This last weekend I was in Dallas for a coaching event. As excited as I was to go, one of my thoughts was, “You’ve been doing so well on your Hammer and Chisel journey and now you’re just going to ruin it with eating out!” Was I though or was I setting myself up for failure? I’ve really been working on manifesting the income to have the funds to travel on a regular basis. I knew, though, that if I couldn’t get my balance on point then traveling wasn’t going to be beneficial to my healthy lifestyle.

We stayed in the Gaylord and the main restaurant options were a Mexican restaurant and a bar and grill. Well….time to figure it out, huh? I am pleased to say that although not perfect, I did it! Below are my tips for what worked for me to not just stay on track but to actually maintain my weight after I got back AND lost weight the following day!

1. Split meals: A couple different times, my friend and I shared fajitas. I asked for corn tortillas (not Paleo, but gluten free) while she ate flour tortillas. The first night I was definitely not perfect and had a few too many chips and salsa. The guacamole was delicious, but I didn’t go overboard.

2. Limit carbs in the morning (allow for drinks later in the evening): This was easy for me to do because although the breakfast options in the market were breakfast burritos and breakfast bagels, I couldn’t eat them! A couple mornings I had hard boiled eggs, cheese, and grapes. The last morning I had roast beef, nuts, and grapes.

3. Eat salad for lunch: The market had pre-made salads that were large. I ended up getting a Southwestern salad with bacon. Although the beans and cheese weren’t Paleo, I split the cheese over 2 different days to not go too overboard (my body bloats if I eat too much). There was enough of the salad to split it over 2 days. The 2nd day I bought some turkey breast and added it to the rest of the salad for a filling lunch!

4. Find a healthy option that you can get excited about: The night we went to the bar and grill, I found a salad that I was truly excited about! It had spinach, broccoli, kale, quinoa, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, goat cheese and I subbed grilled chicken breast for the salmon (I’m not a big fish fan). I debated between that and a bunless burger with fries, but I thought to myself, “You can get a burger ANYWHERE. This salad is a new option.” Bonus, it was delicious!

5. Limit your alcohol intake: When we’re on vacation, it’s easy to fall into the “I’m on vacation” trap. Being on vacation doesn’t mean you have to throw your healthy lifestyle out the window! The first night I didn’t drink, the 2nd night I drank 2 glasses of wine and the 3rd night I had 2. It also meant I didn’t wake up feeling crappy the next morning!

6. MOVE: Find a way to move or workout while you’re traveling. We had hour-long workouts each day, which made it super easy to stick to my lifestyle. Make sure you’re packing your workout clothes to get your sweat on while you’re gone.

7. Drink water: Staying hydrated can be extremely difficult while traveling. It may require drinking some tap water (but with ice it’s usually more bearable). Staying hydrated is KEY while you’re traveling since you have less control over the oils and salt level while eating out.

8. Shakeology: I drink Shakeology on a daily basis, but it is KEY when I travel. It helps fill in all the gaps of the nutrients I’m not getting while I’m out and the pre and probiotics help keep you “regular”….if you know what I mean!

That’s it! That’s what I did to help keep myself on track while I traveled. I’ve had too many trips where I come home, feeling shitty and bloated, and trying to backtrack from derailing my progress. This way I was able to come home and pick right back up where I left off!