I'm on a stricter diet in recent weeks as I get ready for a big blowout vacation in April. (I'm trimming down now so I can bulk back up then!)
I have been trying to stick to it religiously, and I think I'm doing pretty well, considering the amount of travel I do and how hard it can be to stay disciplined when you are away from home and your precise eating routine.
For my trips, I tend to stay in hotels after spending hours at airports before getting on a cruise ship for a weeklong voyage. With this schedule, you certainly face challenges along the way that can spoil any bid to eat healthy.
Even when you can find some foods that fit your diet, you still may have to deal with how to eat frequently enough when you're on the move and how to maintain discipline with your portions. Some of the dinners on a cruise can last for hours, as you socialize with tablemates, and you can be tempted with course after course -- always with fresh baskets of bread on the table and capped by a selection of desserts.
Not to even mention the wines and beers you'll want to try.
So, here are a few tips and tricks to stay on a diet when you travel.
Have a Plan -- The most important thing is to have the right mindset. Sometimes you really have to verbalize your eating plan for the day. Work out your schedule, and then strategize your eating plan, such as where you can eat (at the airport, for example) that will have the types of foods that fit your diet. It helps if your travel partner is also trying to stick to an eating plan. It can be tough to easily find a healthy salad with grilled chicken, and amazingly simple to find burgers and fries. And even more of a challenge when you are looking for that perfect meal and your travel buddy is savoring that heaping plate of cheesy nachos right in front of you. C'mon, dude!
Remind yourself of your overall goal each day, and this helps strengthen your willpower. This doesn't mean total deprivation, though. Just pick your splurges wisely. You can always carve out space in your macronutrient allotment for a new craft beer or an occasional dessert treat.
Track Your Macros -- Speaking of splurges. You need to know what you're putting into your body, so you can know whether you have room for that bowl of ice cream. When you set you eating goals, you might want to lose weight or increase proteins or lower carbs. It can be any diet that fits what you are trying to achieve or maintain in your healthy lifestyle. For example, my pre-vacation diet this time targets cutting fat and becoming a little leaner. (We can all relate to wanting to look a little better in a bathing suit in the Caribbean around friends.) So, I am eating fewer grams of fat and carbs and boosting my protein. You can easily keep track of your calories and grams of fat, carbs and protein with a good nutrition app. I use the Spark People app.
Water -- Stay hydrated all day. Drink plenty of water as you are out and about or in transit to your destinations. This is good for many reasons, and you've probably heard many of them time and time again -- because they're true. Water is good for your tissues, organs and joints and a raft of other bodily functions too many to list here. Just know that your body is 60 percent water and needs it constantly, especially when you are exerting yourself and sweating in the hot sun of the Caribbean or Med. Also, keeping water in your system helps you feel full, which curbs hunger pangs. Pack a water bottle and keep it filled when you travel. Then, just sip away!
Hope this helps you in your travels. Works for me every time.
Thanks for reading, and always . . .
Travel fit! Travel happy! Travel often!
JR