How to Not Gain Weight on Work Trips

Why work trips wreck you

Early flights, airport food, the hotel breakfast buffet, client dinners with wine, a minibar at 11pm, and zero sleep. Three days later you’re home with a puffy face and a tight belt.

You can’t control the schedule. You can control a few choices.

Before you go

• Pack protein snacks: jerky, protein bars, nuts in small portions.
• Pack shoes for walking and a resistance band.
• Check the hotel gym, or plan a 20 minute room workout.

At the airport and on the plane

• Pick a protein meal: chicken salad, sushi, eggs. Skip the pastry.
• Drink water. Planes dry you out and thirst feels like hunger.
• You don’t have to eat just because food arrives.

The hotel buffet

Go eggs, bacon or smoked salmon, fruit and yoghurt. One plate, sit down. Pastries are fine once, not every morning.

Client dinners

• Order a steak, fish or chicken main with veg or salad.
• Skip the bread basket or have one piece.
• Set a drink limit and alternate with sparkling water. Nobody notices what’s in your glass.
• Share a dessert or skip it.

Move when you can

Walk to meetings, take the stairs, do a short hotel gym session. See Is 20 Minutes of Exercise Enough?. Something is better than nothing.

Sleep

Leave the bar early when you can. Bad sleep on a trip leads to more snacking the next day.

Home again

Get straight back to normal. Don’t punish yourself. The scale jump is mostly water and salt.

FAQ

Should I train on work trips?

If you can, yes. Even two short sessions keep the habit going.

How do I handle being the only one not drinking?

Order a soda water with lime. Most people won’t notice or care.

What if I travel every week?

Then travel is your normal. Build a simple routine for it: the same breakfast, the same room workout, the same drink limit.

Read next

• The Weekend Undo: How Friday to Sunday Wipes Out Your Week
• Is 20 Minutes of Exercise Enough?
• How to Eat More Protein Without Trying

This article is general information only. Check with your GP before changing your diet, drinking or training if you have a medical condition.