The buddy system; how not to gain weight on your girlfriend getaway

Plan before you take off! (Me, Little Debbie, Mary Kay)

Spring is here and many of us are planning get-aways with our friends. First step, the mindset—this is your vacation and the last thing you want is for all of the cute pants you packed to be uncomfortably tight.

Stay healthy on your trip by following these tips:

•    Eat a substantial meal before the flight. Make sure it is protein-rich so that you won’t get hungry for a long time. If you eat mostly carbs, you’re going to feel hungry much quicker. For breakfast, try having hard-boiled or scrambled egg whites, yogurt, or cottage cheese. Sprinkle ground flax seeds or nuts on your cereal to add protein. Try plant-based proteins such as beans or tofu. You'll get the benefit of protein with the added bonus of fiber and healthy nutrients that are not found in meat.

•    Plan ahead and have protein snacks on hand. Carry nuts, soy nuts, low-fat string cheese, or single serving sizes of yogurt or cottage cheese in your bag.

•    Stay hydrated. If you’re uncomfortable with having to get out of your seat to use the restroom, at least drink lots of water the day before and up to a few hours before the flight. You do not want to be dehydrated while traveling because that can lead to constipation, dry skin, and feelings of lethargy and irritability.   

•    If you’re bringing food on the plane for a major meal like dinner, keep a small sample size of antibacterial hand cleaner in your bag or a moist towelette with your meal or in your purse. There could be a line for the restroom and no other way to wash up before eating

•    Pack a meal that requires no cleanup or permanent containers. Be respectful of your fellow passengers and avoid foods such as really loud crunchy things or extreme garlic-y or smelly items. Cheese or nuts with sliced fruits and vegetables make a really good mini meal. Many fast food restaurants make delicious and healthy salads for about $5. Try Wendy’s Mandarin Sesame Chicken Salad, McDonalds Southwest Chicken Salad or Burger King’s Chicken Caesar Salad. The Trader Joe’s salads are very compact and perfect for air travel as well. My absolute favorite airplane meal is the just-add-water soups that come in cardboard cups, along with a PB&J made with Better'n Peanut Butter, low sugar jam on high fiber, low calorie bread. It's lightweight, yummy, nutritious, and just so simple. Plus, it takes a long time to eat because the soup is hot (and it’s nice to have something hot on those cold airplanes). This total meal is only about 350 calories. I love to surprise the girls with something home cooked. For our upcoming trip to Chicago, I'll be making HG's 222-stuffed Chick Cordon Bleu the night before, wrapping it up, and bringing that on the plane with little paper plates and small plastic forks and knives. 

•    For shorter flights, eat a protein-rich meal before flying and bring along some homemade trail mix in small disposable bags for snacking. If you measure out your trail mix, it’s much easier to keep track of your calories and not overdo it. Try nuts, dried cranberries, Cheerios or popcorn, and chocolate chips measured out into 200 calories each. That should take the edge off of your hunger, keep your blood sugar levels even, and taste delicious.

•    Keep a food journal while traveling and you will rarely gain weight. It really works. Logging what you eat allows you to see how much eating is done unconsciously. You might have completely forgotten about the French bread with the pat of butter you had with dinner the night before. But if you write it down, chances are you’ll skip the croissants and have some fresh fruit for breakfast instead. According to many studies, people who started keeping a food journal discovered that they had been underestimating their daily intake of calories by about 1,050 calories. On a week-long vacation, that’s a weight gain of about two pounds.

•    Stock your hotel room with healthy foods. It’s so easy to forget good eating habits while traveling and before you know it, you’re miserable with that oh-so-not-regular feeling. A simple fix is to keep a basket of fresh, high fiber fruit in your hotel room. Apples, oranges, pears and tangerines are great. Don’t forget the bottled water. Purchase water at a local grocery store to avoid the high cost of the hotel’s bottled water. Packing water ahead of time isn’t a good idea because water is heavy.

If you follow these tips, along with all the walking you'll be doing, not only will you not gain weight, you might even find your pants are more comfortable! If you did the best you could, for example gained only one pound where in vacations past you may have gained five (guilty),  please look at the bright side. You were still on a fabulous trip with your best gal pals. You will simply dust yourself off, and go right back to making good food choices.  You will accept yourself for the goddess you are—something the Modern Love Examiner, Tinamarie Bernard covers in Built for comfort, not speed.

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