In her recent article for the Albuquerque Weight Loss Examiner, Marsha Thole provides a helpful guide for dieters on vacation. First, Thole spells out what typically goes wrong for dieters on vacation. Then, using tools and techniques from The Complete Beck Diet for Life, she describes what must be done in order for dieters to remain on track and stick to their plans.
Click here to read the full article.
When traveling and staying in a hotel, dieters may be tempted by the treats in their hotel rooms. Hotels are smart – they often leave a basket of snacks in full view so they can tempt people to spend money (Day 32 of The Beck Diet Solution). But dieters can take the basket and put it in a closet or cover it with a towel and develop a rule to always carry their own treats with them instead of eating anything from a minibar, basket, or snack machine. If they’re hungry, it’s important for dieters to remember that they’ll have their next planned meal/snack within a few hours or have breakfast the next morning (Day 16 of The Beck Diet Solution). We ask dieters to imagine if this were thirty years ago when there was no food in hotel rooms. What would they have done then?
Our dieter, Jason, had to apply this rule in a different way. He travels for business once or twice a month and there is always an abundance of snack food at the back of the meeting room. He often feels either bored or somewhat stressed during meetings and it is particularly difficult for him to resist the high fat, high sugar foods. Jasonknows that eating these snacks is contrary to his plan, that he will soon feel weak and guilty, and that he could gain weight, he still has a hard time resisting in the moment. Jason needs to read the advantages of losing weight just before each meeting. He’s also decided to make a rule for himself that he will not eat any snack food provided at meetings. It’s helpful for him to realize that he’s not alone—not everyone at the meeting eats these snacks between meals. Just like the minibar, he can’t give himself a choice about this or he will struggle every single time. As soon as Jason makes this rule and practices following it ten times in a row, it will become so much easier for him to resist and stick to his plan.
You may have noticed that we took a hiatus from the blog for two weeks. In addition to attending Thanksgiving and a family wedding in Tampa, we gave a series of workshops in California. Altogether, we were gone for 12 days in a row. It’s difficult to maintain your weight during holidays and special events and when you’re constantly hopping on and off airplanes and staying in a different hotel every night for 7 nights. But we did.
How did we manage? We’re committed to eating pretty much the same way 365 days a year. An important study by the National Weight Control Registry showed that successful maintainers are consistent eaters. Did we want to overindulge at Thanksgiving and the wedding? You bet we did. Did we want to pick higher calorie (and sometimes less healthy) meals at airports, hotels, and restaurants? Of course. But we didn’t, because we kept reminding ourselves that we wanted to be thinner and healthier. Was the restriction worth it? Absolutely. We felt good after every single meal and we felt great when we finally got home and stepped on the scale.
Now what works for us doesn’t work for everyone. Some dieters and maintainers do better if they plan in advance (Day 32) to have 300 or so extra calories a day at these times, but not more than that. They may gain a little weight, but that’s okay, as long as they eliminate those extra daily calories as soon as they return home. They have to be careful, though, that they don’t have too many special occasions at which they consume extra calories. And they have to be careful to plan to eat more, not just slip into eating more, since the latter strengthens their giving in muscle and weakens their resistance muscle (Day 11).
Anyway, it’s good to be back and we’ll continue to blog and let you know what’s going on.
We received this letter from a Beck Diet Solution reader and frequent traveler:
My concerns are that I travel nearly every week for work. I have been on the program at home so far which is easy. How will I be able to manage this when I am traveling? I think for those of us who are road warriors, we often find ourselves hungry, stressed, tired, and without many choices as far as what we can eat. I have been stuck in airports where there is little healthy food or stuck in airports when all shops are closed so that my dinner must come from a vending machine or I will not eat at all. This is true with hotels too. Sometimes I end up in a hotel which does not have room service so if I don’t eat before I get there, then I don’t eat! Here are some of my ideas:
-Continue to eat slowly while seated.
-Remember that it is okay to be hungry–I won’t die from it!
-Don’t get the key to the mini bar!
-Really watch portions and always get a salad.
-Avoid alcohol.
-Ask for crudités with dip on the side even if it’s not on the menu.
-Eat an apple before going out to dinner.
-Stay hydrated.
I don’t know if this is enough for me to be able to reduce my caloric intake enough to actually lose weight while traveling. Do you have any other suggestions?
We thought this letter was a great illustration of a problem many people face. The suggestions are excellent, and we have a couple to add:
1. Because you’re going to be eating out so much more when traveling and are at risk for taking in a lot more calories, consider ordering a salad with the dressing on the side and topped with a lean protein.
2. Plan ahead! If you know you’re going to be arriving too late to buy a decent dinner, bring travel-friendly food with you, such as tuna fish in a can or pouch, processed cheese that doesn’t require refrigeration, fruit, high fiber/high protein bars, or nuts.
3. Ask for a mini fridge for your hotel room and stock it with foods you can eat.
4. Try to avoid buffets, but if you do find yourself eating at them, survey all the food first, pick two or three things to eat, and then don’t go back for seconds.
5. When eating out, remind yourself that if you want to be thinner, you can’t have appetizers, bread with your entree, and dessert. Make compromises!
We also recommend you read (or reread) Day 32 of The Beck Diet Solution and if necessary, bring the book with you on your travels to keep everything fresh in your mind.
If you have any more suggestions, we’d love to hear them.
One of our new dieters, Sarah, had to go on a week-long trip because her two kids were competing in a roller derby competition. During class Sarah reported feeling nervous that she might end up gaining weight while on the trip because she wouldn’t really have opportunities to exercise. We brainstormed with Sarah ideas for how and when she could fit some exercise in. We first asked her if her kids would be competing all day, every day, or if there would be some down time during the day that she might be able to at least squeeze a few minutes of exercise in. After all, we reminded her, five minutes of exercise is better than zero minutes! (discussed on Day 9 of The Beck Diet Solution). Sarah acknowledged that her kids weren’t competing all day, and that there was actually a running track conveniently located just a couple of minutes from the roller rink. We then asked her what would get in the way of her slipping out for a little while each day to get some walking in, and Sarah admitted that what was holding her back was her reluctance to wear sneakers and shorts in public.
We’ve found that feeling self-conscious or embarrassed is a common problem for many dieters, particularly women, and they avoid a number of physical activities in which they would expose their body. We helped Sarah see that most people, if they noticed or thought about her at all, would only have a fleeting thought and then go on to think about other things. Some might even have a positive thought—“Good for her for exercising.” If they had a negative thought, though, what did it really matter? They weren’t important in her life. Another dieter in the class had a great suggestion, too, to ask another mom at the competition to walk with her, so she’d have company and feel less conspicuous.
Armed with a plan, Sarah walked several days during the week, stuck to her diet, and lost two pounds. Perhaps more importantly, she changed her ideas, became less self-conscious, and is now resolved not to let embarrassment stand in her way in the future.
In two weeks, Brenda is going on a week-long vacation to Jamaica, which she is very excited about. During the group this week, though, Brenda also voiced concerns about sticking to her diet while on vacation and she knows she’d better prepare in advance (Day 32 of The Beck Diet Solution). Brenda has been following a carb-counting diet, but she knows that when she goes to Jamaica she will want to sample the delicious local fruit and indulge in some tropical mixed drinks – all of which will pack in the carbohydrates.
We discussed with Brenda the fact that this is the reason we have our dieters initially pick two diets, so they can always have one on the backburner in case their primary diet isn’t working out (Day 2). The second diet Brenda had selected was a calorie-counting diet. She realized that this would be perfect for her trip, and that she doesn’t need to abandon her diet while on vacation, she just needs to be flexible and follow a diet that is more practical for her circumstances.
Counting calories while on vacation will enable Brenda to work reasonable amounts of local foods that her normal diet wouldn’t allow, and it will enable her to continue her weight-loss efforts even while traveling. Because she has gotten used to counting carbs, Brenda knows that she will have to bring a calorie-counting book with her to help plan her meals, but she knows that not gaining weight and feeling in control will make it well worth the effort. With her new diet in tow, Brenda is confident she will be able to fully enjoy her vacation without any repercussions on the scale.
In the meeting yesterday, Lori talked about what a busy week she has coming up. Lots of meals out, a business trip out of town, and on top of it, her birthday on Friday. In the past a week like this might have completely derailed Lori’s diet, but now she is going into it with confidence.
Lori has several strategies that will help her handle the coming week with ease. First she will make sure to eat a normal breakfast and lunch every day. Some dieters try to eat very little, if anything, for breakfast and/or lunch so they can eat big meals later in the day, especially if they are eating at a restaurant. Lori knows that this simply doesn’t work and that not eating enough in the beginning part of the day will only lead her to significantly overeat later on (discussed on Day 2 of The Beck Diet Solution).
Second, Lori is not at all concerned about her business trip because she knows that she will make wise decisions when eating out. Because she won’t have complete control over her food, Lori also knows that it’s possible she will feel more hungry than usual, but she also knows that this is not something to fear and she most definitely can tolerate it (Day 12).
Last, in terms of her birthday, Lori has firmly talked back to her sabotaging thoughts that in the past would lead her to have a really big blow-out meal. She now says that, “I know I have to eat mindfully for the rest of my life, so just because it’s my birthday, that’s not an excuse to eat a huge meal and dessert.” (Day 19). Of course, like everyone else, Lori doesn’t necessarily like that she can’t eat with abandon on her birthday, but she’s accepted it and moved on because for her, being thin is so much more worth it.
We had a special visitor during our diet group today, our colleague from Rome, Dr. Antonella Montano. During the meeting she talked about her impressions of food in America and the differences between here and Rome. Antonella reported that she was SHOCKED when she went to a US supermarket. She said in Italy, they have one or two varieties for most products, and the sizes are much smaller than in America. She was staggered by how many types of bread, snack food, cakes, and soda there were. For some products, like ice cream, Antonella couldn’t believe how big the containers are that you can buy. They don’t sell ½ gallon cartons of ice cream in Italy because people don’t eat that much! As Antonella says, in order to successfully handle the US supermarkets, “You have to be a warrior!” Because there are fewer options and smaller packages in Italy, making the right food decisions is easier there.
Antonella also pointed out some other differences in eating between Italy and the
U.S. She ordered a salad at a restaurant yesterday and said that this single U.S. serving would have been enough for five people in Italy. Also, in Italy they only put lemon, vinegar, and a small amount of oil on their salads, “not blue cheese dressing!” She further noted that in Italy, children are taught from the onset that you eat three meals a day, and maybe a small snack in between. There’s no eating all day in Italy as we sometimes do in America. In fact, restaurants often close between lunch and dinner, which forces people to stick to a more normal eating schedule. Antonella was surprised that you can get huge meals 24 hours a day in America. “You can always find a place to get extra food. In Italy it’s not like that.” 
We learned a lot from Antonella. We Americans tend to think our abnormally large portions are normal. Then when we restrict our eating to lose weight, we feel deprived (a problem dieters learn to cope with on Day 22 of The Beck Diet Solution)—instead of realizing that we are finally having the same reasonably-sized portions as much of the rest of the world.
Susan returned last night from her 10 day business trip and after weighing in today, was so pleased to see that she lost weight. After a week and a half of eating out for two meals each day and having very little control over her food choices, Susan could very easily have gained several pounds, so the fact that she actually lost is a real triumph.
Susan says that the most important thing she learned during her trip was that it’s ok to feel hungry (discussed on Day 12 of The Beck Diet Solution). Dieters often think that they should never be hungry, and that feeling hungry is somehow bad or wrong. Many dieters doubt their ability to tolerate hunger and so do things to avoid it, such as overeat at meals to ensure they don’t feel hungry before the next one, eat too many times throughout the day, or bulk up on food that are considered “free” on their diets. Susan herself used to do many of these things; in particular, she would snack throughout the day, thinking she would be unbearably hungry if she didn’t.
However, while she was on the trip, Susan found herself in meetings all day long. For most of the time, she either wasn’t given snacks, or when they were provided they were foods not on her plan so she couldn’t eat them. Susan often felt hungry between meals and for the first time gave herself no choice but to put up with it. This was a very important experience for her to have because she now realizes that it’s ok to feel hungry sometimes and that she most certainly can tolerate it. If Susan had given in to her hunger between meals, she would have eaten whatever snack they provided and most likely would have ended up gaining weight this week. She is happy that she lost weight and more importantly that she learned not to fear hunger. It’s a skill that will help her continue to lose weight and keep it off permanently.
In a few days Susan is leaving for a business trip. Knowing that eating and dieting can be much trickier when traveling, we sat down with Susan to devise an eating strategy for her trip (a skill discussed on Day 32 of The Beck Diet Solution). Eating at conferences can be difficult because mainly Susan will have to eat what they serve her. However, there are some small but crucial measures she can take to ensure that she stays within her diet.
First, we discussed with Susan her need and entitlement to make demands about how her food is prepared (Day 8). If she were diabetic or had serious health problems, she would not think twice about asking for her food to be prepared to her specifications. We reminded Susan that she truly is on a “medical diet” – indeed her doctor did tell her she needs to lose weight to be healthy – so she should not hesitate to speak up. One important modification Susan should make is to ask for her vegetables to be steamed, not sautéed in oil or butter. Another small change is make sure she gets her protein (fish, chicken, etc) grilled or broiled and with whatever sauce it is served with on the side. That way she can choose how much, if any, she wants to use. A third is for when she eats salad, ask for the dressing on the side, and always request a low-fat (or fat free) alternative. Because she is actually trying to lose weight and not maintain, Susan also decided that she will forgo desserts because she will not be able to accurately figure out the calorie-count. Instead, she can ask for fruit. (Day 30)
We also helped Susan devise several rules for herself that she will strictly follow while she is traveling. Setting rules is an important way to make dieting easier because it eliminates the struggle about whether or not you should or shouldn’t eat something (Day 16). Susan’s rules are:
1. Absolutely no dessert (except for fruit)
2. No Bread at dinner
3. No heavy sauces (on protein, salad, etc)
4. Only drink black coffee
5. No alcohol, including wine and mixed drinks.
We made Susan copies of her Rules so she can read them several times a day in preparation for travel, and while she is actually at the conference as well. Lastly, we talked about what to do if she slips up on her diet and engages in unplanned eating. If this happens, Susan needs to get back on track immediately, and not compound the problem by continuing to eat more (Day 20). With her eating strategy in place, Susan now feels confident that she can travel and stay on her plan.
The Beck Diet Solution
