Eating right at Conferences/Traveling?

I travel extensively for my job. One suggestion would be to pack meal replacement bars (as in "a whole meal", so 350-400 calories) - I prefer not to rely on these, but it is better than skipping a meal if you are pressed for time on a given day. I also like to pack 100 cal packs of almonds and 150 cal packs of beef jerky. Check out the area restaurants ahead of time and plan your meals before you arrive. Buy lots of bottled water for your room. If you are traveling with coworkers, don't let yourself get talked into bad choices.

On other notes, get plenty of sleep and build in time every day for a quick workout!

LUCKY YOU!
fully indulge yourself with strangers and BOOZE!
FUN!

I just did this. The traveling part, anyway, not the eating right part. I was out of town for two days for training for work. My meals consisted of McD's, Golden Corral, and a $12 burger from a fancy bar and grill. Oh and the free breakfast at the hotel. The hotel gym had nothing but treadmills, so I just did some body weight stuff in my room.

If it's only a few days that you're gone, it's not going to put you off very much. If you travel regularly, you may need to worry about it more.

I often bring a cooler and pack food. Cooked chicken, protein muffins, protein powder, single packs of milk or almond milk, tuna (with the pull tab cans unless you bring a can opener), instant oatmeal and fruit and veggies.
I usually eat out for supper.

I've never had any success. Conferences are good because you're (usually) in the same location and can request that corporate sort out a serviced apartment rather than a hotel room which means with a little planning you can cook simple meals. I'm going to be flitting through a few different continents over six weeks later in the year and am already terrified. In the past I've come back from holidays weighing slightly less than a baby elephant. One tip I do have is to avoid buffet breakfasts. I know you can get eggs and fruit but when faced with mountains of bacon, pastries, etc, etc, you will sometimes weaken. Buffets generally are hell. Thank heavens they only enter my life in the form of hotel breakfasts.

Pop tarts are always a good standby to take with you

Yes, I also plan my workouts. I know that after the day everyone is going to be social. I don't want to be heading for the gym while others are going shopping or getting together to hang out so I do all my workouts in the morning.

One of the best tips when it comes to eating out is SKIP THE CARBS! They always over portion things like rice, potatoes, couscous, bread, etc. Just try to order a meat with veggies. Steak with a side of extra veggies and try saving half portions for lunch. This was what my nutritionist told me when faced with eating out. Someone suggested quick items from the grocery store which is great - greek yogurt, nuts, fat free cheese, almonds/nuts, protein bars, pre-hardboiled eggs, etc.! You can do this girl

I travel roughly 70% of the time, and it's been a challenge. Since I've gotten on the lifestyle change track again (and I'm staying on it, thank you very much), I've had some pretty good success. Two weeks ago, I had to eat out 6 out of 7 nights and I still managed to lose a pound. Here's my strategy:

1. Pre-plan extensively. Write out how I will handle challenges, read and re-read, write and re-write that, so I really have stuck it in my brain that I am going to allow myself X but not Y, that I will do Z but not Q, etc.
2. Plan in a work out or two, depending on how long you'll be gone. If I say I will do it every day, I'll miss days and feel like crap, so I make it reasonable and say I'll do at least 1 day. Then I wind up doing 2 or 3 and feeling great because I beat my goal. Just MOVING helps, even if it's a treadmill and you don't normally do one.
3. Research restaurants. Look at what is in the hotel or nearby, if they have menus review them, and make a plan that is flexible. For my Oklahoma City visit, I stay in Bricktown and there are a couple really nice restaurants within a block of the hotel. I reviewed the menu, gave myself options, and made the plan that if the portion was huge, I'd have them cut it in half and box up half.
4. Stay away from fast food or pre-plan what you can eat that fits your goals. Know the calorie, sodium, fat, etc count. Every one of us is different so your mileage may vary. What I did though was see what I could eat at Taco Bell and allow myself to have that if I wanted. I chose not to eat fast food at all, but I knew I had a plan, so it helped.
5. See if you can get a fridge in the room if you don't already, see if a microwave is nearby -- then hit the grocery store. Get bottled water to have, get some 100 cal snack packs of your choosing, some fresh fruit/vegetables, yogurt if you dig that, etc. Then have snacks with you to help mitigate hunger and keep you from eating a ton at that splurge restaurant you allowed yourself.

Allow yourself leeway, pre-plan it in if you can, so that you don't feel badly about a splurge here and there. Just don't go overboard. Think about what YOUR goals are and find a way to make the travel work for them.

Travel days are even harder at least for me, because I'm traveling all day. I took two apples and a couple grahamfuls (fairly low in sodium and calories and I like them!) and parceled them out on layovers. I planned to have breakfast in the airport at a sitdown restaurant and just eat the eggs, but when I got upgraded to first class, I had an apple instead and ate my breakfast on the plane.

It really is all about the preparation. If you are prepared for it, you can handle it and make the right choices while still indulging in some awesome food and having a blast!

Next week I'm in Missouri with even more limited restaurant choices where I'm at, and I've been writing and rewriting my plan so I can address all contingencies. It's a challenge, but it's very doable. Willpower and planning!

I traveled every other week for 15 years.
Do not drink airline coffee
Do not eat airplane food
Avoid the free food at the conference as much as possible. Most of it is junk.
Traveling throws your system off already. Do not make it worse by putting junk in your body, at the wrong times.