Eating on the road (Travel)

[CyclicalLoser 155]

I just got back from another trip from work and am packing for yet another this Tuesday. I fly all over the US and US Territories for my job. Typically a Tues-Thurs deal, at most Mon-Fri. Most of the time I could stay at a residence inn and cook for myself, but I work very long hours when I'm on the road, so planning on it is really foolish of me. Thus far, I've consumed only Protein Bars, peanuts and Protein Drinks, but it's pretty lame after a few days.

I'm 3 months out, but approach "real" food extremely slowly. What works for fast food? I know red meat, Pasta, rice, bread ist verboten.

Here's what I've compiled, but curious if these are good or not (Good as in healthy enough choice, and doesn't make one dump or feel terrible). I haven't tried any of these yet. Oh, and sometimes I don't have a car/ride, so the delivery options get extra credit.

• Chic fil a:
  • grilled nuggets
  • Grilled chicken Cool Wrap (No flatbread)...Is the Honey Mustard going to cause me to dump?
  • Grilled Chicken Sandwich (No Bun)
  • Chicken Noodle Soup (Don't eat the noodles)
  • Spicy Southwest salad (Don't eat the tortilla strips, or dressings)
  • Market Salad (Don't eat the granola, and dressings)
  • Diet Lemonade?
  • Chicken Tortilla Soup (If you can find it, no tortilla strips)
• Wendy's :
  • Chili (? It does have meat)
  • Grilled Chicken Wrap (No wrap)
  • Grilled Chicken Sandwich (No Bun)
• Taco Bell:
  • Chicken Soft Taco (Minus tortilla),
  • Shredded Chicken Quesodilla (No Chipotle sauce, no tortilla)
• Chipotle:
  • "Salad" with black Beans, fajita veggies, chicken & salsa
• McDonald's
  • Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad (No tortilla strips, no dressing)...Is the corn okay?
  • Artisan Grilled Chicken Sandwich (No bun, no dressing)
• Burger King
  • Grilled Chicken Sandwich (No bun, no mayo)
  • Chicken Garden Salad (Would the croutons make me dump or get stuck?)
• KFC
  • Do they sell grilled chicken ala carte? Shows how much I go there
  • Any of the $5 meals with grilled chicken, but eating only the chicken
• Domino's pizza (A bonus because they deliver to hotels)
  • Chicken Parm sandwich (No bun)
  • Buffalo Chicken sandwich (No bun, No blue cheese sauce)
  • Cheese pizza, robusto Tomato sauce, premium chicken, pretty much any other topping (But no pizza crust...e.g. "scrape" off the sauce, cheese, chicken & toppings and eat only that)
• Jimmy Johns subs (They also deliver++)
  • #4 Turkey Breast (Unwich, no mayo)
  • Slim 4 (Unwich)...This is pretty much just a slice of turkey
  • #12 Turkey breast, provolone & Avo (Unwich, no mayo)
• Subway
  • Salad with either Turkey or Chicken Breast

[Diana_in_Philly 1,426]

I know that Hyatt Place and Homewood Suites will go out and purchase groceries for you during the day and stock your fridge if you give them a list - no extra charge other than what the groceries cost at the store which they put right on your bill. You could have yogurts and milk and fruit delivered for smoothies (carry your own Protein powder), chicken breast and salad stuff. I try to do that when I'm traveling.

[Healthy_life 1,437]

47 minutes ago, CyclicalLoser said:

I just got back from another trip from work and am packing for yet another this Tuesday. I fly all over the US and US Territories for my job. Typically a Tues-Thurs deal, at most Mon-Fri. Most of the time I could stay at a residence inn and cook for myself, but I work very long hours when I'm on the road, so planning on it is really foolish of me. Thus far, I've consumed only Protein Bars, peanuts and Protein Drinks, but it's pretty lame after a few days.

I'm 3 months out, but approach "real" food extremely slowly. What works for fast food? I know red meat, Pasta, rice, bread ist verboten.

Here's what I've compiled, but curious if these are good or not (Good as in healthy enough choice, and doesn't make one dump or feel terrible). I haven't tried any of these yet. Oh, and sometimes I don't have a car/ride, so the delivery options get extra credit.

• Chic fil a:
  • grilled nuggets
  • Grilled chicken Cool Wrap (No flatbread)...Is the Honey Mustard going to cause me to dump?
  • Grilled chicken Sandwich (No Bun)
  • Chicken Noodle Soup (Don't eat the noodles)
  • Spicy Southwest salad (Don't eat the tortilla strips, or dressings)
  • Market salad (Don't eat the granola, and dressings)
  • Diet Lemonade?
  • Chicken Tortilla Soup (If you can find it, no tortilla strips)
• Wendy's :
  • Chili (? It does have meat)
  • Grilled Chicken Wrap (No wrap)
  • Grilled Chicken Sandwich (No Bun)
• Taco Bell:
  • Chicken Soft Taco (Minus tortilla),
  • Shredded Chicken Quesodilla (No Chipotle sauce, no tortilla)
• Chipotle:
  • "Salad" with black Beans, fajita veggies, chicken & salsa
• McDonald's
  • Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad (No tortilla strips, no dressing)...Is the corn okay?
  • Artisan Grilled Chicken Sandwich (No bun, no dressing)
• Burger King
  • Grilled Chicken Sandwich (No bun, no mayo)
  • Chicken Garden Salad (Would the croutons make me dump or get stuck?)
• KFC
  • Do they sell grilled chicken ala carte? Shows how much I go there
  • Any of the $5 meals with grilled chicken, but eating only the chicken
• Domino's pizza (A bonus because they deliver to hotels)
  • Chicken Parm sandwich (No bun)
  • Buffalo Chicken sandwich (No bun, No blue cheese sauce)
  • cheese pizza, robusto Tomato sauce, premium chicken, pretty much any other topping (But no pizza crust...e.g. "scrape" off the sauce, cheese, chicken & toppings and eat only that)
• Jimmy Johns subs (They also deliver++)
  • #4 Turkey Breast (Unwich, no mayo)
  • Slim 4 (Unwich)...This is pretty much just a slice of turkey
  • #12 Turkey breast, provolone & Avo (Unwich, no mayo)
• Subway
  • Salad with either Turkey or Chicken Breast

Living off fast food for a week of traveling sounds like no fun. Would you be able to eat at a better quality restaurants?

Congrats! I think you are getting the idea on how to eat at any restaurant. You can look up restaurant menus online to make sure they have menu items that work for you. Safe bet is to order a Protein and vegetable for a meal and not eat the carbs (or a small amount if its on your plan) Many restaurants will let you substitute items Example: fries for vegetables. Leave off sauces etc.

Myfitness pal has most fast food and chain restaurants menu items. You will be able to see your calories and macros for the day.

[CyclicalLoser 155]

I am a Marriott member and so I tend to stick with them. They do offer the same thing about Groceries, but Marriott is pretty steep with their prices, and the truth is, there are times when I wouldn't even have time to cook. One example, I started working at 6AM and finished the next day at 10AM. Yes, 27 hours straight. There were times where I could leave for a little while to eat, but other times it is "better" to have food delivered so I can work through breakfast/lunch/dinner. One time, the customer actually ordered take out from Houston's (Very expensive restaurant) and I got to eat steak while working.

Many times like above, other team members/customers will run out and grab food for us as well, so I like to keep a mental list of the easiest things for someone else to get (Meaning works well if they forget to have the restaurant modify it...For example, I absolutely despise american cheese and I don't like dill pickles. In the past, if someone was going to McDonalds for me, even though I liked the big mac without cheese, special sauce and pickles - instead, I'd ask for 2 hamburgers, and then I'd peel off the pickles later. (I know I'm putting a lot of thought into this, but because of my job it happens a lot).

I love my job, I like the money, I like the travel (Been to Alaska 3 times) -- Although sometimes I wake up at a hotel and can't remember where I'm at and have to look at the phone next to the bed for an address lol! Living on fast food is pretty 'blah' so sometimes I wouldn't eat much. The last 2 trips, for example, all I ate was Protein bars. Usually, I can eat somewhere nicer when I fly in, but most times I'm too cheap to go since smaller portions and "carb deletes" result in me paying an awful lot for a piece of chicken...And something I can't really "save" for tomorrow.

[Healthy_life 1,437]

4 hours ago, CyclicalLoser said:

I am a Marriott member and so I tend to stick with them. They do offer the same thing about Groceries, but Marriott is pretty steep with their prices, and the truth is, there are times when I wouldn't even have time to cook. One example, I started working at 6AM and finished the next day at 10AM. Yes, 27 hours straight. There were times where I could leave for a little while to eat, but other times it is "better" to have food delivered so I can work through breakfast/lunch/dinner. One time, the customer actually ordered take out from Houston's (Very expensive restaurant) and I got to eat steak while working.

Many times like above, other team members/customers will run out and grab food for us as well, so I like to keep a mental list of the easiest things for someone else to get (Meaning works well if they forget to have the restaurant modify it...For example, I absolutely despise american cheese and I don't like dill pickles. In the past, if someone was going to McDonalds for me, even though I liked the big mac without cheese, special sauce and pickles - instead, I'd ask for 2 hamburgers, and then I'd peel off the pickles later. (I know I'm putting a lot of thought into this, but because of my job it happens a lot).

I love my job, I like the money, I like the travel (Been to Alaska 3 times) -- Although sometimes I wake up at a hotel and can't remember where I'm at and have to look at the phone next to the bed for an address lol! Living on fast food is pretty 'blah' so sometimes I wouldn't eat much. The last 2 trips, for example, all I ate was Protein Bars. Usually, I can eat somewhere nicer when I fly in, but most times I'm too cheap to go since smaller portions and "carb deletes" result in me paying an awful lot for a piece of chicken...And something I can't really "save" for tomorrow.

Wow your work schedule is a bit crazy.

Its a balance of being cost effective, managing time and making nutrition choices.

An option to think about is low to no cook foods for your hotel room. Get an uber or lyft when you land and shop before you get to the hotel. Examples: Packaged cobb salad from the deli, meat cheese nuts for snacks( P3 pack)Flavored tuna pouches, microwave steamer vegetables, Jimmy dean microwavable pre cooked turkey sausage. Pre cooked hard boiled eggs, fresh fruits and veggies.

[djvalade 26]

I travel too and avoid any fast food restaurants. I use the Yelp app to find local restaurants that have great appetizers which for me I usually can't finish anyway. That way I can consume tasty but not fried or heavy gravy food choices. And since the appetizer portion size is normally only 4 ounces or so, I'm never tempted to over consume. WIN WIN!

Edited October 14, 2018 by djvalade

[Jenwill630 119]

Hi there.

My husband is a road warrior too, so I am familiar with the lifestyle and challenges you are facing.

Do you get per diem or are you expensing only a certain amount?

Do you always get a fridge in your room? If not, call ahead and tell them you need one for medicine.

Do you rent a car once you are where you need to go? If so, stop at the store on your way to the hotel.

How long are you at each job? My hubby can be places for about a month depending on whether it's an outage or something quick.

A lot of hotels now have grills, so that's something to think about in you could cook a bunch of food and put it in the fridge.

What about a small crockpot? My husband sometimes will buy a cheap one and leave it for the hotel.

Good luck to you.

[sillykitty 10,776]

I travel for work nearly weekly. Same, all of the US, and stay at Marriotts. I started back to work travel at 3 weeks post op.

I personally don't worry about it too much. Nearly everywhere has good, lean, Protein choices. Sometimes I make good choices, sometime I don't. I have an Iron stomach, nothing bothers me, so I really eat everything.

Why no red meat?

Edited October 14, 2018 by sillykitty

[ScoutCR 126]

I also travel nearly weekly. I find myself packing a box of different brands of Protein bars and protein Snacks. It is easier if its a driving trip but still doable when flying which is about 60% of the time. When on the road sometimes I don’t have the choice of the restaurant that I will be eating. I take customers out often. Most restaurants you can find a good protein and healthy appetizer. I often just get a cup of Soup. I also have been the fast food route on the road and I mostly get grilled chicken sandwiches and deconstruct them and only eat only the chicken.

[CyclicalLoser 155]

Thank you all, and a bunch of great ideas. Most of the time I'm only there for a few days, so I don't really have much time to cook. Most of the time I do score a fridge, because I'm a gold member, They typically take decent care of me (Co-workers are platinum and they bend over backwards for them). Even though the work is hectic and long, I still really like it. Sometimes I bring family so they can sightsee while I'm out pushing a pencil.

ScoutCR, I think we are kind of in the same boat, or should I say Bike? (Buddy had a newer Scout). Last couple of trips have been driving trips (yay) but I do have flights (boo) 90% of the time. I find that as long as the food is cold-tolerable, it works out fine in the checked luggage. I actually have an assortment packed right now for Tuesday. I think the "deconstructed" meals are probably going to be the way to go for now. It's wasteful, but not waist-full, so in the end that's the best way to go

I like trail mix, but the sugar in the m&m's and the salt in just about everything else makes it a tough sell. My aunt used to carry around beef Jerky, but my nutritionist told me it would not go down well because it was too dry (Plus most are red-meat-based). I have been eating peanuts, but I am getting kind of tired of it. I ate sunflower kernels, which I really liked before surgery, but the taste changed so I don't like them any more. (LOL yesterday I kept smelling popcorn until I saw someone eating cheerios).

Regarding meat, I was told that many patients do not tolerate it well (if ever) and not to cross that bridge until about a year out. Unfortunately, my pouch/stomach is tough as a wet kleenex, so I have to beta-test everything first at home in a controlled environment (QA Joke).

I suppose I'll see y'all on the road or in the air, or stuck in Dallas waiting for a storm to blow over!

[jasmineinmymind 204]

All that travel sounds great to me. What do you do?