How to lose weight when I travel so frequently

[Mommybunny]

I have a job that requires me to spend 50% of every month (with at least one day per week) in London, and I live about 3 hours away from there. This is a fairly new situation for me, as until recently I lived closer to the office. It’s also a situation I basically have to put up with for at least the next year. So every week I spend a night or 2 in a cheap hotel in central London and my weight and general health (and bank balance!) are really suffering.

In eating every meal away from home when I’m gone I’ve been grabbing a lot of fast comfort food because (a) there is so little that is actually healthy on offer to take away (there is only so much sushi I can eat), (b) I’m trying not to spend too much and (c) I sort of feel, very counterproductively, that I “deserve” something pleasurable. But I can’t go on like this. Five years ago I lost 10kg and I can’t bear to think how much of it I’ve gained back (I haven’t looked - I want to bring the situation under control first!).

Any ideas for ways to manage this are appreciated. I have no facilities really (except I suppose in the office) to heat or chill food I bring from home (nor much luggage space). I have access in the office to a halfway decent canteen with a salad bar for lunch and breakfast. I’m generally an omnivore but I have found myself quite limited in what I actually get - one reason is that portions are usually too much for me and I can’t bear wasting food (and the money I spent on it). Although I do love me my wine, I do avoid it when I’m traveling, especially when I’m alone.

Many thanks.

Take as much food as you can with you - healthy snacks, fruit etc.
carry a water bottle so you don’t get dehydrated and mistake it for hunger.
pack a set of cutlery so you don’t have to use that nasty wooden stuff you now get with takeaway food.
Walk or run in the evening or before work if you can, or find a hotel with a gym.
Dont be afraid to ask for modifications to what’s listed on a menu e.g. swap chips for potatoes or salad, ask them to leave the dressing off.
for supermarket “takeaway” i often get a big salad bowl from the grocery rather than takeout section, a tub of no drain tuna or packet of cooked chicken, and a bread roll off the bakery counter. With a yogurt and a piece of fruit that’s quite a filling meal.

Thanks @MiddleAgedDread.

I do take a couple days’ worth of fruit with me, and I do have a set of cutlery in my handbag (I HATE wooden cutlery - something about my tongue touching it sends shivers down my spine). I “close my fitness ring” for whatever that’s worth every single day. I can’t afford a hotel with a gym!

I should be better about water - I just dread needing the loo when I’m out and about on my walks and not being able to find one.

Great suggestion on the supermarket salad and will do that! But sometimes I just want a hot meal - again, needing some comfort…

I know what you mean about the hot meal! Does the canteen do a hot option at lunchtime? If I was in the office with a decent canteen I used to often get a hot lunch and then salad or sushi in the evening.
also check out restaurants for things like grilled chicken and jacket potatoes - sometimes the big chains do simple things fairly well. Nando’s, Wetherspoons, pizza express pizza with a hole in the middle, noodle bars etc. That said, I’m always on expenses so don’t worry too much about cost!

Canteen does do hot food - I suppose I need to resign myself to not having a hot dinner if I’ve had a hot lunch.

I will look more diligently into the options you mention at the chains. Thanks again!

I'm based in London but live a similar distance and so I usually stay over night one or twice a month to meet my office quota.

I also like a hot meal after work even though in the summer at home I'd quite happily have something light and cold. I also like my wine but am not as disciplined and tend to have a glass or two.

I always take lunch with me for two days even if it's something simple like a can of soup or something I can store in the fridge. For breakfast I keep porridge pots in my locker which I take down when I'm not staying over. For dinner I have used packet couscous in a pot with a lid and added cooked chicken. Other option is a thermos and microwave the food before you leave. I have plastic picnic plates that are easy to carry and don't take up much space

I was in this situation not so long ago but three days a week. I won’t tell you how much weight I put on but I’m still struggling to get rid of it.
What I started doing towards the end of the stint was prepping food to take with and storing things in the fridge at work:
First day: Travel early, light breakfast when arriving at office, a main meal in the canteen at lunchtime and I’d bring a kilner jar with fresh chopped veg, fresh noodles, a cooked protein and seasoning as a home made “pot noodle” for the evening (just add boiling water from the kettle). For the second day, I’d do the same brekkie and lunch wise and I’d have brought something like a chunk of home made frittata/spanish tortilla or a nice burrito wrap thing with salad. Mix it up with “hotel room picnic” - mini cheeses, bit of charcuterie, some olives.
However the premium option: My preferred place to stay is premier inn, not just because the rooms are a decent size and the beds comfy, but they always have microwaves for heating baby food up. The staff will generally not question you rocking up with a healthy ready meal, fresh soup or a Tupperware of something and zapping it for a couple of minutes. Just remember to bring a carry bag or something to take it back to your room to avoid scalding your hands.

Some great ideas here @mywoowoo and @TiredCatLady , thanks!

I’ve been staying in a Premier Inn Hub, where the rooms are comfortable but not at all spacious. There is no kettle, but I think I can get hot water in the restaurant (not sure about a microwave). There are plenty of grocery stores nearby - I just need to be more creative about using them for dinner (and facing up to meal prepping at weekends).

Any other suggestions gratefully received but I feel better now.

I have similar problem - though I’m lucky enough to be on quite generous expenses - scaling back the meals is my issue when in a hotel 3 nights a week.

No kettle! That’s brutal. I think the hub locations still offer 24 hour inclusive hot drinks though, so potential for access to hot water.
However, alternate solutions: you can get folding electric travel kettles for about a tenner. They’re light and don’t take up much bag space. There are slightly better non folding ones that are about the size of a thermos (and look like one) for about £25.
I’m the sort of person who it’s not safe to be around if I haven’t had a cup of tea first thing… and the above are great for taking away on holiday to places where kettles aren’t the norm.

Lots of soups and salads available to take away from Pret etc or buy at supermarkets- M&S salads are good.

As a more radical solution, have you considered looking for a room as a lodger in a home instead ? Could be cheaper and you get access to kitchen. Try the Monday to Friday website?

It's been a few years since I travelled to London regularly but if you're after a nice hot meal in the evening some ideas...

Itsu - food generally on the healthier side if you choose sensibly

A burrito - go heavy on the veg and chicken, light on cheese and sour cream

An Italian restaurant - pomodoro or arrabiata pasta or a risotto shouldn't be too bad

A noodle bar should offer plenty of things that aren't too bad and not too expensive

I understand what you mean about feeling like you deserve it at the end of the day though. Sushi at St Pancras on my way home was a frequent treat for "surviving" a London work trip!

Buy fruit
m&s do good salads and calorie controlled food options
Consider Huel?

id also consider something like a pure gym national membership or similar and then you can hit the gym when in London.

breakfast get an egg pot from Leon / pret or similar

If you take a takeaway, can you eat half a portion and take the other half for lunch the next day?
Our Indian takeaway serves portions that are enough for dinner and lunch and I also use the leftover sauce for cooking, so effectively three meals out of one.
I find it helps to choose vegetarian, usually the meals are lower in calories than the meat options.

I have this issue so usually go to Itsu and just get the veg gyoza’s as they are hot, cheap and low calorie.

Someone upthread suggested Huel, which I second as they are calorie controlled and very filling. Also fairly cheap if you get them from Boots or H&B.

Pret have also started doing half sizes which I love as I still get a treat but don’t end up eating an entire baguette.

I agree with a PP that it might be worth getting a national gym membership at somewhere which has a branch near your house and wherever you stay in London. You could do a class or work out before or after work.

Re: food, it’s hard to know precisely what to suggest because it depends on where you are. Are you eating in restaurants or getting food to eat in your room? If eating in your room and there aren’t many healthy options nearby, maybe use Deliveroo or Uber Eats and get a healthy meal delivered to the hotel?

If you are eating in a restaurant then it’s a matter of making the right choices. But there are lower calorie options that still feel like a treat. A good ramen for example - usually only about 600 calories but filling and delicious.

Really feeling motivated by all the replies and helpful suggestions - thanks all!

I still have my WW app (I constantly live in hope I will get back on track with it) and when I checked it out this morning I could see they’ve given it a bit of an update that had some really good tips and ideas - for example, a Nando’s chicken butterfly, corn on the cob with no butter and tenderstem broccoli is 6 points! Also some good ideas for how to build meals when travelling. One thing that will definitely help that has helped in the past is tracking what I eat. I find it such a drag but it’s so important.

Happy trails everyone!