Despite eating at Smash Burger today--and loving it--I have to pat myself on the back for victories in other areas:
First, the boys and I were in Denver all day Monday and part of Tuesday. Got up early on Monday and did a workout. Yay!
Took the kids to Krispy Kreme. They ate doughnuts. I did not. Yay! (for me, anyway)
Ate the world's biggest and most expensive salad from Whole Foods for dinner last night. Yay! Sort of.
Got up this morning and did a workout in the hotel room. Yay!
Then it went downhill from here because we went to Smash Burger, but the good news is that they have added a "Small Smash" to their menu--a smaller burger! What does this mean? I can save calories there and eat more Haystack Onions! OK, maybe that's not a yay. So my meal was a Classic Small Smash, no cheese, no bun. Yum, I'm telling you. I'm still thinking about it 12 hours later. Sad.
Back to today's workout in the hotel. It was just me and the boys so I couldn't really leave them in the room and go to the fitness center. Besides, I wanted to do a DVD anyway. Our room had a little living area, so I did Core 20 and Lower 20 from TurboFire.
And then I realized I had to get down on the floor for parts of each workout. And I looked at the hotel carpet and threw up in my mouth a little. Ick.
And that's where Today's Tip of the Day comes in: Under no circumstances should any of your body parts touch hotel room carpet. Get a towel out of the bathroom before you proceed.
FYI: I also checked the bed for bed bugs. Didn't see any, but was sure things were crawling on me all night. Happy thought.
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Traveling with Dietary Restrictions
One of my many legions of fans (OK, it was my cousin Jean) posed a reader question:
"Since you have discovered your food intolerances, how do you handle them while you're traveling? Do you take special foods with you or just eat whatever is available and suffer the consequences?"
A very good question given that we were just on the road for three weeks in two different foreign countries.
First, let me say that Jean is one of my idols in the food label reading departments. She was way ahead of me in getting heavily processed food out of her diet. When I used to do Jenny Craig, I suggested it to her one time. She had discovered through her doctor (I think) that she had all sorts of food intolerances. So when I was talking about Jenny Craig, Jean said she couldn't eat all of that processed stuff.
Hmmm. Here I was, eating Jenny Craig food and losing weight and not AT ALL paying attention as to what was in the food.
Thus ended my love affair with Jenny.
Anyway, that was a huge wakeup call for me. I still get tripped up--buying something marked "natural" only to discover the FDA lets you label stuff natural and you can STILL put crap in it.
Go figure. I won't waste any air space on the FDA today. I'll just go on to talk about what I do when I travel.
My "system" for travel has kind of evolved over the years. Now, remember that I have never been diagnosed with Celiac or gluten intolerance or anything like that. In fact, when I did my witch doctory stuff many years ago, the biggest intolerance I had was to...wait for it...chocolate. No lie. That was a bummer and I had it reversed immediately. I had always wondered why I had a stuffy nose when I ate chocolate. All is revealed.
Anyway, I do tend to take a lot of my own snacks with me whether I'm just heading to Denver for a soccer tournament or wandering further afield. And since I started drinking Shakeology about a year ago, I take that along with me. It keeps me in a happy place. Plus, if I let myself get hungry and I don't have something with me, I'll make bad choices--like a candy bar instead of nuts and dried fruit--and that will just start a whole cycle of bad eating. Best to just avoid it altogether.
The key is to remember that I don't have to worry about miniscule traces of gluten or stuff like that. I've read articles about people who if they have even an exposure to gluten, they get sick. I'm lucky--I don't have a situation like that. I just have noticed that I feel better without dairy and wheat, and frankly, most grains, so I work to avoid them.
I have watched friends who do have more severe food intolerance and I've stolen ideas some of their ideas so I can eat at a regular restaurant and not have to worry--like ordering a hamburger or sandwich and then not eating the bun. It's a really easy switch--just use two lettuce leaves instead. The bun has a zillion calories anyway and I'd rather waste it on fries or something! Smashburger has a burger you can actually order without the bun, all wrapped up in lettuce for you. Another reason to love Smashburger.
When we're going someplace where we're taking our own food--picnic, camping, skiing, etc.--I make my own sandwich on gluten free bread, or make whatever I want to accomodate no wheat, no dairy.
When we were just at my sister's house for Memorial Day weekend, it was pretty easy--she also avoids gluten, so there were plenty of choices. A great sandwich option is to make a rollup/sandwich taco in a corn tortilla. Do they sometimes break apart? Yes. And it's a little messy. But it's worth it. The change in taste and texture does take a little getting used to.
As for England/Germany in April, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to avoid gluten. We ate many, many lunches that we just picked up at a grocery store and ate picnic style. There were always really yummy pre-packaged salads to choose from. My favorite was one I ate the very first day: watercress, salmon and new potatoes. My stomach just growled.
If I wanted something and it had gluten in it, did I eat it? Sometimes. Did I notice it? Sometimes. It kind of depended on what it was and how much I ate.
As an interesting aside, Eamonn and I had a date night last night and we ate at an Italian restaurant. Linguine with clams is one of my most favorite Italian meals ever. However, I don't think I'll be doing that again anytime soon. Bloated, gassy. Ick.
So, overall, I try to avoid gluten when I travel, and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised at how well I could do it.
If any of my other zillion fans has a question, feel free to let me know! I hope all of the requests don't crash my e-mail...
Getting Back on Track Update
So that date night last night screwed me up. I only ate half my dinner, saving the rest for lunch today, but I did come home and eat popcorn while we were watching a movie. I burned said popcorn so badly that I only had a partial batch and felt deprived (as if), and so I ate ice cream. Yes. You read that right. Popcorn followed by ice cream after I had told myself I would be getting back on the bandwagon.
Sigh.
Today was better. Much, much better. Despite having wicked bad gas after the linguine last night and for lunch.
Workout: None, rest day
Breakfast: Shakeology, almond milk
Snack: Banana
Lunch: Leftover linguine, cherry tomatoes, pear
Snack: 2 figs
Dinner: 3.5 oz. steak, grilled veggies...1/4 cup ice cream
Came in at about 1694 calories, which would be fine if it had been an exercise day AND if I hadn't been sitting on the couch working all day. I do suspect that count is a little high. BodyBugg assigned a huge amount of calories to the leftover linguine, but I'd rather it show me too high rather than too low.
I'm having trouble getting back through that detox phase--the one day of suffering that I always feel goes with getting back on track. It's like I'm not really achieving that "mental reset." But, it was better today. Progress, not perfection. I love that saying. It's the one thing I retain from Jenny Craig.
"Since you have discovered your food intolerances, how do you handle them while you're traveling? Do you take special foods with you or just eat whatever is available and suffer the consequences?"
A very good question given that we were just on the road for three weeks in two different foreign countries.
First, let me say that Jean is one of my idols in the food label reading departments. She was way ahead of me in getting heavily processed food out of her diet. When I used to do Jenny Craig, I suggested it to her one time. She had discovered through her doctor (I think) that she had all sorts of food intolerances. So when I was talking about Jenny Craig, Jean said she couldn't eat all of that processed stuff.
Hmmm. Here I was, eating Jenny Craig food and losing weight and not AT ALL paying attention as to what was in the food.
Thus ended my love affair with Jenny.
Anyway, that was a huge wakeup call for me. I still get tripped up--buying something marked "natural" only to discover the FDA lets you label stuff natural and you can STILL put crap in it.
Go figure. I won't waste any air space on the FDA today. I'll just go on to talk about what I do when I travel.
My "system" for travel has kind of evolved over the years. Now, remember that I have never been diagnosed with Celiac or gluten intolerance or anything like that. In fact, when I did my witch doctory stuff many years ago, the biggest intolerance I had was to...wait for it...chocolate. No lie. That was a bummer and I had it reversed immediately. I had always wondered why I had a stuffy nose when I ate chocolate. All is revealed.
Anyway, I do tend to take a lot of my own snacks with me whether I'm just heading to Denver for a soccer tournament or wandering further afield. And since I started drinking Shakeology about a year ago, I take that along with me. It keeps me in a happy place. Plus, if I let myself get hungry and I don't have something with me, I'll make bad choices--like a candy bar instead of nuts and dried fruit--and that will just start a whole cycle of bad eating. Best to just avoid it altogether.
The key is to remember that I don't have to worry about miniscule traces of gluten or stuff like that. I've read articles about people who if they have even an exposure to gluten, they get sick. I'm lucky--I don't have a situation like that. I just have noticed that I feel better without dairy and wheat, and frankly, most grains, so I work to avoid them.
I have watched friends who do have more severe food intolerance and I've stolen ideas some of their ideas so I can eat at a regular restaurant and not have to worry--like ordering a hamburger or sandwich and then not eating the bun. It's a really easy switch--just use two lettuce leaves instead. The bun has a zillion calories anyway and I'd rather waste it on fries or something! Smashburger has a burger you can actually order without the bun, all wrapped up in lettuce for you. Another reason to love Smashburger.
When we're going someplace where we're taking our own food--picnic, camping, skiing, etc.--I make my own sandwich on gluten free bread, or make whatever I want to accomodate no wheat, no dairy.
When we were just at my sister's house for Memorial Day weekend, it was pretty easy--she also avoids gluten, so there were plenty of choices. A great sandwich option is to make a rollup/sandwich taco in a corn tortilla. Do they sometimes break apart? Yes. And it's a little messy. But it's worth it. The change in taste and texture does take a little getting used to.
As for England/Germany in April, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to avoid gluten. We ate many, many lunches that we just picked up at a grocery store and ate picnic style. There were always really yummy pre-packaged salads to choose from. My favorite was one I ate the very first day: watercress, salmon and new potatoes. My stomach just growled.
If I wanted something and it had gluten in it, did I eat it? Sometimes. Did I notice it? Sometimes. It kind of depended on what it was and how much I ate.
As an interesting aside, Eamonn and I had a date night last night and we ate at an Italian restaurant. Linguine with clams is one of my most favorite Italian meals ever. However, I don't think I'll be doing that again anytime soon. Bloated, gassy. Ick.
So, overall, I try to avoid gluten when I travel, and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised at how well I could do it.
If any of my other zillion fans has a question, feel free to let me know! I hope all of the requests don't crash my e-mail...
Getting Back on Track Update
So that date night last night screwed me up. I only ate half my dinner, saving the rest for lunch today, but I did come home and eat popcorn while we were watching a movie. I burned said popcorn so badly that I only had a partial batch and felt deprived (as if), and so I ate ice cream. Yes. You read that right. Popcorn followed by ice cream after I had told myself I would be getting back on the bandwagon.
Sigh.
Today was better. Much, much better. Despite having wicked bad gas after the linguine last night and for lunch.
Workout: None, rest day
Breakfast: Shakeology, almond milk
Snack: Banana
Lunch: Leftover linguine, cherry tomatoes, pear
Snack: 2 figs
Dinner: 3.5 oz. steak, grilled veggies...1/4 cup ice cream
Came in at about 1694 calories, which would be fine if it had been an exercise day AND if I hadn't been sitting on the couch working all day. I do suspect that count is a little high. BodyBugg assigned a huge amount of calories to the leftover linguine, but I'd rather it show me too high rather than too low.
I'm having trouble getting back through that detox phase--the one day of suffering that I always feel goes with getting back on track. It's like I'm not really achieving that "mental reset." But, it was better today. Progress, not perfection. I love that saying. It's the one thing I retain from Jenny Craig.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Post Vacation Withdrawl
I'm back. Clearly, I was gone, but as I said on my other blog, I'm becoming a little more cautious about saying on the Internet that our house is empty and all burglars in a 50 mile radius should try to break in and steal our 20 year TV or one of our cars with 200,000 miles it. They'd come flocking, I just know it.
Anyway, it's that horrid first day after vacation. You know, that one where you wonder if you even dare to get on the scale. Because let me tell you, people, although I only ate fish and chips once on this trip, I was a chocolate and ice cream eating machine. I ate one or the other, and sometimes both, every single day.
No lie.
It was gross. And good.
AND I ate a full English breakfast at least five times. Possibly more. What is a full English, you ask? It usually includes 2 eggs cooked how you like, 2 pieces of bacon (back bacon, mmmmm), 2 sausages, toast. That's the minimum. Depending on what part of the country you're in, you might also get a grilled tomato, baked beans, grilled mushrooms and fried bread.
You can go all day on that.
Not that I tried it. I never missed a meal. It's just not in my nature.
So combine the excessive eating and total lack of exercise and I was a little worried. Seriously, people, I haven't worked out since the Saturday before we left. That was April 9 to be exact. I'm dreading re-entry.
This morning, I looked at the scale. It looked at me. Did I dare get on it or was that just asking for a reason to feel suicidal all day?
I got on.
And.....
I had not gained a single pound. WTF? Why can't I be like that in real life?
Here are my thoughts though as I ponder this happy freak occurance.
First, although I wasn't exercising, I also was rarely sitting down. At home, I'm sitting on my rear working all day. On the trip, I was sitting in the car, but once we got to our destination, I was walking. Just on the go all the time.
Second, we rarely ate out for lunch. We usually picked up sandwiches and fruit (and chips!!) at a grocery store. This made for lighter eating. And I rarely got myself a bag of chips. I just mooched off everyone else, likely totalling the amount of a full bag of chips. But whatever.
Third, I took my Shakeology with me. I drank it about half of the time in the mornings that we are at Eamonn's sister's. When we were on the road and staying at hotels, I didn't drink it, but maybe that helped?
At any rate, I used this morning's success to binge on tortilla chips today.
My plan. Get back to clean eating. Start some light workouts this week and then get back on my TurboFire routine starting Sunday.
It's going to be painful. I feel nervous.
Anyway, it's that horrid first day after vacation. You know, that one where you wonder if you even dare to get on the scale. Because let me tell you, people, although I only ate fish and chips once on this trip, I was a chocolate and ice cream eating machine. I ate one or the other, and sometimes both, every single day.
No lie.
It was gross. And good.
AND I ate a full English breakfast at least five times. Possibly more. What is a full English, you ask? It usually includes 2 eggs cooked how you like, 2 pieces of bacon (back bacon, mmmmm), 2 sausages, toast. That's the minimum. Depending on what part of the country you're in, you might also get a grilled tomato, baked beans, grilled mushrooms and fried bread.
You can go all day on that.
Not that I tried it. I never missed a meal. It's just not in my nature.
So combine the excessive eating and total lack of exercise and I was a little worried. Seriously, people, I haven't worked out since the Saturday before we left. That was April 9 to be exact. I'm dreading re-entry.
This morning, I looked at the scale. It looked at me. Did I dare get on it or was that just asking for a reason to feel suicidal all day?
I got on.
And.....
I had not gained a single pound. WTF? Why can't I be like that in real life?
Here are my thoughts though as I ponder this happy freak occurance.
First, although I wasn't exercising, I also was rarely sitting down. At home, I'm sitting on my rear working all day. On the trip, I was sitting in the car, but once we got to our destination, I was walking. Just on the go all the time.
Second, we rarely ate out for lunch. We usually picked up sandwiches and fruit (and chips!!) at a grocery store. This made for lighter eating. And I rarely got myself a bag of chips. I just mooched off everyone else, likely totalling the amount of a full bag of chips. But whatever.
Third, I took my Shakeology with me. I drank it about half of the time in the mornings that we are at Eamonn's sister's. When we were on the road and staying at hotels, I didn't drink it, but maybe that helped?
At any rate, I used this morning's success to binge on tortilla chips today.
My plan. Get back to clean eating. Start some light workouts this week and then get back on my TurboFire routine starting Sunday.
It's going to be painful. I feel nervous.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)