e10FAQVacationsDining out

Q: HOW DO I STAY ON PROGRAM AND STILL ENJOY MY VACATION?

HOW CAN I EAT OUT WITHOUT GOING OF MY EATING PLAN?

A: Since this program isn't a diet of deprivation and struggle, you can take it with you and have a terrific vacation. Best of all, you can get to enjoy lots of new and special treats, without going off your eating plan.

You will need to do a bit of planning, however, so that you can come home slim and happy while having a good time all along the way.

The seasoned carb addict knows many tricks to get what is needed to stick with the program and still have a lot of fun (with food as well). Here are some of the things that can be done to assure a fun and productive trip. First, leave the kids at home - just joking. The first thing to consider is "getting there". If you are driving, you can pick and choose eating places along the way. In the United States it may be easier than in other countries. The more rural the area that you will be traveling in will require more planning. If you are in Paris or Rome, you probably would have no problem but if you are traveling through the jungles of New Guinea or the Fiords of Norway, then you will have to plan your eating very well. But that is the key, PLAN YOUR EATING WHEREVER YOU GO.

CROSSING TIME ZONES AND AIRPORT TRAVEL

On the day of travel, if you are crossing time zones, count your wake-up time as the beginning of your day and you're going-to-sleep time, as the end. Don't try to base your eating on the time that it would be back home. That won't work well. During active travel days, calculate the actual number of hours you will be awake regardless of time change. Consider how many meals you usually have during the number of hours you are normally awake when at home and adjust by adding or subtracting low-carb, Complementary Meals's.

Example: Imagine that you usually eat 2 low-carb meals (Complementary Meals) and 1 Reward Meal® in a day when not traveling. You usually sleep 8 hours (right!) and are awake 16 hours. Now, on the first day of your trip, you will be awake for twenty-two hours from the time you rise in the morning. Since you will be awake for six hours more than usual, it would make sense to have an additional Complementary Meal. If on the other hand, you will be traveling in the opposite time-zone direction and would be going to sleep (or trying to) after being awake on twelve hours, you might eat one less Complementary Meal (although you should have one in reserve in case you can't fall asleep). Never, never have a second Reward Meal® just because you have been awake a long time (one Reward Meal® only from the time you get up until the time you go to sleep). Vary your number of Complementary Meals only.

For those people who usually have only one Complementary Meal or none at all, you may want to have or add a Complementary Meal to keep you going during traveling. This is okay even if you aren't going to be awake for any additional hours. It helps with the stress of traveling and with keeping your body happy while you observe all those other people who seem to be eating all of the time.

Bring and Plan: Plan enough time to get the meal at the airport (if you can count on it being there). When in doubt (at all), bring the foods you need: Balance for your Reward Meal® (salad and veggies in zip lock bags and plain protein; you'll probably have to problem finding carbos!) and complete Complementary Meals ( a nice salad with lots of protein all cup up in a zip lock). Bring an emergency pack of protein (tuna or sardines in a can - if necessary get a little tiny can opener. They sell little ones in hardware stores. You can usually count on being able to get a chicken breast (without the bun, of course) and a salad (why do they shred those carrots?) at fast food restaurants but all of their dressings have glutamates. We carry our oil and vinegar in a plastic screw-top bottle usually used for makeup that we purchased at the drug store (make sure it closes nice and tightly).

EATING AT RESTAURANTS (AND WITH OTHERS)

When you are with others, take the lead in making restaurant choices. Don't let yourself go along with restaurant choices that you know are bound to set you up for a struggle or for failure. Put yourself first. It's really essential. Be assertive at the restaurant; pull the waiter or waitress aside; tell them what you need, when you need it, and advise them that you are in charge of the tip <G>

In the Unites States and Canada, fast food restaurants abound and now provide salads and grilled chicken or burgers for low-carbo meals. Remember to remove the buns or ask for the meat without the buns. If you are carbo sensitive, bring along your own salad dressing or ask for oil and vinegar. Try to stay away from luncheon meats as they may be loaded with sugars (to make the meat appear to be low in fat by percentage) and MSG (to make it taste better than it really does because the manufacturers have processed the "he...." out of the meat.

If you are choosing a place for your Reward Meal®, then your only concern is to get what you need to keep the meal balanced. This is vital to the success of coming home at the same weight or lower than when you left on vacation. It is easy to "hoof it", picking one along the way by watching the bill boards as you travel.

If you are flying at a time when you will want a low-carbo meal, remember to call the airlines at least 36 hours before your flight and ask for something like a "seafood platter". This can be ordered hot or cold. There airlines provide more than 20 different kinds of special meals, they just don't advertise them. STAY AWAY FROM THE DIABETIC MEAL IF YOU ARE NOT A DIABETIC because it contains fruit and artificial sweeteners. Call your airline and ask them to tell you about the choices. You may also want to supplement an airline meal with some vegetables like raw string beans, cauliflower, sliced cucumber or sliced green pepper that you carry in a zip-lock. Make sure that you bring along a satisfying dessert as well. When we find ourselves traveling by air, we often pick up a sinful Cinnabon (now available in most airports) and slit it for our dessert on the plane. The zip-lock has been on of the greatest inventions for the carb-addicted traveler.

Train or bus travel may provide some additional challenges, but these can be overcome with the right kind of planning. The most difficult challenge has to be the cruise. Around the clock you are surrounded with the sight and smell of food. However, that abundance can be used to your advantage as there will be almost an infinite choice for low-carbo and Reward Meals. You may get "waves of temptation", just don't go "overboard", so to speak. "Full speed ahead" and enjoy the cruise.

If it is at all possible, bring a scale with you. We travel with small digital scale made by THINNER. Place it at the top of your suitcase because you will inevitably required to show it as you pass through security, they think it is a "suspicious" device. The scale is important since all of the food that you will be eating on vacation will be saltier and richer than the foods that you are used to at home. It really is important to keep track of your weight on vacation so that you can modulate your eating so as not to come home depressed about what you have done to your body. You can be among those of us who go on vacation, have a glorious time, and are completely satisfied about our weight upon return home. Remember, you no more take a vacation from carb addiction than you would from a disorder like diabetes. Once a carb addict, always a carb addict, but the good news is that you know how to correct it, for life.

Finally, choose a vacation spot that will give you an active, stress free experience and which does not solely center around food. "Special deals" that include all meals can be tempting and can lead CAs astray, after all, "I am paying for it". Resist bringing or going off the program "for just a few days". Pay the money, but stick with the program, picking your meal times and places. If you don't, you body will let you know that you have faltered, and that may well ruin your wonderful vacation.

HOMEWARD BOUND

Make sure you have the food you need for traveling home. Make time to shop at a supermarket.

When you arrive home, do NOT react to your weight. If you have been eating out, it will take three days to get the excess water out of your body that glutamate-laden restaurant food holds onto. Continue to weigh with the idea that you can count on gaining about two to four pounds if you have been eating in restaurants a great deal and don't usually eat out. Consider only if you have been keeping clean on your program; don't react to your weight. Give yourself two full weeks of averaging at home before you really consider what you weight is. It takes that long before you have a real reading to compare with your before-trip average.

So, plan, prepare, and put yourself first. Oh, yes, and have a wonderful trip!

WALT DISNEY WORLD (ORLANDO, FLORIDA)

Walt Disney World (WDW) is a wonderful vacation resort for the entire family. They have everything except "down hill skiing", and that they come close to having in BLIZZARD BEACH. First things first. WDW is a 43 square mile piece of property in which there are resort hotels, three recreational water parks (RIVER COUNTRY, TYPHOON LAGOON, AND BLIZZARD BEACH), shopping and entertainment complexes (DOWNTOWN DISNEY and PLEASURE ISLAND) and four theme parks including THE MAGIC KINGDOM (call Disneyland in California) EPCOT CENTER (Future World and World Showcase) THE DISNEY/MGM STUDIOS, and the soon to be opened, DISNEY'S ANIMAL KINGDOM. WDW is growing by the day. Most of you going to WDW will probably hit the theme parks and nothing more and the focus will be on fun and "eating". TIP: If you have children and plan to see all three (soon to be four) theme parks, the best sequence of parks is EPCOT, DISNEY'S ANIMAL KINGDOM, THE DISNEY STUDIOS, and finally, THE MAGIC KINGDOM. In this way, the excitement builds and the kids will be happier.

Now tips on low-carbo eating in the theme parks:

EPCOT CENTER

Stargate Restaurant (Future World) - Salad, chicken breast sandwiches (remove the bread and enjoy).

Odyssey Restaurant (Future World) - Salad, chicken breast sandwiches (remove the bread and enjoy).

Le Cellier (Canada) - Salad, poached salmon, a variety of meats.

Land Grill Room (Future World) - Salad, fish, a variety of meats.

Farmer's Market (Future World) - Barbecued boneless chicken breast, salad, seafood.

Liberty Inn (World Showcase) - Salad, chicken breast (remove the bread and enjoy).

Restaurant Akershus (Norway) - Salad, fish.

Rose and Crown Dining Room (England) - Salad, broiled fish.

WALT DISNEY STUDIOS

The Hollywood Brown Derby - Rotisserie chicken, Cobb salad, vegetarian platter.

50's Prime Time Cafe/Tune In Lounge - Chicken, grilled seafood.

Sci-Fi Drive-In Diner - Salads, seafood, gourmet burgers (remove the bread and enjoy).

Backlot Express - Chef's salad, charbroiled chicken.

Hollywood and Vine Cafeteria - Chef's salad, seafood, chicken.

Soundstage Restaurant - Chef's salad, vegetable salad, chicken salad, seafood salad, sour and salad bar.

Commissary Restaurant - Salad, grilled chicken, chicken and vegetables.

THE MAGIC KINGDOM

Pinocchio Village Haus - Salad turkey hot dog, turkey burger, turkey sandwich (remove the bread and enjoy).

Tony's Town Square Restaurant - Eggbeaters, turkey bacon (for breakfast), Seafood grill, turkey picata (for dinner)

King Stefan's Banquet Hall - Cold seafood platter, grilled seafood, chicken salad.

Liberty Tree Tavern - Seafood, chicken, seafood salad (for lunch), grilled catch of the day, chicken, salad, seafood entrees (for dinner)

Tomorrowland Terrace - Pork loin sandwich, grilled chicken sandwich (remove the bread and enjoy).

The Crystal Palace - Eggbeaters, turkey bacon (for breakfast), salad, steamed vegetables, roasted chicken (for lunch and dinner).

The Plaza Restaurant - Salad, turkey burgers (remove the bread and enjoy).

Sleepy Hollow - Chicken salad.

DISNEY'S ANIMAL KINGDOM

Yak and Yeti - magnificently delicious food! Great for a Reward Meal. Salads and proteins for Complementary Meals.

Rainforest Restaurant - While we you can get a wide variety of Complementary Meal and Reward Meal® meals at the Rainforest Restaurant, their lines are long and waits can eat up a good portion of your day.

Tusker House - buffet that is moderately priced but seems to be filled with a great many less expensive rice and couscous dishes. You might ask to see the buffet before deciding if you want to have your meal there.

Stay tuned for our updates on restaurant choices. We will have the "terribly demanding job" of going back and double checking on the food choices at all of the Disney Restaurants. Oh, well, someone has to do it. We hope to see you there. Maybe we can share a Reward Meal!