Dieting and eating healthy during travel is by far the most challenging part of traveling and staying fit. The steps below will help assure that meals are not missed and that smart choices are available to you.
1. Make sure that prior to selecting the hotel, you choose one that has a refrigerator in the room and that provides access to a microwave.
2. Find out where the grocery stores are at so that as soon as you settle down you can go grocery shopping. Ensure that you get plenty of Ziploc bags while you are there.
3. The day that you jump on the plane, carry with you a small bag full of chicken sealed in individual Ziploc bags. For carbohydrates you can have bags of brown rice ready as well. In addition, bring with you some Tupperware containers, Meal Replacement Packets (MRPs) and/or Ready-to-Drink (RTD) Shakes. This will guarantee that you do not miss meals on the day that you are heading to your destination. As far as water, since now you cannot carry those in the planes, drink as much as you can before the checkpoints and then drink some more during the flight.
4. Invest on a small George Foreman grill so that you can take it to the hotels with you. This makes it easy to grill your own chicken even without a kitchen in the room.
5. Wake up early each day to get your meals ready in individual bags or tupperware containers and carry them with you in your book bag.
6. For good fats, get some almonds and have a serving or two of these per day.
Are Fast Food Restaurants Recommended?
The best way to do things is to use grocery food but if you find yourself for whatever reason without food during the day and there is a fast food restaurant around, here is what you need to do:
1. If it is not your cheat meal day, refrain from fatty choices such as french fries.
2. Drink between 8-16 ounces of water before you get there and then drink an additional 8-16 ounces more while you are eating. This will prevent you from feeling hungry and falling to temptation. If temptation is strong remember two things:
* There is nothing better than being in shape.
* You control everything that goes into your mouth. Food does not and should not control you!
3. Always combine a serving of low fat protein (in the case of fast food restaurants, this is either skinless chicken or turkey) with a small serving of carbs. Remember that if you are eating a chicken or turkey sandwich the bread will count as the carbs.
4. Salads in addition to a serving of protein and a serving of starchy carbs are always good since they provide fiber and they fill you up. However, avoid using high fat/high sugar dressings.
5. Refrain from using high carbohydrate sauces or mayo.
6. In traditional restaurants, combine a low fat protein like chicken with a good carbohydrate such as a baked potato and have a salad to go with it. You may also opt for Wild Alaskan salmon which gives you your daily source of Essential Fats. And remember, drink plenty of water!
As you can see, even though it will take more effort to get or stay in shape if you travel, it is not impossible. If you are determined enough to make things happen, everything is possible!
Also read Travel and Your Fitness Program: Planning Ahead and Travel and Your Fitness Program: A Traveling Training Routine.
HUGO RIVERA is an ISSA Certified Personal Trainer, engineer and international best selling fitness author with over 20 years of bodybuilding experience. He is also the New York Times About.com Guide to Bodybuilding and continues to educate others on how to use bodybuilding in order to achieve their goals. Hugo is the author of Hardgainers’ Bodybuilding Handbook as well as the co-author of the best selling Body Sculpting Bible for Men and Body Sculpting Bible for Women.
