The FastDay Forum

Hi all

I'm a newbie so I hope nobody minds me starting a thread! So - here's the dilemma. One week a month I work away from home and stay in a hotel for that time. This is a real struggle on a fast day because hotel menus don't have calorie counts (so I avoid eating in), I obviously can't cook and so am restricted to buying cold, pre-prepared foods.

I'm sure I can't be the only one in this position, so I thought perhaps it may be useful to gather some wisdom from fellow business travellers on what the best buys are for pre-prepared 'fast day friendly' meals.

The rules are that they must be:

Commonly available
Needing no preparation
Do not need heating
As healthy as possible (no 'bag of crisps + Mars Bar')

So far I've discovered:

M&S fish suishi collection (240gm) - 295
M&S King Prawn & Crunchy Citrus Salad pack - 135
M&S Classic Fruit Salad (185gm) - 74
Meal total: 504

M&S Hot Smoked Salmon & Potato Salad (340gm) - 240
Marks & Spencer - Sliced Mexican Chilli Chicken (130gm) - 169
Medium Apple - 72
Meal total: 481

Food Doctor brand sells healthy version of pot noodles using eg quinoa dnd bulgar also Quorn do something similar both around 350cals and available in big Tesco's and probably other supermarkets I imagine

actually the quorn one you need to be able to heat it but the food doctor one you just need hot water which I'm sure all hotels will provide. Wholegrain cous cous would also be ideal as you can just use the same amount of hot water as you do cous cous add a pre-made mix of spices/herbs/seasoning and/or soy sauce from home and voila!

Food Doctor brand sells healthy version of pot noodles using eg quinoa dnd bulgar also Quorn do something similar both around 350cals and available in big Tesco's and probably other supermarkets I imagine

Thanks! Those look good:

Food Doctor
BULGAR WHEAT & QUINOA POT with asparagus, leek & mint - 254 cals
BULGAR WHEAT & QUINOA POT with tomato, black olive & basil - 303 cals
COUSCOUS & LENTIL POT with tomatoes, red peppers and cumin - 268 cals

They're a 'just add water' job so tick all the boxes for hotel eating.

John West does a range called Tuna Light Lunch - no refrigeration or heating needed and most varieties are less than 250 calories per pack.

I have the same problem but in the US. I travel Mon - Thurs and decided to make my fast days my travel days since I don't want to fast when I am home with my family.
Thursdays are easy as I only have to get breakfast on the road, skip lunch and ea home home that night. Mondays I am at the airport at 5:30am, work all day and at the hotel at night so its a rough day.
I am thinking of maybe bringing a couple of hard boiled eggs with me to the airport for breakfast and having a packet of Lipton cup of noodles (45 cal) at work. Dinner is the challenge - need to find restaurant options in the US around 300 cals.

Dinner is the challenge - need to find restaurant options in the US around 300 cals.

The Lighthouse menu at Red Lobster lists several items under 300 cals, including a half portion of tilapia, salmon and trout - also the shrimp cocktail appetizer. Other restaurant chains like Applebees, Olive Garden, etc. have light menus but I think most are listed at around 500 cals . . you could skip your breakfast. There's always Subway.

Dinner is the challenge - need to find restaurant options in the US around 300 cals.

The Lighthouse menu at Red Lobster lists several items under 300 cals, including a half portion of tilapia, salmon and trout - also the shrimp cocktail appetizer. Other restaurant chains like Applebees, Olive Garden, etc. have light menus but I think most are listed at around 500 cals . . you could skip your breakfast. There's always Subway.

Meant to says its a half portion of tilapia or salmon or trout - not all three LOL !

I also travel for work. It's been light lately, so I haven't had to deal with it since I started the diet (on 3/11), but I know it'll come up in the near future. When I do travel, it's generally a Mon - Thu week as well. I plan to take hard boiled eggs for breakfast on Mondays, and have a caesar salad with grilled salmon, dressing on the side for dinner. I figure that should be fine for Mondays. Thursdays will be harder, so I might go with fruit only breakfast, or fruit an a hard boiled egg (hotels usually have all of this), and perhaps do my second meal at lunch since airports have notoriously bad food calorie-wise.

If you have access to a microwave, Rosemary Conley Solo Slim meals are really good. They have a long shelf life of 6-9 months and don't need refrigerating, so are ideal when travelling.

For those in the U.S. if you are near a Panera ask to order from their Hidden Menu. These are low carb breakfast bowls and salads from 180 to 360 calories and they are tasty and satisfying. Maybe get them to go so you won't be tempted by the bread. I have tried almost all of them when I was on Atkins and they are very dood.

Hidden menu, huh? Very interesting. Thanks for the tip!

For those in the U.S. if you are near a Panera ask to order from their Hidden Menu. These are low carb breakfast bowls and salads from 180 to 360 calories and they are tasty and satisfying. Maybe get them to go so you won't be tempted by the bread. I have tried almost all of them when I was on Atkins and they are very dood.

Thanks so much for this tip! Had one of the power bowls for "brunch" last Thursday - 190 calories before going to the airport and it kept me full all day. Can't wait to try more of them!