So I won a 10 day trip to London (woo-hooo) through a science essay contest!
I'm already assigned a hotel (far from the centre), and it's got an included breakfast (aren't most breakfast foods horrible?). I also have a museum visiting schedule so my days are going to be packed.
The other winners, I presume they will opt for the comforts of fast food (plus it's cheap, and most of them will probably be on very tight budgets), and I'm afraid I might be stuck going with them wherever they choose.
This is pretty scary since I lost those last mythical 10 pounds, and it was hard and I don't even want 1 pound of it back.
I've also switched myself to a very healthy diet to do this - only unprocessed grains and rice, no dairy, only lean chicken or fish, little to no bread. I also eat MASSIVE quantities of fresh raw vegetables and fruit (by that I mean - 90% of what I eat everyday is that).
How in the hell am I going to adapt this diet to a trip in an EXPENSIVE country, with little time to shop, and no access to a kitchen?
And how am I not gonna be that "crazy kooky girl who is obsessed with what she eats, so she doesn't enjoy life, etc" Because I'm not, but that's how people perceive healthy eating here....
HALP?
Relax.... London is a goldmine of good and bad places to eat, usually right next door to each other. At lunchtimes, for every MacDonalds or BurgerKing there's often a branch of 'Pret a Manger' or a nice little independent place making fresh sandwiches for similar prices. City-centre supermarket branches such as Sainsbury, Tesco, Waitrose & Marks and Spencer... all do good selections of salads and sandwiches at very reasonable prices. In the evening there are lots of choices... In between the fast food places and the fancy restaurants there are some good mid-price options like pasta and pizza chains.... all will serve you a green salad. NB... in UK italian restaurants you can often order a 'starter size' version of a dish and you can also ask to share a main course if cost is an issue.
Breakfast in hotels often includes a hot or a cold selection. If you want a 'full English' of eggs and bacon, great. If you want cold cereals with orange juice... that'll be there too.
If you're visiting museums you'll be doing a lot of walking and you'd be surprised how much energy you can use doing that. Have fun. Don't worry.
Original Post by suzushii:
I'm already assigned a hotel (far from the centre), and it's got an included breakfast (aren't most breakfast foods horrible?). I also have a museum visiting schedule so my days are going to be packed.
Congratulations on winning a trip! I'm surprised you say most breakfast foods are horrible... do you mean all breakfast foods, or just the ones you expect the hotel to serve? Breakfast can be what you want it to be, and there are hundreds of healthy choices. I live in a hotel, and when I go down to the breakfast buffet (not all that often) I get an omelet made with ham and lots of veges, a platter of fruit and sometimes a yoghurt or salad.
Other good buffet choices would be whole-grain toast, a healthy cereal with milk/yoghurt/fruit, porridge, bircher muesli, scrambled eggs, sauteed veges... and whatever else looks good!
Like gi-jane said, relax. It's only 10 days, and you'd have to put in a herculean effort to put on 10lbs in that time (in other words, it's not going to happen.)
Figure out what type of eater you are and you might just find the answer to permanent weight loss.
Take the Diet Profile Test and learn to avoid the pitfalls and self-sabotage that often come with your personal profile.