Our special guest blogger today is Linda Winstead Jones! As y'all know from her posts, she travels quite a bit, personally and for her writing career. She's sharing her tips for managing food while on the road. Thanks, LJ!
As a writer, I get to live vicariously through my characters. They can have adventure after adventure, and I’m along for the ride. I experience their ups and downs, I feel their pain and their joy. Best of all, all my heroines can have the fabulous metabolism with which I was not blessed.
A shallow thought, I know, but there you go.
Even though I work at home, I end up traveling quite a bit. Conferences, luncheons, the occasional signing, working vacations... It seems there’s always a trip around the corner. Coming up next month, we have the RWA National conference. It’s always so much fun, but dieting on the road is not just a challenge, it’s darn near impossible.
So, what’s a girl who struggles constantly with weight issues to do? How can I enjoy myself without needing to pack pants in two sizes? Here are a few of the travel/diet tips I’ve relied on over the years.
One: Take complete control of one meal a day. For me, it’s breakfast. A protein bar and a couple of cups of black coffee will fill me up, provide some protein to start the day, and comes in at around 200 calories. I might throw in a piece of fruit, depending on the bar and the circumstances. Compare that to a medium latte and a blueberry scone from Starbucks, which will give you around 650 calories and little to no protein. Buying a smoothie? Go in knowing what you’re getting. They can run anywhere from 200 to over 900 calories. Love Cracker Barrel? I do. Their breakfasts come in between 500 and 1200 calories, depending on your choices.
Not only do I save myself calories at the start of the day, getting that good start reminds me all day to be careful about what I choose to eat. And protein bars are easy. Stick a box in your carry-on and you’re set. Have a couple of extras on hand to eat in the airport or on the plane.
Two: Share. When Lori Handeland and I are in NY, we always go to Junior’s. And we always share. We split a meal and a piece of cheesecake. It’s still not what anyone would call a healthy meal, but half an unhealthy meal is better than eating the whole thing. If you don’t have a friend along you can share with, cut the meal in half anyway. I used to feel terrible about “wasting” food, until one day I convinced myself that my stomach is not a garbage can. That’s the alternative, after all. My stomach, or the restaurant garbage can. Cleaning my plate does not affect a single hungry person anywhere in the world in any positive way. If you feel guilty about wasting food, pledge to donate to a local food bank when you get home. It’ll do a lot more good than eating twice as much as you want or need.
Three: Water. I can’t emphasize this one enough. Drink water. Lots of it. Not only will you be well hydrated (a must for flying and staying in a hotel) your body will function better and you won’t mistake thirst for hunger. Going to a party? Alternate cocktails or wine with water. Not only do you save calories, you might save yourself from that embarrassing “I don’t remember dancing on the table” Facebook photo. :-)
Four: Remember the three bite rule. Recently I’ve read that after three bites we’re no longer tasting the food, we’re eating out of habit. A rich dessert? A fabulous appetizer? Take three small bites. Eat slowly. Savor. Enjoy. Then stop.
Five: Ask. While I would never go into a restaurant and make an outrageous special request, asking for salad dressing on the side or steamed vegetables instead of fries is not demanding, and you could easily save yourself hundreds of calories.
It all comes down to taking control. Plan ahead, be prepared, and have a good time.
Share with us some of your favorite tips for eating on the go, and your progress for this week!
Linda's first historical romance was released in 1994, and in the years since she's written in several romance sub-genres under several names. In order of appearance, Linda Winstead; Linda Jones; Linda Winstead Jones; Linda Devlin; and Linda Fallon. She's a six time finalist for the RITA Award and a winner (for Shades of Midnight) in the paranormal category. Most recently she's been writing as Linda Jones in joint projects with Linda Howard, and rereleasing her backlist in ebook format. She can be found at any one of a variety of Facebook pages (search for Linda Winstead Jones and Linda Howard/Linda Jones) and at www.lindawinsteadjones.com .
As a writer, I get to live vicariously through my characters. They can have adventure after adventure, and I’m along for the ride. I experience their ups and downs, I feel their pain and their joy. Best of all, all my heroines can have the fabulous metabolism with which I was not blessed.
A shallow thought, I know, but there you go.
Even though I work at home, I end up traveling quite a bit. Conferences, luncheons, the occasional signing, working vacations... It seems there’s always a trip around the corner. Coming up next month, we have the RWA National conference. It’s always so much fun, but dieting on the road is not just a challenge, it’s darn near impossible.
So, what’s a girl who struggles constantly with weight issues to do? How can I enjoy myself without needing to pack pants in two sizes? Here are a few of the travel/diet tips I’ve relied on over the years.
One: Take complete control of one meal a day. For me, it’s breakfast. A protein bar and a couple of cups of black coffee will fill me up, provide some protein to start the day, and comes in at around 200 calories. I might throw in a piece of fruit, depending on the bar and the circumstances. Compare that to a medium latte and a blueberry scone from Starbucks, which will give you around 650 calories and little to no protein. Buying a smoothie? Go in knowing what you’re getting. They can run anywhere from 200 to over 900 calories. Love Cracker Barrel? I do. Their breakfasts come in between 500 and 1200 calories, depending on your choices.
Not only do I save myself calories at the start of the day, getting that good start reminds me all day to be careful about what I choose to eat. And protein bars are easy. Stick a box in your carry-on and you’re set. Have a couple of extras on hand to eat in the airport or on the plane.
Two: Share. When Lori Handeland and I are in NY, we always go to Junior’s. And we always share. We split a meal and a piece of cheesecake. It’s still not what anyone would call a healthy meal, but half an unhealthy meal is better than eating the whole thing. If you don’t have a friend along you can share with, cut the meal in half anyway. I used to feel terrible about “wasting” food, until one day I convinced myself that my stomach is not a garbage can. That’s the alternative, after all. My stomach, or the restaurant garbage can. Cleaning my plate does not affect a single hungry person anywhere in the world in any positive way. If you feel guilty about wasting food, pledge to donate to a local food bank when you get home. It’ll do a lot more good than eating twice as much as you want or need.
Three: Water. I can’t emphasize this one enough. Drink water. Lots of it. Not only will you be well hydrated (a must for flying and staying in a hotel) your body will function better and you won’t mistake thirst for hunger. Going to a party? Alternate cocktails or wine with water. Not only do you save calories, you might save yourself from that embarrassing “I don’t remember dancing on the table” Facebook photo. :-)
Four: Remember the three bite rule. Recently I’ve read that after three bites we’re no longer tasting the food, we’re eating out of habit. A rich dessert? A fabulous appetizer? Take three small bites. Eat slowly. Savor. Enjoy. Then stop.
Five: Ask. While I would never go into a restaurant and make an outrageous special request, asking for salad dressing on the side or steamed vegetables instead of fries is not demanding, and you could easily save yourself hundreds of calories.
It all comes down to taking control. Plan ahead, be prepared, and have a good time.
Share with us some of your favorite tips for eating on the go, and your progress for this week!
Linda's first historical romance was released in 1994, and in the years since she's written in several romance sub-genres under several names. In order of appearance, Linda Winstead; Linda Jones; Linda Winstead Jones; Linda Devlin; and Linda Fallon. She's a six time finalist for the RITA Award and a winner (for Shades of Midnight) in the paranormal category. Most recently she's been writing as Linda Jones in joint projects with Linda Howard, and rereleasing her backlist in ebook format. She can be found at any one of a variety of Facebook pages (search for Linda Winstead Jones and Linda Howard/Linda Jones) and at www.lindawinsteadjones.com . SNOW BOUND BLOG TOUR
Over the next few weeks, I'll be visiting various blogs to share different snippets and experiences of SNOW BOUND with readers. But I wanted to start off with something special on my own blog today: how SNOW BOUND came into being. This story is very special to me, and I want to share that with my very own readers here at home. I'd been having a particularly difficult time with my writing, a period of darkness as I dealt with questions like "What am I really doing?", "Am I just wasting my time?", "What direction do I really want to go in?". There were way more questions than answers, and discouragement had become a way of life. In search of encouragement, I went to close friend and Maven Linda Winstead Jones, pouring out my angst and frustration.
Linda had read my work before, both in the past and recently, and she coached me on a few areas, including characterization. But her biggest piece of advice to me was: go home and write something just for fun. Something you want to write because it excites you, interests you. I'd spend so much time writing to different lines that I'd forgotten what excited me about writing.
I didn't start that day, but over the next few weeks the idea started brewing. Before I knew it, Damon had started talking to me and I was exploring his pleasure-focused way of wandering through life. Who better to challenge him than the 1 woman he'd vowed to stay away from: a single Southern belle ripe for marriage. Only he didn't realize this was 1 woman who could take care of herself - in every way.
I had so much fun with them! Did it answer all my questions? Solve all my problems? No. But it taught me that I needed to enjoy what I was doing, to write something that excited ME, not just fit someone else's requirements. I hope I never forget that lesson!
So tell me, what's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?
DON'T FORGET to comment on my Autumn's Harvest Blog Hop post (below) for a chance to win my fall goodies and an Amazon gift card, along with chances to win some big prizes like a Kindle! Chances to win end tonight!
SNOW BOUND
Available now through Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009Z1FCW6 ) and Smashwords (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/251508 ) .
The last thing Damon West wants is a trip to his bookish neighbor’s house in the midst of the worst snowstorm Cadence, TN, has seen in a decade. Still, his military instincts warn him that Miss Priss could use a little help. His arrival is met with an attack by an unknown assailant and the sight of Miss Priss in a sexy wisp of nothing-much, confidently wielding a double-barreled shotgun.
Tori Anderson carefully portrays herself as a responsible bookstore owner and capable young woman to anyone willing to look twice. But two men grappling in her backyard called for speed more than decorum. That’s how the guy she’d been secretly lusting after since he’d bought the house next door sees her in a silky robe and panties—with nothing in between. Damon’s sudden interest thrills her, but she can’t help worrying about the unknown threat scared off by her shotgun blast.
Trapped in her house under several feet of snow with no way to reach the outside world, Tori finally has the chance to indulge her wildest fantasies. But she isn’t sure which is more daunting—the abusive boyfriend back to punish her or her desire to have more than one night with the town’s most unavailable bachelor.