Struggling to eat healthy while traveling

[Shangobango]

I am on a mission to lose weight, gain muscle, and just get in the best shape I can. I am down to within 8 lbs of my i initial weight goal and stuck. I am really struggling with sticking with healthy food choices while traveling for work. I am bumping up against 80 nights in a hotel so far this year and the vast majority of the travel is in Louisiana, and we aren’t exactly known for our healthy restaurants. I do my best to choose the healthiest menu items, but many of those leave a lot to be desired.

What adds further complications is that our AP department that oversees expenses isn’t exactly on board at this point with me hitting the grocery stores in the towns I am staying in and expensing my meals as raw ingredients.

Any tips from someone who has dealt with similar challenges?

 

[Dsnow9]

I am on a mission to lose weight, gain muscle, and just get in the best shape I can. I am down to within 8 lbs of my i initial weight goal and stuck. I am really struggling with sticking with healthy food choices while traveling for work. I am bumping up against 80 nights in a hotel so far this year and the vast majority of the travel is in Louisiana, and we aren’t exactly known for our healthy restaurants. I do my best to choose the healthiest menu items, but many of those leave a lot to be desired.

What adds further complications is that our AP department that oversees expenses isn’t exactly on board at this point with me hitting the grocery stores in the towns I am staying in and expensing my meals as raw ingredients.

Any tips from someone who has dealt with similar challenges?

The google machine comes in handy. My wife will search healthy restaurants or organic restaurants but eating out in general is very challenging to eat healthy. Sometimes it takes driving out of our way a bit for cleaner food.

 

[TheJason]

So you have to expense receipts instead of a daily meal allowance? Can you buy premade meals from the frozen section? Salads from the produce?

If not, that’s kind of a tough one. I’d lean heavy towards Asian cuisine if you can find it.

 

[Hunting Wife]

Broth based soups, salads with dressing on the side, steaks often aren’t bad. I almost always split whatever the dish is in half because it’s a two meal portion already.
At least you are in seafood country, if you can find dishes without the buttery sauces or fried.

 

[Shangobango]

So you have to expense receipts instead of a daily meal allowance? Can you buy premade meals from the frozen section? Salads from the produce?

If not, that’s kind of a tough one. I’d lean heavy towards Asian cuisine if you can find it.

Yup, I have a corporate card but have to expense the receipts. I am working on the director over in AP and I am persistent so here is hoping.

Great suggestions. Thanks!

 

[David658]

Hard to eat clean and healthy on the road. Salads form the baseline for me. I have found that Texas Roadhouse offers a small steak (6oz) with veggies on the side, when near the coast I eat a lot of boiled shrimp. Broiled catfish at Cracker Barrel is a good one, too. I avoid the stuff in the grocery freezer case, the list of unpronounceable ingredients is simply too long.

And never think I have this mastered. About 40 nites on the road so far this year for me, I consider it a victory if I can make it home without gaining any. Boredom, beer, and the genetic Southerner's craving for fried stuff are my enemies.

David
NM

 

[Shangobango]

Hard to eat clean and healthy on the road. Salads form the baseline for me. I have found that Texas Roadhouse offers a small steak (6oz) with veggies on the side, when near the coast I eat a lot of boiled shrimp. Broiled catfish at Cracker Barrel is a good one, too. I avoid the stuff in the grocery freezer case, the list of unpronounceable ingredients is simply too long.

And never think I have this mastered. About 40 nites on the road so far this year for me, I consider it a victory if I can make it home without gaining any. Boredom, beer, and the genetic Southerner's craving for fried stuff are my enemies.

David
NM

Yessir! It is tough.

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[crock239]

As long as you're not spending way more $ at the grocery store on food than you would in restaurants why the hell should AP care? Just include the itemized receipt. (Have you tried that argument yet? )

When I travel I always try to take along workout clothes, or a swimsuit. Take advantage of fitness rooms and /or hotel pool to keep up w exercise. Even 20 mins a day will help you maintain fitness until you're back home and in routine.

It's the lunches on the go (in the truck) that can be real tough for me. When fast food is the only option, Subway or Chipotle seem like decently healthyish choices. Wendy's and Chik FIL A actually have comparatively healthy and good salad options.

 

[Islander]

This is not hard.

1. I have NEVER heard of anything so crazy as having any issue with reimbursement of grocery store food. Are you serious about that? WTF? Senseless nonsense.

2. Order a piece of protein, salad, and veggie. Literally easy as (no) pie.

 

[SaskHunter]

I travel a lot for work, eating out for more than a couple days, eating North American style food kills me. It feels like everything is either fried or has 10oz of butter in it and just sucks up your energy. I eat pretty healthy and have a well ballanced diet at home.

My last work trip was in the Middle East for two months and in the past to Europe for months at a time where I had to eat out for every meal, I would never get tired of eating restaurant meals in Europe or the Middle East. Most meals there feel properly balanced and healthy-ish.

When I'm stuck on the road or away from home, I usually mix things up and hit up Mexican, Middle Eastern, Mediteranean or Asian restaurants. I find I usually get more balanced and less heavy meals there. Getting fruits, making wraps and salads also helps with quick healthier lunches.

 

[Devil Diver Down]

This won't help much with the prospective menu choices, but maybe consider doing a 3-day fast here and there. I have done 2 water-only fasts in the last 3 weeks for health purposes and dropped from 197 to 183, including losing some fat below my chin that hasn't seemed to budge (didn't even go away when I dropped to 175 after a 3 week elk trip in both CO and NM).

It's really important how you "re-feed" yourself after ending a fast, though. Lots of cruciferous vegetables will help build a better gut biome and will have you craving even more healthy choices. Lots of restaurants can help you out by steaming (or even serving raw) vegetables. You might have to order a few things a la carte rather than a typical order.

Good luck!

 

[marksjeep]

Flying or driving? Most of my traveling is with a company truck. I pack a cooler with meals for the week. Just about every hotel has a coffee maker, a microwave, and a fridge in it these days.

 

[Treeshark]

but maybe consider doing a 3-day fast here and there.

I was thinking along these same lines- I don’t go that long, but skipping a full day before or after (after is better) ‘misbehaving’ with food and/or drink when on work trips seems to help.

 

[nrpate05]

Flying or driving? Most of my traveling is with a company truck. I pack a cooler with meals for the week. Just about every hotel has a coffee maker, a microwave, and a fridge in it these days.

That is what I would do as well. It really is pretty tough to be healthy when you eat out. Even the so called healthy restaurants bathe everything in bullshit oils and you never really know what you are getting. I can't believe your employer won't let you just go to a grocery store. Would likely be much cheaper to reimburse.

Instead of a 3 day fast, just do a long fast between dinner and breakfast. I sometimes won't eat (I will do coffee) til like noon on a Monday if I've had a big weekend. Helps me get back on track.

I'd pack good snacks you like too. I do dried fruit and jerky. Seems to help with cravings and is good stuff if you're on the road.

 

[Washington Hunter]

Great option while traveling, as others mentioned, is simply not eating. (fasting)

Especially if you're just sitting all day and not getting any exercise, that's a great time to not put any food at all in your body.

When you do eat a good option is just order burger patties from any fast food restaurant.

 

[Shangobango]

This is not hard.

1. I have NEVER heard of anything so crazy as having any issue with reimbursement of grocery store food. Are you serious about that? WTF? Senseless nonsense.

2. Order a piece of protein, salad, and veggie. Literally easy as (no) pie.

1. Dead serious. They want to see breakfast, lunch, and dinner receipts, not a bill of groceries. Our AP folks are...special. In their defense there are 15,000 employees that they deal with and the law of averages states that they are probably inundated with foolish crap day in and day out. They give everyone 99 kinds of hell. I am fairly high up the food chain and they don't cut me any slack. They do the same to my boss and my bosses boss, who is pretty much top of the heap. I am working on the SR. Director over there.


2. That is generally what I do. I usually go for salmon or some other fish and steamed vegetables. A will substitute a steak a couple time a week.

 

[Shangobango]

Flying or driving? Most of my traveling is with a company truck. I pack a cooler with meals for the week. Just about every hotel has a coffee maker, a microwave, and a fridge in it these days.

Driving 99% of the time. That is what I am about to start doing if I can't get the bean counters to give me a little leeway. I book my on rooms so I can get an extended stay with a kitchenette if I can have groceries. That should cover dinner anyway. I am usually out and about for lunch. Breakfast is pretty easy. I usually just tank up on fresh fruit from the free hotel breakfast. Variety would be nice though. I would rather prepare breakfast myself some mornings.

I am home all week this week so I should have time to put some pressure on AP.

 

[375H&H]

Go wild on red meat, pork, and eggs. I travel a lot for work too and find there are many options that I can find even in significantly less populated areas.

Also, don’t go small on the steaks and skip the salad. Nothing makes me hungrier than not getting full from a meal. Go big on steaks/chops, as the high protein and fat will give you a slow burn on energy that doesn’t make you hungry later on.

 

[Gellar]

Instead of eating breakfast at the hotel Grab a couple boiled eggs and fruit at the continental breakfast but save them for lunch. Fast from dinner to lunch, approximately 16-18 hours.
Like others said cut your steak in half. Ask for a box right away so it’s already cut and you’re not tempted. Eat the other half on a salad for lunch the next day.
Sub salad and fruit for your potatoes.
Take the bun off of your burger, even if it’s fast food.
Drink water, lots of water, cut out the sugar drinks.

 

[Shangobango]

As long as you're not spending way more $ at the grocery store on food than you would in restaurants why the hell should AP care? Just include the itemized receipt. (Have you tried that argument yet? )

Oh yea. It is a work in progress. I did that a few times and got my hand slapped.

When I travel I always try to take along workout clothes, or a swimsuit. Take advantage of fitness rooms and /or hotel pool to keep up w exercise. Even 20 mins a day will help you maintain fitness until you're back home and in routine.

Absolutely. I also take a work out mat so I can get in my bodyweight training and stretches in my room. I think I actually exercise more when I am on the road than I do when I am at home.

It's the lunches on the go (in the truck) that can be real tough for me. When fast food is the only option, Subway or Chipotle seem like decently healthyish choices. Wendy's and Chik FIL A actually have comparatively healthy and good salad options.

These are my go to except for Chipotle. We don't seem to have any in Louisiana that I have seen. Another one that I hit often is Zaxby's. They have a heck of a Cobb Salad with grilled chicken.