How Can I Stay on Track for Weight Loss While Traveling?

The question: How can I avoid packing on the pounds—and breaking my good habits—when I'm traveling?

The expert: Dawn Jackson Blatner, R.D., food and nutrition expert and author of The Flexitarian Diet  

The answer: The biggest thing Jackson recommends: staying on an eating schedule. It's easy to disregard normal mealtimes when you travel and just start eating random snacks in the car or at the airport—a bag of trail mix, then a coffee drink, then half of a scone. Instead of mindlessly munching, stop into a Starbucks—which you'll find in basically every airport—and buy a sandwich or salad (they list the calories on the back, so it's easy to pick something smart). If you actually sit down and look at your food and have a meal (not a snack), your mind will register what you're eating much more—so you're more likely to enjoy it and will naturally eat less.

If you're feeling really ambitious, you can even pack your own lunches and/or snacks. Jackson suggests cucumber, carrot, and almond butter sandwiches (vegetarian options are ideal since you don't need to refrigerate them). When it comes to snacks, fruits like apples, pears, and oranges are incredibly portable, as are portion-controlled packs of nuts and dried edamame. You can even bring packets of instant oatmeal and ask an airport coffee shop for hot water in a pinch. Or just save them for breakfast during your trip. (Even if your hotel offers free breakfast, it's a good idea to maintain at least one meal that you'd normally eat at home while you're away.) 

MORE: Top 28 Best Healthy Snacks  

Do some prep work beforehand, too: Look up healthy restaurants, grocery stores, or even chains you know have reasonable options near your hotel. If you can, book a room on the same floor as the gym, and stay committed to the habit of exercise, even if you're not working out at your normal intensity. That will make it all the easier to get back into your healthy habits (and hit the gym even harder) when you get back home.

MORE: Don't Let Traveling Mess with Your Weight-Loss Efforts

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