Low Carb Eating While Living Out of a Suitcase

As my five loyal blog readers know (eight if you count my cats), I was out of town the last four weeks for business travel and faced my biggest hurdle since starting the maintenance phase of my diet -- eating healthy away from home.

For me, "eating healthy" has become another way of saying consuming as many whole fresh foods as possible and avoiding flour and sugar as much as possible.

This definition is not shared by the Marriott Residence Inn, whose breakfasts are mostly pastries, waffles, breads, potatoes, cereals, oatmeal and sugary yogurt. The few times I ate their free breakfast I had some scrambled eggs and a few strips of bacon, but most days I saved time and avoided temptation by eating a Medifast soft bake with some almond butter in my room.

Can you imagine starting your day
with waffles, fruit, syrup
AND whipped cream?

Since my schedule allowed only a half hour for lunch, the mid-day meal was trickier. There was no way to procure and eat a meal within that short time frame; so I had to bring my lunch. One of my favorites was romaine lettuce wraps that I prepared myself with turkey and avocado. I also purchased ready-made salads the night before from a grocery store like Trader Joe's or from whichever restaurant I had eaten my dinner. On Fridays, my work site hosted a Farmers Market where I could buy spicy grilled chicken breast and salad from the Greek food stand. The vendor was agreeable to subbing extra salad for the usual side of rice.

Dinner was probably the easiest meal of the day since I had more time and could order my food just the way I liked it.  Most nights I had some kind of protein like steak or chicken with vegetables and/or salad on the side. I also ate bunless burgers and Mexican food with no chips. For the most part.

I would be less than honest if I did not confess to indulging in a couple of margaritas and martinis a few times and maybe some nibbles of freshly baked bread or a handful of crispy chips. But, since losing 35 on Medifast over a year ago, I  have become so habituated to not consuming excess carbs that I was able to forego these foods and adult beverages most of the time with little or no will power.

Try this lettuce wrap recipe from
Gold Standard Women blog

Meanwhile, for snacks during the day I packed foods like walnuts, mini peppers and hummus, brie cheese and celery, and GNC Advanced Lean Protein bars. I also drank plenty of water so I would stay hydrated and not mistake thirst for hunger. I passed on the bagel spread someone brought in one day and the ubiquitous candies, cakes and other baked goods that are the bane of modern work places.

The good news is that I did not gain weight during my four weeks as a hotel hostage, proving that I can take my show on the road without morphing into the next clothing size or compromising my health. I am committed to maintaining my ideal weight and am delighted I have found a way of eating I can adhere to even when I leave the comforts and conveniences of home.



More from Diet Skeptic:

Why I'm Addicted to Chia Seeds

Why Fat Head Pizza Is the Holy Grail of Low Carb Pizzas 

The Shocking Truth About Imported Olive Oil 

Making Cauliflower Rice in the Vitamix 

Why WebMD Doesn't Want You to Get Well


Follow Nancy's board Low Carb Recipes on Pinterest