Out of town on Atkins.

[not2late]

I’ve just returned from a 3 day work-related seminar. So, how did I do with my Atkins? I’m on OWL and have gone through the carbohydrate ladder, so I know the foods my body can handle.

I knew the seminar would provide a breakfast, mid-morning snack, mid afternoon snack and would provide beverages throughout the day. For lunch and dinner I was on my own. The conference was held at a hotel in the touristy area of a city. Since I’m stingy and didn’t want to pay $30.00 for a meal I could buy for $10.00 in a non-tourist spot, I decided to pack away some foods/snacks/water just in case.

Brook used to say "failing to prepare is preparing to fail". So, I put a cooler in the trunk of my car. In that cooler, I placed some bottles of water, vegetables, 6 eggs, a couple of cans of chicken broth, a couple packets of canned tuna and canned chicken, cheese, nuts and a box of rye crackers. I also had a small plastic cutting board (which also could serve as a plate), a knife (for cutting my vegetables), fork and spoon. I also packed an electric hotpot, so I could boil water or broth in my hotel room. I didn’t have to worry about supplying ice for my cooler, because the temperatures are around freezing so, I just made sure I parked my car in the parking garage, away from sunlight so the car wouldn’t heat up.

The vegetables I packed were whole vegetables, like bell pepper, cucumber, and tomato. Whole vegetables and fruit will keep longer than ones that are already cut up.

I was familiar with the area, so I knew "little Italy" was about a block east of the hotel. I asked the concierge if he knew of any grocery stores in that area---I wanted to know this in case I needed to buy something like veg, meat, etc.

I kept a pre-measured ounce of nuts in my purse in case I needed a quick snack during the day.

The hotel-provided meals were good. The continental breakfast (held at 7:00-8:00AM) had the usual bagels, toast, and pastries, but they also provided an "Atkins menu" of boiled eggs, smoked salmon, slices of turkey and roast beef, cheese and a tray of sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion and capers. The "Low fat menu" had some foods I could eat on my Atkins-OWL level, namely the whole grain oatmeal, the melons, and berries.

The mid-morning snack ( 10:00 AM) all days included more of the breakfast fruit, whole fruits (apples, pears), an apple pie type thing and roasted almonds. The mid afternoon snack (3:00 PM) included vegetables with dip, hummus (a chickpea puree), and the usual carby things like bread, cookies, and potato chips.

For dinner I ate the food I brought with me. On Monday night, I had a red bell pepper stuffed with tuna and mayo with a side cucumber spears and a devilled egg. On Tuesday night, I had dinner at a restaurant—a "surf and turf" with a green salad on the side.

On Monday, I found that I was able to eat "well" for breakfast and the mid-morning snack, so, I didn’t need to eat lunch. Instead, I spend my lunch hours walking around the tourist area, window-shopping and visiting local museums. I made sure I did at least 30 minutes of brisk walking during my lunch hour. The conference ended daily at 5:30 PM. So, after I put my things away in my room, I walked another 30 minutes in the evening. The staircases in the hotel were "for emergency exits only". But the hotel had escalators. Instead of riding up or down on the escalators, I walked them. Yeah, it wasn’t as hard as walking regular stairs but it was better than just standing on them. I didn’t bring free weights with me (because I forgot to pack them), instead I did things that used my own body weight as weights, like push ups and squats.

[Elsie150]

Excellent!!!! You are such a great example for us all.

[not2late]

Oops, I should have proof-read that before posting....

The mid-morning snack ( 10:00 AM) all days included more of the breakfast fruit, whole fruits (apples, pears), an apple pie type thing and roasted almonds. The mid afternoon snack (3:00 PM) included vegetables with dip, hummus (a chickpea puree), and the usual carby things like bread, cookies, and potato chips.

I didn't mean to give the impression that all of those foods are okay, but that there was enough of a variety that I was able to choose legal foods. So for the mid morning snack, I had either more fruit or the nuts. For the mid-afternoon snack, I had the vegetables and alittle of the hummus. And even if I didn't have that variety, I still had a reserve of legal foods , so I could have something to snack on if I needed it.

[ttdriver]

Great job, Megs! YES IT CAN BE DONE AND YOU HAVE PROVED IT!


Betty

[2big4mysize]

great job Megs

so did the tapemeasure andor scale reward your efforts?

[not2late]

Yup Betty, it can be done and that's why I posted this to show everyone you don't "have to go off Atkins" if you are traveling or are out of town. I was still able to exercise, but I had to make time for it. And sure, it was chilly outside and it would have been easy to say "It's too cold outside, so I'll just hang around my hotel room, breathe stale air and watch tv." But I got out, walked around, got some fresh air, saw some places of interest, met some interesting people, and got exercise.

Originally Posted by 2big4mysize

great job Megs

so did the tapemeasure andor scale reward your efforts?

Unfortunately, I'll have to wait a few days to find out. Traveling has a tendency to throw my digestive tract off. So, I need to get myself in 'working order' before I do any measuring.

[killerbombshell]

Megs, you are an Atkins goodie two shoes

No I'm just kidding, great work!

[dotsamantha]

It's so reassuring to see the flexibility of this woe in action.

[not2late]

Originally Posted by killerbombshell

Megs, you are an Atkins goodie two shoes

No I'm just kidding, great work!

Actually it wasn't that hard, because I expected the worse!

Also the seminar planners were very thoughtful about the food. On the seminar registration form, there was a little sentence about "if you have any special needs, blah blah blah". I wrote down I was on a low carb diet. I guess others wrote the same thing too because the "low carb food" went faster than the regular stuff!

And I have to give kudos to the hotel. The food was buffet and served in the hallway in front of the conference room. The "real food" like the fruit, the eggs, veggies, oatmeal, yogurt, etc. were arranged on the center tables. The tables with the bagels, donuts, cookies, and chips were placed against the wall out of the main line of sight. The tables with the baskets of apples, pears, oranges, etc. were placed next to the water and coffee-tea table. which were right across from the center tables. So if you stuck to the center you only saw the healthy, whole foods.

I think they arranged it like that on purpose because the conference next door also had a similar meal plan as ours and their junk food was on the center tables, along with the coffee and tea. Their "real" food was against a wall, next to their water bottles.

[sunflowergrl]

That is so fantastic!!! I am glad to see this really can be a WOL anywhere!! I still get stressed sometimes about eating out, and usually try to avoid it. I can't wait to get to the nuts rung, what a great snack!
Oh, and you are FANTASTIC, too!!!