Terrified of Travel

Cedarwren · May 2016

I have been seriously tracking my calories since January. I have lost 25 pounds. But I have to admit, I need MFP to tell me when I have reached my daily limit. I seem to have no appestat to tell me when I have had enough. Hence, I am very apprehensive about a week of upcoming travel. I can control what I put in my mouth, but I will have limited control over what my choices will be. If the choices are really bad and I feel the need to abstain, I guess I will need to have a stash of safe options with me. Currently, I do not use single serve portions such as protein bars, or cheese sticks, so making some selections to bring with me will be new territory. I’m thinking Quest bars and almonds.

I could take a casual attitude about the trip and just resume my “strictness” when I get home, but I really don’t want to do that. I am trying to lose another 35 pounds before I have knee surgery and I just don’t want to take any time off. I know weight loss is not linear, but it will be very demoralizing if I come home to find that I have gained weight. (I know, I need to lighten up.)

I guess I am just venting about the discomfort of being away from the safety of home, where I can be practically guaranteed a safe food environment. This is “life” and I should embrace the opportunity of being outside my comfort zone, but man it is HARD. I am feeling very insecure especially since I can’t trust my body to tell me when I’ve had enough. Does anyone have any advice or tales of successfully keeping on plan while traveling?

xtina315 · May 2016

You could always plan ahead or track my writing down what you ate. Just bring a small notepad with you-if you have to estimate estimate, and make healthy choices.

Therealobi1 · May 2016

First of all you need to relax, if it's a holiday you are going on you should be thinking if the great time you are going to have.
You can still make great choices when on holiday don't worry.
For me I drink and eat loads, and deal with it when I get back. Only gain few pounds anyway
Enjoy

AriesGal329 · May 2016

I travel a lot for my work, and it often involves banquets, receptions, and other meals that are "served", meaning I have no control over the menu. You just have to tell yourself that you will stay within your calories and be strong. I eat what is served, but try to eat only half as portions are usually huge. I also tell the waiter before the dessert is even served not to bring it to me. Also, watch the wine...they just keep pouring and pouring it...after I've had 1 or 2 glasses, I ask the waiter to take the glass away, or I push it way up on the table so they know I'm done. Good luck and don't be terrified- you are in control!

cwolfman13 · May 2016

I have never gained anything but water weight while traveling (usually because of the airplane flight...air travel causes bloating. I enjoy traveling and eating is part of the experience for me as well. I'm going to Colombia at the end of the month and I can't wait to sample their local cuisine, not to mention the coffee. I'm always substantially more active while traveling on vacation than I am at home...like literally we are out and about and walking around all day long so I see little point in stressing it.

I think it's a little sad actually that you are terrified of traveling when you should embrace the opportunity and enjoy yourself. I know a lot of people who would love to travel but simply do not have the means. Being able to travel is a wonderful luxury and you should embrace the experience.

ETA: I actually end up losing weight in most cases because I'm basically eating two or three meals per day rather than my meals and snacking. I often will only eat twice per day when I'm on vacation as we tend to sleep in a bit and like to relax in the mornings with some coffee and whatever beautiful view we have...and then we typically go out for a late breakfast/brunch which often suffices for lunch as well and then we have a nice dinner. Usually, if we do take lunch, I get something relatively small...often just a salad or soup or a soup/salad combo. And like I said, we're usually on our feet and moving most of the day seeing whatever there is to see.

nutmegoreo · May 2016

cwolfman13 wrote: »

I have never gained anything but water weight while traveling (usually because of the airplane flight...air travel causes bloating. I enjoy traveling and eating is part of the experience for me as well. I'm going to Colombia at the end of the month and I can't wait to sample their local cuisine, not to mention the coffee. I'm always substantially more active while traveling on vacation than I am at home...like literally we are out and about and walking around all day long so I see little point in stressing it.

I think it's a little sad actually that you are terrified of traveling when you should embrace the opportunity and enjoy yourself. I know a lot of people who would love to travel but simply do not have the means. Being able to travel is a wonderful luxury and you should embrace the experience.

Yes! I have lost weight on my last several vacations, mainly due to being so active mixed with being too busy to eat regularly. It was all masked by the flights initially. My last trip, after a week, the water weight came off and I was 15lbs lighter from a 5 week vacation!

rosebarnalice · May 2016

I take a bit of an "all of the above" approach when I travel:
* pack some "safe" snacks-- I'm partial to nori / seaweed snacks, Luna Bars, low-sodium turkey jerky,
* find grocery stores at my destinations where I can find fresh (local?) fruit and snack veggies like carrot sticks, mini peppers, or snow peas;
* try to make good choices whenever they are offered;
* when there aren't good choices, try to control portions;
* and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and full
* and finally, take pix of meals so I can log accurately (think food porn pix--it's not weird at all!)

zyxst · May 2016

I don't have a Stop Eating switch myself. When I'm out eating somewhere that I have no control over the food, I rely on portioning. Using my first trip to a Chinese buffet as an example, I sort of knew what I wanted and what might be available and when I went through, I picked out what I wanted but only half or a third of what I *really* wanted. I could eat 10 chicken balls, but I only took 2. Fried wontons, same thing.

If things go to poop foodwise (such as you gained 10#), you know you can lose it because you have the tools and knowledge to get back on track. You'll be bumped around a bit, but the road will straighten out. You may surprise yourself and have better internal control than you think!

lemonychild · May 2016

It's travel time, this is not the time to think weight loss and deficit itz time to enjoy travel. In the grand scheme of things, this will be a memory to create and hold dear not worry about a number on a scale... U should try to switch to maintenance and eat at maintenance. U will probably gain but it will be most likely water weight

Cedarwren · May 2016

Thank you for your comments and ideas, some of which I hadn't thought of. I agree I need to lighten up and relax about it, which I'm trying to do. It's also true, as someone pointed out, that I may be more active than usual, which would really help in terms of not gaining weight. And no matter what I am served, I can control the portion that I actually eat. I am going to have with me some safe foods just in case (didn't think of jerky). I'm going to make sure I don't weigh right away when I get back, due to airplane travel's tendency to mess with things. It's true, I've got some tools for success. Thanks everyone.

nixxthirteen · May 2016

I always pack hummus, turkey pepperettes, apple slices, pre made salads, diced watermelon, special K chips, energy bars... I also researched meals under 500cal at a bunch of common restaurants in case I was stuck.

Steak and vegetables, or salmon and veg, is on TONS of menus and usually a safe bet

Machka9 · May 2016

When I travel, I exercise a lot more than I do when I'm at home. I'm out walking, cycling, swimming, kayaking, etc. much of the day. At the very least, we usually try to find accommodations that are fairly centrally located so that we can walk to shop, sightsee, and find dinner options.

I don't log while travelling, and I allow myself a diet break ... but interestingly, I find myself doing things like ordering salad at dinner, and then choosing a smaller dinner option because the salad has filled me up ... or going for a chicken and veg sandwich at lunch rather than burgers ...

lorrpb · May 2016

As you said, you can control what you put in your mouth. There are always some menu choices that are better than others. Choose those. Limit alcohol & dessert, and don't overdo it on bread and pasta. Cut everything you are served in half and eat only half of it. With those general guidelines you should do fairly well. And yes, do bring some snack options.

Sabine_Stroehm · May 2016

I tend to go lower carb when I travel, and aim for simple salads with protein for lunch and dinner.
Breakfast, I tend to do bacon and eggs.

It works for me for travel. It takes the guess work out. When I say simple salads I mean like a caesar minus the croutons. Dressing on the side.

lemurcat12 · May 2016

I don't have a stop eating switch, but I found that once I understood how my meals worked it was pretty easy to know when I had enough calories. It's not like I was ever surprised at the end of the day or anything. Maybe look at your diaries and see what kinds of meals had what calories?

My problem when traveling (which is common for work) is a lack of control over options. I tend to try to come as close to my usuals as possible and watch serving size.

Cedarwren · May 2016

I'm glad to hear there are others, like me, who don't have the stop-eating switch. It helps to know that even so, I can be successful. Thanks everyone for all the ideas and your personal experiences.

Terrified of Travel

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