Hi, I travel a huge amount with work (50%) and the summer holidays are fast approaching too. I’ve tried the 800 diet once, it worked really well but I fell off the wagon after 3 weeks. Part of the problem is that I stay at business hotels allot with no space to make my own food and the menu options at these places are not healthy. I’ve found avoiding colleagues after work reduces the peer pressure to have “just one beer” or analysis of my plate not containing any meat (I work in IT; it’s almost all white, over weight, beer + red meat types who go to the hotel gym every day to walk on the thread mill and wonder why they aren’t in good shape. Yes, it’s a stereo type, sorry, not out to offend but that’s my colleagues right now!). So… I was wondering, there must be some others in the same or similar situation? I’ve been thinking about going to the super market in the evenings and travelling with a small kitchen set so I can improvise a healthy lunch, but what about the hotel menus? How do I work out the calories of something I can’t prepare myself?

Also, those times you’re stranded at the airport and the only option are the row upon row of white bread sandwiches, pastries and crisps (I’m talking about smaller airports). Any tips for minimising the damage?

Powder Monkey – I am assuming that you are a vegetarian which makes it much more difficult. If you are not there isn’t any reason to avoid red meat because it is the chips that go with it that are the problem and the desert afterwards. Hotels and restaurants seem quite happy to serve up the meat/fish/chicken with salad or vegetables without the potatoes etc. – I think because they are getting more customers who are avoiding the white carbs.

If you are a vegetarian there are some very successful vegetarians doing the BSD who will be able to advise you on eating in hotels.

Hi there. I also stay in hotels regularly for work. I have found that the breakfast always contains BSD compatable food such as eggs, mushrooms, beans tomatoes.
I but lunch from supermarket they do variety of salads some veggie. I eat meat so I sometimes just buy a pack of cooked meat.
At dinner I always ask for veg instead of chips. No one cares! And I avoid beer like the plague. Have a glass of wine instead and drink lots of water with your meal.
Don’t have pudding.
I also prepare by taking a couple of hard boiled eggs or avocado , cheese and nuts for lunch.
Good luck. I have lost 3 stone so I know it works

Pop out and buy 12 slice packs of quorn, half a pack and a few tomatoes make a great lunch.

Thanks for the feedback everyone, much appreciated. I found I just can’t resist the buffet breakfast, it’s a killer, so instead I now just avoid the restaurant in the mornings and found a place that does plain oatmeal (whole grain with water) in the mornings, that’s 250Kal that sees me through! Lunches are salads, but the evenings… Man… those long… boring… hotel evenings… I always choose a hotel near a climbing wall so I train nearly every day, but the choice of food in the restaurants (I’m in Finland) I still find really hard and end up raiding the minibar (dark chocolates….) if I’ve had something light. Needless to say I’m struggling with will power right now!