We started planning 3 weeks travelling in Europe. How was I going to manage eating 6 meals a day while in a country where I couldn’t read the menu?
I can remember the first time I went away for a weekend after starting Metabolic Precision. I was terrified! How was I going to prepare my meals and eat 6 times a day when I was driving to Melbourne, staying with friends and going to a 50th birthday party? Now all of those stressful times are just a distant memory. I have mastered my routine away from home and just take it in my stride.
Top tips for going away for the weekend.
- Plan how many meals you will eat while you are away.
- Know in advance the kitchen arrangements. (Is there a fridge and microwave you can use?)
- Take your food with you. Prepare and freeze meals and have enough supplies of fruit, protein powder and omega 3’s. Be sure to have freezer blocks or use a car fridge.
- Plan your other meals leading up to the weekend and allow your two mistakes for the weekend just in case things don’t go to plan.
- Don’t stress! It is a learning process and you have a lifetime to get it right.
So, after almost 3 years of following the Metabolic Precision lifestyle, I felt fairly confident when we set off for 3 weeks oversees. I knew I couldn’t take charge of every meal during our holiday, but I still set out a plan.
Top tips for travelling overseas:
- Take an emergency stash of food on the plane, (just in case the food is horrible). I took a few small protein bars and sachets of tuna for an emergency. These came in handy when “snacks” were distributed during the flight. Their idea of a snack was a bag of chips and a packet of two short bread biscuits! Take protein powder with you – this is able to be carried through Customs without any problems. I mixed some wpi in with a little tub of yoghurt they gave us for breakfast.
- Ask for the WHOLE 1.25 litre bottle of water from the hostess, instead of the 150ml plastic cup they give you. This helps with dehydration while flying.
- Book apartments to stay in with cooking facilities. Locate a supermarket that is nearby as soon as you arrive and do a little shop that will last you the duration of your trip.
- Take a container with you, or purchase one when you arrive. I found a great one that held enough salad and protein for the two of us. As well, take a small container for your protein powder and a shaker bottle. I took another take-away container with me that I used for putting chopped fruit into.
- Take a backpack with you so you can carry your meals and water.
- Enjoy the local food – while still making smart choices; (hold the fries, limit alcohol to 1-2 glasses, 2-3 times a week, chose lean cuts of meat and load up on the veg).
When we stayed with friends in Sweden, things became a little tricky. My pen-friend (of 30 years!) and her parents went to extremes to feed us fabulous food. My host Mum made special meals for us, including her homemade soda bread and other gluten-free goodies just for me. Of course I ate some of them. I had to exercise good old control and tried to stop at one piece. So, the 8 days staying with friends was not quite to plan. Did I stress? No! Previously I would have. I still made good choices and certainly looked forward to coming home and getting back into our “normal” eating pattern again. Even Steve commented that it was nice to be home and back to eating our usual foods again. It made us both realise that even having a few meals we were not used to eating had an impact on our energy levels, gut health and the tightness of our waistbands!
With Metabolic Precision, we have skills that helped us get back to plan as soon as we came home. There wasn’t too much damage done, we enjoyed the holiday and of course we are planning the next trip already!