How to avoid packing in calories while traveling on business

Source:Hartford Courant
If you travel on business, and you're trying to shed pounds, you're faced with special food challenges.

But even those of us who don't lead lives that land us in hotels far from home can face the same problems as the frequent fliers if we go to seminars, conferences or conventions.   

 There is a sea of bagels and cream cheese on those white linen-covered long tables outside the conference rooms, and they're hard to pass up when you're on a break between lectures.  

  "People think, 'I'll have a bagel; that's safe.' But it's not. They're yeasty and amount to a lot of carbohydrates. Honestly, you'd be better off with a small muffin," says diet counselor Pam Oliver.  

  OK. You have to have a bagel. Have a half.    

If there are large muffins, Oliver says slice it in half because first people need some carbohydrates or they'll be zapped of energy, and second, they'll feel deprived if they don't.  

  And don't automatically reach for the healthiest-looking muffin, Oliver says. The dark lumpy ones can be filled with nuts and honey and other fatty goodies.   

 Then have the yogurt, but not the light kind with the aspartame because "it's got too many chemicals," says Oliver. Go for the low-fat one even though it has more calories because 'the difference isn't that significant in the morning.'" Put some fruit on top or, if you don't have the muffin, some granola as well.  

  If you don't care for yogurt and opt for the cereal -- with skim milk -- "don't fill the bowl with granola," she says. Granola is calorie-laden and should only be used for decoration.  

  If there's fruit at snack time during your seminar day, take it, but at lunch, go for protein because that's what will ward off hunger, says Oliver.   

 Even with limited selections, she says, you can create a meal from a buffet of cold cuts, chips and cookies. Take all the green stuff and vegetables you can find, and pile it high with sliced turkey. "Make a mountain," says Oliver. Drizzle on dressing. Or make an open-face sandwich with one piece of bread.    Scan the dinner buffet carefully and avoid bread, skip the potatoes and rice, pile on the protein and vegetables and share that dessert (that is, if you didn't have one at lunch).  

  You may not lose weight when you're at an event, but you won't gain any either, Oliver says.