traveling, no kitchen, fast food all around

AuntRobbie1976
AuntRobbie1976 Posts: 2 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello all, new to MyFitnessPal and I am traveling for work. I was recently sent to a city that has only fast food restaurants. Normally when traveling I am put in a suite with a full kitchen, but not this time. How do I stay healthy with all the temptation of burgers and fries, pizza and breaded wings, pastries (bakeries and donut shops) ?
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Replies

  • kathrynjean_
    kathrynjean_ Posts: 428 Member
    When I'm in this situation and travelling for conferences or something, I usually try to hit up a grocery store to grab some good snacks for the day. Bananas, apples, and baby carrots are great because you can put them in your purse to munch on and don't need to be refrigerated.

    Come meal time, if your only options are fast food, you can usually still get a sandwich or burger with some sort of lean protein. Maybe skip the fries (or don't if they fit in your allowance!). The good thing about fast food restaurants is that the vast majority have menu info posted online, so you can at least guesstimate your intake.

    Good luck!
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
    All fast food restaurants? Really, no deli? Salad bars?
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    That's really all there is, fast food restaurants? No sit down places where you can get a salad, an entree of grilled meat and steamed vegetables hold the butter, no thanks I don't need bread, kind of restaurants?

    Even if there really are no choices but fast food, there are options at fast food places too that should fit within your calorie goal, or as the poster above me said, go to the grocery store. Does your hotel room have a microwave and a refrigerator?

    How long is this business trip?
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    Also does your hotel have a fitness center? When I'm traveling for work I love taking the opportunity to work out when I want without having to work around the entire family schedule. Get in some extra exercise and that will help offset any extra calories consumed by dining out.
  • Debmal77
    Debmal77 Posts: 4,770 Member
    A lot of fast food restaurants have healthier options now. Salads with low calorie dressings and wraps.
  • kathrynjean_
    kathrynjean_ Posts: 428 Member
    edited September 2015
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    Also does your hotel have a fitness center? When I'm traveling for work I love taking the opportunity to work out when I want without having to work around the entire family schedule. Get in some extra exercise and that will help offset any extra calories consumed by dining out.

    This!! I have a conference I'll be travelling for in November and was able to book in at a hotel with a fitness center. Before I knew that was an option, I was looking for some gyms nearby that would offer day passes or some sort. If you're travelling for 3-5 days, even if you can get 1 or 2 good workouts in, it can help - or at least help keep your routine and motivation going.

  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,084 Member
    Fast food restaurants have salads, and they are quite tasty. Having said that, the third party testing of the stated calories of foods at fast food restaurants usually find them very close. Eating fast food within your calorie goals is not going to affect your weight loss progress. Just log it.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    kathrynjean_ wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    Also does your hotel have a fitness center? When I'm traveling for work I love taking the opportunity to work out when I want without having to work around the entire family schedule. Get in some extra exercise and that will help offset any extra calories consumed by dining out.

    This!! I have a conference I'll be travelling for in November and was able to book in at a hotel with a fitness center. Before I knew that was an option, I was looking for some gyms nearby that would offer day passes or some sort. If you're travelling for 3-5 days, even if you can get 1 or 2 good workouts in, it can help.

    Depending what city you are staying in, where the hotel is in proximity to restaurants, etc, how safe it is, I take the opportunity to explore on foot. Usually when I'm at a conference or sales training I'm sitting all day so I need to get my steps in, so I head out to find local places to eat. I almost never eat at a chain restaurant when traveling for work and usually only eat at the hotel for breakfast. I spent three nights in Madison back in August and walked all around the Capitol, the University, the lakes, etc. Found great places to eat, came back to the hotel, stopped in the bar for a glass of wine to take to my room, and watched reality TV shows that I would never watch at home... Ahhhhh.....

  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
    i eat fast food all the time. almost all places have healthier options. skip the fries and full calorie sodas, and watch your portion sizing, and its not much different calorie wise than any other meal.
  • Florida_Superstar
    Florida_Superstar Posts: 194 Member
    kathrynjean_ wrote: »
    When I'm in this situation and travelling for conferences or something, I usually try to hit up a grocery store to grab some good snacks for the day. Bananas, apples, and baby carrots are great because you can put them in your purse to munch on and don't need to be refrigerated.

    ^^ This is what I do. If there are truly no grocery stores around you, you can find nutrition info for almost all fast food and many other restaurants online. I rely on that whenever I am going to eat out. I've been maintaining for years.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
    Is there a Souplantation nearby? They have a nice salad bar and are cheap. I know everyone dumps on Golden Corral, but they have a nice salad bar, fresh strawberries and a bazillion other things, so you could eat healthy stuff and a tiny bit of something else, allowing for variety.

    Lots of grocery stores sell ready-made food. Publix let's you order your deli sandwich online and pick it up, so you don't have to wait. If you have a fridge, you can get some fresh fruit. If you don't, visit the store daily and pick some up.

    Without a kitchen, the options for healthy foods really dwindle down to the same stuff, over and over. A person can only eat so many salads and turkey wraps, lol. You may have to suck it up and eat what you can get.
  • acheben
    acheben Posts: 476 Member
    The good thing with fast food is that you can usually look up the nutrition information online. Try and find the items that fit your needs the best. I don't usually have access to a kitchen when I'm on travel, so I try to make the best of eating breakfast at the hotel and eating out for lunch and dinner.

    I love hitting up the fitness center after work and watching netflix while I get a run in.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    mcdonald's has some reasonable salad options. in fact, last time i had the asian salad i was so full i couldn't finish it
  • EXNING
    EXNING Posts: 20 Member
    What about grocery stores? I dont understand some ppl saying as long as your calorie intake is fine then its okay to eat fast food. You guys do realize this is a weight loss platform.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    EXNING wrote: »
    What about grocery stores? I dont understand some ppl saying as long as your calorie intake is fine then its okay to eat fast food. You guys do realize this is a weight loss platform.

    You do realize you can eat fast food and still lose weight, right?

  • NikiChicken
    NikiChicken Posts: 576 Member
    When traveling, I make a point of exploring on foot and walking wherever I go. (depending on area of town and safety, of course) Many hotels also have a fitness center with at least a treadmill. When eating at fast food places, I choose the healthiest I can. Salads with grilled chicken and low-cal dressings, grilled chicken sandwiches without the sauces, and/or half the bun removed, etc. If I do choose a burger and fries, I get the kid-sized versions. I also hit the local grocery store and pick up snack bars, fruit, etc. that I can keep in my room so I don't end up starving and willing to eat anything that crosses my line of vision! Then I track *everything* so I am at least aware when I am close or over my calorie goal.
  • NikiChicken
    NikiChicken Posts: 576 Member
    EXNING wrote: »
    What about grocery stores? I dont understand some ppl saying as long as your calorie intake is fine then its okay to eat fast food. You guys do realize this is a weight loss platform.

    But you CAN eat fast food and lose weight!!! I've lost almost 100 pounds and I still fit fast food into my diet when I really want it or it's the only convenient option, for whatever reason. I don't eat it as often as I once did because it is harder to stay within my calorie goal when making that one of my meals, but you absolutely CAN do it!
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    bring your scale, measuring cups, and measuring spoons. Think about portion control.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    EXNING wrote: »
    What about grocery stores? I dont understand some ppl saying as long as your calorie intake is fine then its okay to eat fast food. You guys do realize this is a weight loss platform.


    There is nothing innately wrong with fast food, and if OP is in an environment where she does not have access to prepare meals then it is better to have a plan instead of setting herself up for failure. There are many on this weight loss site who have lost massive amounts of weight simply by watching portions ,and continuing to enjoy fast food in a healthful and mindful manner.

    Food is not good or bad. It is just food.
  • 7lenny7
    7lenny7 Posts: 3,481 Member
    You can usually find low-calorie choices at fast food places. This past weekend I went to Wendy's and found I could get the Grilled Chicken Go-Wrap, hold the honey mustard sauce, but add regular yellow mustard for 220 calories each. The amount of chicken in these is quite generous and two filled me up. Best of all, they were only $2 each.

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