Surviving 10 day hotel stay

[CBT 450]

Hello fellow veterans!

I will be traveling the end of the month and staying in a hotel for 10 days.

I'll be in workshops for 12 hours a day for 7 of those days!

I really could use help with snack ideas that will travel well (light weight) for the hotel and for the long days.

It will be a challenge to get to a store. RTD weigh a lot for travel. Otherwise, I'm not too fussy.

Any frequent travelers who can advise me?

All ideas would be greatly welcomed!

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

Buy single serving packs of Protein powders, pack a shaker bottle to mix drinks, pack some Protein Bars to keep in you pockets for the long days. At Breakfast everyday grab an apple or an orange. They are both lowfat Snacks. Bananas are filling but really high in sugar. Also grab a bottle of Water each day or bring a water bottle with you. Yes that means carrying a shaker bottle, fruit, Protein Bar and Water. I would wither get a soft side cooler bag or carry a big bag or back pack.

[Kindle 8,667]

Everything BLERDGirl said. I went to a conference back in October (only 4 days) and that's exactly what I did....shaker bottle, Protein Powder that mixed well with Water instead of milk), Protein Bars and grabbed fruit at Breakfast. There was always something I could nibble on at the luncheons, plus Jerky and nuts are easy thing to pack along. If you've got a mini fridge, you could try and get to a store first thing and stock up on cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, cheese and those tuna fish lunch packets that may or may not need refrigeration.

Edited January 3, 2015 by Kindle

[CBT 450]

Oh! tuna packets!!! Good call!

[CBT 450]

What are some single serving Protein Drink mixes you guys like?

I'm pretty loyal to Premier RTD chocolate.

(Don't like super sweet or vanilla.)

[McButterpants 2,846]

I've been traveling a lot myself the past couple of months and having similar situations - sitting in meetings and not able to eat on schedule like my body likes.

I put Snacks in my bag and had my bag by my side...I had Protein bars (which I try to use sparingly usually) and almonds (I had some beef Jerky, but it has a strong odor and I didn't want to draw attention to myself, so that stayed in the bag!). I also made sure I had some Crystal Light packs in my bag since plain Water still makes me gag, even one year after surgery.

It's challenging, but doable.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

You can also request that the hotel put a small refrigerator in your room.

If you think they might be food-in-the-room averse, tell them it's for your medicines.

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

If I'm buying RTD I like Orgain organics, if I'm buying powder I like CVS whey powder.

[Kindle 8,667]

Syntrax nectar mixes well with Water and comes in individual packets. I've also seen individual packets of Garden of Life Raw Fit and Raw Protein as well as Spirutein in several health food stores. Un jury and Jay Robb make individuals, but I've only ever mixed them with milk. If you've got time, you could order individual sample packets of dozens of different powders from Nashua Nutrition (but avoid the Bariatric Advantage and Bariatric fusion...every one I tried was gross)

Oh yeah, and I don't like sweet, either. I usually mix the powders with 12-18oz of water/milk instead of the usual recommended 6-8oz.

Edited January 3, 2015 by Kindle

[Miss Mac 6,261]

In 2009 I went on a week-long seminar to Reno Nevada. I hadn't had surgery then, but was on a low-carb diet trying my best to lose weight. My employer provided continental breakfast and a couple of full dinners, but we were on our own for other per diem meals. My travel mates and I hopped a tour bus for downtown Reno and stopped off at a Walgreens. We bought our snacky stuff - cheeses, yogurts, nuts, coldcuts, power bars, etc and hopped back on the next tour bus that came around. We all ordered mini-fridges for our rooms. I had even orderd a couple chef salads from room service. I made it through without doing too much damage. The sad thing about continental breakfast is that it is mostly pastry and coffee, but on days fruit, yogurt, bacon or eggs were available, that is what I took.

[Queen of Crop 1,103]

All the ideas above are good ones...I just want to tell you it really is not that hard. I had my surgery at the end of October 2011 and was in the middle of a year long travel trip....I stayed in one place for 3 weeks after surgery then hit the road again....the worst day I had was when I had to scrape the top off of a pizza! But Breakfast was always easy: a hard boiled egg and some yogurt with PP. I recorded my year long adventure about my travel and weight loss and what I did on a weekly blog. It's funny to look back now. Other than that, when you are in a hotel it's not that hard to make it work. BTW I am a 3 year veteran, and I have no idea what RTD is???

Good luck and I am sure you will be fine!

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

RTD -- ready to drink (ie, canned, bottled, pre-made shakes rather than powder)

[CBT 450]

Thanks so much for the good ideas.

I am grateful for the side of cheerleading, too

I can eat a lot of food now and I don't like to order restaurant food because it's not healthy but also there is sooooooooo much of it!

[CBT 450]

I'm leaving Friday! I got the room fridge, microwave and coffee maker. Do you know there is a coffee maker cookbook?! Lol. All about how to survive in a hotel using the coffee maker to cook in.

I have mapped a store. I won't have a rental car. I'm walking everywhere. Training is 12 hours a day with 1.5 for lunch. The training center is vegetarian only! Dairy and eggs okay. Ugh. I can do it.

Thanks for all the tips.