the thing is plenty of fit people travel. spokes persons for fitness equipment and nutrition supplements are constantly traveling, and some of the women maintain a body fat of 10% or less. if they can do it, you can to. since you don't know what you're going to run into, you'll have to have a commitment to choose the cleanest food you can, as opposed to the saucy/lightly fried orange chicken at a thai joint. again, that salad with grilled chicken might not look as gratifying as the fried rice, or cream based spinach entree--but, you've got to reduce those foods to get a change.

try to eat 5 times a day, and don't worry if you end up eating late...

a good strategy for eating 5 times is 3 meals, with 2 protein shakes (yes, I said protein, not a sugary carb shake). sometimes I have a shake as late as 10pm, and it's better to have it to get in the 5 meals as opposed to not having it. find a good protein blend--whey, egg, etc. pack 2 shakers with the powder all ready in it. when you're ready just add water and shake it up. if you're out for several days, then pack a tubberware container with powder and the scoop for as many days as you need. take 2 shakers and you can rinse them out every night and be ready for the next day.

now, none of this is what I'd call easy. but, it's also not easy to have to buy bigger pants or feel bad over weight gain. within a short amount of time these adjustments are second nature. and results are worth the effort. if you can train for an IM, you can clean up your diet and make some "think ahead" preparations. remember, no excuses, you *can* do it.

kittycat

PS- for the record, holidays is just another excuse. there is always a reason to shove it in. if it's not the holidays it's something else. so, don't buy into to the thinking that you can't control yourself because it's Christmas or whatever. If anything, this is the most critical time of the year to watch it--there's all kinds of shit to eat and drink and people to rope you into doing it. Just remember that if you keep a reign on it, you'll emerge Jan 1 feeling proud of yourself and looking slim. That's a hell of alot better than a second piece of pound cake. you can do it.

Ive gained about 20lbs since IMWI in Sept. So some incentive to drop 30 would be nice.

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I don't have advice either, but just wanted to let you know you're not alone. I should be really happy with where I'm at now, having gone from the 170's to the 140's since I started triathlon, but its those last few pounds that I find really hard (and still working at). I can also totally sympathize about how hard it is to eat healthy when you're constantly on the road, having gained some decent amounts when I had to travel for work.

Someone mentioned eating more frequently, smaller dishes. Even if its a small container of yogurt. I think that helps a lot. I eat out with friends a lot but I've noticed that I can't eat as much in one sitting anymore. (Unless its really good.)

When you eat out, do you go to the same places or always somewhere different? I love good food, but my preference is smaller, family run restos. If I get to know the staff/cook its easier to ask for a smaller portion, or have half the dish put in a doggie bag etc. Recently I found a great Italian cafeteria/deli style resto near my gym. You can mix & match whatever pasta (amount too) with meatballs, salad etc. and that helps control size a lot too. Here in montreal, most bakeries also make sandwiches and those are great portions too. If you feel full, just re-wrap it and hold onto it until later. I guess what I'm trying to say is that there are places where you can choose sizeable portions that taste great and don't cost much. Ask students in your area where they eat. Usually they know about those great hidden restos that will do everything for you for a reasonable buck...

You are in Montreal???? That's my home town.. my biggest fear for the holidays.. I will be there for 2 week-ends in a row, and there are so many forbidden foods that I like there like poutine or all dressed potatoes chips! But I will behave.. By the way.. how is it running there these days? I have been training really weel, back on track and am worried about icy sidewalks for my sunday long run...

Marisol, I simply quit eating ice cream every night, and I'll lose about 1.5 lbs a week. OK, I know that didn't help.

As far as the Tanita scale, I get a reading every am and pm, chart both values, and draw lines to follow the trends. I've done this for years, and it's useful for revealing my weight, % body fat, and performance relationships over time. I find if I drop below 8% my performance suffers as my illnesses increase. I don't generally make it up in the double-digit range for long before I reel my intake/output back into a better balance. So, it is a good tool when used consistantly.

As far as it's use on a daily basis, this tool is mostly a decent way to determine fluid load...a high % body fat reading means to drink more today (doesn't matter if your weight is up or down, if your % body fat is climbing, drinking more will rehydrate you if that is the problem, and drinking more decreases your appetite some if that is the problem). Low % body fat with a higher weight reading means you're hanging on to fluid for whatever reason(s).

I'll be glad to hold you to a weekly reporting, if that helps you. You CAN control this, you aren't deep in the quicksand. We'll help!

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Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)

running? ha. ha... the last few days have been really bad. Last night was freezing rain, I had a .5cm layer of ice on the car, scraping the windows took at least 10 minutes. This morning the roads were SUPER slushy. Its -1C, that beautiful in between snow/ice/sludge stage. Tried to run on the weekend, the local outdoor track was an ice-rink and the sidewalks were all ice; the usual sloppy Montreal snow removal...

Poutine isn't forbidden. You're just only allowed to eat it once a month. Its also about frequency right? The less you have something you love, the better it tastes. I like sushi but I eat it so often with friends that now its just <shrug> "ok". You know, Cote-St. Luc BBQ has a chicken poutine? Or should I not have said that? I'll just shut my mouth now.

oh you are rubbing it in!! I haven't been to montreal since september.. does that allow me 4 poutines when I get there??? LOL Are you doing any longer runs?

I find the eating out part really hurts. For the past month or so, I've made a priority of eating at home more. What really helped was a cookbook called '5 Ingredients, 15 Minutes' from Cooking Light magazine. It got me out of the I-can't-think-of-what-to-make-for-dinner syndrome with some good ideas. It takes longer than 15 minutes to go out anyway. I haven't really done it to watch weight as much as money, but I think it helps control what I put in. Just a thought.

Marisol, I gained 6 pounds after Ironman CDA this year too! I've never been a dieter, but the extra weight was bringing me down, especially with a trip to Hawaii coming up. I cut out morning lattes, evening microbrews, and started eating more fruit and less food in general and I lost most of the weight in about 2 weeks. I also started aqua jogging, lifting weights, doing core exercises and using an elliptical trainer to supplement the 1/2 marathon training I'm doing. Totally worth it. It also helped to visit the tanning booth. I feel great!

I also noticed that with those few extra pounds gone, my running is easier and I feel better exercising in general. I was eating too much food and my body didn't need it. I fell into the "eat anything you want" trap of Ironman training. Next time, I'll be more aware of that.

If you want some extra support, send me an email, I'd be happy to help you stay motivated! I could use some support too ;)

I agree with smartasscoach - changing habits is the key. This past Lent, I gave up sweets, snacks, junk food (cookies, cake, chips, candy, soda, sweets, ice cream, etc.) and I lost weight and my love handles. I didn't change anything else in my diet or fitness and I lost and I wasn't even trying. All these things are tempting, and it's going to be hard at this time of year, but you just have to stick it out.