Do you really need all that toast at breakfast?

“How do you stay so slim eating all those road-trip restaurant meals?” people often ask me. The answer? Wearing loose clothes to hide the little tire that gets pumped up by about five pounds after a month of steady grazing on volumes of fatty, starchy foods I certainly wouldn’t inflict on my body back home. It all tastes great at the time, but I know there’s a starvation diet in my near future. Still, it could easily be worse, say 10 or more pounds worse. But I’ve learned a few tricks to keep the ballooning at bay.

1. Spit, don’t swallow  Follow the practice of professional wine tasters. Well, maybe not literally. I don’t think you, fellow diners or waiters want to see your chewed food regurgitated. I’m thinking more of not finishing everything on an overloaded plate. At breakfast, for example, I only have a bite of toast, unless its fabulous, house-baked bread. I know it goes against the mantra of finishing everything on your plate, and it is a waste of food. Still, better that than having it go directly to your waist.

Don’t feel you have to finish these TWO POUNDS of pancakes

2. Reduce your portion size  Ask if you can get a child’s or senior’s portion. You might even save some money by doing so. Order a half sandwich, which in many delis is plenty of food, or share a full size.

It’s hard to stop eating a sandwich this good. But, really, half should be enough, right?

3. Pack a cooler  Once you’ve eaten enough, get the rest to go for a later meal. A cooler will keep the leftovers in good shape for a couple of days, instead of  growing mold in the 100-degree California heat.

There’s plenty of food left over for another meal

4. Order a la carte  In Mexican restaurants, I almost never order the full-meal deals, which fill the plate with usually indifferent rice and beans. My stomach space is too valuable for that crap. Similarly, I often get a burger without the accompanying fries and soda.

Besides filling your plate, and gut, do these rice and beans even look appetizing?

The fries may be great, but they’re taking up half the plate. Just saying

5. Go for the greens  I know, salads, are often unimaginative bores, consisting of bedraggled lettuce, a few chopped veggies and a vinaigrette guaranteed to make you wince. (beware the calories in Caesar and ranch dressings). But many restaurants are offering more creative options, like so-called glory bowls, packed with nutritious, tasty things like brown rice, toasted nuts, grilled tofu and sprouts.

Healthy, tasty nouveau salads at Canmore’s Communitea

6. Take time to exercise  On a long road trip, you’re spending plenty of time on your butt—in the car, at the motel/campground and in restaurants. Whenever possible, carve at least half an hour out of your travelling day for a walk, run or hike. I like to do it first thing in the morning, because after that, I get down to the serious business of eating. Just in moderation, sort of.

Squeezing a run in between meals