Getting Started

Over the past two and a half years, my job has required me to spend a considerable amount of time away from home.  I was fortunate enough to meet my current boyfriend, NP, through this job early on in my travels.  As an added bonus, for a significant period of time (about a year and a half) I was able to avoid staying in hotels by staying with NP at his apartment.

However, between August of 2009 and March of 2010, I spent approximately two weeks out of each month working in the California desert and staying in a hotel.  And when NP left our company in September, 2011, it was back to hotel living for me.

With these two extended stretches of hotel stays, I've noticed significant changes in my body and mind.  Prior to the start of my travels to the desert, I was working with a nutritionist near my home in Orange County, Ca, and I never felt better.  I was fit, happy, and healthy.  Once the work began in the desert, I began working long hours, eating out for every meal, and put on 25 lbs.  While the hours didn't improve, staying in NP's apartment in the desert allowed me to cook balanced meals.  I lost 14 lbs without much effort.  I never made it back down to my pre-desert weight, but it was an improvement.

Since September, I have had to readjust to the hotel life.  While it is wonderful that NP has a great new job (and we live together in Orange County now), staying it hotels again means more eating out.  This is fine every once in a while, but it is not sustainable for me.  Since September, about 4 lbs have creeped back on.  So if you are keeping track, I am approximately 15 lbs up from my pre-travel days.

My job now requires me to travel to Southern Maryland.  I will be traveling back and forth from California to Maryland on a bi-weekly basis.  With 50% of my time spent living in hotels, I need to have a better plan going forward.

So this is where the blog comes in.  The purpose of this blog is to track ideas on how to adapt to hotel living and to keep myself accountable.  This means having plans for how to cope with long hours, packing meals in advance to take to work so I am not tempted by the McD's drive thru, and going to bed at night comfortable with the choices I made that day.  Ideally, I'd get back to that pre-travel weight.

I know that weight loss isn't just about diet alone.  I would call myself a moderate exerciser.  I love taking workout classes (Pilates, Barre, Dance).  I struggle with cardio (I pretty much just stick with the elliptical trainer), and I have a dog that loves going for long walks.  It is a goal to one day run a half marathon, but I would be happy just to complete a 5K without walking.

I welcome any ideas, suggestions, and tips for healthier hotel living.  I hope you enjoy reading about my journey!

Love,
D