at a conference...not good

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So I have been doing Keto for about a month now and doing very well I might add. I am down 14 pounds and several inches. I am at a 2 day conference away from home. The conference provides breakfast and lunch.

I go down for the breakfast this morning and they served donuts and bagels Thank goodness I had some beef jerky in my room from the long ride so that is what I had for breakfast. Hoping lunch would be better I plugged through the next 4 hours...hungry but doing okay. I get to lunch.....pasta. OMG...luckily they served a salad with the pasta so I had a lettuce salad for lunch. By the time afternoon break rolled around I was starving. I caved and had the afternoon snack...a cookie.

I am feeling terrible about eating that cookie. I have done so well for 4 weeks. I am hoping that 1 cookie will not throw me backwards and ruin all of the hard work I have put in.

I did redeem myself with dinner and had a grilled chicken breast....tossed the bun.

Planning on eating breakfast on my own with room service tomorrow so I won't have the same issues as today.

I don't travel much but does anyone have any tips on traveling and what to pack? I didn't think of telling the conference people that I had "dietary needs" when I signed up because I was not doing keto at that time.

Thanks in advance.

Replies

  • Booksandbeaches
    Booksandbeaches Posts: 1,791 Member
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    I had to go to a 5 day conference in May in another state. I brought some stuff with me and I bought some stuff from nearby stores. I had nuts (almonds and macadmia nuts) for snacks. You can also get pork rinds if you like those. If your hotel room has a small fridge, you can store string cheese; ham slices and cheese slices (great lunch); salads for lunch.... My other favorite thing is to order a protein heavy entree at dinner then save some of it for the next day.

    Worst case you can go to a fast food place just get a cheeseburger and skip the bun. That's better than starving and being miserable in the afternoon.
  • FIT_Goat
    FIT_Goat Posts: 4,224 Member
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    I would be so screwed in that situation. I would need to run out and get some real food to eat. Granted, I rarely eat solid food before 5pm (I get up around 5-6am). If I have a fridge where I can store some heavy cream, for my coffee, there's no need for me to eat their breakfast or lunch. I could probably do without the cream (in a pinch), and still make it to dinner time. But, there's nothing they're serving that I would eat.

    In a pinch, when I can't cook, I usually look for cheese, deli meats, and hard boiled eggs (the deli section of a super-market is a good place to find these). Give me a microwave and I can usually make due a lot better. Bacon, eggs (of all sorts), other meats-- the texture suffers but it's edible--and so on.
  • MikeEnRegalia
    MikeEnRegalia Posts: 110 Member
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    Get used to fasting. If you're keto adapted, you should not have any problems skipping breakfast and lunch altogether.You'll still get hungry around times of the day when you normally eat, but this will pass.

    Especially if you're trying to lose body fat, IMO this is the way to go in those pinches. :-)
  • crepes_
    crepes_ Posts: 583 Member
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    You can have an emergency pack of keto food ready to go! Beef jerky, almonds, macadamia nuts, walnuts, quest bars, and if you have a fridge available, hard boiled eggs and cheese cubes. That stuff is easy to get a small shop in the area (GNC for quest bars), and you can make yourself these packs when you get home to keep at work or in a more temperature controlled part of your car, maybe.

    I think you did pretty well, considering! If you can get some coffee for breakfast with cream, that should tide you over even if you don't do the room service breakfast. For lunch, you can keep doing the salads and snack on nuts. If they have fruit plates, remember that strawberries and melons aren't so bad in moderation.
  • nill4me
    nill4me Posts: 682 Member
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    Congratulations on your progress. That is fantastic. Travel can be tough. I've also been keto-ing for approximately a month. I travel every week. I fly out on monday morning and I fly home Friday afternoon. Some of the things that have helped me, all have to do with pre-planning in some way

    Try to scope out where you will be staying ahead of time. Not just your hotel, but also your surroundings. What is your proximity to a local grocery? I always try to book into some kind of extended stay hotel (residence inn, homewood suites, stay bridge, etc). They are rarely more expensive and very often cheaper than the full blown Marriott, Hilton or Hyatt. Most extended stay hotels will at minimum have a fridge and a microwave. Many also have cooktops and even full blown ovens, and they will have dishes. This will give you the means to both store and cook food. You can always microwave scrambled eggs with ham in a coffee cup...and its quite tasty.

    I know of at least 4 groceries and 1 health food store in the area I stay in, and I make a grocery list every monday before I leave work. I shop for the week, just like at home. Tonight I had a small filet mignon, and some white mushrooms sautéed in mct oil and some ghee, and I just polished off a little cup of SF jello with HWC. Not bad for eating on travel :)

    I also bring stuff from home...home made jerky, nuts, etc. Be forewarned if you travel with food, you open yourself up to the possible unplanned pleasure of TSA romping through your suitcase if you do not check you bag. Just last week I was searched for 2 avocados and a bag of sliced pepperoni. Its always a crap shoot.

    If you have to travel often, or go on extended travel, the same applies, but you can also talk to the hotel front desk or manager about keeping a bag or small suitcase for you over the weekend. If you are a "regular", or they know that you will be back, most are more than happy to help you out. I keep a carry on size suitcase at the hotel that holds items like my ghee, my MCT and coconut oils, ziptop baggies, my little coffee whipper, ground coffee and filters, toiletries, and so on.

    With regard to fasting and/or IF...its true that keto adaptation can allow us to go for long periods of time without eating , but should we? I found the following post from Mark's daily apple interesting, with respect to Fasting and IF in men versus women, especially perimenopausal women. It has links to another blogger's articles on the same. I'm not offering opinion on whether its good or bad...just food for thought that its not necessarily one size fits all, and that just because we can do something doesn't necessarily mean that we should, or that its right for everyone. That being said, my BPC in the morning is a staple for me. Sometimes I lunch (its more of an afternoon snack)...most times I do not. Sometimes on Mondays I don't get an opportunity to eat until 8pm or later (I get up at 330am mondays). It varies, and I don't feel pressured to eat or not to eat...I just go with the flow.

    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/women-and-intermittent-fasting/#axzz3DcqQEV00

    As always, YMMV, and best of luck to you.
  • dcristo213
    dcristo213 Posts: 117 Member
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    I will be traveling to 5-day long conferences in October and November, so I will have to prepare myself. By biggest concern is alcohol, typically conferences involve hanging out at bar at night drinking. I will probably go out to store and buy some low carb snacks to eat during the day. I figure pork rinds, cheese sticks, nuts, and dried meats like salami.
  • oyadancing
    oyadancing Posts: 91 Member
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    Reading this thread reminds me I've got three trips coming up in Nov/Dec, 3-4 days each; first long-distance trips away from home since starting LCHF eating in January.
    Try to scope out where you will be staying ahead of time. Not just your hotel, but also your surroundings. What is your proximity to a local grocery? I always try to book into some kind of extended stay hotel (residence inn, homewood suites, stay bridge, etc). They are rarely more expensive and very often cheaper than the full blown Marriott, Hilton or Hyatt. Most extended stay hotels will at minimum have a fridge and a microwave. Many also have cooktops and even full blown ovens, and they will have dishes. This will give you the means to both store and cook food. You can always microwave scrambled eggs with ham in a coffee cup...and its quite tasty.

    And nil4me, thanks so much for your tips above. I needed that reminder: I used to travel just about every month and usually to someplace new. I made it a priority to get in early enough to find the nearest large grocery store and get supplies. I'd completely forgotten - it's best even when not LCHF to not be at the mercy of hotel and nearby food options.
  • nill4me
    nill4me Posts: 682 Member
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    I will be traveling to 5-day long conferences in October and November, so I will have to prepare myself. By biggest concern is alcohol, typically conferences involve hanging out at bar at night drinking. I will probably go out to store and buy some low carb snacks to eat during the day. I figure pork rinds, cheese sticks, nuts, and dried meats like salami.

    If you have Seltzer or something of the like with a slice of lemon, no one will be the wiser :)
  • MikeEnRegalia
    MikeEnRegalia Posts: 110 Member
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    Mojito without the sugar ... great low carb drink! :-)
  • DittoDan
    DittoDan Posts: 1,850 Member
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    I know the feeling and share yo' pain!

    Carbs are like alcohol & alcoholics. I am a "carboholic" and when I "fall-off-the-wagon" I fell like depressed afterwards. Cheer up, let it be a learning moment. When you are tempted again, try to remember the feeling you had at the conference.

    I hope this helps,

    Dan the Man from Michigan
  • Leonidas_meets_Spartacus
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    I travel every other week and I have no problem staying in keto. I carry Jerky and nuts in my back pack as emergency food. For lunch I eat salad with eggs and grilled chicken and a heavy cream latte from star bucks. Dinner is steak, seafood or chicken with another heavy cream latte. Find a Starbucks near the hotel if you want to catch up on the fat.
  • dcristo213
    dcristo213 Posts: 117 Member
    Options
    I will be traveling to 5-day long conferences in October and November, so I will have to prepare myself. By biggest concern is alcohol, typically conferences involve hanging out at bar at night drinking. I will probably go out to store and buy some low carb snacks to eat during the day. I figure pork rinds, cheese sticks, nuts, and dried meats like salami.

    If you have Seltzer or something of the like with a slice of lemon, no one will be the wiser :)

    Yeah, but I would rather have some Grey Goose with the seltzer and slice of lemon/lime. :) Especially since, I don't have to pay for my drinks.
  • La5Vega5Girl
    La5Vega5Girl Posts: 709 Member
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    I will be traveling to 5-day long conferences in October and November, so I will have to prepare myself. By biggest concern is alcohol, typically conferences involve hanging out at bar at night drinking. I will probably go out to store and buy some low carb snacks to eat during the day. I figure pork rinds, cheese sticks, nuts, and dried meats like salami.

    you can always have vodka w/ diet soda if everyone else is drinking
  • annenm416
    annenm416 Posts: 5 Member
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    I'm traveling to a conference next week for three days; it'll be my 3rd week of keto/LCHF eating. Thanks for the advice, everyone!
  • nill4me
    nill4me Posts: 682 Member
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    I will be traveling to 5-day long conferences in October and November, so I will have to prepare myself. By biggest concern is alcohol, typically conferences involve hanging out at bar at night drinking. I will probably go out to store and buy some low carb snacks to eat during the day. I figure pork rinds, cheese sticks, nuts, and dried meats like salami.

    If you have Seltzer or something of the like with a slice of lemon, no one will be the wiser :)

    Yeah, but I would rather have some Grey Goose with the seltzer and slice of lemon/lime. :) Especially since, I don't have to pay for my drinks.

    Then by all means! I believe you'll just end up pushing the "pause button" on your ketosis until you metabolize out all of the alcohol, then roll right back in, depending on how long you have been ketotic, and how fat adapted you are. Cheers! :drinker:
  • PrettyBull
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    I travel every other week and I have no problem staying in keto. I carry Jerky and nuts in my back pack as emergency food. For lunch I eat salad with eggs and grilled chicken and a heavy cream latte from star bucks. Dinner is steak, seafood or chicken with another heavy cream latte. Find a Starbucks near the hotel if you want to catch up on the fat.

    You can have Starbucks on keto???!!! Yay!! This is the best news!
    (I am a newbie, obviously) Still figuring this thing out...