So, my job requires VERY frequent travel, 3-6 days a week, most weeks, airplanes, hotels, restaurants, etc. I didn't travel for the first 5 weeks after surgery and I lost very well. Now I've been back on the road for two weeks and my weight has not moved this last week at all, in fact I went up 0.2 lbs. The week before I lost 1.4 lbs. Those two weeks I ate at a number of restaurants and even though I wasn't eating much, what I ate wasn't very healthy (high fat, still pretty low carb, moderate protein). I am worried that my job (which I absolutely love) will make it impossible for me to lose weight because I'm eating a lot at restaurants.

I am on the road again now and I went to the grocery store and bought some things that don't have to be cooked/heated (I have a mini fridge but no microwave). I am trying not to make excuses, but it's hard to eat the same few things all the time.

Did anyone else have to eat out a lot and still lose weight? Any suggestions?

I don’t travel for work, but travel a lot for fun. I’ve usually tried to stick with a routine for breakfast, lunch and snacks. I always do a protein shake mixed with cold brew coffee for breakfast, that’s easy enough to do on the road. Lunches, while maybe not the healthiest, have still fit in plan-things like yogurt, nuts, and jerky. For dinner I do my research by looking up menus before I go out and find something that fits in plan. Appetizers often fit the bill, and the portions are small. I also try to incorporate lots of walking on trips and keep up my water intake.

8 minutes ago, kristieshannon said:

I don’t travel for work, but travel a lot for fun. I’ve usually tried to stick with a routine for Breakfast, lunch and Snacks. I always do a Protein Shake mixed with cold brew coffee for breakfast, that’s easy enough to do on the road. Lunches, while maybe not the healthiest, have still fit in plan-things like yogurt, nuts, and Jerky. For dinner I do my research by looking up menus before I go out and find something that fits in plan. appetizers often fit the bill, and the portions are small. I also try to incorporate lots of walking on trips and keep up my Water intake.

See, I look at the menu beforehand, and the appetizers always look less healthy than the mains. They are often fried, so I just end up ordering a main course and only eating a little. I'm clearly going to the wrong restaurants! What sorts of restaurants do you go to? I'm usually going to Asian food, or sometimes with my friends, pubs (I don't like these, but I have friends who only like American food).

Hi Liza, yes - I travel quite often for work and travelled a LOT starting a few weeks after surgery. For me, as soon as I could start eating "real" food, it was HARD to resist the temptation to order whatever looked good off a menu vs. what I should eat. For the first few months, I got most of my food to go and just went back to the room, ate what I could in 20-30 minutes and then threw away the rest of it. Why? Because I eat when I'm bored and if I left it in my fridge, I would hav gradually eaten all of it over the course of several hours.

Now, honestly, it's even harder because I can eat what would be considered a "normal" portion to most skinny people (I still have lots of restriction). What I have to watch for at work when traveling is grazing. So often customer have foo or snacks out and again... if it's there, I'll eat it. I also tend to eat much more salt when I travel (restaurants, prepared food) and find that when I get back home, I'll sometimes be as much as 2-3 pounds up even when I was good. Drink water for a couple of days and I'll easily drop that and usually another pound. I also seem to retain a lot more water when I'm flying.

So, you're not alone.... What's worked for me:

1. Throw away leftovers if you can't control yourself.

2. Buy the large bottles of water or bring a large water bottle with you - Make sure you're actually drinking it!

3. Grocery stores are great - I love Fresh Market or Whole Foods for their prepared food (salmon and green beans are my go to there). Publix also sells premade small salads that are the perfect size and have a good amount of protein.

Over the course of a year, I'm pretty close to my goal weight and probably traveled at least 30 weeks of that. It takes some trial and error to see what works best for you.

What about stopping at a Whole Foods Hot bar and salad bar? There is usually atleast one hot entree that is healthy.

I often ask for just a plate of vegetables.

11 hours ago, MandoGetsSleeved said:

Hi Liza, yes - I travel quite often for work and travelled a LOT starting a few weeks after surgery. For me, as soon as I could start eating "real" food, it was HARD to resist the temptation to order whatever looked good off a menu vs. what I should eat. For the first few months, I got most of my food to go and just went back to the room, ate what I could in 20-30 minutes and then threw away the rest of it. Why? Because I eat when I'm bored and if I left it in my fridge, I would hav gradually eaten all of it over the course of several hours.

Now, honestly, it's even harder because I can eat what would be considered a "normal" portion to most skinny people (I still have lots of restriction). What I have to watch for at work when traveling is grazing. So often customer have foo or Snacks out and again... if it's there, I'll eat it. I also tend to eat much more salt when I travel (restaurants, prepared food) and find that when I get back home, I'll sometimes be as much as 2-3 pounds up even when I was good. Drink Water for a couple of days and I'll easily drop that and usually another pound. I also seem to retain a lot more water when I'm flying.

So, you're not alone.... What's worked for me:

1. Throw away leftovers if you can't control yourself.

2. Buy the large bottles of water or bring a large water bottle with you - Make sure you're actually drinking it!

3. Grocery stores are great - I love Fresh Market or Whole Foods for their prepared food (salmon and green Beans are my go to there). Publix also sells premade small salads that are the perfect size and have a good amount of Protein.

Over the course of a year, I'm pretty close to my goal weight and probably traveled at least 30 weeks of that. It takes some trial and error to see what works best for you.

Thanks. I was eating in restaurants and leaving most of the food (I'm not ashamed to throw out food), but restaurant food isn't healthy, so that's what I'm worried about.

I carry a water bottle with me and usually don't have trouble getting in more than 80 oz of water a day.

I often go to grocery stores, but I don't like to eat things cold that are meant to be hot (like the salmon with green beans that you mentioned, which sounds great!). I bought a salad at Publix yesterday, but the lettuce didn't sit well (I'm only 7 weeks out).

Thank you for chiming in. I've followed your success and I'm glad it's possible to do!

7 hours ago, waterwoman said:

I often ask for just a plate of vegetables.

I need protein. I'm only 7 weeks out. I used to love just getting veggies and salads. I had my first salad (with chicken and egg) yesterday, and the lettuce did not sit well.

11 hours ago, Vfls said:

What about stopping at a Whole Foods Hot bar and salad bar? There is usually atleast one hot entree that is healthy.

The places I've been recently haven't had their salad/hot bars open yet due to COVID. They're definitely not open where I live.

On 11/01/2021 at 17:28, lizonaplane said:

See, I look at the menu beforehand, and the appetizers always look less healthy than the mains. They are often fried, so I just end up ordering a main course and only eating a little. I'm clearly going to the wrong restaurants! What sorts of restaurants do you go to? I'm usually going to Asian food, or sometimes with my friends, pubs (I don't like these, but I have friends who only like American food).

Shrimp or crab cocktail is always a good choice. Shrimp skewers, steak bites, and scallops are often something I see on appetizer menus. Sushi restaurants are a great option. I order sashimi (no rice). Broth based soups work. Chicken satay with a little peanut sauce. A charcuterie plate, limiting the crackers or bread is a good option too.

46 minutes ago, kristieshannon said:

Shrimp or crab cocktail is always a good choice. Shrimp skewers, steak bites, and scallops are often something I see on appetizer menus. Sushi restaurants are a great option. I order sashimi (no rice). broth based Soups work. chicken satay with a little peanut sauce. A charcuterie plate, limiting the crackers or bread is a good option too.

Thanks, I'll look out for restaurants that have those options (I did sashimi two weeks ago in LA, it was great. I usually get low quality fish that needs a lot of other stuff, but this restaurant was very fancy and the fish was like buttery soft and delicious).

I was just thinking…just because your room doesn’t have a microwave doesn’t mean there is not a microwave you can use anywhere in the hotel. Many hotels have a Continental breakfast area that will have a microwave or there may be a break room with one that they don’t mind guests using. You could ask when you check in and if there is one you could go grocery shopping. That may cut down on some of the restaurant foods.

I have a "second job"/side hustle that involves me taking a weekend from home every month to work on it (it's a YouTube channel). It's a LOT of driving. Since I'm usually by myself I tend to rely on a few different stand-by items that can easily be obtained at gas stations or small grocery stores (cheese, hard boiled eggs, I'm still on soft foods but eventually things like deli meats could factor in). Even before the surgery I tended to skip restaurants in favor of a series of snacks to eat in the car, probably to save time.

I don't travel AT ALL for my job - I'm jelly BTW - but my hubby does. Is there a way that your company can book you into one of those extended stays or something with a kitchenette?

4 hours ago, kristieshannon said:

Shrimp or crab cocktail is always a good choice. Shrimp skewers, steak bites, and scallops are often something I see on appetizer menus. Sushi restaurants are a great option. I order sashimi (no rice). broth based Soups work. chicken satay with a little peanut sauce. A charcuterie plate, limiting the crackers or bread is a good option too.

I love naruto sushi. Its sushi that instead of rice and seaweed wrap ,the sushi is wrapped in cucumber. Also there is Tuna dumpling which is some salmon and or white fish minced with wasabi Mayo and then wrapped in Tuna. Love if done without them over adding pinko to extend the minced fish. Oh that reminds me of all the poke places opening everywhere. It does have salad as a base with fish.

1 hour ago, njlimmer said:

I don't travel AT ALL for my job - I'm jelly BTW - but my hubby does. Is there a way that your company can book you into one of those extended stays or something with a kitchenette?

I book my own hotels, but those hotels tend to be not located in the downtown areas where I work. Plus, they have scratchy sheets LOL. I have a mini fridge in a lot of the hotels so I can get things that have to be refrigerated, but I'll have to see if I can find microwaves. I've been looking, but I haven't seen them.