I just spent a week 3000 miles away from home, my JC counselor, and my routine. This business trip was something I was excited about for the project itself but my weightloss goals, I was concerned. So here is what I did, hopefully one of you will find part or all of it useful.
I took Sugar Free powdered coffee creamer with me so I could stay away from the full fat (empty calorie) stuff! This was a life saver.
I took my cookie & cream bars with me and put one in my purse each morning before I left the hotel.
For breakfast I ordered room service: 1 piece of rye toast, 1 egg cooked over hard, 1 side of seasonal fruit. I took half of the piece of toast, cut a portion of the egg that was the same size as the toast (approx the size of the palm of my hand), put the egg on the toast and ate. I then ate what I knew to be approx 1 cup of the fruit. A couple of the days I just ordered fruit and toast and would eat both halves of toast. *Room service brings portion sizes that are too big, so portion out what you know to be the right amount and then only eat that. If you think the rest will be a temptation then soak it in water or take the lid off the salt and pour it all over the food. Sounds crazy I know, but sometimes you must do the thing that will keep you from the food.
Each morning the team stopped at Starbuck's on the way into the office, so I considered this my splurge for the week. I ordered a tall, non-fat, sugar free vanilla latte with no foam (they call it a "Skinny" - someday I hope to be!). In the five day work week I had this three times.
For lunch I was at the mercy of either what was brought in for the team or going out. I actally preferred to go out because I had more choices. On the brought in days I did the best I could. One day was greek so I had grilled chicken and salad (actually pretty good) but on the pizza day I was a bit stuck so I had two slices of cheese (stayed away from calorie loaded toppings). On the go out days, one I was able to order a salad with dressing on the side, the other was Sushi (ordered for me by project lead) so I had a couple of bites of everything and drank about 5 glasses of water. I really thought the sushi day was going to do me in but I did not let it become an excuse to derail me (this is what I would have done in the past). I told myself it was one meal, it was behind me and I could still make good choices the rest of the day/week.
For dinner I ate salmon 3 times, chicken 2 times and salad. Honestly, I wished I could have just ordered a large plate of steamed veggies by mid week because for the first time in my life I craved them! This is a mind bender for me; I have never really been a veggie craver.
Another sticky spot on this business trip was alcohol. Wine ordered for you or the offer to get a drink from the bar. I was gracious to order the obligatory glass but I only finished it twice, the other times I sipped. On the celebration night at the end of the week I admittedly had two glasses however I then did not order dessert when everyone else did. I didn't order dessert at all during this week. AMAZING FOR ME!! This is the victory I will walk away with forever. Although there is sweet treats on the JC plan, it is the one area that I haven't quite figured out the translation to the real world. It was easier for me to stay away from these types of foods, then over do it. Was this easy? It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. The truth is, there was a sweet satisfaction in the decline of dessert. Also a very new concept for me, but one I don't mind getting used to.
Here is where I saw the biggest notice in myself: There were donuts, muffins, cookies, bread, and candy on display for our team every minute of every day and I did not partake of these things. I have lovingly labeled them "Trigger Foods" and I know that if I have a little, I will have a lot, so I have none. It's not deprevation for me, it's awareness of my weakness and victory over food controlling me.
I hope this is helpful information for one of you out there. I hope you find what works for you! I cheer and praise you on to victory! Please have the same for me as I continue to strive toward my goal!
Best Regards,
C

Fantastic job!!! Even better than your food choices is the realization that you PREFER to eat this way. Finding satisfaction in exercising your free will to actually CARE for yourself is huge!!! I'm so very happy for you! And did I read your signature right? Did you lose 5 pounds over the past two weeks even WITH this trip??? That's absolutely AMAZING and proof to all that it can be done. I'm so proud of you!

Christie, you have written a very inspiring story. You are the perfect example of "Change your mind, change your life." Not only are you feeding your body the right way, you are also feeding your brain the right thoughts for your goals.

Way to go!!! We are all so happy for you!


Aviva

Thank you both for your kinds words and continued encouragement! It is ladies like you that make this journey fun and good for my soul!

WOW! Very impressive! You should be so proud of yourself - you did a great job!

Continued success to you and thanks for sharing your tips, etc. You're quite an inspiration to the rest of us!

Mary

Great Job!!! Way to go Christie, you did fantastic and are very inspiring!!! Be very, very proud of yourself.

I'm doing a happy dance for you.

Mo