Business travel

I travel - sometimes for work, but mostly as a tourist. I try really hard to stick with it. I find exercise the hardest because where I live we have a gym in the backyard - easy set up to get in my exercise.

I was away for two month this summer and I didn't gain any weight - some days I stuck with the plan, and other days I didn't but I didn't gain any weight. However I did lose some of my hard won strength - when I go to Manila later this month (even though its only for a week) I will be trying very hard to ensure I get in some strength training and perhaps a run or two! I will also be trying very hard to stick within my calories!

I travel quite a bit for work. I also still track everything while I'm out and about. Sometimes finding the correct calorie count can be difficult depending on the restaurant choices.

My hotel room had a microwave, so I took my own oatmeal packets for breakfast. Lunches varied--those were all restaurants and depending on those I was having lunch with--but I still had healthy choices. Dinner...I found a local park with a 1 mile walking trail and walked 4 miles each night and followed it up with a 1/2 sandwich / salad from Panera Bread.

But...I got lucky in that I had my evenings free. Sometimes I'm on the go from morning til night. I'll use the hotel treadmill as a last resort if my calories were excessive for the day.

Now personal vacations--no MPF. Those are my break times!

I stick with it. I run when I am way - you don't need any gyms for that! Calorie counting is obviously only going to be a rough guide if you are eating in restaurants, but my goal is usually not to put on weight while away, rather than lose. Airports and plane flights are the trickiest, as you typically have very little choice about what to eat, and you can't suddenly start running about!

I travel a great deal. I'll carry some food with me (I get strange looks from TSA sometimes). I also research ahead to find a gym in the area. I also use walking as a way to see things around the area I might not have seen otherwise.

That said, I have had to become very picky with my eating at restaurants. I've found that they aren't always correct about their calorie count (there was some work done on this exposing they can be off by 20% at times).

I've been traveling just about every week for business for about 4 1/2 years, which is what got me to MFP in the first place!!! Initially I found it really difficult to eat appropriately, when eating out for pretty much 3 meals a day (with the exception of Friday-Sunday). I stopped working out as much, because hotel gyms suck....and I got suckered into going out for team outings all the time (aka drinking instead of working out). I made a ton of excuses (see above) and gained about 30 lbs in 4 years.

So 5 months ago I decided I needed to get my life and weight back on track! I run every Mon/Tues/Thurs either before work or late at night, and I usually "lift" at least one of the days as well. I'm using the hotel gyms which aren't ideal, but hey, it's better than nothing!

As far as food, I've almost mastered eating out healthily. It is insane looking at nutritional facts for some restaurants...really eye opening. I will usually buy peanut butter, english muffins, and skim milk (if I have a fridge) at the beginning of the week and that becomes my breakfast most days. For lunch I try to go to restaurants that provide nutritional information, so I know I'm on track...or I'll stick to salads/sandwiches with grilled chicken and no dressing/condiments/cheese. For dinners, they get a little tricky, but I've found if I'm extremely picky and specify how I'd like everything cooked (Grilled, no additional oil, steamed, etc) it keeps me focused.

I also limit myself to 1-2 glasses of wine a week when traveling. This has probably been the hardest change, but I think it has helped the most. I could probably cut it out completely if I tried, but hey I'm not perfect!! Everything in moderation :-)

I find traveling and dieting for weight loss to be somewhat of a challenge and I've honestly never been able to do it. Traveling and maintaining my weight I've found to be rather easy so long as I just manage my portions and make overall good decisions and keep up with my fitness.

I maintained for 6 months or so without logging anything...traveling and at home....I'm logging agin to try and drop a couple more points in BF and about 5- 10 Lbs really slowly so it wouldn't be that big of a deal to me to have to log off for a few while I was on the road...but I would find it pretty difficult if I was actively trying to drop significant weight.

I try to eat as clean as possible. Any suggestions on things I can take with me on a business trip/flight? I have no problem finding low cal snacks etc. but I'm looking for something that's not loaded with artificial sweeteners, etc.

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