Eating Out on the Road - Help!

[discoveringmyultimate]

Hi!

 

I am on day 18 of my whole30. Not feeling fabulous yet, but I think that may be due to the fact that I have so many health issues and it will take time to see if food really impacts some of them (hormones aka PCOS, chronic fatigue, headaches, etc.). Because of that, I am tentatively planning on extending to a whole45, whole60, or possibly longer.

 

If I do that, right about the halfway point is the annual chorus competition for my women's barbershop chorus. It's a weekend deal - leave Friday midmorning, stay in hotel Saturday, leave Sunday around noon.

 

I have read a number of posts on dining out on whole30, but I am very nervous about it. I am not driving or making the schedule, plus it's a different location from last year - so I have no idea where we might stop for lunch or where we might eat out during the weekend. Apart from looking up every restaurant in the vicinity of our hotel, I don't know what to do!

 

Also, last year after the competition itself, we all went out to eat together (again, a restaurant selected by someone else and, if last year is any indication, at the last possible minute!). Eating out in a group is complicated enough with the multiple orders. I don't want to make it an ordeal for everyone!

 

My thoughts at this point are:

 - buy some primal pacs or rx bars

 - take along precut veggies in a cooler (will they last all weekend, though...?)

 - also take some hard boiled eggs

 - Can I find a microwave in a hotel? If so, I could probably take some other cooked protein options and just eat in the room.

 - I can even just skip the meals during the drive up to NC and back and eat stuff in the car. The one event I would really prefer not to miss is the group meal on Saturday night.

 

I would LOVE some help and advice on how to make the entire weekend as smooth as possible. Thank you!

[Tom Denham]

I would eat Whole30 right up until leaving on the trip and then just do the best I could while traveling... Order meat and veggies when available and skip desserts unless they are really good. PS, once you have done a Whole30, the desserts in most restaurants are not really worth it. You can go back to Whole30-ing when you get back.

[jent103]

Those tactics are all great! Some vegetables keep better than others - I once took green pepper slices on a weekend trip and that was a bad idea (I didn't have a full-on cooler, though), but carrots, broccoli, etc would hold up great. Apples and almond butter, nuts, olives or coconut flakes for easy fats - sometimes I find that getting a healthy fat in a meal is the hardest part while eating out. They can dry grill you meat and steam you some vegetables, but they're not going to have ghee lying around, and some places don't have pure olive oil either.

 

Some hotel rooms have microwaves, but many don't. If you know where you're staying, I would definitely call and ask.

 

Most importantly, don't panic. I'd go prepared to eat the on-the-road meals out of your cooler (fast food is nearly impossible) but restaurant meals should be doable! If there's a gluten-free menu, I'd start there. Ask about marinades, salad dressings, and sauces - soybean oil and sugar are big things to watch out for in those. If you can, try to give input on the Saturday night restaurant, but this is doable regardless! The first weekend of my Whole30, I was out of town with a big group of friends, and they all decided to eat at a place called Tony's Pasta. Of course. But even there, they had a great grilled vegetable salad that I added shrimp to.

[1Maryann]

I'm leaving on a business trip in the morning.  it's a trade show at a convention center, so all they offer on premises is "stadium food".  I am bringing a cooler with compliant foods.  My hotel room has a fridge and microwave. This is how I'll eat:

 

Wed:  Breakfast before I leave.  We'll be there around lunchtime but can't check in to hotel until after 3, so I made chicken salad and celery and red bell peppers for scoops.  I can chow that down in the car, then head over to the conv. center for a couple of hours.  Dinner is a compliant pot roast and veggies.

 

Thurs:  Brought breakfast casserole, avocado, and hot sauce.  Will come back to the hotel for lunch, either chicken salad or pot roast.  Dinner is at a restaurant I know I can get a compliant meal at.

 

Friday:  Breakfast casserole.  Will come back for an early lunch before checkout.  Chicken, artichokes, sundried tomatoes, and olives over zoodles.  Dinner will be whatever we find on the road heading back.  It's amazing what you can get in a 7-11 these days.  Either that or cold leftovers.

[jboswell]

I had to travel to DC during my Whole 30. I too had trouble adding healthy fats. Meat and veggies are usually fairly easy to find, so the next time I brought individual servings of nuts, olives and a couple of avocados in varying degrees of ripeness. I also added some coconut flakes to some of my servings of nuts. If I got in a pinch I ate a Lara bar (but read the label as they are not all compliant) and some fruit or precut veggies.