Help ...Not in a regular routine. Throws me off. :( need tips ...

[Carlotta1 401]

I have been out of town on a weekend trip to visit my family and 3 more days away for work. I am finally back home. What I notice is that every time I go away from home for a couple of days. I have a hard time with sticking to my eating schedule and food protocol. I got kind of stressed out with work and had to talk to myself , to convince myself, that Jo job is worth sabotaging my health journey. I could tell I was head hunger eating . I wanted food to calm me down, I was so aware what was going on, Which was good.. However... I could have done better with eating nutritional foods rather than carbs.

I am going away for Easter weekend. Can you all please give me tips on how to handle away from home situations. I came back so exhausted from my trip . And when I am exhausted..I do not make good food decisions. I need to get back on board TODAY.

[Catherine707 253]

Hi Carlotta!

Congratulations on your great success so far, AND for being so self aware about when and how you get derailed. I have found that traveling REALLY upsets my routine and I also usually end up with Constipation issues too.

What has worked for me is to be clear with my travel companions (work or family/friends) about what I need to do to be healthy. When I traveled at Christmas to see family and friends I discussed the menus to ensure there were things I could eat, and if there wasn't going to be much, I packed my own food to ensure I had enough Protein. I carried a Water bottle everywhere and reminded myself to drink every time I saw it. My family was happy to assist in keeping me on the right path. They know how hard I have worked to lose the weight.

As for work related travel, we all need to learn how to take care of ourselves without "cramping" everyone else's style. If work people want to go out to a restaurant, no problem! You can drink Water, and eat a salad or other small plate. Making the decision that your health is more important that a job is key to being successful long term with the weight loss. If people are shoving inappropriate food at you, develop a "pat" answer that works for you like "thank you but I can't eat that", and then keep saying it (the same phrase) every time they come back at you with "but a little won't hurt" or what ever excuse they use. The broken record seems weird when you first start to use it but honestly some people have to hear the same phrase 30 times before the believe and actually hear it! (Now that is self involved!)

If you are tempted to eat the wrong choices or too much food (you didn't post much detail about your challenges) then eat before you go to a party or social occasion. Carry water or other low calorie drink with you to keep your hands busy and unavailable to grab at the food. If you like to "pick" and graze a bite here and there until it is out of control then don't be within reach of the food. Stand on the other side of the room.

If you decide that you want to live your new healthy lifestyle, I know you can overcome these challenges. The sleeve is a tool that helps us put the breaks on the mindless eating, but old habits die hard, and I still struggle with head hunger, and stress eating almost a year post surgery. Only now I am dealing with little bits of the "bad" food instead of platefuls!

I hope this is helpful, and I wish the best of luck in your Easter travels!

[Carlotta1 401]

My dear catherine 707.. Thanks for taking the time to give me advice. Reading your post made me really understand that the responsibility to maintain a healthy eating habit is on me..not people around me ..and to be prepared ahead with having the right foods when I travel and drink drink drink.. Your post has really helped. Thanks again.

[NMJG 1,266]

Carlotta, I am with you. i visit family for a week or two several times a year and it always messes me up. I don't get in enough Water or Protein, I drink too much alcohol, and my carbs are too high. In March I only lost 2 lbs because of my week back home. I didn't get in enough exercise, either.

We need a good strategy to deal with this.