Traveling

This was supposed to be a post about staying on plan when traveling.  But there's no way I can claim to have stayed on plan over the last week.  But I've learned that figuring out what went wrong can be just as valuable as what went right, so here goes...

When I got to the airport on Tuesday, things were going well.   I checked in for my flight, and walked past all the fast food.  I had mentally prepared myself for this walk.  I always get food at the airport, but when I really think about it, I don't need food at the airport.  I don't usually eat a whole meal at 4 in the afternoon, so why do I need something when I'm at the airport?  Armed with a good book, I settled in at the gate to wait for my plane.

I had planned ahead, and was planning on picking up dinner at the Whole Foods that I knew between the airport and my hotel.  Easy, less expensive than eating at a restaurant, and lots of low points options.

Easy, right?

Things started going downhill about 15 minutes before my flight was supposed to board.  I heard a garbled message that may have mentioned my flight, and when I saw people starting to line up at the gate, I asked around and realized my flight had been cancelled.  And the next available flight wasn't for another 5 hours!

Gone were my plans for an easy dinner in the hotel and a quick workout.  I had to eat in the airport.  There are not a lot of vegetarian options in the airport.  The only restaurant that seems like a good option is Panda Express, but their tofu dishes aren't actually vegetarian.  Also, I wanted a beer.  So I headed over to the bar.  Still not a lot of vegetarian options, and I was frustrated and already hungry, so I wasn't making good choices.  I ended up going with the nachos and, because I didn't understand what the waitress was asking me, a giant, $9 beer.  Even as I was drinking the beer and eating the nachos, I knew I didn't have enough points, but I ate it anyway.

This evening set the tone for the rest of my week.  WW wise, everything that could go wrong, did.  I forgot my workout clothes, so I couldn't take advantage of my hotel's gym.  The hotel didn't have a mini-fridge, so I couldn't pre-buy breakfast like I usually do.  After the airport debacle on Tuesday, I just stopped counting points, so I have no idea how much I ate.

I did make a point to eat smaller portions, but I don't think that will make up for everything else.

So what's the moral of the story?  Well, aside from not flying, it's planning ahead.  I should have has some snacks in my bag.  I like Larabars (Cashew Cookies are my favorites), fruit like apples and oranges, and almonds (especially the chocolate covered kind!).  I didn't pack these because it was only supposed to be a one-hour flight.  I also need to learn to not let my emotions order food.  I could have gotten a salad, and I would have felt better if I had, since the nachos weren't really that good anyway.

I also need to learn how to not let a bad day, or in this case, a bad evening, throw my entire week off.  I should have just tracked as best I could and moved on.  Also, I could have gotten some activity - I didn't have my workout clothes, but I did have my running shoes - there's no reason I couldn't have gone for a walk.  I need to learn that a bad day doesn't have to turn into a bad week.

I weigh in tomorrow morning.  I'm not looking forward to what I'm going to see, but if there is a gain, I deserve it.  But then it's a new week, so I can start over.