Friday, April 18, 2014

Eating Healthy?!

The past six months has been such a whirlwind - I don't know whether I am staying or going and it's wrecking havoc on my body because I am letting it. First blog since all of the traveling picked up pace, and it feels great to be writing again. 

Traveling sure doesn't make it easy to eat healthy, but it doesn't make it impossible. The best thing you can do if you're in a hotel that doesn't have the necessary tools for you to go shopping and keep fresh food, is educating yourself. Educate yourself on the food that is available to you. If you are going out to eat, look up the menu online and prepare the questions to ask your waiter/waitress and choose what you are going to eat. You can look to see if the restaurant you are headed to has the type of menu you can order from; for example, if you need gluten free foods, or are a vegan. 

Eating healthy while traveling and constantly eating out doesn't have to be a battle. While it may seem extraordinarily difficult in controlling your desire to eat whatever you want; especially when the menu doesn't offer healthy choices, you can still make the better decision by knowing what and how to order. I was recently at a restaurant in TX with a few co-workers and this restaurant did not have a single dinner option that was under 1000 calories including the salads. So I had to make a decision on what to eat that wasn't drenched in fat, salt or fried. I looked through the menu and murmured to myself: "this is why you are so fat and continually gain weight." I sat at the table and looked over page after page...the smallest portion of steak or chicken they offered was 6oz. I have the most difficult time making decisions of what I want to eat in general, never mind looking at a restaurant menu with so many options. I start getting very impatient with myself because I cannot make a decision mostly because there isn't anything I see that I can order that isn't a heart attack on a plate. Everyone else is ready and the waiter is standing at the table. While he is taking the orders, I see the salmon and then just muster up the courage to order what I want and how I want it. He looks at me and I ask for a grilled piece of salmon, not cooked in butter and without salt with a side of grilled asparagus. It felt liberating. Strong word for ordering food? Maybe to others, but it's exactly how I felt. I ordered what I wanted, no sauce, no salt, no butter, just how I wanted it. It was delicious. 

I have been traveling for work for the last 6 months just about every week and it's been hard to get back on track with eating and working out. It's as if I get these small bursts of thoughts and excitement that I am going to do better that day and then hour by hour, it becomes increasingly more difficult for me to make the better decision with anything. By the time I get back to the hotel room, I am exhausted and I don't want to work out. We meet for breakfast at 6:15 a.m., working until at least 7 or 8 pm, then we go out for dinner and then I am dragging my feet at 9 or 10 night into my room. Then I open my lap top to catch up on some more emails that I was not able to get to during the day. By the time all is said and done, it's sometimes 1 o'clock in the morning and I do not feel like working out, nor getting up at 3 to work out before the day starts. This past week, I made the effort to leave the office by 630-7, and forcing myself to do an hour of cardio and some weight training before hopping back on the computer for work. Hoping that this week will be easier. 

Summer is right around the corner and I am in the same place I was last 10 years, obsessing over the fact I can't lose weight and that I promise myself that I will do better. This time it seems impossible. I just keep telling myself that with the support of my twin, and a few caring people, I can do this. I can make better choices that will promote my health and well being. Starting with eating while on the road since this is a very real part of my life right now. I've blogged in the past about being prepared for when I travel to make it easier, but taking the actions and caring enough about yourself makes all the difference. Right now I feel completely defeated. The scale seems to go up and up. But I am going to take my mini victory of decision making and continue to strive for better days. 

Today was a bad day, tomorrow will be better. 


Health and Wellness to all

Love Patti xox