I'M STARVING...I'M ON THE ROAD...HELP!!!

Recently, a good friend asked me to help him out. You see, his plan is to use the P90X program and he WOULD LIKE to stick with the nutrition, so I told him what I tell ALL of my customers...PLAN OUT YOUR MEALS (I suggest doing it on the weekend for the next week). That's right, a little bit of planning goes a LONG way!! I pack up my food the night before and when I go to work, I've claimed an entire drawer for my stuff in the refrigerator. Don't believe me?!? Ask any of my co-workers...they'll tell you it's true!! I have told them they're welcome to eat anything if they get hungry and don't have a snack or money for the vending machine.



I try to cook as often as I can so that I KNOW the amount of calories and grams of protein, carbohydrates, and fat I'm consuming. What's the best way to do this? Eat the same things over and over and over...you get the picture, right? If something works, and you enjoy it, why mess with it!!

So my FIRST suggestion is to plan out your meals. Eat every 2-3 hours (set an alert on your cell phone as a reminder). Make sure you're eating 5 meals per day. Identify your caloric needs based on your goal and the program/exercise you're doing. Divide that number by 4. That number will tell you approximately how many calories to have for your three main meals. Take the fourth amount and divide it in half. That's how many calories you should be eating for your snacks. If you need to know how many calories to consume, join my team at www.malwo.com and click on the link to become a member (choose club or free membership) and I'm happy to work with you to figure out what you need.



Make sure to have things you like that are SAFE and get rid of the junk. Otherwise, you'll be tempted to eat poorly when hunger strikes. For instance, I drink a chocolate Shakeology for breakfast. It gives me my vitamins, is like eating 5 servings of veggies, gives me energy...honestly, I can't say enough positives about it. I truly love the stuff!! Sometimes, I'll also eat a banana or will add natural peanut butter to the shake. Now, one time, I was stuck on the road because of a traffic accident. There was no way to get off of the road, BUT in my car, I had a shaker cup, some water, and a Shakeology packet. Not only did it hit the spot, since it's a meal replacement, I wasn't hungry when the cars finally did start moving and I wasn't tempted to pull over at McDonalds.

For snacks, I'll eat lowfat cottage cheese and turkey slices, ostrich jerky, low-carb protein bars, a Shakeology shake, or homemade oatmeal protein pancakes (to name a few). For my lunch, it's usually leftover dinner (tomorrow will be spaghetti and meatballs for me). My dinners are typically higher protein and lower in carb. For instance if I had a low-fat chicken parmesan, I'll only take 1/2 c. of whole grain pasta instead of the full cup serving. These meals are delicious for lunch the next day. I'll probably start a Monday Munchies blog...be on the lookout.



Here's the thing...my friend had a problem with all of this. You see, while he knows that all I have suggested will work best, he's on the road quite a bit, and he needs options while on the go! So, I told him I'd come up with some ideas to share. Hopefully, you'll find them useful too. Most restaurants today have their healthy options marked with an apple, a star, or something. If you know where you're going ahead of time, look at the menu online. Many of them will also list the nutritional information, but you might have to search a little for it. When out at a restaurant, stick with the following:

1. Choose chicken or fish over beef.
2. Stay away fried food...even if it's chicken or fish!!
3. Choose veggies or a salad as your side dish (fruit if you must but it will increase your carbohydrate amount quite a bit). If it's not given as an option, ASK!! Most places are willing to accommodate...I think we can thank Meg Ryan's performance in When Harry Met Sally for that!
Pasta? Avoid cream sauces and just eat half your portion.
4. Don't eat the bread...it's okay to say NO THANK YOU and have them remove it from the table. If you're getting a sandwich, ask for whole wheat (and for the record, a wrap sometimes adds more carbs than regular bread, so be careful).
5. If you choose a salad, get the dressing on the side. DIP your fork into it for flavor, but do not pour it on top of your greens!



Well, this is great you say, but what if you're in a rush. You need ideas for FAST FOOD options that won't cause you to negate all of your effort with your workout program. Follow the rules from above for restaurants and stay away from the fried foods, desserts, and cheese. Eat grilled chicken or salad when you can, but don't bathe your lettuce in dressing. Find a fast food restaurant menu online for local place. PREPARE/PLAN ahead of time. Make a list of the foods YOU like to eat that are lower in fat, not too high in carbs, and have plenty of protein.

Easy enough, here are some ideas (the numbers represent Calories/Fat(g)/Protein(g)/Carbs(g):

McDonald's®

Chicken McGrill w/o mayo 340/7/26/45 (get rid of the bun & those carbs are gone too)
Hamburger 250/9/12/31 (eat it with 1/2 the bun and get rid of about 1/2 the carbs)
Premium Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken 320/9/30/30
Egg McMuffin® 300/12/30/18 (eat only 1/2 of the English muffin to cut carbs or eliminate the cheese to lower the fat)

Wendy's®

Apple Pecan Chicken Salad 350/12/29/37 (VERY high in sodium though)
Small Chili 220/7/22/18
Jr. Hamburger 230/8/26/12 (same as hamburger above)
Ultimate Chicken Grill Sandwich 370/7/42/34 (high in sodium...lower the carbs without the bun)

Chick-Fil-A®
http://www.chick-fil-a.com/?#healthylifestyle

Wherever you end up eating on the go, be smart, eat properly. You KNOW what you should/should not eat. If you want results, choose the healthier options, but be careful not to eat too many carbs! So many places today have healthier options. If you can stop at a Panera, Atlanta Bread Company, Jason's Deli, or Einstein's Bros Bagels, you should be able to find something that will be prepared fast, and SHOULD be healthier than MOST fast food placed. Any questions?!? Ask away...