Away for a long weekend Help me make the right choices.

mrsnecincy

Next weekend I'm going away with my husband for 4 days. I've agreed to take a break from MFP. I want to have a holiday but I don't want to go mad.

I Can manage breakfasts and evening meals but it's the traveling itself that is potentialy dangerous. As will be daytime snacks and lunches.

On the day we go we have a very early start and a 3 hour drive to the airport so cooked breakfast and preparing food to take are out. The airport is tiny and has only Costa and Burger King as food outlets. I'm trying to cut down on white carbs and sodium and my calorie goal is about 1600. What are the best choices in either establishment in your opinions? (flight is Ryanair so eating on the plane not a great option) and not in the UK so no chance of grabbing a Boots meal deal or a Frankie & Benny's breakfast.

Also we have a few long train journeys which I'm terrible for snacking on. Any tips?

I'm going to limit my booze and walk everywhere so that should help a bit. And maybe buy fruit to snack on but something more filling will be better.

afields86

Hi! How about packing Clif bars or protein bars? They will hold you over from breakfast to dinner!

g0tr00t

I would avoid BK like the plague. I can't comment on the other joint.

When I travel, I do this. I pack 2 ziploc bags with Almonds. I eat oatmeal w/cinnamon(1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon) for breakfast then when I get to the airport, I get a coffee with cinnamon.

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/weight-loss/how-a-scoop-of-cinnamon-a-day-can-help-you-lose-weight.html

"Cinnamon also delays the passing of food from the stomach into the intestine. Hence, you feel satisfied for a longer time and eat less. This helps you lose weight. Cinnamon also helps the body to process carbohydrates more efficiently and this assists you in losing a few pounds. Studies show that abdominal fat is more sensitive to the effects of cinnamon than fat from other parts of the body."

Since I'll be out of my "routine", I tend to eat very bland food with....you guessed it, cinnamon

Usually, work lunches are difficult since the "group" goes fast food, but I'll grab chicken and something else and drink tons and tons of water since the food industry is trying to poison everyone with sodium.

Cinnamon, coffee and raw organic almonds are my travel buds. watch the "sweetness" of the fruits, I usually stick to bananas and if I am flying for a long time, I'll usually pack apples (yeah put a dusting of cinnamon on them too). crazy...I know.

dmpizza

I try and make calories count.
So if I am away, then i only splurge if its something memorable, like dinner on the water or something like that.
If you can, just take some of the new tiny 110 calorie protein bars along with you.

Having a kid, its tough to avoid BK Or McDonalds.
The small plain hamburgers are not so bad, its when you add crap and supersize them with fries, mayo and bacon that things get crazy. My plan when I find that I need to eat at a place like BK Is to eat about 1/2 a small plain burger(or just ketchup, lettuce, etc....)

My tiny wife, loooves Waffle House, so going there when traveling is a must. I eat about 1/2 a waffle as my meal.

Enjoy your trip !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

mrsnecincy

I do the cinnamon thing a lot when I'm here. I live in Cyprus and Greeks put cinnamon everywhere. Even in meatballs! Almonds, ceral bars and fruit and drinking lots of water are great ideas. Costa is a bit like starbucks so possibly a better option if I want a bigger lunch but they tend to be high on the cals. I think I read their 'skinny' muffins have about 400!

Also we are going hand luggage only with a very small allowence so I didn't want to be filling that up with food.

g0tr00t

My kids get sick from McD and/or BK..lol...my son says (he's 14) he gets the McBelly Aches and the McPoopies..lol...

great advice dmpizza, if you must go small. One of the last documentaries I have seen, measured caloric intake from fast food joints and said that the "kids meals" are the closest to what an adult should intake in ONE meal.

So, order the kids meals. My kids crack up when we go out for dinner and I grab the youngest ones menu

XXXMinnieXXX

Snacks..

Jerky
Almonds
Cheese string
Make some sandwiches up in a cool bag.

Eating out... Sea food or meat with a healthy side of veggies.

Stay away from all the complimentary bread!

Zara x

cljabusc

snacks: trail mix (nuts), granola bars (i like kashi), dried fruit (careful with added sugars), rice cakes, rice crackers, protein bars

as for BK, maybe they have a grilled (not breaded) chicken burger? cut it in half. also drink water and tea. Hot tea is supposed to make you feel full. no sugary drinks.

don't sweat it if you want to eat things that are high in fat and cals. instead of eating the whole meal, cut your serving in half and add at least 2 servings of veggies. you are getting your nutrients from the veggies, and enjoying your little splurge, just at a decent portion size.

debs398

If I was eating in Burger King I would have their flame grilled chicken salad, making sure there was no dressing on it, I know you not following WW but in their Eating Out Guide its only 3propoints which makes it a very low option. Or the lowest breakfast option listed is BK Bacon Butty with sauce for 6, so thats perfectly doable. You could check both companies websites and see if they list the nutritional information and then you could chose in advance.

As for snacks, I would take bananas and perhaps a box of chopped up fruit, and a packet of a low calorie snack such as Skips or Quavers.

Well done for not wanting to blow it while your away, but its not going to hurt if you make sensible choices but go over a bit. Have a fantastic time

g0tr00t

mrsnecincy one thing that I have learned to since bike riding is I get Bicycling magazine (no I am not selling it). They have these great ideas on "snacks" while cycling since we are limited in space while riding.

They have these peanut butter, nut, fruit, etc...recipes that you can mold into bite size chunks and eat. So, maybe I'll try that too one day. This way you can wrap and mold it around your carry on stuff.

Something like this is what I was thinking.
http://bicycling.com/blogs/ramblingman/2012/02/16/fast-food-and-eating-on-long-rides/

mrsnecincy

Thanks all. I have to say I don't always worry this much about holidays but there is a reason for it this time. My weight loss so far has been very slow. On a previous holiday to the same country I put on half a stone in a week. It's taken me 2 months to lose that hence my panic!

MinnieInMaine

Things I've packed for snacks/meals when travelling:

dry cereal
fruit - may not be able to if crossing borders, check regulations
protein and snack bars
instant oatmeal
peanut butter or cheese and cracker snack packs
nuts

Oh and try to be as active as you can and drink tons of water. Dining out means food loaded with sodium so a lot of vacation weight tends to be water weight.

XXXMinnieXXX

Thanks all. I have to say I don't always worry this much about holidays but there is a reason for it this time. My weight loss so far has been very slow. On a previous holiday to the same country I put on half a stone in a week. It's taken me 2 months to lose that hence my panic!

It is a lot of time to gain it back in 4 days. I can bet you are much better informed on food choices now than you were back then. I've also gained 7lbs once in a week on holiday... But I'd like to now think I'd enjoy food in moderation, and have treats without eating stupidly large portions.

Typically abroad I've found you get huge portions of meat. Being someone who feels carbs are my problem, I would just fill up on the meat and not so much on the carb laden foods. Don't panic too much, enjoy your holiday and just keep what you've learnt at the back of your mind.

If your worrying about it before you go, I reckon you'll make informed decisions whilst you are there!

Zara x

MissJanet55

Like lots of people here, I pack a baggie of almonds and a banana and an orange when I'm travelling. I'll also take a couple of hard boiled eggs. And you can pick up individual sized yogurt almost anywhere.

elainecroft

My advice would be to pick what meals are most important to you for splurging (i.e. nice dinner at a fancy restaurant), and try to eat healthy (if boring) the rest of the time. It sounds like you are on the right track - bring snacks - single servings of nuts, cheese, jerky, fruit, veggies are all good. Almost every fast food restaurant has a grilled chicken salad - I use dressing but get it with no cheese. I'd rate the burger king one as pretty meh, but in the long run is any meal at burger king going to be anything but? I'd rather get a meh salad or bring my own lunch and save calories for a fantastic meal, then use calories on a so-so burger/fries.