Just engaged...need to lose weight while traveling

Sharivance

I just got engaged and my wedding will be in May 2012. I need to lose about 20lbs and generally tone my body, but I am having to travel a lot for the rest of this month and through the middle of February. Does anyone have any ideas about how I can exercise and eat well when I have little control over my menu and schedule?

Also, if anyone would like an accountability partner, send me a message!

lbarr088

The eating part is tough.  I would suggest using myfitnesspal or a similar site to track what you are eating throughout the day.  Also, if you are unable to cook... scope out restaurants in the area you will be in ahead of time and chose ones to dine at that have the healthiest options.

If you are staying somewhere that has a gym try and devote, say, 30m every few days doing some cardio.  Also, depending on the nature of your trip you could walk places to get some cardio in  GL!

amymaysa

Just try your best to make healthy choices, don't get all down if you happen to have a dinner or two that you consider bad, it is part of life.
Ditto the PP and try to get in some time at the hotel gym. You could also do to crunches, pushups, lunches/squats in the hotel room and maybe even pack a resistance band for some upper body work.

mbody

For excersising, you can buy a resistance band which would is small and light (easy to pack and travel with) that you can use in a hotel room. Also, you can get a workout DVD or two that you can play from a laptop.

As far as eating goes, I'd just be as disciplined as you can be when eating out. If you are eating preplanned meals, stick to the veggies, fruits, whole grains and lean meats. The meals might be able to be altered for people with special dietary needs. I'd look into that to see if you can request certain foods.

[Deleted User]

I understand the feeling- some trips I do awesome, some trips I don't. Its especially hard when you travel with colleagues, and kind of have to go with the flow,

I always grab a water bottle, and keep that on hand to prevent me from grabbing a soda. Also, from the breakfast bars I usually grab a piece of fruit for a mid-morning snack. Lunch, majority of places have some turkey sandwich (no mayo) or chicken breast. Vegetarian is another option, as well as a healthy soup (problem there is I'm usually hungry later - hence the fruit!).

Dinner is usually the hardest, and portion control is key. I usually try to eat only 75% of my dinner. Think about it, at home I rarely eat this much, why should I here? Again, I try to opt for turkey or chicken - some kind of lean meat. Or a hearty grilled caesar salad, dressing on the side. I always try to get my meats grilled or baked, with no cheese or heavy sauces.

If its just me, I'll go to whole foods, panera, and places like applebees now do the weight watchers selections, so I use those as guidelines. Becareful on panera - it can be really unhealthy.

The biggest calorie sink for me is drinks . We can easily watch what we eat, but we don't think about what we drink. So check how much coffee/soda/happy hour beverages you consume.

Working out is the hardest for me,but I take the stairs as often as I can, and depending where my hotel is, I'll walk to dinner.

juma1111

When I travel, I always make sure I keep healthy snacks with me or I stop at my destination and get some right away when I arrive. That way during the day I can have a healthy snack in my purse with me so I am not tempted to grab an unhealthy one. Also make sure to keep water bottles with you. And definitely pre-scope out what you are eating.

I had to eat at McDonalds yesterday for lunch as that is where the group I was traveling was going. I could have gotten a salad, grilled chicken sandwhich with no mayo, or what I ended up getting for 320calories was a kids chicken mcnugget meal (yes still fried but it was my splurge for the day) but instead of fries I got the apple piece and didn't use the dipping sauce. Then I drank water. I was satisfied and full when I was done eating and didn't blow my calories for the day on lunch.

As for exercising: If I am staying in a hotel that doesn't have a gym I have a routine that I keep with me that can be done with no equipment or DVD's and ends up being about a 250-300calories burng in 30minutes. It is 15minutes of cardio, 15minutes of strength training. I learned it at the police academy. If you want me to send you the routine, it only consists of 3 moves, I will be glad to message it to you.