Traveling for work & eating out don't make it easy to lose w

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ReedMyLips
ReedMyLips Posts: 22
in Food and Nutrition
I really need some advice on eating out. I'm on the road quite a bit for work and I don't always have the means to pack food and take it along (not all hotels have fridges and such). I try to order the healthiest things on the menu, but sadly that doesn’t always mean it is! It is so tricky.

I feel like I do good things like ordering dressing on the side, or not eating the bread that comes with the meal, etc. But the scale doesn’t lie.

If anyone has some suggestions on "healthy" options at well-known fast food places or even some things that would be easy to take along that don't require refridgeration that would be great.

Does anyone else have the issue of eating healthy on the road?

Replies

  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Yup, it's tricky.
    My best suggestion is to get good at deciperhing a menu so you can pick a lower cal option (such as grilled fish or steak, sauce on the side with steamed veggies). Or, get yourself to a supermarket and buy a prepack salad (with dressing separate) and some tuna or cheese to add to it.
    Generally for meals, I just pick the plainest thing on the menu. Then I can see what I'm eating and make a reasonable estimate of how many calories. I never eat fast food at home and I'm not going to start when I'm away, so I can't help you there.
    I usually pack almonds and muesli bars so I have a healthier snack available and I buy fruit when I get to my destination.
    Jerky is not a bad snack (high in sodium though), you can pack crackers and buy some cheese.

    I also check out the hotel gym if they have one, or go walking/running if they don't. If this doesn't fit in, I have a few little 10 min cardio workouts on my phone so I have no excuse to miss out the exercise :)

    Good luck, you can do it, it just takes will power and awareness of menus and portion control!
  • taurie
    taurie Posts: 225 Member
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    If you happen to know where you are going before hand look up their nutritional information before online. If you have a smart phone it makes it much easier to do this while on the move. Maybe avoid salad dressing all together for the time being.
  • jocemorg
    jocemorg Posts: 26 Member
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    At restaurants I go safe and order an appetizer and a salad. Entrees these days will run upwards around 800-1500 cals easily, and you wouldn't ever guess it!
    As for fast foods I avoid burger joints and try to find like a Chick-Fil-A (chargrilled chicken sandwich is only 290 cals!) for grilled options; even a burrito bowl at Chipotle can be ~700 cals but split into two meals.
    Stock up on fruits! I have the biggest sweet tooth and when that happens, I grab an apple or a peach or something. Our bodies could use the fiber anyway. :P
  • inspiredbyprince
    inspiredbyprince Posts: 1
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    I only have one rule but it still may be hard to eat out. IF YOU CANT GROW IT OR KILL IT DONT EAT IT. thats it everything natural that means if it has a label most likely you should be putting it in your body. of course some thing do have labels that are good for you like nuts but most have added salt or sugar. Fresh is best. when eating out most places put dressing and flavoring to food to make them taste better not always the best thing for you. start trying to cut out additives at home then it make it easier for you body to adapt. dont give up u can do it
  • 321blueeyes
    321blueeyes Posts: 279 Member
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    HMR boxed entrees - like Lean Cuisine but the don't require refrigerator/freezer, you buy them online. During the summer throw one on the dashboard in the car when you park & it heats up as good as microwave. Or microwave for 1 min.

    If you must eat it cold, stay away from the rice (doesn't taste good when cold). Most are 250-300 cal.

    And always carry some fruit or veggie that travels well, like an apple or carrot sticks.
  • ohnuts14
    ohnuts14 Posts: 197
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    Honestly, it's all a trial and error thing. You enter things in your MFP and you start to see what's lower in calories, sodium, fat, carbs, so on and so forth, and you learn. It really helps if you have an app or something where you can find nutritional info of foods before you order it but that can also be time consuming and you can sit there for like an hour just trying to figure out what you can eat lol. I don't know if this helps, but generally small salads are good (just becareful of the big ones with all the toppings and what not because I often see salads at restaurants like that that run between 1000 - 1700 calories! yikes!), fish is almost always pretty low in calories even if they cook it in a lot of gunk, vegetable dishes, and a lot of restaurants have weight watchers and weight concious menu selections, and you can probably also ask the waiter what their healthier menu options are. It really is hard to eat healthy when you have a life style like that but you do your best! As for exercise, you can't exactly join a gym everywhere you go, but out of curiousity, do you stay at hotels? If so, and they happen to have gyms, take full advantage. Also, doing something as simple as going for a power walk in the morning or afternoon or whenever you have time can be really helpful. I power walk for an hour a day, and am now up to 5 mph, and according to mfp I burn 800 to 900 calories. So if you're looking for exercise, it's a quick, easy, and effective thing to squeeze in! Best of luck!
  • fionarama
    fionarama Posts: 788 Member
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    I think the breakfast smorgasbord in hotels are pretty good, I'd try to maximise my eating there. Hard boiled eggs, a bowl of healthy cereal, fruit, yoghurt its all good food.
    For lunch buy a simple sandwich at a supermarket or something, just check the calories make sure its one thats around 300 cal not 700 cal! Or a sushi pack, again check the calories.
    Dinner go for simple - grilled steak/fish and salad or steamed vegies, generally easily bought from most restaruants. Don't be afraid to get them to modify their menu by holding chips and sauces etc.
    Also McDonalds believe it or not, a grilled chicken wrap is less than 300 calories, get that with a carrot stick bag and a apple slice bag and you've got quite a nutritious healthy lunch/dinner.
    Stick to simple food, no sauces or fried foods, and you can't go wrong.
  • kandrews24
    kandrews24 Posts: 610 Member
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    Bump, I have some ideas I can share tomorrow.
  • xraychick77
    xraychick77 Posts: 1,775 Member
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    its about making the healthy choices..most places nowadays have a small menu of 'healthy' items.

    ihop has fit meals..smaller portions..i got a veggie omelet and whole grain and nuts pancakes..i only ate half the pancakes with the sugar free syrup..maybe i put down 500 cals.
    there is subway with their veggie subs or other low cal subs. just leave off the oil and stuff.

    there are tons of ways around eating healthy while dining out.
  • bhagavatilad1
    bhagavatilad1 Posts: 277
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    If you order food at a restaurant ask if they serve half orders some do, I ordered off the kids menu with my kids the food was more than satisfying, If you have to order full meal eat as much as the palm of your hand (general rule of thumb for 1 serving 4oz) for each item and take the rest for later. Hidden calories are usually in sauces and dressing so ask for it on the side. Hope this helps. Drinks are full of calories too drink water instead or just have 1 drink. Good luck
  • ReedMyLips
    ReedMyLips Posts: 22
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    Thanks everyone so so much! You all have great ideas. I just need to start questioning wait-staff about how the food is prepared and such. One of you all suggested ordering half-salads and entrees and I do actually do that when I see it as an option on the menu. I have also stopped ordering fries/ tots/ chips with anything and opt for steamed veggies when at a sit-down restaurant or apple slices when at a drive-through. Someone said you can get carrot sticks too, which I have not seen as an option here at any fast food places here in Missouri, but doesn’t mean I won't ask if they have them!

    I do stay in a lot of hotels (in one right now, lol) and I do take advantage of the gyms there. I do not belong to a gym at home, but I just got a bike this week, I have a Xbox Kinect and I walk my neighborhood so I feel that I have some decent (and financially economical) workouts when I'm home.

    The bad thing about this week is, not only am I on the road, but I’m also working my company’s booth at our State Fair. So I’ll be around Fair food for 10 days. Can we say “deep fried EVERYTHING?!!” I’m carrying lots of water and some fruits with me for snacks. Lunch might be another issue in itself. However, I’m determined to do well.

    Thank you all for all the info and I look forward to reading more if you have more suggestions!!

    Jamie :)

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