Lessons learned about nutrition, fitness & habits from a 30-day active move & 7-day cross-country road trip

All the best-laid plans… that is the best way that I could think of to start this one. This is what went down as we prepared for our trip from California to New Jersey with 2 adults, 4 kids, 4 dogs, 2 cats, 2 vehicles & a Uhaul trailer.

Back story… I am currently in maintenance and working towards getting stronger with my health journey. From 2012 – 2022, I had been on and off with being in a calorie deficit and had the intention of losing weight. This last year has been the first time that I have not intentionally been dieting throughout. I have also been working towards pulling away my personal connection with tracking food in an app and making peace with where my weight is. This has been a mental process after hitting a drastic low for my body in order to compete in a bikini bodybuilding show last June.

Now, I think that gives enough of a backstory to help understand the things mentioned below.

Phase 1: The Pack Out

One month into the active move process, our house in California was being completely packed out. This process with the movers took over 3 to 4 days during the week. We found ourselves in a bit of a bind with food and movement. We could not leave the house but we also could not be in the way of the movers either.

Prior to the movers arriving:

• Packed our suitcases with things that we would need along the way. My stuff included 4 to 5 workout outfits, converse, and a gym bag with lifting straps & belt so that I could try to keep up with movement along the way.
• Packed a personal bag with my current personal development book, my bible study book, my journal for a project, and all of the needed electronics. This would help me keep up with what restores me and focuses me daily.
• Purchased snacks, disposable plates & utensils, and refrigerator items to be able to eat without needing to leave the house. The refrigerator foods were rotisserie chickens, deli meats, cheese, fruits, raw veggies, and water bottles.

This planning covered something for each of the priorities that I have for myself to be able to feel good mentally and physically; training, mindset/mental health, and nutrition.

When the movers arrived, I placed all of this in the refrigerator or the bathtub aside from my snacks which were packed but I digress.

Around this time, I also created the first of my rules that I would follow that would help me stay aligned with who I am.

Daily Intentions
☑️ Sleep 6-8 hours
☑️ Morning routine, Bible study & morning pages
☑️ Personal development chapter in a CEU
☑️ Morning walk OUTSIDE
☑️ 1 picture with a kiddo a day
☑️ 80oz water & 2-3 coffees/energy drinks
☑️ Protein counting to 120g (4x30g ideally) – hybrid tracking/non-tracking
☑️ 500-750g of fruits & vegetables
☑️ Night walk OUTSIDE
☑️ Night routine and set out clothing for the next day

Weekly Intentions
💪 5 Training Sessions with intentional carbs before & after
🌅 Catch a sunset to close the workweek
🍱 Meal prep for Adrian, Aiden & me
🥐 Bake & dance in the kitchen
🥘 Cook a family dinner
☑️ Family game or movie night

Phase 2: Life in the Empty House

This was where things became really tough.

One of the biggest issues that I have found when it comes to the moves that we’ve made through the military is that we can sometimes take this moving process and begin to allow ourselves to go into almost a “vacation mode”. We see almost everything as scarce because we may never go to that location again. But this also compounds with the complications of a move. We may want to go to a restaurant because it’s a cuisine that we may never get again but then the next day we’re also going to a fast food restaurant because we have the inability to cook something because we’re without a frying pan. This does require a little bit more mental power.

We found ourselves only grabbing the food that was actually scarce or would be soon like food from our favorite places. If we had to stop and get fast food, we tried to pick the best and most healthy choices we could. Most of the food that we did grab though was things that we got at the grocery store and could easily be made or was pre-made.

We had a lot of meals that were based around…

• Rotisserie chicken, tuna, precooked proteins, deli meats, and even freezer items that could be reheated in the microwave
• Items found in the deli of a grocery store
• Steamer bags of vegetables
• Fresh fruits and other produce
• A lot of different supplemental protein sources like protein chips, protein cookies, and shelf-stable protein shakes

Other thoughts regarding navigating foods

• Be Mindful of Portions: Be mindful of portion sizes whether it is an indulgence or something that you gravitate toward. Too much of anything is still too much. Listen to your body’s hunger and fullness cues and aim for balance. You don’t have to eat everything in one sitting.
• Slow Down and Savor: Take the time to fully enjoy the flavors, textures, and aromas of new things that you have time to try. Engage your senses and be present in the moment. This also helps you recognize when you’re satisfied quickly.
• Plan for treats: Having the mental notion that you will allow a certain amount of treats like 1-3 throughout your time helps give gravity to the choice. There are only 1-3, so those 1-3 need to be worth it to you. It’s not so much about the limitation, as it is about the mindset. Balance is key. Also, be mindful of portion sizes and listen to your body’s signals. Moderation and self-awareness can help you savor those moments without feeling deprived.

Phase 3: Prepping for the 7-Day Drive

As we started to get closer to the time we were leaving, my energy levels and bandwidth began to fall. I needed to scrap my plan that was taxing my mental bandwidth and be better at managing my energy levels. This was not going to be a time for the best in the thoughts of good/better/best.

Good/better/best is something that I have done at different times for different purposes. I have used this when it came to running races, and even when it came to setting smaller weight loss goals for myself. But here is how it looked throughout the month before the seven days of travel.

Best (best-laid plan)

Daily Intentions
☑️ Sleep 6-8 hours
☑️ Morning routine, Bible study & morning pages
☑️ Personal development chapter in a CEU
☑️ Morning walk OUTSIDE
☑️ 1 picture with a kiddo a day
☑️ 80oz water & 2-3 coffees/energy drinks
☑️ Protein counting to 120g (4x30g ideally) – hybrid tracking/non-tracking
☑️ 500-750g of fruits & vegetables
☑️ Night walk OUTSIDE
☑️ Night routine and set out clothing for the next day

Weekly Intentions
💪 5 Training Sessions with intentional carbs before & after
🌅 Catch a sunset to close the workweek
🍱 Meal prep for Adrian, Aiden & me
🥐 Bake & dance in the kitchen
🥘 Cook a family dinner
☑️ Family game or movie night

As life began to change, I had to change with it by simplifying these things. I moved into my better plan.

Better (tried to simplify)

✔️ Walk outside
✔️ Fruit or vegetables with every meal
✔️ 80 oz water
✔️ 4 protein sources
✔️ Write for 30 mins
✔️ 730-day journal for daily insight
✔️ Food prepped for the week

Right before we started our 7-Day drive, I had to refine it again because we had more complications that we’re going to need me to pull back even further. For me specifically, the risk of too many things in my plan is that I will fail and begin to put myself down and feel guilty. This allowed me to pivot and have more compassion for myself in this really difficult process.

Good (end result)

Food rules:
📏 Meal/snack requirements: Protein & fruit or veggies
📏 Discerning between physical & head hunger
📏 No app food tracking
📏 Sending food journal to coach nightly

Try to keep up with:
✔️ Bible study chapter
✔️ Creatively write for 30 mins
✔️ 730-day journal for daily insight
✔️ One walk outside daily

The simplification of everything down to the good goals was enough to hold me to some of the routines that I have spent a lot of time creating for myself.

Phase 4: 7 Days of Traveling

As soon as we started our trip, I started to see how my food rules had to be more suggestions than anything else. Intentions that I was putting out there and trying for but not holding myself to. I wasn’t able to naturally find a fruit or a vegetable to have with every meal or snack.

Food rules:
📏 Meal/snack requirements: Protein & fruit or veggies
📏 Discerning between physical & head hunger
📏 No app food tracking
📏 Sending food journal to coach nightly

But my intentions also needed to have action to them. I had to actively try. So we stopped at grocery stores in order to have things like fruits, vegetables, protein sources, and water in the van for the trip. There were plenty of times that I resorted to supplemental protein foods that I don’t necessarily normally eat, but they got the job done.

Try to keep up with:
✔️ Bible study chapter
✔️ Creatively write for 30 mins
✔️ 730-day journal for daily insight
✔️ One walk outside daily

I was able to keep up with my Bible study, 730 day journal and creatively write every morning before we set out for the day. I woke up early and went down to breakfast by myself to have coffee and do these things. I knew what the day held for me and I knew that I needed this time for me more than ever. I had to put myself first in order to make it through.

And due to traveling with 4 dogs, those daily walks outside got pretty easy. I surely did not get 10,000 steps each day and I did not have any sort of goal to do such things. There were a few that I was able and that was amazing but that was not my focus. My focus was just to go outside and walk for however long I could.

Other thoughts regarding preparing for a road trip

• Packing & Purchasing: Many stores may have protein sources like ready-made protein shakes, or protein powders and shaker cups for you to pick up on the way or when you reach your destination, but it might be better to not rely on this uncertainty. See what you are able to bring with you. 
• Limit Snacks: I do encourage that these are limited because what is in the house, hotel, or car with you can easily be consumed by you. However, some great options that are shelf stable are sleeves of rice cakes, individual single-serving bags of popcorn (like skinny pop), protein bars, whole fruits like apples or bananas, jerky or meat sticks, dried unsweetened fruit, and pretzels in individual portion bags. These are all things that can help with the need to chew and minimize the calories/macros.
• Stay Hydrated: Don’t forget to hydrate! Drink plenty of water throughout your travels to keep your body properly hydrated. This helps regulate hunger cues and keeps your energy levels up. Also, bring a water bottle and be sure that it is empty if you are flying and you can purchase water after you are through security. The intention of bringing a water bottle on vacation helps be a visual reminder to consistently get hydration in.
• Stay Active: Incorporate physical activity into your travel itinerary. Take a walk to explore the local area, go for a hike, or find a fitness class. Staying active not only supports your overall well-being but also helps maintain balance while enjoying different foods. You could also stop at malls where you have a lot of indoor walking space. While flying, you can try to be active by walking the terminals in between flights, or when you arrive early and make it through security.

Outcome

My trip started out with me close to the highest weight I have been in a long while. The emotions ran really high and the takeout did too before leaving California. I weighed 159.6 pounds.

A week later when I arrived in New Jersey and had a night to sleep, I weighed 157.6 pounds.

Since that moment, I have reset back to my old habits and routines and been able to drop down to 153.4 in 21 days since leaving California.

Weight loss was not the goal during this move. I was focused on continuing as many habits that serve me and restore me only.