Getting in Shape

Eating well while out of town

So I am going to Vegas this Saturday and will be there for 6 days. I will be in classes and conferences from 8-6ish everyday with no meals provided. There are several restaurants at the hotel and I'm sure other restaurants all around but I am worried about eating healthy while I'm there since I'm not sure how much time I will have for the hotel gym (other coworkers who have done this training say it's exhausting).

With no fridge in the hotel room, what would you recommend that I bring? I don't travel very often so I don't know what is ok to pack- can I bring fruit/veggies in my carry-on?

I know this is kind of a weird question but I just don't want to go way over my calories for an entire week. TIA

Re: Eating well while out of town

  • First, you should be proud of yourself for planning ahead!

    You can bring food on the plane, in a carry-on, just no liquids.  If you are a snacker, though, be careful of what you bring.  (I treat myself to dried mango slices for the plane, thinking I'm packing healthy, but then I eat the entire pack - over 500 cals - in like the first hour...mission failed.)

    I think the easiest things you can do are pick a few splurge meals, to not entirely kill your motivation.  It might be easier to say 'let me get the salad tonight, because tomorrow I'm going to have french toast...or a cheeseburger...or something delicious,"  rather than saying "I'm not going to eat anything bad!"
    The other things are to keep yourself honest with lots of the smaller things - dressing on the side, ask if they can use minimal oil when cooking, and limit the number of drinks.  Cocktails can push you way over calories faster than anything else, IMO, and all of the other small healthy modifications can make a big difference.

    Vegas is also the land of buffets.  The easiest trick is just to skip the bad tables/sections entirely, like the ones loaded with breakfast pastries and desserts.  For breakfast, I try to hop straight from fruit to the eggs for some egg whites, and get out.  For lunch, salads, then find a lean protein, and get out.
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  • Protein bars!

    Something like a clif bar or luna bar - just have a whole bunch and keep some on you at the conference so you don't let yourself get overly hungry. If you get to the "starving" point, chances are when you do finally sit down to eat you will gorge yourself.
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  • I know that I will be eating out some- there are a few restaurants in the hotel but my aversion to too much restaurant food is a money thing too. The prices are about double what I'm used to paying in Boise for a salad or sandwich and my per diem from work is based on local costs.

    And I will have to stay away from drinks anyway- usually it makes my IBS flare really bad and that's the last thing I need when I'm not home.

    Thanks so much for the advice! It's my personality to plan everything down to the tiniest detail- sometimes it's great and other times I drive people crazy. Maybe it's good that I'm going solo!
  • Lobsters25Lobsters25 member
    5 Love Its Name Dropper Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited March 2013
    It probably is good that you're going solo, then!

    And very much to entropic's great point, don't just think about the plane and stuff, also think about the sessions.  I have been known to sneak out of all day training sessions every two to four hours, for just five minutes or so, to have 1/2 of a protein or snack bar, especially if they don't give us enough breaks or have zero healthy snack options in the room. 
    It helps, as she said, keep you from gorging later, but will also help keep your metabolism going while you're sitting for so long.
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  • KW-which flavors do you like?  I'm a fan of the peanut butter, but I can't stand the chocolate, I think that one is disgusting.
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  • I fourth the suggestion of protein/nutrition bars! My favorites are Kind and Luna bars. Also, when I don't know what the calorie content of a restaurant meal is, I try to stick to something that is mainly salad-based where the protein is grilled with dressing on the side. My go-to meal on business trips when I still ate fish would be a salad with grilled shrimp or salad with dressing on the side.
  • Yeah, avoid avoid.  I love how often I tell H 'well, a GISer said this, or recommended that' - he just laughs at me, but knows better than to argue with it.
    linda, if you get Good N Natural bars, you've been warned.  PB - yummy, chocolate - nasty. :)

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  • Thanks for all your help everyone! Now I've got a great start to my shopping list for later this week. And I will stay away from the chocolate ones. :)

  • I think the TSA takes liquids and ice packs, so you have to be really creative if you want to freeze anything.

    I have traveled with prepacked oatmeal (I measured out a 1/2 cup of oatmeal and put it in a baggie) before. That was breakfast. Then I went from the hotel into the real world and my eating healthy plan went to hell. But for snacks I also brought rice cakes, prunes, and some fruit.

    I honestly just gave myself a break. My body then decided to lose weight after that weekend of eating badly, so who the heck knows what happened there?
  • I was also going to say you can take single serving packets of oatmeal and make hot water in the coffee maker in your room to make the oatmeal in a cup that would usually be in the room.  Also, I've been eating these new Quest protein bars- depending on which ones you choose, they are low in calories per the protein they pack-20g for 170 or so cals.  They have that weird Powerbar looking consistency which worried me, but they taste really good- the Apple Pie and Coconut Cashew are 2 of my current favorites. 
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  • I don't know if you'll see this, but everyone gave awesome suggestions. I just got back from Vegas last night and if you need to eat out in a pinch there's an amazing sandwich shop in the casino of the Planet Hollywood called The Earl of Sandwich. It is delicious and FRESH. They make everything to order with super fresh ingredients. They were pealing avocados the first time we ate there. They cut fresh veggies everyday, use real eggs in their breakfasts, everything is super good and customizable. And cheap. Like $5, which is a good price for Vegas. 

    Good luck and have fun!
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  • Aside from food I would also pack a good water bottle.  Keep it empty before TSA then you can fill it up at the water fountains in your terminal.  I've always found while traveling that water is a key to keeping energy up.  Also, I like to have water bottles with me during a long day at training.  It's something to sip on and can help keep some of the hunger away on long days.

  • I will have to look into that sandwich place. Thank you! And I bought a Brita water bottle because I drink a lot of filtered water but I don't want to spend a fortune on bottled water you're welcome, environment. I really appreciate all the responses everyone. It's a huge help!
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