Edesia Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 I just finished my first Whole30 yesterday. On Days 21-26, I was on a work trip. The event was held at one hotel. There was no fridge or microwave in the hotel room, there wasn't a supermarket nearby, I did not have a car or the time to travel around, and I had dinners with groups of people (some of whom I knew, and some I did not) at restaurants I did not choose. I was determined to stay compliant. I did it, but it was not easy (I did not expect it to be) and it was very stressful at times. I felt like I was in a food minefield, but here's what I did to avoid the mines in hopes it may help someone else. I traveled with a larger than usual suitcase and packed a bunch of provisions that did not require refrigeration so I could eat breakfast and lunch in my room. I brought fresh cut peppers to last a couple of days, one avocado, PrimalPacs beef jerky, cans of sardines, coconut flakes, macadamia nuts, and SeaSnax. On the next to last day I had a working lunch at the hotel and was able to order a plain, beef burger with steamed broccoli and olive oil on the side. (I was able to order the same thing at a place in the airport on my way home.) Not exciting, but it was food! Dinners out felt treacherous, mostly because I was so worried about hidden ingredients, despite asking questions ahead of time. I had a couple of surprises. One night I ordered roasted lamb at a Greek place and it ended up being two thin slices of lamb covered in gravy. I've eaten at a lot of Greek restaurants and have never seen roasted lamb prepared this way. I picked at some vegetables and left hungry that night. Another night I went with a group to a well known sandwich place for the area. I ordered a grilled chicken salad. They did not even have olive oil. The grilled chicken salad came with a pile of French fries on top and with cheese sprinkled throughout. I removed the French fries and picked through the rest of the salad. Hungry again. Finally, the last night we went to a good Italian restaurant. I checked the menu ahead of time and was able to have a truly delicious dinner of a creative salad as an app and a whole grilled fish with roasted vegs and potatoes, only olive oil used. So, I guess my message is, it can be done if you are determined to do it. Watch out for surprises and bring your own supplies for "plan b". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evaq Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 You're not kidding. Ouch! What a minefield. Eating out or having to rely on prepared food really makes us aware of how powerless we are once we put our food (and health) in someone else's hands. Way to go for completing your whole 30 *and* successfully navigating a challenging last week! I really admire the way you planned + prepped ahead and stayed so strong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edesia Posted March 18, 2015 Author Share Posted March 18, 2015 Thanks, Eva! I was so worried about the trip and read all the posts I could on this board for ideas. These forums are great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirkor Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 Dang, sounds like quite the test! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 I like your style, Edesia. Resourceful, innovative, hungry at times...without whining. WINNING. Congratulations on your compliant Whole 30. What are your plans now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edesia Posted March 19, 2015 Author Share Posted March 19, 2015 Thanks, MeadowLily. Right now I'm continuing on, eating the same way. Don't want to break the spell and I am not missing anything at the moment. Any wistful thinking about certain foods is immediately overcome by how good I feel. This weekend I'll start making a plan for a really, really slow reintroduction phase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ladybugbutt Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 I carry Nick's Sticks, homemade beef jerky, nuts, and larabars when I travel. I've seen the suggestions to carry olives, and I LOVE olives, but don't think that would work in a suitcase. Some weeks it seems like half my suitcase is packed with food... I try to only stay at places with room service so I can order eggs and fruit for breakfast, and I don't even feel guilty about the excessive cost to "special order" breakfast room service any more. Lunches are ALWAYS a challenge - they tend to be working lunches with the "boxed lunch from Jasons or Panera". This is where the nick's sticks, jerky, nuts, and larabars come in handy. Best case scenario, I can pick something out of the lunch box that is compliant and suplement with whatever i'm carrying with me, worst case I can't pick anything out of the boxed lunch, but can rely on the food I packed. I got some weird looks when I started doing this, but the people I work with have gotten used to me. Dinner is always a challenge - but I try to help control the situation by researching and suggesting restaurants...and even if I'm not able to do that, you can usually get a dry-grilled chicken breast and some steamed veggies just about chain restaurant you go to. Not the best, but it works in a pinch. Honestly, most non-chain "nice restaurants" are really, really good about going above and beyond if you pull the waiter aside and quickly explain your needs. I've had some AMAZING whole-30 compliant meals on the road. The other challenge is airport/airplane food. I spend enough time on airplanes and in airports that I always have "something" in my carry on. As much of a pain as it is - it makes a HUGE difference when I'm eating clean in how my feet/ankles swell (or don't swell!) when I fly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnMo56 Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 Edesia, I am really glad I read this thread. I am on day 3 and have a 4 day trip coming up in San Diego in 10 days. I started now so that the Memorial day week-end would be a little challenge, but would give me the confidence to pull this off. I travel extensively, so i need to get used to finding and making the right choices. I will be on Coronado Island, and there is a nice local store nearby, so I believe that will help. I am also going to call the hotel and make sure they know I will be faced with eating challenges and make sure they have gluten/Dairy/sugar free options available. Like you, I am most concerned about the pre-packaged lunches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
22twelve Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Thank you Edesia! I came to the forum looking for some tips just like these, as I'll spend the first two days of my new job in Italy (of all places...) with a bunch of colleagues. Usually this is fantastic news, but in this case I don't know anyone yet and feel extra self conscious about the way others may perceive my food behaviour. And it really is just as JohnMo56 said - I need to get used to finding and making the right choices. I want to stick to a more generous paleo diet after the Whole30 and will continue to face the same challenges, and your comment made me realize that I shouldn't look at this as a problem but simply consider it the new normal which requires some more effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenzilisa Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 It's so hard to eat well on work trips because your time isn't your own and usually they are trying to get as much out of you as possible while you are there, so they bring food in for you. I had a trip 2 years ago with 14 hour days and all the food was ordered in; it wasn't at ALL healthy let alone Whole30! I had no time to go get my own food. Also if you have dinners out with colleagues you don't want your "pickiness" to give you a bad rep at work especially if they are all your superiors. I also find that when I mention why I am eating a certain way others get defensive. The book gives great advice for such situations so I need to remember that. Thanks for all the ideas...I'm feeling less stressed already! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
22twelve Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Kenzilisa - I'm worried about the same things at work, namely people thinking that I'm picky and plain strange and not wanting them to think that I feel somewhat superior because I'm having different food standards. I feel laughing about it and playing it down works quite well, as in 'I'm doing this crazy clean eating challenge at the moment and really want to see if I can make it', or 'I'm usually really not that complicated, but I'm trying to figure out if I'm a bit sensitive to gluten/dairy/whatever'. It's not the way I'd sell it to my best friend, but I found it to work in these contexts, because I'm Implying that they're the 'normal' ones without making myself look totally crazy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenzilisa Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Good advice 22twelve! My colleagues already think that I'm vegan, based on zero evidence so at least there is an expectation that I will be "weird" about food. I try to normalize it and mostly talk about health. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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