I completely agree on all points. This is where most people go wrong when on the road. Saving money is one thing. It DOES cost a little more to eat healthy while traveling but the options are there, sometimes just have to get creative. Personally, I enjoy the variety of NOT eating tuna, PBJ and protein bars all day every day. Just takes a little work and creativity and you can be healthy and not have the diet of a prison inmate.
Originally Posted by
xjtguy
Something most pilots aren't smart enough to figure out. McD's actually sells salads, it's true. Get them with the balsamic dressing and they're pretty low calorie. Granted, I exercise frequently and intake 3000 calories a day so it takes 2 of them to get me to my next meal 3-4 hours later. Or just order the chicken sandwiches and take off the bun with the sauce. I DON'T eat it every day, but you can get semi healthy options.
Small modifications can make fast food work pretty well for you. I've found that an Egg McMuffin w/o cheese is one of the best breakfast deals in the airport. Almost perfect balance of protein and carbs, very little fat and only $2-3 bucks. One thing you have to remember is that McD's makes money hand over fist...and their food is inexpensive. Sooooo connect the dots...where do you think the profit comes from?
Another favorite breakfast is oatmeal with protein powder mixed in.
Originally Posted by
xjtguy
Another little known fact, 4-bucks serves JUST coffee, That's right, you can get a cup of coffee there. Not just the soy-whip-extra-cream-carmel-mocchiato-calorie bomb that most people get.
BTW, anybody ever notice that the length of the coffee order is DIRECTLY proportional to the pretentious d-bag level of the person ordering it? Moving on.......
So true. Usually the same person you see screaming at the gate agent later about their "Platinum-Medallion-1K-Global-ness". Get a CUP OF COFFEE. If you are getting a double caramel, extra whip soy machiatto...you probably don't like coffee. Just spare those of us that do, and go get a milkshake from McD's. Normal coffee is usually less than $2 for a grande/medium/whatever. Only calories in it are whatever sugar and cream you add. Stick to the skim milk and all you're really adding is a little calcium and protein. Also, little known fact: the lighter the roast on coffee the more caffeine it has. So more caffeine in a small blonde roast plain coffee than in your triple shot soy latte poop shoot luber. And a third the price!
Originally Posted by
xjtguy
Go to (insert Chinese) place here and get your food a la carte style. NOTHING says you have to get the 2-3 entree dish with oranjjj chiggin'. Just get rice, the vegetables, and a protein. You an even skip the rice and get double vegetables if you're Atkins/paleo, whatever.
Only way to go at this most universal of airport eateries. I love standing in line and watching them bring out tray after tray while every rube gets a big pile of orange chicken. It's fried chicken paste nuggets with salted corn syrup on it people! Does that seem like a healthy choice? And you don't have to get fried rice and/or chow mein. Ask for steamed rice and you cut out a couple hundred calories and 15 grams of fat right there. Top it with something that has vegetables and a protein you can recognize and you'll be just fine. Just watch out for the sodium.
Other thing I always see is people going to Subway...you know, the healthy option, right? Only to get white bread, slather it in mayo, dressing and cheese and top it with some iceberg lettuce and a listless tomato slice. The meats they use at Subway are not the best quality but they do add enough protein. The way to save this meal is to skip the iceberg lettuce (worthless vegetable anyway) and load up on the other veggies and spinach and get the whole wheat bread.
And don't get me started on Chipotle/Qdoba/Baja Fresh/etc. Yeah, everything there is fresh and wholesome...blah blah blah. But the burritos are the size of an INFANT! You put that much ANYTHING in you at one time and its a bad idea!
Originally Posted by
xjtguy
It's called a food trough. And I hate when the people that carry one get in the cockpit first, and leave it between the seats. Then you have to do an obstacle course like trick trying to maneuver the 45lb back injury waiting to happen into the WSCOD's slot. I know, I know, you don't have to worry about carrying a 45lb back injury waiting to happen.
Amen. Can't tell you how many times I've tripped or got hung up on some guys feed bag. I don't care if you have it, just don't try to kill me with it. I carry a laptop bag with me most trips, has my snacks (almonds, cliff bars, oatmeal, protein powder and fruit and maybe a sandwich on day 1 if you're wondering what
I pack), reading material, anything I'm working on, etc. It takes up some space and can get in the way. So when we are on the ground, it goes up by my rudder pedals until we lock the door and are ready to push. I would appreciate the courtesy from my cubicle partner.
As far as the food poisoning comments...I have gotten the runs twice in 7 years from airport/hotel food (once in EWR airport, once in MEX at the hotel). And that includes a LOT of time spent in Mexico. In that same time period, I have had probably 5 or 6 crew members give themselves food poisoning, either from their feed bag or from something they bought in the airport and carried with them unrefrigerated for 2 days. Had one girl who stretched a foot-long from Subway into day 3. No surprise there when she was blowing up the lav all the way home on day 4!
