Hotel eating

[knt]

Hi Jeff

I attended the 3-Day Intensive Program last September and have been adoptinng the lifestyle since then.

I have a trip coming up next week and I am having hard time planning for it. It's a seminar for work and I will have to stay for 3 days in the Marriott they have booked for me (no option to get a different hotel with small kitchen). In past, when I have requested a microwave in the room, the answer has always been a resounding no (they probably want me to spend money at the restaurant on premise). I will not have a rental car, so going off premise for a healthy meal is also not an option. So I need to manage 3-days of food with a mini-fridge and coffee maker or order from their restaurants.

I find that oatmeal is pretty easy to get in any hotel breakfast. But I struggle to find oil-free starches in hotel restaurants. Have you had any success ordering other "off-menu" items for lunch or dinner?

What other foods can I pack with me? Lack of microwave is an issue as I find cold foods (e.g. refrigerated baked potatoes) hard to eat.

Thanks in advance

[JeffN]

I’m moving this to an open forum where others can respond tilll I can get back to you

Here are some previous responses to the questions

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=29837

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=31525

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=37110

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=44593

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=57119

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=11333



Planning ahead is key!

Jeff

[Michele613]

Hi there.....I have been in similar situations and have survived but wasn't all MWL foods. I brought instant oatmeal and frozen fruits like blueberries, mango or whatever got my attention (defrosted in hot water). I brought veggies (and a cutting board that maybe weighed 5 oz made out of 'something' and a cutting knife. I made my own dressings. I brought cold potatoes and made my own potato salad with dressing and veggies .... sometimes I made it in advance and brought it. I brought cooked noodles (not MWL) and veggies or other pre-cooked foods in ziplocks and let them sit in heated water from the coffee pot provided and then added veggies etc. It was no big deal to bring a bowl, plate and flatware so I could eat like a real person....I made myself a pleasant environment for eating and was quite contented. Maybe some of these ideas will help. You can do it. Congrats on starting in September and moving forward. Food when travelling can be intimidating but it can also be smooth sailing once you get it down. All the best

BTW I packed food items in a light-weight cooler bag with some ice paks if necessary depending on how far I was going.

[MINNIE]

I have always managed to stay compliant while travelling, but it does take some strategy.

If you have room to pack a compact-sized rice cooker, you can make rice obviously, but also throw in some frozen or fresh veggies to cook at the same time. You can make instant McDougall (or other compliant soups if available) soups in a coffee maker , which most rooms have. I also bring a can opener so I can have canned beans, cold or heated in the rice cooker.

If there is no microwave in the room, check with hotel staff to see if they will let you use one that may be located in their break room or some other part of the building. They may say no, but it's worth asking.

None of these are as good as home cooking, but they have gotten me through a few days of hotel living.

[GeoffreyLevens]

I've been to 4 day event couple times at big resort hotel. I called ahead and talked with kitchen staff over the phone. Turned out I could, by asking waiter, get pasta with no oil etc and steamed veg, plain baked potato, oatmeal with fruit on the side, and "dinner salad" without dressing. Kept fruit and Ezekiel bread in my room and made it through quite well.

[knt]

Thanks all for great suggestions.

Overall, it went pretty well. I called the hotel to ask about the microwave but the answer was no.

Before checking into the hotel, I made a trip to a grocery store and got some essentials: rolled oats, almond milk, bananas, blueberries, apples, oranges, canned black beans, and salsa. I also brought with me a couple of small glass bows (with lids) and a can opener. I felt a bit awkward checking into a fancy resort with large Trader Joe's paper bags. But nobody noticed/mentioned it - so I guess sometimes we judge ourselves more than others do. This ("I don't want colleagues to make fun of it") had been my excuse for not eating well when traveling. Having done it once successfully, I feel more confident about repeating in future.

My meals:
* Breakfast: overnight oats with bananas and berries. I could have gotten steel cut oatmeal from the hotel but making my own allowed me to skip the hotel buffet. I didn't want to get tempted by oily potatoes and sugary pastries.
* Lunch and dinner: I ordered plain steamed brown rice from the hotel and mixed it with the black beans and salsa. Tasted delicious. The first time I called to order the rice, the person on the other end asked me three times if I just wanted just plain rice. The delivery showed up to my room with a side of complementary fries! It was almost as if they wanted me to fall off the wagon so I don't order more special request foods. Needless to say, I sent the fries back and they got my order right for the rest of stay
* When I got hungry beyond these meals, I just snacked on apples and oranges.

I was able to eat like this for 95% of the stay (which is 95% better than what I am used to doing on such trips). The couple of times when I had minor slip-up were during my meetings/conference where the food was brought to the room and I reached for them without realizing what I was doing. But I was able to catch myself in the act and control the damage.

This trip allowed me to escape the deep freeze in Chicago and spend a few days in sunny Southern California. I tried to have a positive attitude about that rather than getting caught up in blaming work and travel for bad eating habits. This helped me tremendously so stay on track.

[Michele613]

Welllllllllll....applause....applause !!! Job well done. Sounds like you aced it. Preparation is key and you did your homework. Wonderful. Each success helps bring us future success...practice makes perfect (at least almost perfect). Keep it up.

[Drew_ab]

You should be proud of yourself for finding a way to successfully navigate your stay. A few months ago I had a 4-day trip and lived off of organic rolled oats + hot water from the coffee maker and a few fruits/vegs that didn't require refrigeration.

[knt]

Thank you thank you!