Some (hard) lessons learned from eating on the road:
1. I have learned that sugar is the devil! So, to keep my energy up without a sugar crash, I try to balance each meal with protein, complex carbs, and a little bit of "good" fat.
2. For breakfast, I try to stay at hotels that offer the free breakfast that comes with scrambled eggs or boiled eggs, oatmeal, and a fruit, like an apple, banana, or an orange. That's my breakfast.
3. While I'm on the road, it's hard to find sitdown time for a meal, so I'm often stopping at 7-11s, gas stations, or fast food joints. I try to stay away from the fast food at all costs! Starbucks is another popular stop for me. I look for foods like beef jerky (high protein, low carbs & sugar), muscle milk drinks (high protein, low carbs & sugar), almonds, trail mix, fruits at the cash register (if you dare!), string cheese (more protein & good fats), cliff bars or other fitness health bars with complex carbs (where the majority of carbs are NOT sugar-you'll see the number of grams of sugar on the packet), and fat-free milk. It's no gourmet meal, but it prevents me from eating high fat, sugary foods, which are not healthy for anyone.
4. Dinner is typically the time I have to eat a decent meal on the road. I can order a healthy salad with spinach and chicken or shrimp from local restaurants and do take-out. A side of whole grain rice is great when I can get it too. I suggest having a 1/2 cup measuring cup with you at all times! This will help with portion control, which is a HUGE factor when it comes to weight control.
5. If I must have a dessert, I look for frozen yogurt joints or I also order Nutrisystem desserts, which are pretty darn good and only about 150 calories with a mix of protein, complex carbs, and some fat. The coconut chocolate bar and chocolate peppermint cookie are my favorites!
- Suzan
