Diet and Fitness While Traveling Tips Anyone?

LER67 · February 2016

Haven't traveled for business yet this year and since Jan 4 I've been able to drop 25 lbs by dieting and exercising. Going to have to hit the road next month and I really don't want it to derail what I'm doing as I'd like to lose another 46 lbs.

Anyone have any tips for not completely dropping the ball while traveling? I've instructed my company to book me hotels with a fitness center so at minimum I can do cardio. Most restaurants I'll be entertaining at I should be able to order fish or lean red meat at. Alcohol, haven't consumed any (or soda) since I started and I really don't want to but it's almost expected when entertaining. Thinking of just sipping vodka on the rocks as that seems to have the least amount of calories.

Any tips greatly appreciated.

ashleyylo · February 2016

If you are entertaining, you can ask the bartender for just soda water with lemon and lime, skip the vodka. People would probably just assume you were having a "real" drink. Of course, that's assuming you are able to get your drinks separately. If you really don't want to drink, though, don't. No one should be "expecting" you to do anything you don't want.

Other than that, it looks like you have some strategies down already - lots of menus should have options you can choose to still fit with your calorie goal, even if you need to ask for substitutions/modifications. And keeping active at the hotel gym - great!

So, I guess I don't have any tips, haha sorry.

rosebarnalice · February 2016

1. take pictures of your food. It will help you log more accurately later;
2. do the best you can to keep your activity up-- booking at hotels with cardio is a great idea
3. soda water with lime can go a long way in the entertainment department

akamran1 · February 2016

You might also ask the hotel concierge about safe and scenic walking trails/routes in the area. But it sounds like you're very up on the pre-planning :-)

Wheelhouse15 · February 2016

If you can get a suite with a kitchenette then that's probably the ideal, otherwise you'll have to find places to eat that you are sure of the food, even if it's not the best food. Eating at KFC and taking off the skin makes it pretty much the same as roasted chicken without the skin and is often used by dieters on the road. Restaurants that have salads that will allow you to put items like dressing on the side can also be useful.

In the end you have to be careful but it's not impossible.

LER67 · February 2016

Thanks for the comments. The whole alcohol thing is interesting as I don't want the clients I'm entertaining to feel uncomfortable drinking if I'm not. Funny how that works.

I like the idea of a scenic walk/run. They did confirm my room(s) will have a fridge in them so I'll be able to find a local juice bar and purchase some fresh juices for breakfast. I'll come back and update how things went on my first trip.

LER67 · March 2016

Another question, my calorie intake will go up while I'm traveling, I'm currently at about 1500 a day and never go above that. So my question is, rather than focusing on trying to maintain my normal routine which does not include cardio every day, I should try and do cardio every day while traveling as it burns the most calories to offset the increase in calories to at least maintain my weight loss while traveling then go back to strength training when I return home. Does this sound like a decent strategy

tequila5000 · March 2016

I suggest that during this trip you set your calories to "maintenance" and then get some exercise in each day. This way you won't derail what you have accomplished thus far, but you dont' have to stress quite as much being in an environment where you dont have total control over your food prep.

minniestar55 · March 2016

I'm leaving early tomorrow for 10 days south of Naples, Italy; I'm below my goal weight, but will still try to track. I think tracking will be difficult, but it's never difficult to make healthier choices & watch portion sizes. Fresh fruit & veg when possible, don't clean your plate. Luckily it's very normal in Italy to get bottle of water for the table, or to add some frizzante water to a small glass of wine. Don't empty the bread basket, do eat yogurt, muesli, fruit for brekkie. Splurge once in a while.

owlprincess1234 · March 2016

This is my first work trip since I started losing weight.
My first stop was the grocery store, I got nuts, protein bars, pre cooked chicken, wraps, salsa, fruit, and cheese. Breakfast is eggs, toast, fruit and bacon at the hotel.
Hopefully I can stick to the plan!
I made a thread around Xmas about this subject, it's titled "Travelling for work" but I'm awful at the Internet and can't figure out how to post the link. There was some pretty good ideas in there.

maria0104 · March 2016

I travel a lot and agree its an absolute nightmare thinking about diet and fitness whilst travelling! Saying that you seem to have got your planning ready. Just remember that foods you eat may be a little more salty than you usually have at home as well, so even if you come back with your calories having been fairly reasonable you may see a weight fluctuation which should go back down within a few days due to this.

Re the alcohol thing, I rarely drink with Clients because I'm rubbish at drinking and try to remain professional. It can be a bit uncomfortable, I admit, if they're drinking and you feel like you should be too. On the occasion I have drank with them present, I usually get one to begin with then just have water the night after, citing early working the next day. Usually works.

LER67 · March 2016

Thanks for the posts all. Buying some bulk nuts and I'm going to weigh them out and put them in snack size zip lock bags. Also going to weigh out some oatmeal and pick-up some bottled water for my room so after I hit the hotel gym in the morning I can quickly cook some in the microwave and spend the time I would have spent having oatmeal in the hotel restaurant in the gym, also limits temptation ordering an omelet vs. oatmeal. Ordered a box of quest and zone bars for my bag as well. Lunches I'm going to try and stick to healthy salads with oil and vinegar and dinners grilled fish or chicken, maybe a filet one night, we'll see. Also focusing on not eating everything on the plate since if I've learned anything logging my meals the past two months its restaurant portions are at last 2 x the size of an actual serving.

@maria0104 Unfortunately I'm really good at drinking, part of what got me to my starting weight LOL. But I think I have my alcohol strategy figured out. Start out with a vodka rocks and one glass of dry red wine like a cab with dinner, that's it. Still debating if I should also just say I'm taking meds that don't agree with alcohol as I'd really prefer not to consume at this point. All those empty calories.

I think my biggest struggle will be not being tempted by some of the higher calorie options on the menus. When I travel/entertain meals are typically at high end restaurants with some pretty good options very high in calories. Many probably as high if not higher than what I would consume in a day or even two if you factor in apps and a dessert. My strategy here is to think about how many times over the past 10 years I've eaten the high calorie options and how hard I've worked taking the lbs off. Once I'm at goal wait and maintaining I can loosen-up a bit but right now I need to stay on point. Worked too hard to blow it on a giant rib eye at Mortons. I'm traveling 14 our of 20 days, going to be rough.

alittlelife14 · March 2016

Oats and protein powder portioned and baggied, quest bars, any other protein bars. Tuna cans, canned low sodium high fiber beans. Fruits. Vegetables.

azulvioleta6 · March 2016

LER67 wrote: »

Thanks for the posts all. Buying some bulk nuts and I'm going to weigh them out and put them in snack size zip lock bags. Also going to weigh out some oatmeal and pick-up some bottled water for my room so after I hit the hotel gym in the morning I can quickly cook some in the microwave and spend the time I would have spent having oatmeal in the hotel restaurant in the gym, also limits temptation ordering an omelet vs. oatmeal. Ordered a box of quest and zone bars for my bag as well. Lunches I'm going to try and stick to healthy salads with oil and vinegar and dinners grilled fish or chicken, maybe a filet one night, we'll see. Also focusing on not eating everything on the plate since if I've learned anything logging my meals the past two months its restaurant portions are at last 2 x the size of an actual serving.

@maria0104 Unfortunately I'm really good at drinking, part of what got me to my starting weight LOL. But I think I have my alcohol strategy figured out. Start out with a vodka rocks and one glass of dry red wine like a cab with dinner, that's it. Still debating if I should also just say I'm taking meds that don't agree with alcohol as I'd really prefer not to consume at this point. All those empty calories.

I think my biggest struggle will be not being tempted by some of the higher calorie options on the menus. When I travel/entertain meals are typically at high end restaurants with some pretty good options very high in calories. Many probably as high if not higher than what I would consume in a day or even two if you factor in apps and a dessert. My strategy here is to think about how many times over the past 10 years I've eaten the high calorie options and how hard I've worked taking the lbs off. Once I'm at goal wait and maintaining I can loosen-up a bit but right now I need to stay on point. Worked too hard to blow it on a giant rib eye at Mortons. I'm traveling 14 our of 20 days, going to be rough.

Great idea! I used to pack up premeasured oatmeal and dried fruit in baggies. If you carry a bowl and spoon with you, you can make breakfast or a hearty snack in any hotel that has a microwave. Identify which hotel chains have fridges and microwaves in every room and stick with those. Holiday Inns are great for this--Hiltons are terrible.

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this, but using grocery stores rather than restaurants as your primary food source instead of restaurants can help a lot.

Take a drink, pick it up and put it down, carry it around...nobody will notice if you never actually drink it. Years ago I was unable to have any alcohol at all due to a drug interaction, but I was in a country where not drinking was completely unacceptable. My job involved going to many cocktail receptions where I was often the guest of honor.
Just holding a drink worked fine.

Paiger816 · March 2016

I try to get stuff at restaurants that I can be fairly accurate with logging. Chicken breast, salmon, etc. I just try to make an semi-accurate guess on ounces. I try not to get anything with breading because it's impossible to know what's in the breading. Is it 100 cals worth of breading or 400 cals?

Also salad dressing on the side, just dip your fork. Get steamed veggies whenever possible.

For drinks, you've got the idea with vodka. I think most vodka is like 60 cals an ounce. I'm weird and drink vodka and Diet Pepsi, but vodka soda, or vodka water with lemon/lime would be fine as well. I know how annoying it is to give precious calories to liquor when you could be actually eating something with those.

Chaagy · March 2016

I just came back from a week at conference - well, Mon-Thursday, and I'm happy to report, I've stayed on track for the most part. Even had Eggs Benedict one day, Ribs one day, Chicken Parmigiana one day, A slice of red velvet cake, etc... all in my 1500 cal budget.

A few things I did...

1) Buy lots of fruit and have it in your room (Apples are a saviour to me - about 80 cals, and they manage to keep me full in-between things and serve as a reminder to stay on track) - I pop one into my bag. No snacks or in-between meals other than fruits or veggies.
2) Make room for those entertaining meals, by planning the ones you have by yourself
3) Get used to finishing half your plate only, when eating out - take the rest to go, or just say bye to it.
4) Order more foods with simple seasonings and sauces, hidden calories in sauces will hurt
5) I love ordering a salad and protein. I cut up the protein and put it into the salad. I don't even have dressing. If the protein has a bit of sauce or gravy, that's gonna be the dressing.
6) If you know where you are going, pre-plan, and pre-log as much as possible.
7) Splurge once in-awhile. A great restaurant, on the company dime, is not to be missed.
8) I've just cut out alcohol entirely for now - but I've never really been that into it. I just go with a soda water, lime, ice. It still looks cool, if you need to have something in your hand while mingling or trying not to look out of place.

mrsloganlife · March 2016

I just came back from a 4 week bender and let me tell you my weight was up and down like crazy, but I ended up down half a pound and considering one of those weeks was a massive ski retreat with a lot of beer (beer pong) and food flowing...I'm happy.

However, whenever I travel I stay at a Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites, something that caters to extended stay customers or corporate because I will have a kitchenette (or in the case of the Residence Inn a kitchen bigger than my first kitchen in my studio). And before I do anything I go straight to the grocery store armed with a list. I get the mini packs of Emerald Almonds for nuts, I get a Lean Cuisine (for the sole night I am in, or for lunch if I have time to get back to my room), fruit and celery/carrots. I also bring a Brita water bottle so I can fill up water wherever I am (I am a water snob).

I never go to bed without a run/exercise. Not just for the cardio part, but I know you know...being on the road is hard, and cardio helps clear my mind so I'm not getting sad I'm all alone and then here comes Papa John's. If I know I can't do my cardio at the end of the workday, I get my sad butt out of bed an hour earlier and get to it.

When eating out, usually the place I am going is picked out at least an hour beforehand which gives me time to scope out the menu and get an idea of what they have. I pick 3 dishes that I know I will be interested in, and when I get to the restaurant I scan the menu to make sure that menu has one of those dishes and then put it down so I am not tempted with the beer cheese burger (gahhhh that hurt to look away from). I usually order a diet/rum for a drink and just take it slow.

My first business trip after I started losing weight was a disaster, which actually helped me become more self-aware about what I was doing. I noticed yesterday when I went to go get lunch before my flight home that I was immediately ignoring the calzone section and thanking the food gods that this restaurant had a build your own salad section (albeit that can be dangerous too, but at least I had control). It's tough, but it feels so good to come home after a trip and not feel like everything got derailed.

law102189 · March 2016

This is a great thread. I put on several pounds traveling for work but haven't had to do so in several months. Down 20 lbs since January. Traveling next week which should be ok-i will stock up on healthy snack and lunch options since I'll have a fridge and my hotel has a tiny gym. It's an upcoming trip to Spain that worries me. Have never been there and know I'm going to want to sample authentic cuisine and Spanish wine. Many good suggestions here on how to minimize the damage.

pretty_black1 · April 2016

Great thread! I recently began trying to eat healthier. I travel 75-80% of the year, usually weekly Mon-Thurs. All meals are at the company's expense and it's hard to resist eating at a good restaurant. I just have to make a conscious effort to make better choices and get my exercise in.

JatieKo621 · April 2016

My go to when out with friends is just to make sure I get a good workout in before...that way if I am tempted to drink some wine or have a steak I know that I am in the right area to do so. I will eat pure, light protein before (can of tuna and veggies) during the day so that I can splurge at dinner and still be in my calorie range. I also stick with vodka soda or red wine so that I don't go over, no fruity sugary drinks for me! The main goal for me is to stay active so that you don't gain if you veer off the healthy road while eating. It's all about moderation.

Diet and Fitness While Traveling Tips Anyone?

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