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Originally posted 12/31/13
“Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10a)
 I find it interesting that there’s a comma after “Be still.” It’s not “Be still and know,” but rather, “Be still, and know.” To me, the comma gives the impression that we have to be still before we can know. Be still first, and then you will know. I very well could be wrong, but that’s what came to my mind as I was just thinking about that verse.
 So why that verse to begin a post about traveling for the holidays? I think y’all are smart enough to figure that out. 😉 I’d like to share some of my strategies for staying on plan while traveling for the holidays, but first I felt that I needed a reminder to slow down and think about God. Over Christmas time, it’s so easy for me to pack my schedule to the limit with holiday-related activities. Add a different eating lifestyle to the mix and life gets even harder. Sometimes I lose touch with the true meaning of Christmas altogether (like today when I was trying to make plan-approved candy and the dipping chocolate was not cooperating).
 So take a moment, breathe in, breathe out, and thank God for the Messiah.
Now, on to traveling for the holidays while trying not to sabotage your progress. My family and I will be traveling several hundred miles and will be away from home for about five days. This means we’ll be eating out many times, and it also means that I won’t have all my gadgets and gizmos for making plan-approved food. So this is how I am going to attempt to survive:
Being Flexible
This is very important, especially when you’re with family. By being willing to give and take and make do with what you are offered, you will give the people you are with a much better impression of your chosen eating habits than if you would turn your nose up at what you are offered because “you can’t eat that junk.” I’m not saying you have to eat everything put in front of you-leaving the table a little hungry isn’t always a bad alternative-but I don’t think that being inflexible is a good testimony for God or THM for that matter.
Planning Ahead
Take things with you! I will definitely be taking Joseph’s lavash or pitas as well as old-fashioned oats. I figure that breakfast will be the most logical time to get my E meals in, so I will probably be having oatmeal for several breakfasts in a row (I know that one hotel we will be staying at has a stove or hot plate). You could also take protein, fruit, or pre-make waffles or pancakes to heat up (or eat cold, like I do). If candy is a temptation for you, take THM sweets (but make sure they’ll travel well; i.e. don’t take Skinny Chocolate unless you have a way to keep it cold). I’m going to be taking truffles and peanut clusters made with unsweetened baker’s chocolate.
Thinking Outside the Box (er…fast food restaurant)
For eating out (or even eating with family), take lavash to use for sandwiches. I’ll be using them at fast food restaurants, taking the bread off sandwiches and putting the meat and toppings in my lavash. Most of these sandwiches will undoubtedly be S, which is why I’ll be trying to have E breakfasts much of the time. You could do this with most burgers, and I know Wendy’s and McDonalds have grilled chicken wraps that would work well. down restaurants should be fairly easy, and most of us already have practice with that. I’m hungry for a Perkins omelet. 🙂
Making Use of Continental Breakfasts
Hotel breakfasts usually have eggs and bacon or sausage. Load up, because that’s probably about all they’ll have that is THM-edible. Most hotels have a toaster, though, which you could probably use to heat up your pre-made waffles or pancakes (although some hotels could have regulations against your bringing your own food into the dining room and using their equipment to heat it up; I don’t know about this, so be sure to check).
Keeping Cheating to a Minimum
If there’s a sentimental holiday treat that you feel you have to have, go easy on it. Often one bite is enough to give me the taste I want and convince me that it really wasn’t as good as I thought.
Get Back on Plan as Soon as You Get Home
This is one speaks for itself.
These are some of the strategies I’ll be using. I’m within about 3 pounds of my goal weight. Two weeks ago I was determined to get the weight off before Christmas. While my determination worked to lose quite a few pounds between then and now, I realized that I was obsessing over losing weight and it’s really not that big of a deal. Finding my “happy weight” will take time, and I want to do what is healthy for my body, even if it means I don’t meet the number goal before Christmas, or even Bible school. I actually haven’t weighed myself for the past couple of days (after weighing every day for several weeks). I’m going to weigh in on Monday before we leave for our trip and see how close I got to my goal. Then I’ll go without scales for the duration of our holiday trip. I’m just going to keep plugging away, exercising and eating on plan, and I’ll let my body set the pace. I intend to go without scales during the 6-7 weeks I’ll be at Bible school in January-February, so hopefully when I get back from that I’ll have met my goal. It’s not a race; it’s about keeping the temple of the Holy Ghost at its optimum functionality. 🙂 Remember that as you travel, and…
Merry Christmas!
Debi Fluitt says
please add me to your email list. Thanks!
Debi
Briana Thomas says
Hi Debi, I tried putting your email address into the subscription box here in the sidebar of my website but it says you’re already subscribed. 🙂