Losing weight while not having time

fkwilhelm
fkwilhelm Posts: 42 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hi,

I joined myfitnesspal a week ago and it has been working really well so far. It seems to help me avoid eating under stress, which is my biggest weakness. I am a father of 3 girls, two of whom are special needs kids. I have a busy job and do quite a bit of business travel. I tend to lose weight when stress levels are not too high and get them back when they are high and in particular when I travel. Flying from Europe to North America and not eating too much is a big challenge. Any help is greatly appreciated, and friends to stay motivated as well.

My workout at this point consists of walking as much as possible and to make it happen, we do not own a car. I also do a high-impact health-oriented workout to build muscles once a week

Replies

  • d2footballJRC
    d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
    I know this isn't what you want to hear but..... you have to make time... mentally is the hardest part. I work in a corporate environment and I understand. I have a family, who I don't see much of because of my work schedule, the problem is we have to make time for this journey. You have to dedicate some time to it now. Stress eating is the hardest part, but that is where it's the easiest to make time, instead of stress eating we can use that time for other things. When I'm flying a lot I pack high protein snacks (low sodium beef jerky is one of my favorites!!!!) and nuts. They are more filling. I avoid eating in the airports just to kill time, which ends up saving money on top of it. (More money for golf equipment!!!!!)

    The issue isn't always the time, the issue is making the time and mentally preparing ourselves to use our time wisely. Yes we are busy and the world is moving fast around us. The thing is, the world is going to be moving fast even when we are gone, we need to make some time now spent on ourselves, so our loved ones can spend a bit more time with us.
  • LiveTheLifeYouWillLove
    LiveTheLifeYouWillLove Posts: 98 Member
    How about taking a couple workout videos with you when you travel? Most of those videos can be done in small spaces (like if you have to stay in a hotel). Also, if you do some planning ahead, you can stay places that have fitness rooms. You can also locate grocery stores instead of restaurants while you travel. That way you can pick up foods that you know the calorie count on so you can stick to your plan.

    Keep chatting about this on here and you'll get some good advice from people who have done what you are starting to do and have had success!!! Good luck!
  • Onaughmae
    Onaughmae Posts: 873 Member
    Congrats on working toward your fitness goals! I know how tough it is to make time. I work full time as a nurse and I am currently in graduate school. I seem to have little time for anything else. The truth is though, if we don't make time to take care of ourselves, then we arent going to be very much good to the other people in our lives. MFP is very good at keeping me accountable with myself. I imagine that it is difficult especially when traveling to eat well. Thank goodness more places are offering healthier alternatives on menus. I tend to stick with lean protein and non-starchy vegetables. Its the easiest way to stay on track when eating out a lot.
  • Showmm
    Showmm Posts: 406 Member
    If you travel a lot for work, you must stay in hotels. Lots and lots of hotels have a fitness room, some with just a stationary bike and some weights to others with full on spa facilities. Make time to use them, either before or after your work day. That will help with your stress levels as well.
  • fkwilhelm
    fkwilhelm Posts: 42 Member
    Thanks for all the advice. So at this point when I not travel, I am doing okay. I am on the half pound a week schedule (because I only want to do things I can maintain for a long time) and it works - in part because classes are over (i am a professor and losing weight was the new task I added when teaching break started). So the main challenge right now is travel. Let's walk through the upcoming trip and what I plan to do:

    Next Sunday, I will leave home early in the morning, 6 AM, hop on a train, arrive at the aiport at 9 AM, flight departs at noon. First leg of the flight 11.5 hours and takes me 9 timezones west. Short layover to handle the increasingly painful US immigration and then short flight, a bit over one hour. I will arrive at 7:15 PM local time and be at my hotel around 8 PM, which translates to 5 AM in my home time zone, i.e., the time at which I usually get up. This is a huge trap for eating too much. I don't even know, whether I should try to stick to my daily calorie goal, after all, the day is 9 hours longer.

    Here is my plan: Fast until I am at the airport and hit the frequent flyer lounge, probably 10 AM. Have breakfast there, focusing on protein-rich food. Fly (and eat the food being offered). Snack at the layover, but avoid the frequent flyer lounge (because United's food is so terrible). Have a small dinner close to the hotel. These are four meals instead of three, but keeping them small and logging closely should help.

    Then the five conference days. Conference shuttle departs 8:30 AM and returns to the hotel 6:30 PM. Hotel does not have a fitness facility (too late to rebook plus the area where I am going to, Santa Barbara, is too expensive to not use the conference hotel) but gives out day passes to a nearby facility. I could do stationary bike there but it feels funny to do something while I travel which I do not do at home. So my other idea is to forgo the conference shuttle and walk to the conference each day. It is about 4 miles and I know there area.

    The more important thing is: Eating on conference days. Coffee breaks, lunch buffet, breakfast buffet. And I am a foodie.
    Here is my plan: I am a sucker for protein-rich breakfast and I do not like sweet stuff, so I will eat a very low-carb breakfast, trying to keep it at 500 kcal. I will have one item in the coffee breaks (which are naturally high-carb) and then stay low-carb at lunch.

    Any feedback, suggestions?
  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,153 Member
    nerdfitness.com has a really good hotel room body weight workout that I use when I travel for work. It can be done with nothing you won't find in a typical hotel room, so it's very convenient.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    You could walk to the conference, but 4 miles is far and would take a while to get there. Would you get very sweaty? I wouldn't want to show up sweaty:) I would take a workout video(assuming the hotel has a dvd player), get up early and do the workout, shower, take the shuttle. You might also want to take your own snack for the coffee break, like raw almonds. They go well with coffee and then you don't have to eat a high-carb snack like coffee cake or danish. You might then choose to walk back to the hotel, rather than take the shuttle. Try to do some body-weight exercises, like planks, push-ups, lunges, so you don't lose muscle tone.
  • d2footballJRC
    d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
    Why do you have to have something at the coffee break? I'd take a snack with you then, instead of eating a donut or sugary pastry.

    If they have options for a day pass at the gym, that is awesome! You should take advantage of that, mix it up a bit. It doesn't have to be the same routine you do at home.
  • nikig7
    nikig7 Posts: 240 Member
    I think it's great that you have such a detailed plan. I'm not the best one to give a whole lot of advice because my schedule (and being fatigued because of it!) is something that I am challenged with as well. I work full time...many times OVER time (have days as long as 7am to 9pm on some days!)...just started my MBA (aka studying, research, group meetings, projects), teach part time, am a wife and active in my local church...so it's a LOT...I'm looking forward to hearing how other pretty busy persons manage as well.

    I think for me, the challenge is not so much in "making" the time to exercise...because it's not like EVERY minute of EVERY day is occupied....but in being motivated to push through the physical and mental tiredness that comes with my schedule...enough to still prepare healthy meals and exercise...sometimes I'm so drained that I just want to take a bath and sleep when I get home...or I start caring alot less about what I eat, or crave "comfort" food (which almost makes me feel UNcomfortable after :ohwell: )...it's tough but I am determined to find the right balance.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,993 Member
    TRX suspension system for room workout. If you put in an hour a day that's just directed toward you, you'll find way to add it.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • juliaschwed
    juliaschwed Posts: 2
    Use breaks to get outside. The fresh air will refresh and energize you.

    When I travel I try to walk during my free time and breaks.

    If you have to have a danish during break because your brain has become obsessed. Cut it in half and throw away the other half.
  • namkeng
    namkeng Posts: 16 Member
    I imagine the conference food is going to be a real challenge - but once you have an idea of what's on offer you could (if I were you, I would) plan the foods into the five days. So, you don't have something one day, knowing that you can plan to have it the next day or the last day. As a back up, I would also take some cereal bars incase I wanted a satisfying treat but wanted to avoid the hotel snacks. (You could take your equivalent type of snack.)
  • NaomiJFoster
    NaomiJFoster Posts: 1,450 Member
    Conference food is deadly, lol. And usually not very high in fiber. It's a trap.

    Do you take your laptop with you? fitnessblender.com has about 200 videos. Both cardio and strength. There are several videos there that use only your own bodyweight, so you wouldn't need weights or resistance bands.
  • fkwilhelm
    fkwilhelm Posts: 42 Member
    Actually, the conference food is not that unhealthy, at least the morning coffee break typically has fruit and the pastries are not too big. And the break is already outside (it is southern California after all). I will check the local gym "privileges" (probably not quite a day pass) and what they mean by "local" - the setting is motel-like so they assume you have a car. I am probably okay with walking to the conference - I walk a lot at home and even there it is not warm this time of the year. Walking out might be possible - I should keep in mind that socializing over dinner is part of what conferences are for.
  • NaomiJFoster
    NaomiJFoster Posts: 1,450 Member
    Also, look up some airplane exercises. I traveled overseas about a year ago, and I knew that sitting still for that long would be bad for my circulation. There are many websites that show exercises you can do while sitting in your plane seat. Just to get the blood flowing. It's safer too, sitting still for that long puts you at risk of blood clots.
  • garyobesedeleted
    garyobesedeleted Posts: 117 Member
    Six Weeks To OMG is good, I lost 23lbs
  • cherylatkwechanged
    cherylatkwechanged Posts: 479 Member
    6 weeks to OMG you can do it
  • fkwilhelm
    fkwilhelm Posts: 42 Member
    Actually, I do not set myself any deadline, just when I go below a certain weight I do not want it to come back. The hope is that this will lead to enough lifestyle changes to stay that way.
  • Mezzta
    Mezzta Posts: 26 Member
    Finding the time to workout is always pest. But this may sound silly, I do my workouts whilst doing housework. I walk around the house at fast speed. I use cans of beans as weights while cooking and then after dinner I dance while washing dishes and It takes me forever to fold clothes because I am struting my stuff all over the house. Ha ha. Crazy though it seems it has worked. Plus when I get a free moment with my teenage children, I get them come for a walk with me. Sometimes I go to the shops and just window shop at fast pace. Leaving the shops empty handed after an hour or so. Not to mention calorie counting.

    Dear sir, where there is a will, there is a way. I am not losing weight in the bucket loads, just small amounts. But they are small amounts less than I had the week before. Know what I mean?

    It's about self control and will power.
    You can do it. Baby steps. :)

    Cheers
    Mary
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member

    The more important thing is: Eating on conference days. Coffee breaks, lunch buffet, breakfast buffet. And I am a foodie.
    Here is my plan: I am a sucker for protein-rich breakfast and I do not like sweet stuff, so I will eat a very low-carb breakfast, trying to keep it at 500 kcal. I will have one item in the coffee breaks (which are naturally high-carb) and then stay low-carb at lunch.

    Any feedback, suggestions?

    This is your main issue i think - the food!!

    the excuse 'i'm a foodie' is what keeps you fat!!! i dont mean to sound harsh, but its true!

    if you stick to your calories and watch your macros, you will lose weight.

    I like a good full english hotel breakfast - but if you go for that then you need to balance it out with a salad and lean protein at lunchtime.

    back away from the breaktime pastries....!!!!
  • ElliInJapan
    ElliInJapan Posts: 286 Member
    I sympathize, I also have a hard time staying on track while travelling. I'm also going to a conference in the US next month, so this time I plan to fill my hotel room fridge with healthy snacks to take with me every day. There are no free buffets / coffee breaks in my conference (it's a big one) so that helps. I have booked a hotel with a fitness room and I plan to use it early in the morning before I leave for the conf venue. For dinners, it's more difficult. I know I'll meet a lot of colleagues and I do want to talk with them over dinner, so I'll just try to go to good restaurant and choose a healthy option.

    Now in your case, I'd suggest trying to walk if you don't mind the distance. Or walking/jogging around the hotel before you leave for the conference. I agree with the others, try to avoid all the calorie dense foods in coffee breaks (or if you must, have one, in only one coffee break).

    As for the long distance trip, how about packing some fruit/other snack to have with you in the plane? (Make sure you eat it before you land though! :)) Also be careful with drinks - I used to drink so many juices. This time I'll just have water.
  • fkwilhelm
    fkwilhelm Posts: 42 Member
    'I am a foodie' means I like to eat well, which can be healthy.This is also why I am not going on any fast diet, rather try to lose weight slowly - it may take me two years to reach my goal, but then I expect it to stay that way. Which means here: My diet goal is 2490 kcal per day and if I can keep this on every conference day, I am okay.

    Jogging is not an option - I have all kinds of weirdness with my feet and knees. Cycling and walking are my sports.

    For coffee breaks, I try to restrict myself to fruit.

    For the long-distance flight, the airplane food has not been the problem in the past - it's the Senator lounge in Frankfurt and it is the fact that I am extremely hungry when I arrive at the hotel.

    I will let you know how it goes in about a week's time.

    Also, I am interested in dealing with this at big conferences - I am going to two of these in March and will explain the situation after the current one is over.
  • EmmaKarney
    EmmaKarney Posts: 690 Member
    I know this isn't what you want to hear but..... you have to make time...

    True

    I worked 70 hours last week.

    But I still got up at 6:30 and got to the gym 5 days out of 7 before work.

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