I am writing this as I chug along the tracks on the high speed train from Boston to New York. I am very excited to start my first Dietbet today; looking forward to a good challenge and the positivity of support from an online community. I have been a huge fan if Jillian for years, so when I saw her post this challenge to Facebook, I was intrigued. Her tough, no-nonsense attitude is great; she helped me get in shape for my wedding with her motivating workout DVDs ("this isn't your grandma's workout!").
I am a healthy and active individual with one major downfall: travel. My work requires that I travel fairly often and I find myself, as I am this moment, moving around the country and the world and losing myself in the change of pace found by different events I attend. When I am home, I am fairly disciplined and always very active. I can control my environment, my workouts and my eating. But while traveling I often find myself in meetings all day followed immediately by long dinners where I often find it hard to resist the dessert or that 2nd (or 3rd) glass of wine after a long day. The lack of freedom to schedule workouts is a challenge as well, as I have never been a morning person who wakes up early to squeeze in a workout before work. When I'm at home, my adorable hound dog wakes me up for his daily walk, but in hotels I'm always hitting the snooze. So, I find myself about 20 pounds heavier than where I really want to be and needing that extra kick in the butt to get there.
That kick in the butt for me in the past has often been peer support, something I am really looking forward to with this challenge. About 6 months ago when I was around 15 pounds heavier than I am now, and probably the heaviest I've ever been, I had a friend challenge me to a month of nixing bread, pasta and rice from our diets. Throughout the month we had each other for support and commiseration, to cheer each other on when we were feeling strong and a forgiving nod when we fell off the wagon (which happened a couple of times!) At the end of the month I had lost 8 pounds and felt great. I had not only lost weight but felt that I had changed my lifestyle, away from one of extremes and all-or-nothing to one of moderation and balance. Instead of dwelling on slipping up, I 'fessed up and moved on. That power of having a friend to be accountable to helped me make that change in my life.
I've been able to maintain that weight loss for the past several months, getting off that yo-yo dieting cycle I've been on for years. And yet, those last 20 pounds linger, which I attribute mainly to that travel-heavy schedule combined with my weakness for wine and cheese. And dessert. So as I face yet another business trip today I am baring it all and hoping that this Dietbet will keep me accountable during this busy month ahead. Here are some of the ways I have in the past attempted, and throughout this month hope, to manage losing weight while traveling frequently:
- Packing healthy and easy to eat snacks, such as bananas and unsalted nuts, in my carry on to avoid feeling ravenous (and giving in to the first available temptation after landing or crappy airline food) while in transit. This is especially handy when flights are delayed and travel time is longer than anticipated.
- Doing quick, 15-20 minute, bodyweight workouts in the hotel room if time is limited (something is better than nothing)
- Having a bite of dessert rather than saying no and then drooling all over everyone else at the table or pounding the whole thing. Sometimes the chocolate cake looks too good to pass up, but a couple of bites will satisfy the craving rather than taking the all-or-nothing route.
- Drinking a mocktail to avoid too much booze (and the munchies that follow). A seltzer water with a splash of cran makes you feel like you're still at the party without ruining the calorie count.
Does anyone else struggle with willpower while traveling? Any tips or advice to share for how to stay on track?