My dilema...

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emma110984
emma110984 Posts: 125 Member
in Motivation and Support
I will be starting a new job on a cruise ship in mid May and therefore will find it terribly hard to keep using MFP. Mainly because the WI-Fi situation on the ships, the hours I will be working and the fact that most of the staff food is buffet and won't have barcodes for me to scan in!!!

I am wondering how I will cope without the tracking and just hope that I have been eating well for long enough to take off the stabilizers of this site, and ride alone into the sunset!!

My contract is for 5 months, and I have been on this new lifestyle change for 6 months!!! I started loosing weight for this job and have lost 44lbs to date!!! I only hope I don't put a load on when i go away....

Any advice, tips, ideas from anyone who has been on extended holidays, or travelling, where you have had similar issues as mine? Any general advice on riding it alone?

Is it time to say 'tara for now' to MFP?

Replies

  • wolftrax
    wolftrax Posts: 50
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    A buffet should provide lots of salads, fruit,and veggies...eat the chicken, fish and 2 veggies/ meal and limit portions ...You should do fine if you stay with it....You can also use the old rule of 220 cals for a meat serving, 80 cals for veggie servings, and 30 for fruit..Limit the bread, sweets, white flour products and you should make the contract with ease..
  • cnflet2
    cnflet2 Posts: 42 Member
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    Ive never even heard of scanning in barcodes for meals/products so thats kinda cool. Having said that- Ive lost a total of 30 lbs without scanning in everything. Even if I dont have access to the internet to type in what ive eaten I keep a written track on a scratch notepad so that i can visually see roughly how much Ive eaten.
    Also, since you will be part of the crew in some way shape or form you could probably obtain information about the products in the kitchen so you can track the calories
  • emma110984
    emma110984 Posts: 125 Member
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    Thanks for the advice!!!

    I think it's going to be hard as I am going from a sedentary job to a very active job, so i don't want my current eating habits to lead to underrating! But i figure, I'll change the details on this site for a couple of days and test how much i'd need to eat to keep within the new very active calorie limits!!

    5 months should be fine :tongue:
  • wxchaser
    wxchaser Posts: 178
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    If you can't keep track using MFP, try just the good old journal method. A paper journal works great. That's what I do when I'm storm chasing. I know getting reception/wifi can be a problem in portions of the Plains, so I just get a paper journal and write everything down that way. Then when I get back, I can track everything in MFP.
  • emma110984
    emma110984 Posts: 125 Member
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    cnflet2 - yes if you download the mobile app, it makes it quick and easy to log your food!! A luxury that i often miss, as I am not allowed my phone at work!!

    But keeping a written record sounds like a great idea, it may help me to regulate my diet in the first few weeks! Cheers!
  • emma110984
    emma110984 Posts: 125 Member
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    ...and thanks also wxchaser... storm chasing sounds like fun!! Better get a journal then... although not sure that I will log 5 months of food... but a few random days when i get back just to see would be interesting!
  • salcala
    salcala Posts: 19
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    If I were you I would switch from counting calories to watching portions and food groups. This will be a lot easier without internet. If you go to myplate.gov you can find out exactly the amount of portions of each food group you should be eating. Good luck and have a blast!
  • ZugTheMegasaurus
    ZugTheMegasaurus Posts: 801 Member
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    In the little time that you have before you leave, start learning different ways to monitor yourself. Since you won't have the ability to accurately measure each food item, teach yourself what a serving looks like so you can at least get a general impression. At home, measure out a single serving of chicken (for example). Look at it, turn it around, see what a single serving sized piece looks like. Cut it up and then see what it looks like on a plate, in different containers, etc. Eyeballing isn't exact, of course, but the more familiar you are with the many different presentations, the better you'll be at keeping your amounts in check. You could even take a few pictures to bring along (really easy if you have a phone to use for that).

    You can also make a log on paper to stay on track. There are lots of cheap calorie-counter books out there that just list the nutrition information for hundreds of foods; take one along with you and keep track on your own. You have to tally it up yourself, but it's a lot better than nothing.
  • emma110984
    emma110984 Posts: 125 Member
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    Excellent ideas again... always overwhelmed by the support and genuine caring from users on this site... thanks again! I'm going to try and enforce most of these suggestions, that way I can always turn to something else and have no excuses!!!

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