The Wall Streeet Journal has an interesting article: Does this Sales Trip make me look fat?

http://blogs.wsj.com/in-charge/2011/05/06/does-this-sales-trip-make-me-look-fat/?KEYWORDS=make+me+look+fat

I know that travelling can definately blow a healthy eating lifestyle. I went from a size 8 who exercised six days a week to taking a job where I travelled 80% of the time continuously for a year. The only workouts I got were at restaurant tables - lifting a knife and fork; airports schlepping a bag; and powershopping in the stores as I started going back up in size.

I want some hints from sleevers that travel. Two questions:

1) How do you maintain your post-goal weight while travelling? or:

2) What do you do while losing toward your goal while you are travelling to stay on plan?

Look forward to hearing from you all - this is a great site for real suggestions from people who know what they are talking about.

Hi there!

I have been on a couple of trips out of town in the 2 months since my surgery--I'm definitely still in the losing stage and still on a limited diet plan (no salad yet, for example). On one of these trips, I had my vehicle and access to a refrigerator; I stopped close to my destination and did a mini shopping trip, picking up a couple of things of yogurt and the small, snack-sized cottage cheese, along with a couple bottles of Water. I had packed some Protein bars, my favorite water flavor powders (I like the Ocean Spray Cran-Grape), and some crackers and individual foil packs of Peanut Butter. I have a little "lunch box" pack in my car because I routinely commute to work that has utensils and napkins, so that was available if needed. Just those 2 things of yogurt and 3 cottage cheeses were perfect for my 3-day trip--I was able to stay on plan with very minimal effort. If your hotel doesn't have a fridge, you can use the ice container--just remember to refill it when you return to your room, and your dairy products will stay nice and cold.

It can be challenging to find sleeve-friendly food if you have to eat out with other people, but a few strategies I like are ordering Soup (always easy to simply say you're not feeling all that hungry), ordering shrimp cocktail as your entree (my personal favorite!)--again, if you feel you must, stating that you just aren't that hungry--or, if you're with people you really know well and like, offer to split an entree with a friend, since restaurant portions are always huge and since you're on the road, you don't really need/want leftovers.

You're far enough along that you could also have salads--and grilled protein on salad has to be the best diet-friendly meal around!! I LONG for my salads, especially in the summer, and now, when creole tomatoes are ripe and yummy... sigh... eventually!!! Soup/salad combos are great, and nobody thinks twice about it.

A lot of upscale hotels will provide you with a fruit plate or fruit/cheese plate on their room service menu. Since you'll likely not be able to eat it all, you've got food for a couple of meals--just slip a few Baggies into your purse or suitcase for storage, and you're good to go--again, use the ice bucket (and I'd put a note to the housekeeping staff not to empty it!-- to keep it cool, and you're set.

Also, most hotels now have a gym or workout facility, so if you happen to overindulge, you can get in some time on the treadmill or in the pool to help burn it off. Your sleeve is going to help out, too, since you won't be able to really physically overindulge--I mean, you might enjoy a few tastes of some higher-calorie or higher-carb food than your usual, but you won't be able to go hog wild. If there's a cocktail event, order a virgin Mary and enjoy!

Best wishes! I'm off for a week-long business trip to Florida next month, and since I'm flying, I'm going to have to plan ahead, but I think it will all be okay. A few staples that I can pack really do make it easier to stay on track.... we'll see. :-)

Meg