Traveling On A Weight Loss Diet

Traveling on a weight loss diet requires advanced preparation, so you can relax on your vacation!

The extreme Arizona heat was getting to my little boy and me so last week we escaped the 122 temperatures for a bit of summer fun. Many of my Phoenix friends are originally from Minnesota and since I’d never been there, we went up to enjoy some fireworks and spend time on a few of the 10,000 lakes. We had a blast but… the traveling on a weight loss diet is very difficult. You need to be more prepared than I was.

I’d been so good in my 1^st month at MedShape, never straying from the nutrition plan, but the trip snuck up on me and I wasn’t mentally or physically prepared for traveling on a weight loss diet. I’d packed my essentials and thought I was covered but it takes a lot more than that. I’m going to share my ‘falling off the wagon’ experience with you so that you can hopefully learn from my mistakes and be more prepared for traveling on a weight loss diet.

Tips for Traveling on a Weight Loss Diet

Make sure you pack all of your supplements and medications. This sounds straight forward but, when you travel, you won’t have a kitchen full of tools or room in your bag to pack large containers. Depending on the length of your trip, try packing a few protein bars and separating scoops of protein powders in Ziplock bags to save space. You can safely store these bags in your mixer bottles. Also, you’ll need an insulated bad with freezer packs to carry your refrigerator meds in.
If you’re staying in hotels, be sure to get a room with a refrigerator in it. You’ll need it to store your meds and snacks. This is something that’s necessary but so easy to forget when traveling on a weight loss diet.
Visit a grocery store right away and get your favorite go-to foods. I finally did this towards the end of my trip and picked up a rotisserie chicken, my favorite low carb salad dressing and a bunch of greens. Wow, I should have done it straight away! Having a stash made life so much easier and stopped me from going too long without eating, like I did in my first few days.
Don’t talk much about your diet… just do it. I quickly learned that the ‘go ahead – you’re on vacation’ attitude is really common when people find out you’re traveling on a weight loss diet. They think that the trip should be your special excuse to do what you want and… you can, of course, but it takes a long time to catch up. Keep your eye on the goal!
Ask restaurants to prepare your food how you want it… aka what fits your nutrition goals. Many times, it’s no problem for them to substitute steamed veggies for the baked potato or noodles. Also, many chain restaurants have nutrition guides available on request. You can do a quick scan to find out which items are friendly for traveling on a weight loss diet. All you have to do is ask!

The lucky thing about my trip was that Minnesota has a MedShape Weight Loss Clinic, too, so I was able to stop in and grab some extra protein drinks, oatmeal and protein bars. I was motivated to stop in for supplies and stop wrecking my progress with travel splurges after I realized how loose all of my sundresses and bathing suits from last year were fitting. If my MedShape weight loss keeps going so well, I’ll be buying all new summer gear really soon.

Traveling on a weight loss diet is hard but possible. Just prepare yourself mentally and have your gear together in the days before you leave. A little preparation goes a long way and following the tips above will help you stay ahead of travel temptations!

— Cassandra, AZ

Do you have any suggestions for traveling on a weight loss diet? We’d love to hear them in the comments below!