Last week was finally the week! The long-awaited FALL 2012 FMI Conference down in gorgeous Newport Beach, CA! This trip would be 3 nights and about 4 full days away from home. That’s quite a few meals and workouts to plan while on the go- but have no fear, I am the ultimate planner and had my workout gear for the trip packed, a number of pounds of chicken breasts cooked and ready to go, veggies, yams, almonds, oats, Cellucor Super Sport protein powder, and a few of my beloved Quest bars, all packed up for the adventure! I was prepared, clean eats on hand and fitness goals on my mind!
Well, a funny thing happened as I was scurrying around the house gathering up items last minute before I left. True to form, I had packed too much, so I had to make a few trips down the stairs before my car was loaded. Giant suitcase, check. Gym bag, check. Computer, check. Food, check…or so I thought until I reached the hotel a couple of hours later, only to find that yep, I’d left it at home. Sitting on the counter. NOOOOO!!! Never one to panic (seriously, unless it’s an ACTUAL emergency and there’s a fire in front of you or someone is in serious danger, no need to panic or stress, it doesn’t help the situation) I took a deep breath and said aloud “Ok, well I’ll just wake up extra early and head to the store in the morning…” so I laughed at myself for forgetting the giant bag of food that I’d gone to great lengths to have prepared and packed for these next few days, shrugged it off and went to bed.
I awoke the next morning, in search of coffee, and stomach growling. I headed downstairs to the lobby. I COULD HAVE EASILY GIVEN IN TO THE CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST- I mean, COME ON, the place had funfetti cupcakes (my favorite cupcake in the whole wide world, btw) right next to the coffee- they were basically jumping out at me, the sprinkles on top of the frosting saying “Yum yum!” as I turned my back on them and grabbed coffee instead. In my years of clean eating (and definitely not so clean eating), I’ve found that if I start my day out with a sugary concoction of sorts (be it Cap ‘n Crunch with Crunchberries…yep, another fave…or even oatmeal loaded with sugar), then that’s what I crave (and have often eaten) for the rest of the day. So I shoved aside the idea that the pre-packed sugary goodness was even an option and I ran (literally, I RAN- or I suppose it was a bit more of a jog, actually) down the street to the grocery store where clean eats awaited my arrival. Hello morning cardio AND smart food choices!
A small store that didn’t have half of what a normal grocery store would, but nonetheless I was able to grab: almonds, a carton of egg whites, oats, a few sealed envelopes of tuna, plus a gallon of water. WHEW, I was OK for now and could at least bring a few items to the conference with me to have on hand. I typically eat every 2.5 hours, so I would have to bring a few basics w/ me to the hotel conference room, and head to Trader Joe’s that evening after the gym to stock up on chicken breasts, salads and other veggies I hadn’t found at the store this morning.
Back at the hotel, I grabbed a bowl from the continental breakfast (and yes, if you must know, the funfetti cupcakes were still there taunting me) and ran upstairs to mix together my oats, egg whites and cinnamon concoction in the microwave (that’s another thing-when traveling, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS call ahead and request a fridge and if at all possible, a microwave as well) and said a little prayer before mixing it all up and starting the microwave (the last time I microwaved oats in a hotel room it wasn’t pretty- the oats ended up in flames, smoke escaping the microwave in front of me and the fire alarm going off for a bit…oh, and this was the night before Worlds- and people wonder why I so often say “It’s always an adventure!”?!? Haha, well I’m sure you’re getting a clue now) and BAM, about two minutes later, my makeshift high protein breakfast was served!
At the conference, I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by fitness-minded individuals, so most everyone there had planned ahead and had brought their healthy snacks or meal items with them as well. This limited the temptation to stray off plan and sniff my way to the nearest coffee shop dessert case. I understand that this isn’t always the case, and when others (at times including myself, in years past on work trips) around you are grubbing down on snacks from the gift shop or at the hotel restaurant buffet (the one at the Radisson even included a chocolate fountain to dip goodies in) it can be tricky to stay on track! Focus and remember that you have specific goals in mind and that going off track at every meal is not the answer. Don’t be afraid to make healthier choices when dining out in groups- chances are, others will respect and applaud your efforts to lead a healthier lifestyle (and if they don’t? Well…do you really want to surround yourself with people like that anyway? I know I don’t!) and you could end up swaying them to choose a grilled chicken dish over something deep fried!
So what do we do to prevent situations like this? This may seem silly, but ALWAYS BE PREPARED! I’ve said this before to clients and friends, but always know where your next meal is going to come from. Do you have it packed and on hand with you? Are you eating at a certain restaurant? Never leave the house without your next meal in hand or en route to eat your next meal, as failing to plan means…well, you know the rest. Much more likely for us to go off track on our meal plans if we’re caught off guard and are starving.
My go-to items when I’m on the go (often times I leave a small stash of these in the trunk of my car so I’m always equipped with something) include: Quest bars, almonds, Cellucor’s Super Sport protein powder, oats, and an extra gallon (or 2) of water. These are just a few items that can help keep my clean eating in check and allow me to keep my hunger at bay if I end up getting stuck in LA traffic and have eaten all of the meals in my cooler (with the way the 405 is here, my ‘emergency stash’ has helped save me more than once, trust me!) on any given day.
Sure, I could have easily shrugged off my clean eating habits as a result of having left behind my meals, but to me, THAT wasn’t an option. I would spend money eating out at every meal or I would figure out a quick and easy (albeit a more cost effective) solution and head to the store to purchase the go-to items that I ended up with. There are no excuses when caught off guard- make the best of it, and don’t assume because things didn’t go according to plan because you left your pre-planned meals at home that it means it’s OK to say “To heck with it!” for the next few days and eat whatever you want. Your body (and mind) will thank you for staying calm, figuring out a healthy solution and staying on track. I even managed to hit up the hotel buffet while at the conference and having lunch with fellow conference attendees. Turns out they had a wide selection at the salad bar, complete with tons of fresh veggies and lots of chicken breast- see, you CAN dine out and stay on the fitness track! Oh, and that chocolate fountain? Yeah, it just so happened to be right between the veggies and the chicken breast. And maybe, just maybe a piece of fruit or two fell into the chocolate and ended up on my plate. Maybe. : )
