Work out with Ming - cut yourself some slack on the road

80.6 kg, 178 pounds, a record high in the past 9 months. That is what the body scale showed last night when I got home after a 12-day business trip. I did not even load it onto my app, unbelievable and felt upset and guilty.

Business travel, more than business meals, poses a problem for most of us, and seems an reasonable excuse for eating sweets, because of the stress and pressure. When I was standing there in the wind doing tour back without anything in the stomach, I fell off the cliff. My plan was not to eat anything for dinner since I'm going back home that night. But it failed, I should say, again. Thanks God I had some dried beef in the car, high in calories but also high in protein, what I had is the lowest In sugar, but still tastes sweet. That triggered my cravings for more sweets, the beta-endorphin dominated, beyond all others, at that special time of the day, when I was hungry.

Open the trunk, looking at the snacks (Fiona's dinner actually, some muffins and waffles, all sweet). I know where they are and what it tastes like. The good thing is I did not eat them all, left some for Fiona. But it triggered even more beta-endorphin. I am so smart I know where I could find more, from the vending machine in the terminal, I got one chocolate (only one because it  only accepts 10 or 20 yuan notes); went to the terminal office and found more chocolate and cookies, now I could explode but still thinking of more. On the way back at gas station store, I bought some more cookie and an ice cream.

Dose above sounds familiar when you are on the road, especially business travel? It is a serious problem but we do have plan to fight. Follow my plan of recovery and you can still be heading to the six-pack.

The best solution is to have a plan before you travel, and stay with it. And, when you fall off the cliff, stop yourself, whenever you stop is not too late.

What I hoped for every meal is greens, chicken breast, oatmeal. But remember young man, you are on the road, and busy under pressure. Don't let yourself get into a blood sugar crisis, or easier to understand, don't be hungry. When I had the beef only to eat, I should drive back to town or should have sent someone to a mall to buy some whole grain toast, boiled broklie, chicken. Come on man, you are in the middle of nowhere and all  others are busy. The will power is not strong enough to make you stay with the plan (not to eat anything for dinner until back home), hungry triggered your cravings for food, sweets triggered the beta-endorphin, which finally make you fall off the cliff. The good feeling beta-endorphin gives you cannot last long so the brain tells you to eat more, no matter whether your stomach is full or not.

You should identify the windows of time during which it is critical that you eat. Have some healthy snacks you can eat, protein bar, oatmeal biscuit, are all good choices. You won't feel hungry when you have those in your stomach and that in turn strengthens your will power to stay with plan, whatever it is.

Falling off the cliff, eat all the high calory sweets, under stress and hungry, don't be upset and think about the other 99% of your healthy life, you can still make your six-pack. Just cut yourself some slack on the road, take it easy and stay with the rest of the plan, when back home, and on road again, I'm sure next time you will be well prepared, or at least, getting better.