5:2 and Travel

This topic contains 4 replies, has 4 voices, and was last updated by  m426ike 5 years, 7 months ago.

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  • Hi everybody,
    I’m only in my 2nd week of the 5:2 and find myself planning for a 2 week trip starting next week. What do you guys do….stop he diet and enjoy the cuisine, or fast while traveling?
    I will be visiting family and friends in the US, so lots of dinners planned.
    Thanks!
    Mike

    Travel is a tough one for me. I used to avoid fasting when traveling as the fasting stress often causes more bathroom trips and avoiding that on the road is nice. However that doesn’t seem to be a problem anymore and now the main issue is social. So I typically don’t do my normal routine and I just opportunity fast. That is I fast when there aren’t conflicts. Typically this works out to fasting about half as much as normal. Otherwise I just try to be a bit mindful when eating.

    I just got back from an almost two week trip, even with a family wedding I attended. The damage seems to be very limited and I’m back to the standard two 36 hour fasts a week. I probably lost a bit of ground but I’m back on the wagon. That is the thing about fasting, it is flexible and effective.

    I noticed this trip to the states that many people are much more open to at least intermitted fasting. That actually helps a bit.

    You can travel, do 5:2 and still enjoy the cuisine. I’ve done it several times now. Enjoying the different foods is one of the interesting things about travel for me.

    Here are some suggestions.

    1. Self-cater where you can and buy your ingredients at the local shops, markets, supermarket.

    2. Don’t eat breakfast. If you can’t manage being there then don’t go to breakfast.

    3. Drinks : Switch from coffees made on milk eg capuccino, flat white to teas; make every second drink water at night; sparkling water with lemon or lime slice.

    4. Morning tea/afternoon tea – share something not 1 each.

    5. Dinner – share a dish, have 2 entrees or starters instead of entree and main. Share dessert if you have it.

    6. Have vegies or salad instead of hot chips.

    7. Drink plenty of water through the day.

    8. Do your 2 FDs a week. Just say ‘No thanks, I’m fasting today’. And continue whatever conversation you were having. Treating it as normal, no big deal means others will accept it easier I’ve found. People abroad also understand that various religions use fasting as a component and accept it easily. There’s no need to explain what you’re doing unless people ask specifically. You might say then ‘I’m fasting for health reasons.’

    9. Make a decision before you leave about what you’re going to do,

    10. Keep to as healthy foods as you can. When something is for eg deep fried, have a small portion to taste it, not a whole meal.

    11. Whatever you do, don’t let people hassle you about it.

    12. If you are a daily weigher there are small travel scales, about 5-600gms, that you can take with you.

    13. Soups – choose the clear soup or tomato based option rather than creamy ones. Pasta – tomato based sauce rather than cream sauce.

    14. Straight back to your routine 5:2 when you get home.

    Excellent advice, Merryme. Just what I would have said if you hadn’t beat me to it!
    We have been Fasting for 5 years and that includes a lot of trips. When we get home from traveling, we seldom show a weight gain because we continue to Fast while traveling.

    Thanks for your feedback! It’s been a while since I’ve been back to the states and I have a bunch of dinners planned with kids and friends. I’m guessing I’m going to do like dykask and “opportunity fast”. And if I do fall off the wagon a bit, I know I’ll get right back on when I get back home.

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