I travel for work as well, and it can be really tough.  How about trying to keep low carb when you’re in China?  (ever try to say “sauce on the side” in mandarin?  I might have ended up ordering helium balloons sauteed with a spoon - and it came with sauce on top :-)  I only traveled once since NT, and found it was easy.  If I can eat anything without worrying about the carb/fat/gluten/protein content of something, there’s suddenly plenty around.  I did bring a big container of protein/meal replacement powder (GNC has some good brands).  You can grab a bottle of distilled water, add the powder and shake (some are pretty tasty, as well as nutritious and filling).  I’ve also been known to bring a jar of peanut butter, then buy apples and bread at the local market.  There’s almost always a chance to pull out the apple, sometimes I have to be a little sneakier about the sandwich.  However, outside the US, cigarette breaks are pretty common.

The meal powders work on the plane too, since you can bring a package of the powder through security.  These days, everything else has to be bought after you get through the gates - they wouldn’t even let my son take his rice krispies treat.

That being said, I’ve never been on the road for a month.  I’d like a full set of notes when you get back! 

Safe travels!!

What about no sugar added oatmeal packets, nuts, bread, peanut butter, or anything else that might handle being without a refrigerator? 

What I would also say, is that the situation is VERY challenging, but it falls under the theme of needing to ask for what you need when you need it.  If you need a quick trip to the grocery store upon arrival, maybe there can be some way to ask for that.  Jean has said its nobodies business but our own what we eat and when we eat.  This is an extreme circumstance because others have to be aware of most of your eating, it can’t be done in private.  But it needs to happen.

What would it take for you to feel empowered enough to ask for that?  I know I will be more comfortable eating in public when I am thinner, but I will never be thinner if I don’t eat in public!

Good Luck!

Okay Beth, you ARE going to be empowered on this trip, and you are going to stand firm in the NT principles and not give ANY thought to what other people may or may not be thinking of you and your eating habits.  It won’t be easy being on the plane and in a foreign country,  but you will do the best that you can do in all of your situations, every single day that you are away from home.  That means, you’ll seek out the best quality food when you can, and eat it when you can. If you get sick, you get sick.  But you’ll know you did the best that you were capable of doing, and that’s all any of us can do. Bravo to you for thinking about this ahead of time, and next time you travel you’ll know what worked well and what didn’t, and maybe have more ideas to apply the next time.  Then when you get home, you’ll want to post about your eating experience during your travels, because you’ll want to give encouragement to any NTers that come after you who need to travel, and they’ll be thrilled to read about your determination and how you stood firm!  Go Beth!

Thanks for your advice and encouragement Matty, Amanda, and Swan.  It really is helpful towards believing I CAN do this.  I’m not sure how, but I’m going to do my best.  Do you think there’s any advantage in doing your best, even if it still means I might go hungry sometimes?

I remember reading a post a while ago where Jean said that even going hungry a few times a month could keep your body from believing the famines were over.  Could someone define “going hungry” for me?  Is it going 1/2 an hour past hunger?  I think I did that yesterday due to poor planning.  Then I grabbed a bag of potato chips because they were the only thing available for quick fuel and ate dinner as soon as I could get home.  Is that going hungry?  I’m trying SO hard to eat as soon as I get hungry and not to go more than 15 minutes past my first hunger signal.  I gotta be honest though, it feels a bit like BEING in food jail to have to drop everything and eat the second I get hungry.  But I really am invested in convincing my body that the famine is OVER.

Beth,

I can tell you from personal experience with NT, that going hungry, even just a few times a month, will result in no weight loss, and even possibly weight gain. I have to eat as soon as I feel hunger. For seven years with NT I waited to eat, sometimes up to an hour, most times less then that. Not only didn’t I lose weight, but I continued to gain. I have been eating now as soon as I feel hunger for several months, and have lost five pounds. Although that doesn’t sound like much, it’s a big deal to me, and so much better then gaining.

Kelcy

Hi Kelcy,

Thanks for your response.  Five pounds sounds like a big deal to me as well.  I really do try to eat when I get hungry.  yesterday was just awkward planning.  Looking at it in retrospect, I could have done better.  I just didn’t think I could.  I was in the middle of a meeting when the hunger hit.  I ate something (potato chips) as soon as I was at liberty to do so, then ate a proper meal when i got home.  It was about an hour between hunger and real food.  Maybe 20-30 minutes between hunger and potato chips.  I should have had something with me - nuts or something - to carry me through.  I need to run to the grocery store and stock up on handy real food.  Maybe I’ll just stroll the aisle looking for those very things. 

How do you manage instantaneous eating?  If I’m just around the house on a Saturday, or working from home, it’s doable, but on days when I’m in and out of meetings all day, it gets awkward.

thanks!

Beth

Beth, if you feel you are at all “famine sensitive”, Kelcy is right.  But you ate something at least, much better than nothing at all.  I have always felt I am not as famine sensitive as others, I think I have more leeway than others might in regard to eating immediately in response to hunger, but I nevertheless still try to eat as soon as possible.  I will have more to post later, with some suggestions, but my daughter is waiting on me to go somewhere with her.  But I’ll be back!

And Kelcy- - - -  what a H-U-G-E   D-E-A-L!!!!!!!  Five pounds is big-time weight loss in Naturally Thin land!

Yes, I do feel that I am famine sensitive.  In fact, on the test in BOOFJ, I scored a 15.  7 meant that you were famine sensitive.  so yes, I just need to do it.  It’s getting harder to plan now that the weather is HOT.  I was leaving home at 9 yesterday, being out and about to meetings, then coming home after 4.  I didn’t see how I could take stuff with me, but I should break out the cooler and a lot of ice.  Just need to plan better.

Normally, I do eat as soon as I am hungry.  There are rare occasions where I go maybe 1/2 hour past hunger, but I try to keep them very rare.  But…if it needs to be never, that is going to be a challenge.  I’d love to hear strategies.

Kelcy, hearing about you and the 5 pounds made my day!!! You’re doing it, I’m so happy for you.

Beth, I’ve found a new energy bar I really like, its called Pro Bar and my favorite flavor is Koka Moka (chocolate/coffee). I consider it healthy, real, and a godsend. I can carry it in my purse or in the car. They are spendy (about $3 at Whole Foods on sale) but it is around 360 calories and mostly good stuff and it does tide you over in emergencies. You can save money buying them at amazon.com in the box but I would try a few different flavors first and see what you like. Seriously, these are the best energy bars I’ve found, for me they really work, and they tast great. They are full of nuts and seeds, too. They are easy to eat because you can just break off a little at a time and eat it quietly… they’re not noisy. Good luck!

Kelcy - congrats on figuring out how to eat better and honor your hunger better! 

An idea has been growing on me lately, related to strategizing and “stopping when full”.

“Stop when I’m full” should mean “physically full” but it’s often the case that I keep eating just a little more because I’m not “mentally full” - maybe the word is “contented”.  When I’m done eating, I should feel like I’ve been “refueled”, but in reality, I don’t stop until I feel I’ve “renewed my resources”.

In particular, when I’ve gotten too hungry while I’m running errands or in a long meeting, I’ve spent that extra half hour thinking about how hungry, tired and *deprived* I am.  So it’s going to take more to make me feel “renewed”, thus I eat past “refueled.”

It was power bars that brought this to my attention.  I love power bars, I make my own and they travel anywhere.  Then I noticed a weird thing: if I’m home, I’ll happily have a bar and a glass of milk for lunch.  However, if I’m running errands, sitting in my car and having the same bar and carton of milk leaves me still hungry, and resentful that I’m stuck eating something I don’t want.  When I actually do get home, I usually end up eating a second lunch, even if I’m not all that hungry.  I think the difference is that “mental fullness” factor.  I don’t like eating in my car, rushed, feeling like an alien in a pod, sealed off from the rest of the world.  Because I’ve been running around, I have a much greater need to slow down and “renew my resources” than usual, and I take it out on “refueling”.  So now I stop, find a picnic table, and have my bar and milk in the open air, or a slice of pizza in a deli somewhere.  It’s made a big difference in how I respond to food when I get home.

Does any of this make sense to any one but me, or am I overanalyzing?

Hi Matty,

It makes sense, but I’m wondering if you don’t just have a different need for fuel when you’re out and about running around vs. being at home.  I know that when I’m just hanging about the house, I’m less active than when I’m on the go.  Perhaps the fuel need is different.  I’m not sure what’s in your energy bars, but I don’t think that one of them and a glass of milk would be enough for me.  In fact, I’m sure it wouldn’t.  Every body’s different though, right?

I think that it’s awesome that you stop at a picnic table.  Way to take care of yourself!  If I’m understanding things right though (and I may not be, someone correct me if I’m wrong please), cravings/need for food/need to eat past fullness come from inadequate eating earlier in the day - a lack of calories more than anything.  I always figure if I’m having a craving or I feel the need to keep noshing after I’ve had my dinner that I’m doing make up eating, and I try to figure out where I missed it earlier.  When I’ve eaten adequately earlier, full is very clear to me, and once I’ve reached it, I don’t *want* to eat anymore.

Kelcy,

Way to listen to yourself!  I would really like your recipe for your bars.  I have tried a few but have yet to find something I really like.  If it would be too much trouble I would love to get that:)

Beth, I’m not sure what your work environment is like.  Do you have access to a refrigerator and a microwave?  Or are you limited to eating at work just whatever you bring in a brown bag, as-is? Do you have any personal storage space, like a desk drawer, locker, cubbyhole, where you can stash some non-perishables?  Something like a supply of tasty, healthy dry cereal that you could munch without milk, whatever nuts you like, any granola bars you like, raisins, whole grain crackers and jar of peanut butter, a few plastic knives for spreading, a healthy trail mix.  These are items I would have, maybe you aren’t as keen on them, but you could come up with a list of items of your own if these don’t appeal to you.  As you say, you are very famine sensitive.  I would think the best thing for you would be to always have a healthy supply of food you like available for emergency purposes.  As I told my daughter who recently found herself in an emergency situation when she had no lunch due to a mix-up when she thought someone else was providing lunch, (they forgot), that she has to always look out for herself.  She always has a purse or a tote bag with her.  I told her even if she thinks there’s no way she’ll need any food, to throw stuff into her tote anyway, just in case.  A pack of Lance whole wheat cheese crackers, a banana, an apple, some nuts.  Keep non-perishables in your car if you think it will help.  That way, in your regular lunch you can pack the perishable items, Jean says always pack a little more than you think you’ll need, that way you’ll be covered and have permission to eat all of it.  Then your emergency stash at the office will come in handy if you need to medicate your hunger in a pinch, which is preferable to famining.  It will hold you until you can get a real meal.

We probably all have foods that we eat a certain way, that others may find a little repulsive.  For instance I have no problem eating beans (I’m talking baked beans, baked limas, butter beans, kidney beans, and black beans) cold.  So if I worked in an office, I’d have a drawer full of canned beans and a can opener!  In a pinch, I’d eat them straight from the can. No kidding. 

I have been trying to come up with quick meal ideas for my son, who will be in a new apartment later this summer.  We recently found out that we can cook a bunch of pasta noodles ahead of time, and keep them in a covered container in the refrigerator.  They taste fine this way, not yucky like we thought it might.  He doesn’t like red sauce, but likes noodles with just butter, and Parmesan.  He also likes the Alfredo sauce that comes in a jar.  So a quick meal, just minutes after you get in the door could be pasta that you’ve precooked, and your favorite sauce. All you have to do is plate it and microwave it.  I recently made for the first time, a big batch of spaghetti-meat sauce, that you simmer for 4 hours.  I divided it up into freezer containers, because my daughter and I do like the red sauce on pasta.  It’s so easy to just thaw a new container when we are almost done with the previous one, that way you’re all set when you need it.

We also get food from Market Day, which is a fund-raising company.  The H.S. band sells it.  You order it from a brochure, and go pick it up on pick-up day. They have these delicious chicken steaks, plain and teriyaki flavored, and I often bake 2 or 3 at a time.  So if I want a quick salad, I get out my lettuce, a precooked hard-boiled egg (I usually hard-boil 6 eggs at a time, to keep in fridge) and some feta cheese, and a teriyaki chicken steak warmed up in the microwave. All of this goes on top of my salad.  Them maybe a bowl of tomato soup to go with it. When I want my food, it’s gotta be quick, so my advice is to cook in batches if you can.  They don’t have to be huge batches, but it you are cooking one piece of meat, you might as well be cooking 3 or 4 so you’ll have some for later in the week.

Thanks Swan.  Those are really helpful suggestions.  I do have access to a fridge and microwave at work, and have my own desk with a capacious bottom drawer that I could stick stuff in. 

I was out of town this weekend Thursday through Saturday.  I had one good NT day, one semi-bad NT day, and an okay day.  I took some granola bars and cheese sticks and ate them between meals.  The hard thing was getting privacy to do it.  The semi-bad day involved lunch not being served until 2:30!!  I had my mid-morning snack, but then it just kept getting pushed off, and pushed off.  I should have made myself a sandwich - peanut butter or something.  I went to bed hungry one night, which I don’t do at home.  I did make up eating yesterday, but feel back on track today.  I have got to just get over myself.  I don’t know why it’s so hard to just decide to eat when I need to rather than doing the politically correct thing.

I was learning our accounting system today as all the accountants are going to be gone for 3 weeks at the beginning of August and I get to take over (we’re a small non-profit, so this is how things work).  I was hungry at noon, but we were in the middle of doing something, so I pushed it off until 12:30.  At that point, I could feel my blood sugar drop to somewhere down in my toes.  I felt stupid and almost dizzy.  I SHOULD have just said, “could I have a little break now?” but I didn’t. 

The battle for me is and will continue to be dealing with other people’s expectations and opinions.  How I’m going to feed myself in China remains a great mystery.  I am checking out out various forms of meal replacement/protein bars to see what will work.  I will just need to take a whole suitcase full. 

Thanks again!

It’s so true - it’s nice to *say* that we should just state our needs when we’re hungry, but it’s not so easy to *do* when you’re in conference with the vice president of the company you’re trying to land a big contract with.  Generally (but ok, not always) I can say something like “my blood sugar is getting low, I need a quick break, I’ll be back in a minute” and shoot out to stand with the smokers.  (much nicer than the toilet stalls, unless you’re in a really nice hotel.) 

One of the reasons I carry apples is that they are nearly always acceptable to eat in meetings and class - I’m not sure why, but no one has ever given me a second glance.  There’s something about an apple that signals “I am eating this now because I am hungry and cannot wait any longer.”  It’s almost like saying “I’m sorry, I’ve just got to take an aspirin.”  In many circumstances, once I’ve got the apple out, the power bar is ok too (but not always - sometimes you’re just stuck with the smokers.)

As for the rest, remember that you don’t have to deal with other people’s expectations and opinions - that’s their problem, not yours.  When it comes down to it, you’re there for your brains, your technical talent, your creativity, your business acumen, not to justify your eating habits.  If they think I’m fat because I keep taking food breaks, well so be it.  I am fat.  But I’m also smart, creative, a good leader, and damn it, they called me in to trouble shoot their problems, not the other way around :-)