Flexible Eating While Traveling

Recently, Laith and I went to Asheville, NC, for a quick weekend getaway to celebrate our 9th anniversary. We visited the Grove Park Inn, the Biltmore Estate, and enjoyed a 3-hour e-bike tour of the city. Before leaving, we knew that trying to stay on our “diet” would require making a few concessions. While we did conduct some preliminary research into the local restaurants, Asheville has a very active restaurant scene, and the most popular places all required reservations, which we were unable to obtain and limited our options from the start.

We eat healthy on a daily basis, so when on trips and celebrating, we are able to loosen up our protocol and enjoy some foods that we typically stay away from.

Our Anniversary dinner was at Vue 1913 at the Grove Park Inn. We enjoyed a gourmet dinner with delicious and beautifully presented food. The quantities were conservative, so it was about the culinary experience and did not leave us stuffed.

At the Biltmore Winery, we found a BBQ food truck and split a meal that was very tasty, especially the mac & cheese! We also indulged in a waffle cone ice cream from their Creamery.

What makes our lifestyle successful is being flexible, especially when we are traveling or celebrating a special occasion. We know that we can hop back on our plan because we like how we feel when we are making the best choices for our bodies and well-being.

One of our best practices is splitting meals. We find that there is enough food for the two of us. We also stick to our intermittent fasting (2 meals a day).

The e-bike tour was so incredibly fun. I haven't been on a bike in nearly 30 years, and I was a bit apprehensive. Having nearly 50 pounds off my body felt so good when on the bike. I felt strong, well-balanced, and was surprised at my endurance, even though the pedal assist was pretty amazing on the hills. I have to say that it was my favorite part of the trip.

The moral of our story, when on vacation and/or celebrating something important, it's ok to deviate from the plan and not beat ourselves up for having something that we might consider “naughty”.