Living in Jakarta has one peculiarity. Traveling to Europe or the US means you have to take a midnight flight from Jakarta and make a connection somewhere in East Asia for US-bound flights or in the Middle East for Europe. Strapped in your seat at 1 AM with darkness the only thing you see outside, the first thing you want to do as soon as the aircraft reaches cruising altitude is to sleep. Unfortunately, the airline has promised you dinner. So in spite of the fact that you are already dozing, the flight attendant would give you a gentle tap on your shoulder to rouse you and say, “Dinner time, sir. Would you like chicken or beef?”
Irregular eating time is one reason traveling is challenging for weight control. Road trips are another example. There are circumstances that prevent you from keeping your routine meal times: you want to make good time so you delay your meal; you cannot find proper eateries along the way, or you don’t want to eat heavy meals on the road to avoid having to stop at gas station restrooms.
Another challenge in traveling is the opportunity to try local delicacies which are usually heavy in carbs and fat. What is the point of going somewhere new if you cannot try the food there?
Last weekend we went on a 3-day road trip that involves taking ferry rides. We had early lunch and drove 128 km (80 miles) to the seaport expecting to make the 4 PM ferry so we can arrive in time for dinner at our destination. Traffic was so smooth we arrived 2 hours early. However, the ferry was two hours late. During the 4-hour wait and the 90-minute sail, we had nothing to do except snack and talk. We ended up having dinner at 10 PM.
The next day was the culinary tour part of the trip. We had coffee with fried cassava in the morning, Padang cuisine (which is heavy in coconut milk) for lunch, and heavy dinner at a popular restaurant.
The return trip was similar. We had a post-breakfast noodle at 10.00 AM, sped up to the seaport, and arrived just in time for the 1 PM ferry. Arriving on the other side, we drove for 2 hours back to the city before having a late lunch at 4 PM.
Checking my food journal for the trip, I found that on the departure day, thanks to all the wait, I ate 759 calories, or a little over half of my calorie budget, in snacks.
On July 5, 2022, my result was 82.7 kg (182.32 lbs). These are my results today.
| Item | Measurement, July 13, 2022 | Measurement, January 24, 2022 | Healthy Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight1 | 82.45 kg (181.77 lbs) | 98.7 Kg (217.6 lbs) | 55.3-68.0 kg (121.9-149.9 lbs) |
| BMI2 | 30.2 (Obese) | 36.2 (Obese) | 18.5-24.9 |
| Waist (circumference)3 | 105 cm (41.33 in) | 122 cm (48.03 in) | < 102 cm (40 in) |
| Hip (circumference)3 | 108 cm (42.51 in) | 120 cm (47.24 in) | |
| Waist to Hip Ratio (WHR) | 0.96 | 1.01 | < 0.9 |
| Blood Pressure4 (Systolic/Diastolic) | 114 mmHg/ 85 mmHg | 137mmHg/ 95 mmHg | 110/70 mmHg- 145/90 mmHg |
Here are the additional measurements:
| Item | Measurement, July 13, 2022 | Measurement, February 5, 2022 | Healthy Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body Fat | 30.8% | 36% | 17.5%-20.6% (Good)4 |
| Visceral Fat Level | 15 | 17 | <13 |
Considering all the challenges, I am happy to report that the result is still favorable. I suppose it is because I was lucky and careful.
- On the first day, despite being tired after a long drive, I snacked so much that I wasn’t so hungry. I didn’t have dinner with the others.
- On the second day, I decided to give myself some leeway and just enjoy all the food we had that day. I ate a lot of fried cassava, tried four different Padang dishes, and had a serving of fish and chips for dinner. Lucky for me, cassava has relatively low calories thanks to the complex carbs it contains. Two of the Padang food I chose was chicken, and I didn’t finish my plate of fish and chips.
- On the last day, I made our late lunch as the closing of my eating window. I managed to keep my calorie intake that day at 1,276 calories, creating a sufficient calorie deficit to offset the day before.
- The hotel provided breakfast. But the meals were not good I only ate a little.
Since I am now so used to not eating anything past my eating window, it wasn’t a problem for me to skip dinner. My body is attuned to eating fewer carbs, it doesn’t feel the need to finish the rice or potato or noodle on my plate.
What did I learn from this experience about taking a trip while in intermittent fasting?
- Trust your body to tell you what to eat.
- Enjoy the local food, but remember to maintain as many good eating habits as possible during a trip.
- Even if you cannot keep your eating window, watching what you eat can minimize the impact on your intermittent fasting.
Bon voyage!
Life At Slow-Mo 
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