All opinions are always 100% honest and my own. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I also participate in: CJ Affiliate; eBay Partner Network; Rakuten Affiliate Network; ShareASale; Walmart Affiliate Program; independent affiliate networks.
I will be spending the entire week at BYU attending Education Week, an adult education event I try to attend every year. I'll be staying in a dorm. I'm suspending my day count because I don't want to miss any of the workouts/menus. But I'm still going strong.
The challenges? No exercise equipment, no kitchen, no refrigerator, restaurants and junk food everywhere.
The solutions? A pre-planned menu, a portable fridge, running shoes.
In order to avoid eating at the cafeteria or fast food restaurants, I decided to bring most of my food and store it in a little, plug-in fridge in my room. It has to be portable and small in scale. Then every morning I'll run and do as many seconds of the plank as I feel compelled to do. I'll also carry and drink water all day long.
Here's the menu I came up with:
Meal 1
1 whole wheat English muffin
1 hard-boiled egg
3 egg whites
2 slices low-fat ham
1 banana
Meal 2
1 pint skim milk
1 South Beach meal replacement bar
Meal 3
2 rice cakes with natural peanut butter
1 small apple
Meal 4
Cafeteria meal including mostly salad with protein and fruit
Meal 5
3 ounces tuna (in pouch)
16 raw almonds
1 orange
Meal 6
Rice, bean, corn, chicken dish (meal 4 from week 1)
The first day of my plan was a revelation. In spite of all my criss-crossing of the campus on foot and hoofing up and down hills, I felt utterly stuffed. I was actually dreading the next meal because I just didn't want more to eat. This feeling persisted to the point that I actually skipped the cafeteria meal and, instead, had a container of fat-free yogurt and a cheese stick from a vending machine.
I'm packing food again today. And I'm not a bit hungry. Walking past the doughnuts and fries and chocolate is really not even a challenge. Good eating.
Alison Moore Smith is a 61-year-old entrepreneur who graduated from BYU in 1987. She has been (very happily) married to Samuel M. Smith for 40 years. They are parents of six incredible children and grandparents to two astounding grandsons. She is the author of The 7 Success Habits of Homeschoolers.