Intro and Advice?

[toutsuite]

Hello all!  Just wanted to introduce myself since I will be hanging around here for the foreseeable future (if you let me)!  I am coming over from GetP.  I am 31 and live in the NOVA area with DH.  I have always enjoyed health and fitness and got serious about it several years ago after I lost a lot of weight I had put on after getting married...I don't know how it happened it just seemed to kind of creep on...  Since then, I have made an effort to eat healthy and exercise regularly which for the most part I have kept up.  I'm current TTC and in my TTC journey, my dr. recommended I lose around 30 pounds to be in the middle of the "ideal" weight for my height. Honestly - I haven't weighed this since freshman year of high school and I have a lot of muscle so while I will reach for this goal, I don't know if it will happen (though I will think positively that it will!).  Per BMI charts, I am borderline overweight so losing a few pounds wouldn't be a bad thing.  

For all you H&F experts - My biggest problem is with travel - I travel a lot usually to different time zones and have a hard time finding "healthy" food options when in airports and on planes for hours on end.  I find the long plane flights especially frustrating since most of the meals are packed with tons of fat and salt to make things test good in higher altitude.  Also, exercising regularly with jet lag and the like tends to complicate things - though I suppose this is more of a suck it up type thing I will just have to deal with.  Nonetheless, if any of you ladies happen to have any tips on how you are able to manage/maintain your weight if you travel frequently would be well-appreciated since this is something I am struggling with.  

In terms of exercise - I do 1 hour to 1.5 hours of cardio anywhere between 4-7 days a week depending on my schedule (I alternate days between running, elliptical, bike, and rowing machine...If not using the machines at the gym, I will do a 1 hour spinning or kickboxing class to keep things varied.  Some days I also do HIIT workouts.  I lift 4-5 days a week and alternate muscle groups on various days.  In terms of eating, I generally eat well (Sample day when home:  Breakfast:  no fat yogurt and a banana, snack 1 (if needed): blackberries or some other fruit, lunch:  spinach salad, half a serving of walnuts, serving of low fat feta, salad dressing on the side but usually raspberry vinigrette (either no fat or low fat whichever we have available - 1 serving), snack 2 (if needed): baby carrots and/or raw broccoli, dinner: 6 ounces salmon and steamed veggies (asparagas, cauliflower, squash if in season, etc.  If I am still hungry, I will have pomegranate seeds, kiwis, and strawberries as a snack/desert.  I try to limit carbs like pasta, bread, etc. and sugar as much as possible though sometimes cave and will have pasta once a month.

When traveling - variations of my above menu seem to go out the window.  I still try to go with the healthiest option I can find (i.e. salad with dressing on the side low fat/no fat if available, light on the cheese etc.) but this isn't always possible.  I find it also takes me about 2 - 3 days to get back into exercising when traveling to/from.  So, ladies - anyone have any thoughts/suggestions/coping mechanisms in how to continue being healthy and maintain/lose weight when traveling?  Thank you and sorry for the lengthy post!  Look forward to joining you ladies if you will have me!  

[katyintx]

Hi! My only quick tip is that you can try to avoid airport food by bringing your own. When I used to travel more, I would pack fruit and almonds as a snack. If I was going to be there in the morning I'd either bring my own oats and get a cup of hot water from somewhere, or get the oatmeal from sbux and avoid adding all the extras. Or a bagel and almond butter. For lunch you could always pack a sandwich and some raw veggies or nuts and fruit again. Dinner is harder, but I would always try to eat IN the airport, even if it meant having an earlier meal, rather than buying plane stuff. And then, again, have snacks later if I needed.

Once I got to my destination, I always went to the grocery store. I would bring oatmeal for each morning in a little baggie, but then stock up on healthy foods from a grocery store. Usually I would stay in a room with a fridge and microwave. Or if there wasn't a microwave in my room, there's usually one in the lobby. It takes about 20 extra minutes, but I ALWAYS did that. The small amount of extra effort and planning will go a LONG way if you're serious about losing some weight.

Good luck!

[gt7301b]

I try and do some exercise when traveling, even if it is just a quick walk though the airport while waiting for my flight. It helps me stay sane. I also bring snacks with me when I travel, nuts, fruit, kind bars, or single servings of almond butter. I also don't really worry about eating low fat, avocados, olive oil, nuts, full fat cheese. It helps me stay full and is less to worry about.

[toutsuite]

Thanks ladies! I appreciate all your ideas and will give them a try next time I am traveling. I'll see how it works and hopefully will have some positive results to report back! Thanks again!

[shauni27]

I feel like I could have written this post toutsuite ! I feel like I generally eat really healthy and work out a good solid amount, but I travel a LOT and that always hinders my hard work. Frustrating. I also feel like I eat healthier than most of my peers and workout a decent amount, and yet I am stuck weighing more than all of them. Very frustrating.

The travel part for me is hard. I know what you mean, the quick and easy is often friend or high fat and sugar. To me I tell myself "moderation!" but when I fly every other week that adds up! I try to stick to salads and do only one fried item per trip, and honestly it is usually less than that (I think I eat mcDonalds or another fast food once a year?) but I still do not make great choices (chinese, bagels, etc). I do always try to bring fruit and healthy snacks (seeds, nuts, carrots, etc) but that only helps so much if you are traveling for 12 hours, you know?

As for exercise, before I go I always look at the agenda and plan out ahead of time WHEN I will have time to work out and WHAT I will do. If I know it will be a long day of travel, I just count that day out. But other days, even if it is just thirty minutes. I will do sprints for those 30 minutes or a travel WOD.

Good luck and stick around! Remember, it will take some time to shed weight, it will not all come off instantly!

[emilyinchile]

Are you able to workout while traveling? Can you choose hotels with a gym/do the hotels you usually stay in have a gym? I try to do at least a little something on the road. It's never comparable to what I'd do at home, mostly because I tend to be pretty exhausted during my work trips, but just getting moving helps! And it actually helps with the jet lag, so push through even if it's just 20 minutes on the bike.

Ditto the suggestion of bringing your own snacks for the airport and plane if there aren't any decent options at the airports you usually fly from. Otherwise, it sounds like you're pretty aware of your food choices while you're traveling, and that's the most important thing. Drink LOTS of water if you don't already - flying dehydrates you so much.

[toutsuite]

shauni27 and emilyinchile - thank you for your advice. Most of the hotels I stay at usually do have gyms and I am good about using them after the initial day or two of jet lag....After hearing the comments and thoughts of you all - it seems like it seems like I just need to put more thought into the planning portion of traveling...While I would ofen bring snacks to the airport, it was usually whatever I grabbed as I was running out of the house. Also, I never actually scheduled time to work out when traveling - I would do it, but I would only do it when I felt like it. Based on suggestions, I will make the weeks I travel more structured and actually put more thought into planning what I bring, and schedule the days and times of my workouts. It bothers me if I am unable to cross something off my "to-do" list and don't know why I hadn't thought of this earlier - thanks again for the suggestions!

shauni27 - I agree - it's so frustrating. I feel like I put in so much effort to be good when I am home and often I will lose a pound or two before leaving...By the time I get home again I have usually gained a pound or two so I'm starting all over again - it's like a vicious circle! I am sure the glass of wine or two (or sometimes three if its a really long flight) doesn't help and should be cut out altogether - it let's me sleep on the plane though so that's a hard one to give up!!!