'm betting the dogs would love to stretch theirs. If you trust them without leashes or find a fenced in area play some games of fetch, but race them for the toys. It'll tire them out and get your excersize in

As for the food, they have pretty healthy things everywhere. And even if there are only fast food places they have healthy food just beware of the hidden fats (ie the dressings for salads) or get grilled chicken sandwiches and get rid of the buns. Try and keep up the water intake (make sure you'll be able to find a couple bathrooms along the way though haha)

But good luck I'm sure you will do fine.
And I'm sorta jealous never been on a roadtrip. Maybe before you leave look up some roadside attractions along the way. It might break up the monotony.

paintedlady1978

My husband is an over the road truck driver and sometimes I go with him. It's extremely hard to stay healthy and exercise on the road. But you can do it! :-) what I do is like you said the grilled chicken salads. And I stock up on breakfast protein bars for breakfasts. And I know it sounds silly but for exercise I make him stop at truck stops or rest areas and I walk my dog for about half an hour or forty five minutes at least every other day. Hope that helps you some. Good luck on your move! :-)