To Log or Not To Log... That is the Question!

1. Watch the condiments- salad dressings (ask for light versions or stick to vinegar based), sour cream, cheese, sauces, syrup, mayo.
2. Choose grilled chicken over fried. If it is a grilled chicken sandwich, ask for no bun or just discard it.
3. Salads- if they are larger salads ask for a to go box with your meal and put half in the to go box before you eat.
4. Drink a lot of water while you are drinking the alcohol. This will help keep you from getting dehydrated, which in turn will also help you from getting a hangover When I would go out with my friends I would match one glass of water with each alcohol drink I had.
5. As far as fast food places - if you do have to go because of budget reasons it is possible to eat healthy.

Burger places - Stick to regular size burger patties, discard bun, no mayo, cheese, special sauce or bacon. Have grilled chicken, discard bun, no mayo. Have a garden salad with grilled chicken and ask for low cal dressing (most places carry them now). Fresh apple slices instead of fries.

Mexican - Pick a soft taco versus crunchy. Black beans instead of refried beans. No rice. Salad instead of rice.

Subway is a cheap alternative. You can go online and they have a build your own section where you can plan ahead.

Also, if you can, plan ahead which restaurants you will be going to. Then check online for menus and possible nutritional information. Most chains have them.

Good alcohol choices: Hard alcohol with lowest calories are Rum, Gin, Tequilla, Whiskey and Vodka. Mix these with Diet sodas and you can save a lot of calories. I used to drink Vodka and cranberry, but I would have them put a little bit of diet sprite in it to cut down on the juice amount to save calories. Also rum and diet coke it good.

Hope this helps!

Always log..no matter how bad it looks.

Have fun!

So... do I bother to try to only eat at places where nutrition info is available and log everything while on the trip? Or knowing that everything will be out of whack anyway, do I just not stress it and leave those days blank? I am going to try to save some calories and stuff earlier in the week, and I plan to work out extra leading up to the trip and on Sunday when I come back. Also, if anyone has any advice on eating healthy/ lean, in restaurants, on a budget, that would also be much appreciated!

I say NO to sticking to chain restaurants that post nutrition info. When traveling, do some advance research and find great local places, which will almost never have nutritional info available. If you want to keep calories down somewhat, stick to dishes without cream sauces, not fried or breaded, etc. Or just splurge get the specialty of the house or something that sound unique. One or two meals isn't going to ruin the rest of your life. It's what you do outside those splurges that determines your overall success.

Log it as you go. Four days won't totally unravel your eating plan but for future reference you'll want to know what happened that week that slowed/stalled your weight loss. This is real life, and it sounds like a fun trip.

Don't necessily put fast food off-limits. After all, your friend has needs to. Figure out what you are comfortable with - grilled chicken, salads, etc. Bring a cooler with some yogurt and sandwiches so you have quick easy meals. Then at a rest stop you can pull out your own lunch and save the cals for fun later.

JessVaughn74 gave good advice for making choices. It's the same no matter where you are.

Here is my philosophy. My body will log it whether I do or not. But, if I log it I will have a much better idea of what choices I make do to my body and the knowledge to make better choices.

Yes, definitely log everything even if you are planning on going over your calorie budget. The thing is, if you stop logging, it might be that much harder to get back into it when you get back.

That said, I eat at fast food places all the time. In fact, it's probably the biggest part of my diet simply because I'm in the car or at work way more than I'm at home. You just have to learn what's fine to eat there and which restaurants to stay away from.

Arby's is surprisingly horribly full of calories--especially their sides. This is the only place I would say to avoid like the plague. Which is really sad to me because it's also one of my favorite fast food places.

McDonalds has some surprisingly really good options, such as their grilled chicken classic sandwich, which, with a regular size fry and a diet coke equals out to a meal of 730 calories.

KFC also has some good options, such as their honey bbq chicken sandwich (which, unfortunately, they've just stopped carrying in my area over the last of couple weeks, but maybe they have it elsewhere) which is only 320 calories. KFC's sides like a small mashed potatoes and gravy (120 calories) and coleslaw (170 calories) are probably the best sides you can get at a fast food place.

I don't eat there, but Wendy's has some awesome salads, just skip or get low cal dressing and their small chili is only 210 calories.

Subway has a lot of really great choices, but most of the problem there comes from the condiments you choose. Also consider not getting cheese.

Taco Bell's menu is also really awesome. Consider getting a chicken burrito (177 calories) or a bean burrito (198 calories). A fresco crunchy taco from there is a whopping 92 calories. Their gordita supremes (either chicken, beef or steak) are all just 153 calories. Seriously, Taco Bell's got it going on.

I did a lot of research at the beginning of my journey with MFP because I absolutely refuse to give up fast food. You can eat healthy pretty much anywhere. This website was a godsend to me: http://getfednotfat.com/

Just make sure you have a plan before you eat out. Don't make hasty decisions while you're sitting in the drivethru and you'll be okay.

You could also pack at least some healthy things, get a cooler and put yogurt, fruit and veggies in it so you don't need to spend as much money eating out along your travels.

But, I'd log as best I could.

You bite it, you write it.

Don't be afraid of what it looks like, it's not a contest, this is your new way of life.
Logging always helps me make the better choice
You can too!!

I honestly feel like on a road trip, fast food could be your best friend, if you do it right. ...and this is coming from a person who doesn't even eat fast food. I say that because you have the nutritional info at your fingertips, and because you can choose healthy(ish) options, knowing good and well how many calories, etc, you're putting into your body. No matter who good a guesser you are, when you don't know the nutritional information, it's still just a guess. I feel like too much guessing can lead to trouble on the scale - at least that's been my experience. That being said, I think what one of the previous posters said is correct - I wouldn't look at this scenario as a free for all. Log what you eat (to the best of your ability, even if there is a lot of guessing going on, and even if you're going over). Try to stay within your calories, get in exercise, etc, where you can. My experience with scenarios like this is, when I 'went off my diet' I always completely regretted it, and it took me weeks to get back on track. On the other hand, more recently, I look at the way I eat as, well, the way I eat, not a diet, no matter where I am, no matter what I'm doing. In scenarios such as the one you're facing, I still eat within my calories, work out, etc, and I still enjoy myself, without the nasty after effects of weight gain and remorse. If you can get in an hour run on any of those days, you're looking at quite a few extra calories to play with during the day. If you're going to be eating out for dinner, eat a smaller lunch and breakfast, etc. Do what you would do at home, on a regular basis. Maybe you can't microwave a Lean Cuisine, but you can get a 6" sandwich from Subway. Also, on the alcohol front, a little self control (set a hard limit on the amount of drinks you're going to consume) and knowledge about low cal drinks will take you a loooonnnnggggg way. Just sayin'.

Taco Bell's menu is also really awesome. Consider getting a chicken burrito (177 calories) or a bean burrito (198 calories). A fresco crunchy taco from there is a whopping 92 calories. Their gordita supremes (either chicken, beef or steak) are all just 153 calories. Seriously, Taco Bell's got it going on.

I just wanted to say that I was wrong about this. My numbers for everywhere else are correct, but I was hastily looking at grams instead of calories on Taco Bell's website. The correct calorie counts are:

Chicken Burrito: 420 calories (I'm gonna remove my suggestion for this because there are better things on the menu.)
Bean Burrito: 370 calories
Fresco Crunchy Taco: 140 calories
Gorditas: chicken: 270 calories, steak: 280 calories, beef: 300 calories

Taco Bell still has really low numbers. You can definitely do worse than a chicken or steak gordita supreme. Anything that can be made fresco there will remove a lot of calories. They have some really awesome sides and desserts, too, such as their black beans which are 80 calories or their cinnamon twists which are 170 calories.

I'm gonna stop talking now before I sound like a taco bell spokesman.

Personally...skip all this fast food nonsense...you're going to Pitt...they have some awesome local fare and great local establishments that are going to serve up much better food. Do not be afraid of good food.