Day Twenty-two: Weight loss and travel

In the last year I have lost 65 pounds. I have changed behaviors in every aspect of my life. I have a full week’s worth of work out clothes in my office so I never have an excuse to not work out, and Doritos and I…we got a divorce.

I have mastered controlling my emotions, dealing with stress, and harnessed the discipline to track what I eat and when I work out. The one thing that still gets to me is when my routine is out of whack. I travel a lot for work, and every time I travel my weight loss stalls.

This has been my lightest travel year yet. I only traveled 44,245 miles. I think I logged more miles than that in one month last year.  Those 44, 245 miles were all for work though and do not count the probably 20+ days we spent on Long Island this year. There are a few techniques I would like to share with you if you are experiencing weight loss challenges while traveling.

There is nothing worth eating in and airport

Airport food is gross and terrible for you. Before I leave on any trip I hit Whole Foods and pick up: trail mix, nuts, Clif bars (the kids sized ones), oatmeal, and some fruit. All of these snacks are durable and TSA friendly. The oatmeal is the biggest lifesaver. Flight attendants can give you hot water, and you will probably have a coffee pot in your hotel room…just remember to pack a spoon. I have been known to eat oatmeal with a swizzle stick. I portion out my trail mix and nuts into snack sized bags before I go and write the points value on the bag. If I am super busy I just keep the mini bags and count the damage later. I used to buy food in airports because it was part of my expense budget, but I have found that it is cheaper and healthier to just expense my pre-trip Whole Food’s run.

If you have to eat on the plane…

Ask for a special order meal. Even if you don’t have a dietary restriction I have found that special ordering vegetarian or vegan meals has been pretty successful. The food seems fresher than the normal meals and is probably a little bit healthier.

Drink, drink, drink

I like to travel with an empty Nalgene bottle or by the biggest bottle of water I can find after security.  I once read that the cabin of an airplane has a relative humidity level lower than that of the Sahara desert…so I really try to keep myself hydrated. This means lots of water (with an aisle seat), lip gloss, and lotion. I have also found that anything carbonated really upsets my stomach when I fly so I stick to the boring clear stuff…and tons of it.

I try not to drink alcohol at all when I am traveling. Alcohol=empty calories. Honestly drinking takes me off my “A-game”…I save the binge drinking for family functions. I have even asked bartenders to pour me Diet Cokes with lime when I order Jack and Cokes. This way everyone around me feels comfortable drinking, but I stay sharp and avoid the raging hangover that I now get from one drink.

On the ground

I try to be super selective about where I stay when I travel. I like to find hotels that are: close to Whole Foods (or any grocery store with a healthy prepared foods section), have a gym, and have a fridge in the room. This way I can shop for produce, snacks, and drinks as soon as I land. I also look online to make sure that there are some good restaurant options around, and will look at the hotel’s menu to make sure that if I am stuck ordering room service I will be able to cobble something healthy and filling together.

After this research I can usually plan exactly what I am going to eat for each meal and snack of my trip. It may not always work out perfectly, but it keeps me from having a free-for-all for the whole trip. Having a plan also avoids any one-night-stands with my lover: Doritos.

Work it

My other secret to success when traveling is: pack workout clothes. I have been on tons of trips where those clothes never got unpacked, but I have also been on trips where I was able to work out every day and hitting the treadmill at the hotel was the only thing that kept me sane. My philosophy is: I am not going to work out if I don’t have a sports bra, so I probably shouldn’t leave home without one.

The other thing to remember is: you can find ways to work in activity without being a sweaty mess. While I bring my Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred on every trip, I also challenge myself to sneak in activity all day. When I am in Chicago I stay at a hotel where I can take the train to work, the ½ mile walk on each side of the trip means I walk a quick 2 miles a day and don’t even notice it. If I hit O’Hare early I know I can hit the gym in the Airport Hilton, and if I am in Atlanta I know that it is 2 miles from check-in to terminal C if I walk the whole thing (instead of using the people movers or tram). I also try to sneak in a quick walk between sessions or meetings so I can get some fresh air and sun.

Stay focused

There are times when trips are just nuts. On one trip recently I was running sessions from 6am until 10pm every day. People were ordering my food for me and it would have been really easy to say f-it and jump head first into the pile of full-sized candy bars that focus group facilities are notorious for keeping on hand. Instead I took a minute to get focused. Why am I doing this? Why is losing weight important to me? And is that more important than slamming a bag of M&M’s?

For me, I want to have babies. I want to go skydiving, base jumping, and hang gliding without ever being told I am too heavy. I want to have full use of my knees and my pancreas when I turn 50, and I never want to worry about fitting in an airplane seat again. All of that is waaaay more important to me than a bag of M&M’s.

Get back on track

Once in a while the M&M’s (or the deep dish pizza) get to me. In that case I have found that it is critical to get back on track as quickly as possible. This means the next meal…not the next week. Slip ups happen but this change is forever. So for me, I need to forgive myself and get on with my life and know that everything I am doing is worth it.

Do you have any tips or tricks for staying “on-plan” while traveling?