It’s the morning after Superbowl 50 and it’s 5:00 am. I’m not a morning person at the best of times but on a cold morning in February, I especially dislike it. I’ve only managed about 6 hours sleep as I never sleep well when I know I have an early plane to catch. My flight is at 7:05 am out of Bradley and I have things timed out pretty well. A quick shower (I shaved the night before which is one of my secrets) and a bite to eat and out the door. But first, I step on the scale and though I’m still half-asleep, I’m shocked at what I see. Somehow I’ve put on 2.5 lbs from Friday morning to Monday. Ok, Friday was a snow day which means my beautiful wife made chocolate chip cookies, and we ordered in a pizza for dinner, and I didn’t get out to the gym because of the snow but I still managed to run 5 miles around the block on Sunday. And, if you read my last blog post, you know I didn’t eat much on Superbowl Sunday, so where the hell did the weight gain come from? I’ll have to figure that out later. Right now I have a plane to catch. So I go into survival mode. I have a quick turn-around tonight to get back home and I won’t be walking in the door until 11:00 pm at the earliest. That means no opportunity to work out. I have to work with what I have.

Eating on the road as a vegetarian and trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle can be tricky. I decide to pack accordingly. I’m not taking any luggage, just my briefcase so whatever I’m taking needs to fit in there with all my business gear. Breakfast consists of a Think Thin protein bar. This will give me a good start to the morning. Enough calories and protein to get me going (along with a few cups of black coffee). In the bag goes a Clif Bar, another protein bar, and my portable shaker with a packet of Vega One shake mix. As it turns out, I don’t end up using it on this day but it’s good to have it available. I can mix the powder with water or milk or a milk substitute (Almond milk is my favorite), shake for a minute or two, and I have a meal.

At the airport, I have 15 minutes to spare in the Admirals Club lounge. I eat a 100 calorie yogurt and mix in a spoonful of walnuts from the toppings selection. This gives me something of substance in my stomach and I’m on my first flight to Philly. In Philly, I have a few hours before my flight to Harrisburg and I again make use of the Admirals Club Lounge. Philly is not high on my list of favorite airports, but the club lounge there is nice. I camp out in the Quiet Area and spend a few hours working. Other than a cup of coffee (Starbucks Via that I always bring with me) I manage to stay away from the food offerings. As I’m getting on the shuttle bus over to Terminal F, I mentally kick myself for not walking the route given I won’t be hitting the gym. That’s an opportunity lost.

At the Harrisburg Airport, I’m picked up by a co-worker and we head to a Starbucks’s near the client site. This gives us free wifi and the chance to go over our presentation. Our meeting isn’t until 3:00 pm so we are left with a little time on our hands and lunch is in order. There’s a Qdoba fast food place in the same plaza so we head over. As I’m staring at the menu board, the staff person asks if she can help. I ask if she has any nutritional information on the menu items. With an apologetic tone, she informs me they had something at one time but lost it. Can she help me with something specific? I tell her I’m a vegetarian and am trying to watch what I eat. She steers me to the salads. This is dangerous ground. The next time you’re out to eat at a place that has the caloric values on the menu, check out the salads. You might be surprised to find that often the salads are no more healthier than a burger. I decide to make my own salad (picture included!) and go with greens, a small portion of corn, a scoop of beans for protein and to fill me up, and no dressing. I augment this with a protein bar from my bag. This is my lunch.

Our meeting goes well and my co-worker drops me back at the Harrisburg airport at around 5:30 pm. I eat the Clif Bar while waiting for my flight which takes me back through Philly. The F Terminal is fairly new and has a number of restaurant choices. I spend 15 minutes wandering around looking longingly at the menus. Yes, I can have a gourmet veggie burger and fries for about 1,000 calories but the scale reading this morning keeps me from pulling the trigger. Back to the club Lounge I go. There, I eat exactly 3 short stalks of celery, 2 cherry tomatoes, and 4 baby carrots. It’s been snowing all day in Connecticut and I land at 10:30 to a slow drive home. I’m in bed at about 11:30 pm after a loooooong day. The next morning I step on the scale to see if my strategy has worked. I’m down 2.5 lbs from my Friday weight! What the hell?!?! My guess is I had water retention from sodium intake, with the pizza being the likely culprit. I could have had the BURGER! But, truth be told, I’m glad I skipped it.

Thanks for tuning in. In my upcoming blogs I’ll be talking about my work-out regimen, a healthy lifestyle/weight loss program I’ve been participating in, and a Valentine’s Day weekend at a Bed & Breakfast with a concert by Tim Reynolds & TR3 thrown in.