This morning the scale said 190, and that means another two pounds this week! Yay! There was actually one day in the middle of the week where I was teased with 189. That’s ok though… I will see it again soon. Then 188, which will mean 80 pounds lost. You will get to see that lovely blue shirt again soon, my friends!
I can’t count my chickens before they hatch though. This will be a very trying week for me and next Monday I hope to just weigh even — not gain any weight. This weekend I will be taking a road trip to Kentucky for a wedding. I’m pretty sure I can actually behave during the wedding feast, even considering a sliver of wedding cake! I think I can also make smart choices when dining out and partaking of free continental breakfasts provided by the hotel. What I’m worried about is the road trip itself!
When I’m driving (or riding) I often resort to eating because:
- I need to pass the time and there’s nothing else to do.
- After long distances, I get sleepy and need to stay awake.
- It’s something ingrained in me to do, as special “road trip snacks” have been part of every road trip I’ve ever taken!
One idea I had was to pre-bag all the snacks I plan on taking into 100 calorie packs and tell myself I can have three things from the bag on the entire trip there. That way, I will definitely NOT go over 300 calories of snacks but still (hopefully) have enough to satisfy the “presumed” need for snacks. I hope that will work, and I’m hoping that by choosing to include heathier snacks, I will be tempted to actually choose those!
What types of special snacks have been in the “snack bag” in years past? (These are all things that we never had during any other time of the year except for family vacations.) Skittles, Corn Nuts, Cracker Jack, Orange Slices, Bugles, Circus Peanuts, Pringles, Cheesy Popcorn, Twizzlers, etc. etc. etc.
I love all of those things! In fact, my mouth is watering just thinking about circus peanuts. But, boy, eat more than about a dozen of those things and I’d probably barf. 
Now, when considering the types of foods I’ve just mentioned, I’d have a snack baggy that is not very full. It doesn’t take much to reach 100 calories when you’re measuring things like circus peanuts. In fact, I just looked… each circus peanut has about 35 calories, so by the time I’ve eaten three, I’d be done. Ugh.
Contrast that to some healthier options I COULD include: celery, baby carrots, cucumber slices, dried or fresh fruit, wheat crackers, whole grain cereal — you can eat an entire cucumber (which would make for lots and lots of slices) an only have about 40 calories! Can you see me trying to stuff two and a half cut up cucumbers in one little snack baggy?
So, logic would have it, especially if I want to nibble-nurse on something from a snack bag in efforts to stay awake (or occupied and free from boredom), I’d want to choose an option that would provide multiple “visits” to the snack bag in question and therefore maintain me as long as possible!
But, as eating is often being FAR from logical, I’ll admit in advance that I plan on enjoying some kind of candy on this road trip!
Speaking of “treats” often consumed on vacations, in years past it used to be a Dairy Queen Blizzard, with Peanut Butter Cup being my absolute favorite. I’ve decided this is one indulgence I will just not allow myself to have, at least this trip. I can trade the 600 calories for that by convincing my family to stop at a McDonalds instead. If they want something similar, they can have a McFlurry (although DQ Blizzards are much better) and I’ll opt for a 150 calorie soft serve cone! I’ll save money too, as those are only 49 cents!
So, for those of you that might still be reading this far into my message, what ideas do you have for road trip snacks that will be filling, plentiful and low-calorie that I may not have considered? What would you pack in your snack bag if you were heading out on a long road trip?
Tags: boredom, comfort foods, counting calories, Dairy Queen Blizzard, DQ, McDonald's McFlurry, moments of weakness, portions, road trip snacks, vacation foods, weekly weigh-in
