Staying in shape while traveling is something I’ve never been able to quite figure out. Since my goal is to keep muscle and minimize fat, it has always been tricky deciding whether to eat more (to prevent atrophy) or to eat less (to prevent fat gain). In the past, it wasn’t uncommon for me to lose 15 pounds every time I took a trip.
I once lost 30 pounds while traveling Japan . Since the food there was so expensive, and the portions so small (particularly meat), for four weeks I ate nothing but ramen and onigiris (Japanese rice balls). Not exactly the best way to preserve your body composition.
In subsequent trips, I got smarter and started bringing my own protein powder, which worked very well. As annoying and awkward as it is to lug around a five pound tub of protein, it has actually become a must-have item for all my trips, right up there with my DSLR. Oh, the things I do for bodybuilding.