Day 2/32 Vacation

Great Day yesterday. Unfortunately I'm at the mercy of finding free wi-fi so posts may come up all at once even though I'm writing as I go. Had my second chicken sandwich after getting to La Guardia, meeting up with my sister, then realizing we still had a 45 minute wait for a bus, then had to switch to a shuttle. Anyways, after what felt like forever, we were finally reunited with my long time friend Kyle and his friend and we went out to lunch (of course right after I eat).

I'll have to say that it can be incredibly difficult to be at a table with other people who are eating when you decide not to. Eating for so many, myself included, is a social event and it's great to converse while enjoying great food, but tuning into those hunger cues are just as important too. I had to consciously tell myself "No, Sam. You are NOT hungry, you are full." Sounds ridiculous but by realizing I would only be eating for entertainment and acknowledging that made it easier to sit there and drink my water and I did have my sister's lettuce, tomato, and pickle from her burger, ha. Veggies are always free foods :)

This morning, Kyle and I got to go for a nice walk/run. Not sure if I mentioned it before, but I'm currently nursing a sprained ankle and was just cleared to start running again so I'm easing back into it after 3 months of just the elliptical (just not the same as outdoor running) and just finished brunch. Wasn't super hungry (see, tuning into those hunger cues again!) so I went for the yogurt with fruit and granola and unsweetened tea for a much needed caffeine fix. I may be annoying my friends/sister with my healthy options, BUT it's my body and I honestly feel so much better when I fuel my body with the good stuff. Of course, I will indulge. Hell, I'm on vacation, but it's a marathon of vacation so everything in moderation. Beach time!

Day 1/32 Vacation!

June 28, 8:30am- And so it begins…. After a super stressful morning, I made it on my flight to NYC! I had the opportunity to fly on a buddy pass, which meant I fly stand-by at a reduced ticket cost but it also kicks up the anxiety because of issues with the ticket, security being downright ridiculous, and anticipating whether or not you’ll get a seat.

Anyways, the purpose of this blog will be to show how to eat healthy and stay on track even when abroad, traveling or dining out in general. I like to believe I have a few tricks left up my sleeve that I can share ;)

So much of nutrition and eating healthy is planning. In preparation for this trip I hit the grocery store for the single-serving Greek Yogurt for breakfast at 4am this morning, a rotisserie chicken, and a mix of protein/nutrition bars (My faves are Luna and Lara bars). After serving myself my dinner portion of chicken, I took the remainder of the chicken meat, threw away the skin and fat, then grabbed a couple of sandwich thins (Orowheat 100 calorie Multi-grain), mixed in a teaspoon of reduced fat olive oil mayo (Kraft) and made not one but three sandwiches from the chicken.  Gave one to my friend who was oh-so-kind to wake up hellaciously early to drive me to the airport and am now just finishing up the first one.  

Now, I could’ve purchased a breakfast sandwich here on the plane and shelled out $5.99 for a jimmy dean sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich weighing in at 556 calories, 36.5g fat, 14.4g saturated fat, 28.6g carbs, 1.5g fiber, 24.2g protein and 1,285mg sodium vs. the one I delightfully consumed for 233 calories, 4.3g fat, 0.5g saturated fat, 22g carbs, 5g fiber, 30g protein and 806mg sodium. BIG difference. More protein and fiber and a whole lot less calories, fat, saturated fat, and sodium. Planning, people. Jump on the bandwagon and save yourself from the pounds and make your wallet happier.

In case you’re interested in my trip details…

I will officially be away from H-town for 32 days. Flying into New York, meeting up with my sister and best friend to drive up to Newport, RI to visit another dietitian BFF for the weekend, then it’s back to Manhattan till our flight departs for Europe on the 4^th of July! Layover in Rome and Munich before getting to Scotland for 9 days to reside with my super awesome family then it’s back to Munich for a week where we’ll check out Berlin, Prague, Innsbruck, Lichtenstein, and Salzburg before heading to our second resort in Hungary, where we’ll check out Vienna, Bratislava, Bratislava, Krk, Zagreb, and possibly somewhere in Slovenia. 3,205 miles and 57 hours of driving. Big trip, but I couldn’t be more excited J

Back to H-town!

After a wonderful weekend with the family and a helluva long day, I'm back home in Houston. I had a 2 hour layover in San Diego where I encountered a new product! Gnu Foods Flavor and Fiber Chocolate Brown Bar in the health foods section (very excited that they even had that section in the airport). Based out of NYC, I was very pleased with the nutrition information (140 calories, 4g fat, 1g saturated fat, 30mg sodium, 30g carbohydrates, 12g fiber- 8g soluble, 4g insoluble, 9g sugar, 4g protein). Low in sodium, reasonable calories, all natural ingredients, and most of all, a great blend of both insoluble and soluble fibers! The taste was terrific as well! A+ Gnu Foods!

Headed to Cali!

When I say I travel a lot, I sure mean it. Currently, I am San Francisco bound, which was lucky in and of itself because I flew standby. Didn’t make the first flight, but made the second by the skin of my teeth. Ended up with the middle seat, however, I would’ve gladly ridden with the luggage just to get on the plane! It’s 6:45pm Houston time and I’ve now been awake almost 15 hours… yuck. For one of my jobs, I provide health coaching to employees of companies that hire my company (got that?), and can require me to be on site at hellacious hours of the morning. Sometimes it feels weird eating breakfast so early in the morning, yet in order to really jumpstart metabolism, it’s important to eat within the first hour of rise. This morning I had a perfectly ripe pear with some Greek yogurt. The health fair itself had an assortment of the usual culprits- cinnamon rolls, Danishes, scones, bagels, etc. They were tough to avoid, so I’ll admit I split a blueberry scone with another dietitian. I practiced another lesson I preach- allow yourself a slice, not the whole pie. This prevents feeling deprived and later slipping back off the wagon.

After work, it was home to grab my stuff, kill the other half of my acorn squash (leftover from the night before), pack some snacks to take with me for the plane (more greek yogurt and some almonds), and make my way to Bush Intercontinental Airport. In case y’all haven’t been fortunate enough to sample the wonder that is acorn squash, 1. You should and 2. Seriously, get to the grocery store NOW. Acorn squash packs a punch of Vitamins A, B6, C, E, potassium, and magnesium. One 4” acorn squash contains approximately 176 calories, 0.4g fat, 0g saturated fat, 45g carbohydrates, 6.5g fiber, 0g sugar 3.4g protein, and 13mg sodium. Personally, I consume about half when I prepare it. It’ll surprise you how easily this one fills ya up! This is a great veggie too if you’re short on time- I typically poke the squash with a fork all around and nuke it for about 7 minutes (Caution: it will be HOT), slice it in half, de-seed each half, add some cinnamon or nutmeg (whichever I can find first), grab a fork and go to town! Acorn squash is a great substitute for mashed potatoes in this sense, yet way more flavorful, in my opinion.

Another hour till I land in my favorite US city for some quality time with my family J Movie time.  

References: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/list

ATL Airport is a Dietitian's Nightmare

So I crashed at my dear friend Courtney’s house in Atlanta last night in order to be dropped off at Marta this morning and make my way to the all-too-familiar Hartsfield Jackson International Airport. (I swear I know this airport better than the employees.) Airports have become synonymous with my life currently. Since November, I don’t think I’ve gone longer than 3 weeks without boarding a different plane- Atlanta, Atlanta again for X-mas, LA, NYC, Atlanta for a third time with no close end in sight! I have to say, I’m definitely not complaining. Right now I couldn’t be happier with all my travel plans, except for the fact that my diet has inevitably suffered. 

The pressure to indulge in what I call “vacation no-nos” lurks around ever corner. My parents, for example, fell victim to those girlscouts temptresses in disguise (those boxes glared at me every time I entered the kitchen). Chick-fil-a’s occupying every exit also pose a problem. Not to jump on my soapbox or anything, BUT there is a severe lack of sweet tea outside of what I consider the Deep South (Texas doesn’t count) so “because I only get it when I’m home,” I tell myself it’s ok. But really, IT’S NOT OK! Unfortunately, it’s what has led to my 3lb weight gain in 6 days :( A slippery slope that most people find themselves on. Before 3lbs turns into 10, it’s time to get back into the drivers seat. See? Dietitians don’t always have the perfect diet. (This is the part where you guys sympathize with me as readers.)

So as I said I’m at the airport, scouring poor choice after poor choice. To my amazement, there was even an Oscar Mayer restaurant option. Good grief. Ended up at Atlanta Bread Company assuming they would have some kind of fruit cup or non-fat yogurt... wishful thinking on my part. Ended up with an egg and cheese sandwich. I looked up the nutrition after (usually always check before but time was of the essence) to discover my breakfast had 440 calories, 17g fat, 6g saturated fat, 52g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 20g protein and 790mg sodium. 

I’ll explain how I arrived at my decision: The fewest calorie option would’ve been the bagel with fat free cream cheese, however, that meal would’ve been entirely composed of carbohydrates. By adding some protein and fat (with the egg and cheese), I was able to avoid a high blood sugar spike and I was able to go the remaining 4 hours till I arrived back at my place and safely in healthy food zone. Typically when we eat foods comprised of high amounts of carbohydrates (and processed, white bread ones), we tend to become hungrier sooner.

To compensate for my not-so-ideal meal, I had a nice spinach salad when I got back to my place and took my little dog, Georgia, for a much needed run. I love vacations (I mean who doesn’t?), but there’s definitely something to be said about being home and getting back to your routine. AND sleeping in your own bed J