9 WAYS TO STICK TO YOUR NUTRITION PLANS ON THE ROAD

Staying the course of such a strict nutrition program while traveling is by no means easy, especially if you're traveling to a country where you don't speak the language, where organic and unprocessed options are not widespread, when you don't have cooking or meal prep options, and when your travel companion is liberally stuffing his face with all the things you can't eat (True story...).

Me. Want. Cookie.

Pretty much describes our 4-day trip to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

The good thing about being on the strictest phase of the program (Blitz: no sugars, no processed food, a 6% carb allotment, no fruit) is that I really had to work hard to find ways to work with my macros and the parameters I had. Along the way, I think I picked up more than a few tips that will work on future trips, even when I'm on the more lenient phases of the program or back to regular eating. 

Here's what worked for me. I hope you find it useful!

1. Prepare, prepare, prepare

Before you leave, do your research and check out all the dining spots, supermarkets and compliant resources that are close to where you're staying or convenient for you to get to. T, one of my friends from the gym, used to live in Phnom Penh and she gave me many restaurant recommendations, which I then researched on my own by checking out their online menus. It seems like a lot of work, but it will be worth it when you get there and realize you've freed yourself up to really enjoy the trip.

2. Take healthy, portable snacks you can just dive into

Just in case we couldn't get to restaurants or if we got derailed from our schedule (it's traveling; shit happens), it's always helpful to have healthy, compliant snacks on hand you can eat for a meal or just to tide you over. This actually happened when one of the restaurants we'd planned to go to ended up being dead shut and when we wound up at a different part of town, so the tinned tuna and roasted, unsalted cashews that I carried with me made for a program-friendly lunch while the husband chowed down on a massive bowl of pho and glass of milky iced coffee. I just got my veggies later when I could.

3. Bring your tools and don't be afraid to use them

Yeah, I was that weird person with a portable weighing scale at the dinner table, so sue me. I don't usually do this as I try to intuitively assess my portion sizes while eating out (with varying success rates), but I didn't want to fall off the bandwagon in the program, so I made no apologies about weighing out my food. I also used paper towels to dab off excess oil as I wasn't sure of the source and how much was used. It's not an everyday thing and people might look at you all funny, but I'll do what I need to do to achieve my goals - it's as simple as that. 

4. Don't be afraid to ask for customized orders

For the most part, we went to western restaurants because that was where I could be sure I could get high-protein, low-carb options (thank you hubs, for being so understanding and supportive!). Local Cambodian meals are very rice-and-noodle-heavy, so if the husband wanted to get his fix, I'd just order a bottle of water and sit by him. 

I used Google Translate to let local waitstaff know in Khmer that I didn't want added oil, sauces or sugar on my food, and for the most part, it worked. I also met a super helpful Italian restaurant owner who made sure there wasn't any added oil on my roasted vegetables and tenderloin steak, and who got me extra sauteed spinach instead of roasted potatoes, even asking if I was okay with a tiny bit of olive oil in the spinach.

5. Do your best and don't sweat the rest

So I couldn't meal prep, I probably didn't hit my macros that accurately and my best efforts to guesstimate might not have been the closest to the actual serving sizes. But hey, nobody died and I didn't throw in the towel and binge my eyes out. It's not like I was stuffing my face with cookies, ice-cream or heavy noodle dishes. I just tried to make sure every meal had at least 30g of protein and always involved fiber in the form of vegetables. And if I didn't manage to get some form of what I needed, I'd just make up for it at the next meal. 

It's a holiday. I still wanted to be able to enjoy myself and not stress out over what I was eating 24/7. We tried out some amazing restaurants, like Chinese House by the Sisowath riverside, where South African influences married local Khmer flavors to create some dishes that might not have been 100% compliant with the meal plan, but I did my best to make sure there was protein and there was fiber in my orders, and that I left all the sauces to the side. We enjoyed the dinner with amazing conversation and I didn't sweat it - it was perfect. I regret nothing.

6. Focus on enjoying the rest of the holiday

It really helps when I let myself take food out of the equation and not plan the holiday around what we're going to eat or a hot new restaurant everyone says we have to try. Yes, I tried to plan my meals as best I could before we flew, but once we got there, I was determined to enjoy myself and not obsess over where I was going to get my next meal. I would just make it work, I told myself and the husband, who was actually way more worried about me not being able to get a program-compliant meal than I was.

We really got to know the city and its history, and also got totally spa'ed out and so many luxurious massages instead. Bliss!

7. Keep up with your workouts

So you have your nutrition down pat, but going on a holiday is no reason to tap out on the exercise. One of the reasons Pherform is so awesome is that each time there is a long holiday season in Hong Kong, they provide us with bodyweight workouts that we can do directly from our hotel rooms. You can be sure I sweat up a storm every morning with all the burpees, squats, mountain climbers, crossfit sit-ups and bicycle kicks these videos had me doing. 

I also picked a hotel where there was a gym with a treadmill, elliptical machine and free weights. Getting on the cross-trainer with a view of the city ahead of me was really awesome and definitely motivated me to get my cardio done. 

There are also many free Youtube workouts you can check out for HIIT bodyweight or instructed yoga videos. FitnessBlender and Yoga With Adriene are my favorite channels for on-the-road workouts. 

Check out this workout I do really often: It's called the Ultimate HIIT Workout for People who get Bored Easily. No repeated movements and a lot of fun!

Sometimes I also carry my T25 and 21 Day Fix Beachbody workouts with me and do them in the hotel room. They're quick and I'm done by 30 minutes, tops. No excuse not to get that daily sweat in.

8. Expect the unexpected

Despite the best intentions, the best-laid plans can sometimes go awry. I ended up getting a really bad case of food poisoning from a beef tartare dish I ordered at one dinner, and I wound up not being able to stomach anything on the last day. I just made sure I hydrated enough and rested up good, and made peace with the fact that I probably couldn't hit all my macros that day (and as it turns out, the next day as well).

Guess who won't be eating beef tartare anytime soon?

When we got back to the Kong (barely, for me), I made myself have a vegan Beyond Burger patty with avocado, sans bun and vegan cheese (too much carb in there, even if it's dairy-free). I knew my body just didn't want any more meat, since it was from meat that I contracted food poisoning the night before, so I tried to have a vegan meal I knew was going to be high in protein (20g!). It was absolutely delish and although I couldn't quite hold it down for long, it did give me enough energy to meal prep for the rest of the week before I finally had to crash, thanks to my stomach cramps going into overdrive. 

9. Understand that your diet doesn't control you

There are always options you can explore and things you can do to prep yourself for your holiday, but realizing that I am at the wheel and that food doesn't control my every move has been very liberating for me. It does seem strange to have this epiphany amid the toughest and most regimental part of a nutrition program, but I've come to realize that food is only a part of my life; it doesn't run me and I certainly won't let it control what I want to do on a holiday with the love of my life.

I did the best I could by researching and prepping as much as I could, coping with the unexpected twists that we met and that's good enough for me. 

All in all, we had an amazing holiday and I'm really proud of the fact that I managed a holiday during this strict phase of Blitz. Life doesn't have to stop just because you're on a tough nutrition program - you just have to get a little creative with it. 

Can't wait till we get on the road again. Phnom Penh, it's been great. Okinawa, we'll be seeing you over Easter break!