The Traveling Trap

            I have a confession to make. I may play fearless on Facebook but truth be told, each and every time I get on the scale – I am terrified. It doesn’t matter what I have done right that week. It doesn’t matter how much exercise I have done. I am still scared. I am scared that for some reason, it won’t work that time. I know it’s irrational because I understand the science of losing weight. But being logical doesn’t necessarily cure irrationality.

            So this morning, when I got on the scale, I was really terrified. I hadn’t weighed since Wednesday and I was scared. I didn’t completely blow off everything this weekend but I did enjoy my trip. I did drink a few (read: many) glasses of wine. I did eat queso. I did eat wedding cake (although I shared it with D). I was scared because although I did mostly eat well and I still managed to jog twice while I was gone, I just didn’t know how my body would respond to it all.

            Well, I got up this morning, jogged and weighed. And I had lost another 3 pounds since I weighed last Wednesday. So even though I enjoyed my trip, I still lost. So being me, I’m going to share some things I’ve learned. As always, I write my blog to process my thoughts. What works for me, won’t necessarily work for everyone. I’ve had several people ask me lately for advice on how to lose weight. And all I can do is share what has worked for me. But nothing is the same for everyone. So if you are on your own journey, please know that you have to go through a lot of trial and error. You have to experiment. You have to enjoy the ups and get through the downs.

            So on to my tips to avoid the Traveling Trap.

1)      Prepare and plan as much as you can! My first real trip happened about four weeks into the injection part of this diet. I put immense planning and preparation into that trip. I looked up grocery stores. I made plans for group meals with my professor. But the first tip I learned was kind of accidental. I had my water bottle that I took everywhere. And the morning we were to fly out to Chicago, I had brought it along when I left the house that morning. I carried it into the airport and it wasn’t until I was in the security line that I realized I still had water in it. So I downed it and carried the empty bottle through security. Once I got to the other side, I went to a coffee place and ordered an ice tea. The woman at the counter saw my water bottle and offered to fill it up for me. Having my water bottle with me keeps me from cheating at the airport. It keeps me from picking up a bag of skittles like I used to do. It’s comfortable and my norm and so even sitting in an airport for a few hours still has the feel of normal. Not all places offer to fill up your water bottle but they have all given me ice when I ordered a drink from them. It doesn’t hurt to ask. Especially if it helps you.

2)      Bring or buy something that will help you. In Chicago, I went to the grocery store and ate breakfast and lunch in my room each day. This weekend I went to Wal-mart and bought fruit and snacks to carry with me. I have requested refrigerators in hotel rooms and I have taken everything out of mini-fridges before. I have found that if you tell people that you have dietary concerns in the travel industry – they will work with you. It’s ok to ask for help.

3)      KEEP moving. If you have time, jog or go to the hotel gym. If not, just walk more. Walk the airport. Take the stairs at the hotel instead of the elevator. Take the stairs instead of the escalator at the airport. Just keep moving. I’ve found that just because I’m on vacation, doesn’t mean that I don’t still want to exercise. When I got to Arkansas this past weekend, my friend told me where a great jogging trail was. I couldn’t find it but passed a large, old university and found a parking lot and jogged it. I found that I really enjoyed the jog because the scenery was completely different. When I jog at home, I often just jog the same trail. So seeing something different broke up any monotony. And because I kept moving and still got exercise in, I could have my glasses of wine and still be successful.

4)      Relax. I think this is the hardest part of traveling. When I stress, I eat. So I had to learn to just relax this time. Yes, I knew that I couldn’t be in complete control of each and every meal. But for the first time this trip, I just realized that it was ok. I would do the best I could. I would pick smart at restaurants, while still enjoying my trip. And in the end, it turned out alright.

 

I know these all sound really simple and maybe they are. But they are lessons that I’ve had to learn and that I have learned. I’d love to hear what works for everyone else too! For my friends that travel a lot for work, what do you do to stay in control while traveling?