Nearly two years after starting the effort to take off and keep off 100 pounds, I took a series of trips. Here’s how I coped with the challenges of being on the road and maintaining my weight.
Click here for the episode on Sal’s diet.
Playa de la Concha, San Sebastián - Kontxa Hondartza, Donosti
Highlights:
Trips to Napa Valley, Hamburg and San Sebastián Took Me Away from my Usual Supports
Travelling Heavy to Napa Valley
“…there may be people who can travel and not gain weight. But I’m not one of them. Therefore, I have to do unreasonable things to keep off those 100 pounds.”
Traveled Ultra-light to Hamburg – Just Carry-on
A Thought about the Effects of Alcohol on Sleep
Traveled Medium-heavy to San Sebastián – 23 Days Away Is a Long Time
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Transcript of "Sal’s Travel Diet”
Guest: Sal Daher
Hi, I’m Sal Daher and I’m keeping off 100 pounds of body weight. No drugs, no surgery, just healthy habits I work really hard at reinforcing.
This bonus episode is about keeping off 100 pounds while traveling. Perhaps it’ll give you some useful ideas about staying healthy on the road.
Since July of 2021 when I embarked in this journey to lose and keep off 100 pounds I’ve been at my home in Cambridge, Massachusetts where I invest in early-stage biotech. I attended my HMR support group weekly and interacted with my coach between meetings at least once.
Trips to Napa Valley, Hamburg and San Sebastián Took Me Away from my Usual Supports
Since the beginning of June 2023, I’ve been traveling a lot so I had to leave behind many of the structures that supported my weight loss. I attended the Launch Angel Summit in Napa Valley. I flew to Hamburg to attend the funeral of a dear friend and business associate. Today, on June 22nd, I’m in San Sebastián, in the Basque Country of Spain for the burial of my mother-in-law who passed away at 104.
Throughout all these meanderings I’ve kept in mind the necessity to maintain the energy balance which results in my not gaining weight. I employed different strategies on these trips to keep in place the habits that preserve my weight loss.
Travelling Heavy to Napa Valley
On the trip to Napa, I travelled heavy. On this five-day trip I took the full range of meals from HMR. I filled my Away suitcase and carry-on with HMR Multigrain Cereal, HMR shakes, HMR entrées and HMR power bars. When I got there, I bought canned vegetables and fresh fruit, which I kept in my room.
Ducking into my room to eat my dogfood bowl saved me tons of calories. I avoided the tempting buffets and the delicious red wines on offer at the Meritage Resort & Spa where I was staying. The people at the Meritage were kind enough to bring a microwave oven to my room which made this odd but health affirming behavior easier.
Sal Daher in Napa Valley – Courtesy of Presh DIneshkumar
“…there may be people who can travel and not gain weight. But I’m not one of them. Therefore, I have to do unreasonable things to keep off those 100 pounds.”
The way I look at this is that there may be people who can travel and not gain weight. But I’m not one of them. Therefore, I have to do unreasonable things to keep off those 100 pounds. After a while those unreasonable things become less unreasonable.
I did attend two events at local restaurants where I had wine. Alcohol is the great confounder of all diets. So before going, I had a couple of shakes to take the edge off my hunger. While at the events I kept in mind the idea of my old HMR coach Bill Reiss of cutting off the top of your high days. If I pull off a 3,900-calorie high day instead of a 5,900-calorie high day I’m ahead by 2,000 calories. That’s 150-pound imaginary me not having to walk 20 miles to burn it off.
Traveled Ultra-light to Hamburg – Just Carry-on
My lighting trip to Hamburg was last-minute so the connections were complicated. I was well-served in my choice of carry-on only. I took the bare minimum with me: HMR 70+ shakes and cereal plus a few HMR Benefit bars. I did bring my trusty shaker bottle.
I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to make my morning cereal at the Saga Lounge at Keflavik Airport in Iceland. I had some delicious skyr (Icelandic strained yogurt) rather than my usual Greek yogurt.
Despite all the tempting foods at the Hotel Louis C. Jacob in Hamburg, where I stayed, my reliable cereal and shakes allowed me to cut off the tops from the high days.
A complicating factor was that on my second day there I had to start my prep for a colonoscopy three days later. It meant I had to avoid my usual high-fiber foods and nuts. The day I flew back I was down to just clear liquids which precluded any major dietary offense being committed.
A Thought about the Effects of Alcohol on Sleep
At the reception after my friend’s funeral, I sat with one of his delightful friends whom I’d not met before. I ended up having three or four glasses of wine in the early afternoon. On the next day, my Whoop app indicated that my body temperature had been elevated during the night and led to poor sleep. This reminded me of a similar incident back in Napa Valley after the consumption of a similar amount of wine in the evening. These experiences have awakened me to how alcohol affects sleep. It has caused me to avoid having more than one glass of wine before sleeping.
Traveled Medium-heavy to San Sebastián – 23 Days Away Is a Long Time
Two days after my colonoscopy I was off to San Sebastián. Since this was a trip of more than three weeks, I decided that I could not replicate my strategy in the Napa Valley trip. I opted for taking just shakes, cereals and bars. Plus, my trusty shaker bottle. I’m staying at a fully equipped apartment right on the beach so I have all the resources available to keep as close to my home routine as possible.
Spain in general, but especially the Basque Country, abounds in healthy food options if you know where to look. Lots of excellent fresh vegetables and fruits. Being right on the Playa de la Concha I have no excuse but to get in lots of exercise.
I’m having my cereal plus two double HMR Chocolate 70+ shakes every day. I’ve also really doubled down on my calorie counting app, MyFItnessPal, given all the possible dietary surprises that spring up.
I’ve also maintained regular communication with my coach, Jina Klapisch. I plan to be back in the support group the day after I fly back to Boston.
I hope this brief narrative has provided you with some valuable inspiration and tips to support your building of good habits while away from home.
This is the Angel Invest Boston podcast. Thanks for listening. I’m Sal Daher.