Conference rocks::weight_control

    For many people eating out, a usual result of travel, is a killer
    on a diet.  This is usually because we feel that these meals are
    a special treat and act accordingly; we eat all of the 'special'
    foods (read high calorie main courses and deserts).  In your case
    this is probably going to be a problem only on the middle day because
    of the traveltime involved the other two days.  Allow yourself
    something special, just don't over do it.
    
    When I was losing weight and was eating a special meal I would
    try to find an unusual fish meal, for dessert a fruit dish with
    sherbert.  The fact that these were presented attractively made
    them seem special, the looks of the meal is so important.  As a
    result I didn't stray too far from plan.  Even less when you consider
    optional calories.
    
    The biggest threat that I see is the travel time.  With that much
    time in a car at stop at a fast(er than) food place is likely. 
    They have probably ruined more plans than anything else.  The main
    problem is the way all their food is prepared (fried), combine this
    with the hit or miss approach to these meals and we have a prescription
    for desaster.  At least nowadays even these places are providing
    some alternatives, but it is so easy to say 'what the hell'.
    
    Avoiding 'what the hell' takes some planning.  Never go into these
    places hungry.  This is rather easy to do, because you know when
    the meal is coming.  Often you get a half hour warning along the
    interstate with the signs.  Bring along some of your favourite fruit,
    and have a piece about half an hour to an hour before you stop for
    the meal.  Then when you stop it is easier to avoid compulsive 
    ordering.  Even if you up your daily calorie count because of the
    fruit, it is no way near as bad as some of the other evils that
    lurk behind those deadly arches.
    
    I like to compare thae aforementioned fruit fighting calories to
    using fire to fight a forestfire.  A few calories, like a backfire,
    carefully placed can do wonders in the battle against the calorie.
    
    I hope this helps.
    
    Good luck,
    
    -Joe
    
    PS  >> Remember, if you falter on one meal, just start up back on
           plan on the next one.

    Hi,
    
    I'll second Joe's recommendation about bringing fruit along. You
    can take that even further - pack all kinds of food that you "can"
    have. Even if you don't want to pack your main meals to eat while
    you are travelling (althugh, this is a good idea), cut up a bunch
    of raw veggies to munch on whenever you have the urge to munch.
    I know that I, personally, have a tendency to munch a lot while
    on long drives. And veggies are certainly better (diet-wise) to
    munch on than almost any of the alternatives. Also, what about some
    hot air popcorn? That's a good "munchie", too.
    
    Good luck!
    
    -Amy. 

I agree with both Joe and Amy.  PLANNING is the secret.  You might go
    one step further and write down the meals you intend to eat over
    the long weekend and stick by it.  Then you won't have to do your
    planning as you go (you'll be on a vacation from thinking about
    planning cause it will be done for you. 
    
    Both my husband and I got into a habit 15 years ago when we started
    WW to bring two small styrofoam coolers on car trips.  One to carry
    our cold items, quart of milk, quart of O.J. tupperware containers
    of cheese, mellon balls, raw veggies or whatever.  The second container
    carries our small box of cereal, sweet-n-low, bowls, spoons, cups,
    some bread or rolls.  This helps us with breakfast and lunch and
    then you need only be careful with dinner.  
    
    Have a good trip and good luck with your planning.
    
    Mary
    

    If you stop at a fast food place, get a salad or salad bar.  If
    you are at a "regular" restaurant, fish, chicken or salad will
    do.  Think about what you would eat if you were NOT on vacation,
    and try to eat the same way. It takes alittle more planning and
    time, but you can succesfully stay on your program.  If you stop
    somewhere that offers no alternatives, just go with what will cause
    you to go off program the least;  then you will have made the best
    choice, and just go back on program at the next meal.  Enlist the
    help of the folks you are traveling with so that you won't end up
    at Kentucky Fried Chicken or the local fried food place.
    
    Good luck, and stick with it.
    
    Val 
    

    Thanks for all the great suggestions!!  :-)!!  It's just my husband
    and I travelling, so I don't really have to worry about where we
    eat as he tries to help me out on things like that.  The suggestion
    about the two coolers is wonderful.  The only thing I can think
    of that will inhibit that is the fact that my husband likes hot
    breakfasts.  I'm happy with just cereal (especially if I have to
    cook the hot breakfast).  I really like the idea of carrying my
    own popcorn and fruit.  The raw vegetables can stay at home.  I
    don't like them, they don't like me, so we're even.  They give me
    indegestion.  I guess the thing that's bothering me most is that
    I've always liked to try new things when I'm away from home (especially
    desserts) and I feel like that's what I'm suppose to do.  I'd never
    had French Silk Pie until I went to New Orleans in November, probably
    still wouldn't know what it was if I hadn't ate it then!!  I'm just
    a country girl that likes to try new and interesting things!!! 
    I grew up eating beans, potatoes, corn bread and pork chops!!  Not
    steak and baked potatoes and salad.  Know what I mean??  Maybe I'm
    looking for somebody to tell me to go ahead and try those new things
    you see on the menu or the things I don't eat very often (veal
    parmesian (sp)?, chicken ala king, etc.)  I've always associated
    vacation and holidays with FOOD!!  That's the thing I need to get
    unaccustomed to.  I guess that's my major problem!!
    
    Keep the suggestions coming, I'm getting psyched up for this trip
    this way!!!!!!!
    
    Virginia

    You need to make up your mind that on this vacation you will NOT
    have anything you are not suppose to because you WANT to get rid
    of the weight so by the NEXT vacation you will be able to have an
    new possibly very fattening desert and have the people at the next
    table look at you and think "look how thin she is and she can eat
    that kind of dessert" instead of "look at that fat lady eating that
    dessert, she really doesn't need it."  
    
    Set your Goal and do what you have to do to get to it.
    
    Mary
    

    A few more suggestions to take with you on your vacation:
    
    1.	When choosing a meal, stay away from anything that is fried
    	or has a gravy or sauce.
    
    2.	Stuff yourself with salads using diet dressings.  If you can't
    	or don't think there will be any at the restaurants to go to,
    	bring your own and keep it in one of your coolers.
    
    3.	Try to get some walking in every day you're on vacation.  Try
    	to walk 30-45 minutes.  This will help offset some of the extra
    	calaries you will be eating.
    
    4.	REMEMBER - DECREASE THE FATS YOU EAT, INCREASE YOUR PHYSICAL
    	ACTIVITY.
    
    5.	When all is said and done, "ENJOY YOURSELF"; that's what vacations
    	are for.  REMEMBER, NO ONE EVER GOT FAT FROM A VACATION!!!
    
    
    Connie
    

    
    You and I need to change our ways of thinking of food.
    I to have a hard time but I want to lose this weight and
    by going to Weight Watchers and my Dr. I am learning to
    eat right..
    
    We need to not have food be the Center of our Lives.
    
    I may have said this to you before You are More Important
    then Food..
    
    
    Take care of you 
    
    
    Ann
    
    
    Ps let me know how you do.. we need to help each other
    through this..
    
    
    It will be hard as I will be at a Retreat and there is
    always alot of food at those.. and I'll be with a Friend
    that loves to eat also but I will be strong as my health
    is not good now.. 
    
    
    
    
    

    Sounds like you're pretty much set!  Getting psyched is a *big* part 
    of it.  If, deep down inside, losing weight has a higher priority than
    eating a given fattening food, you will be able to resist temptation.

    If your husband is supportive of your weight loss efforts, you might
    want to let him carry the money, and tell him that you don't want him
    to let you give in to any urges to buy candy, ice cream, etc.  To some
    extent it's a cop-out; will power should come from within. But it's
    okay to ask for help through a particularly rough spot. Just don't let
    it become a crutch, the absence of which becomes your excuse. 
    
    Beverly
    

    If munching in the car is hard, try to keep your mind off it.  Bring
    a magazine or a crossword puzzle, anything that will keep you from
    thinking about food.  
    
    Have fun!
    Linda

    Well, gang, I think I'm set for this trip.  Last night I made up
    some charts to write out everything I eat while we're on this trip.
    I even left a little space at the bottom to write out any notes
    I might want to make for my self.  I'm going to carry these in my
    purse so I'll have them with me at all times.  Also, something that
    really psyched me up this morning; I weighed and I have lost 5 lbs.
    since last Thursday!!  I think this will be enough to keep me from
    giving in to all goodies that may come my way because I sure don't
    want to gain it back.  ;-D    I'm so glad I weighed this morning!!
    I was going to weigh tomorrow, but I just couldn't wait!!!
    
    Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions!!!
    
    Virginia

    Try some of the new foods anyway!  But remember, if these are high
    calorie foods, you don't need to eat all of it (despite ALL those
    hungy children in Asia).  Just have part of the dish so you don't
    feel deprived.  If you'd have fruit, salad previously you won't
    be as hungry and it will be easy to send part of the disk back,
    feel good that you got to try something new and fun, AND, most
    importantly, feel good that you ARE staying at goal!
    
    Have fun!
    
    mary
    

Hi Virginia,

Have a great time!

Remember you're not going on a vacation to eat; you're going on a vacation
to see the sights, experience new experiences (?), do new things.  You have to
eat while you're there, too, for better or for worse :-).

A vacation isn't the only chance you'll have to try new food; you have your
whole life to do that.  No use trying to do it all now, especially since you
have higher priorities at the moment.  Don't feel like you're punishing
yourself, you're rewarding yourself with better health by losing your
excess pounds.  That's wonderful news that you're already lost 5 pounds!!

As was said earlier, no one says you have to eat everything you order.
Restaurants are known for serving twice as much as you should eat, even
when you're not trying to lose weight.  Don't eat for two!  If you really
feel like you have to have dessert at a restaurant, share one with your
husband, and make sure he eats most of it!  And don't eat it at all if you
don't like it after all (I made that mistake once, we ordered something and
it was disgusting!  I played with it, ate more than I should have (which
was none) and left it all  mushed up on the plate (well, it was mushy to
start with, some kind of mousse cake :-))).

We made picnic lunches on our last vacation when it was convenient; we picked
stuff up at a supermarket and put it in a cooler.  Even if you end up wasting
some things, it's bound to be cheaper than eating out (probably in calories
too!).

Most of all, I suggest you print out a copy of this topic and bring it with
you (since bringing the whole conference isn't feasible :-)).

Jill

    
    Virginia,
    
    How did you do over the long weekend ?  I kept real busy on my 
    Retreat and enjoyed walking on the Beach that I didn't even 
    think of eating and there wasn't alot of junk food so that was
    good as well.. When it was meal time I made good choices and
    didn't go for seconds.. 
    
    I didn't gain anything at all ..
    
    Take care
    
    
    Ann
    
    

    
    re: .14
    
    Ann -
    
    Good for you! 
    
    -Amy.

    RE. .14
    
    I did OK over the weekend!!!  I wasn't perfect, I will admit; and
    I'm not weighing until Thursday, so I don't know if I gained any
    or not, but I'm sure I didn't Lose anything!!  I don't feel bad
    about it, though (should I???).  I just got up this morning and
    got right back on track with my cereal and fixed my lunch for today.
    I was just sitting here thinking I need to go to the grocery store
    tonight and thinking of the things I need to get for me!! Fruits
    and veggies and more cereal and skim milk!!!  I had too much fun
    this weekend to worry about gaining weight and getting depressed
    over it!!  I feel like I probably got enough exercise to counteract
    any of the extra calories I shouldn't have had.  We even went on
    an 8 mile hike yesterday morning before we headed home and then
    stopped and went on a 1 mile cave tour!!  Plus all the walking we
    did Sunday at an amusement park and Saturday evening on the main
    strip of the town we were in!!  We walked ALOT!!!  Anyway, thanks
    for all the suggestions, and I'm back on track as of today, so wish
    me luck!!!!
    
    Virginia 

    Virginia, it sounds like you did fine!  I always figure that holding
    steady on a trip is acceptable - if you enjoyed yourself and didn't
    gain, it's easy to get back on track without feeling depressed about
    needing to lose the same weight over again.
    
    Keep it up!
    Beverly