How I Reset After Travel: The Low-Calorie, High-Protein Meals That Fix Everything

My Daily Routine

Day to day life for me is structured. In the full swing of my routine, I get up at 5AM to go to the gym. I read the bible in the morning and create blog/social posts or I listen to an audiobook if I am on the way to work. I then have a full workday and when I finish I’ll take a little time to relax. Then, I do some household chores or some reading, maybe some more content creation and blogging, and then finally lay down for the night to watch a movie and fall asleep. Most importantly of all, I cook at home, rarely go out to eat, and stick to a low calorie, protien-focused diet.

My Travel Routine

On the flip side of that life brings me out of my home state of Florida off to Peru, Texas, Colorado, and Tennessee for family and sometimes other places for work, too. In contrast to my normal day-to-day life, I go all out when travelling, aka, my diet goes out the window as I travel to try out the best of what the city I’m in has to offer, usally documenting the journey via socials along the way.

Why it’s worth it

Whether I’m travelling or living my normal day-to-day, I love food! To me, food is creativity, culture, and a shared moment of joy that is memorable and tangible. When travelling, food is one of the highlights of the trip. When at home, I make meals that are healthy but also delicious and that makes a low-cal lifestyle sustainable.

Routine Disruption Symptoms

Despite routine disruption being worth it, breaking away from my normal daily structure does come with consequences when I get back home.

Symptoms include:

• Weight gain
• Puffy face and eyes
• Low energy
• Emotional Disregulation

Energy Reset +Lose 10 pounds in 3 weeks

Getting back to the normal routine is a process, and dealing with the symptoms of routine disruption ends up becoming the focus when I finally get home from travel. Depending on the length of the trip I usually also come back home with an extra 5-10 pounds. This is how I reset.

Week 1

Prioritize rest, be willing to wake up later and skip/tone down workouts as needed. Skip breakfast, have your first meal between 2-4 PM. If you want to eat a snack later in the afternoon or have 1/2 pint of halo at night, go for it.

Results

Normally at the start of the week I feel moody and can have some sadness, missing loved ones I needed to say goodbye to. I have a lot of hot flashes and moments of pure exhaustion. Going from constant excitement back to routine is also a change! By the end of the week I am normally starting to feel more calm and regulated. At the weeks close I have started to lose some of the weight gained during travel. Energy levels are going up. Facial puffiness is gone.

Week 2

Commit to being back on the same workout routine, understanding that intensity may be lower than usual. Continue the same diet as week 1.

Results

During workouts I am definetly noticing decreased strength and more difficulty. It is important to push through those moments. By the end of the week majority of weight gained from travel is gone, maybe a few pounds left to shred which tend to be the most stubborn.

Week 3

Back on to normal routine. For me that means 1-2 meals per day, snacks as desired, 1/2 pint of halo at night, aiming to not surpass 1200 calories per day.

Results

By the end of this week, it’s safe to say “I’m back!”.

During this three-week time period I avoid big social plans and anything that would involve late nights, drinks, or eating out. There are sometime exceptions to that, but I try to prioritize this as much as possible. In general I do notice that sometimes I get sick on week 1. On my most recent trip back I also got injured while trying to workout shortly after travel. These things can slow down the process but it is important to do as much as you can each day, even if set backs come up.

Low-Calorie, High Protein Meals

Grocery list

Lean Protien

Lean protiens are essential for a low-calorie, high protien diet. There was about a year of my life where I was in a personal training program that included a meal plan. I used an app to track my food and was conscious of ratios of protiens, fats, and carbs. My overall approach was and continues to be low carb, high protien, moderate fat. For each meal, protien should be the main ingredient. Carbs should be whole carbs that have other nutritional benefits aka vegetables for vitamins and fibers. Fats should be healthy fats like egg yolk and avocado. Now, I have my staples down.

• Extra lean uncured ham from Costco: 25 calories, 5-6 grams of protein, 0g fat per slice.
• Low-Fat cottage cheese: 90 calories, 12g protein, 2.5g fat per 1/2 cup.
• Members Mark Nonfat Plain Greek Yogurt: 90 calories, 18g protein, 0g fat per 3/4 cup.
• Kirkland cage-free egg whites: 120 calories, 25g protein, 0g fat per 1 cup.
• Chicken of the sea chunk light tuna in water: 90 calories, 20g protien, 1g fat per can.
• Whole egg: 70 calories, 6g protien, 5g fat.

Base

When putting together meals I see it as choose your base, choose your protein, choose your toppings. So when we talk about bases, it’s going to be that layer that adds some volume to your meal to make it feel substantial.

• Lewis Keto Bread – 5 seeds: 35 calories per slice, 5g protein, 1g fat.
• Iberia Garbanzos (canned chickpeas): 120 calories, 6g protein, 2g fat, 20g carbs per 1/2 cup.
• Romaine Lettuce: 15 caloroes per 2 cups chopped. 1g protein, 0g fat.
• Carbe Diem Pasta: 190 calories, 20g protein, 1-2g fat per 2oz dry (1 serving).

Recipes

Now that you have the essential proteins and bases, let’s get cooking! Each recipe averages 5 minutes. Ultra easy and ultra low calorie while also getting a good amount of protien in.

1. Breakfast Wrap

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 large romaine leaves.
• ½ cup liquid egg whites.
• 2 slices extra-lean ham.
• 1 tsp Uchucuta.
• 1 tsp Japanese BBQ sauce.
• Zero-calorie cooking spray.

Total Macros (Estimated):

• Calories: ~130.
• Protein: ~23–24g.
• Fat: ~0–1g.

Instructions:

1. Spray a pan and cook egg whites until set.
2. Warm ham briefly.
3. Layer romaine, egg whites, and ham.
4. Drizzle Uchucuta and Japanese BBQ.
5. Fold and enjoy.

2. Pasta – Red Sauce

Prep Time:

10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 serving Carbé Diem pasta (2 oz dry).
• ½ cup Hunt’s whole tomatoes + 1 tbsp tomato paste.
• Small portion cooked chicken breast (about 2 oz).
• ¼ cup mushrooms.
• 1 tbsp low-fat parmesan.
• 1 tbsp cottage cheese (optional “glob”).
• Dash of red wine.

Total Macros (Estimated):

• Calories: ~330
• Protein: ~35–38g
• Fat: ~5–6g

Instructions:

1. Cook pasta.
2. Warm tomatoes, tomato paste, mushrooms, and red wine.
3. Add chicken and combine.
4. Toss with pasta.
5. Top with cottage cheese and parmesan.

3. Tuna Wrap

Prep Time:

 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 can tuna in water (drained).
• ¼ cup chickpeas.
• 2–3 romaine leaves.
• Sliced cucumber.
• 1 tsp Uchucuta.
• 1 tsp Japanese BBQ sauce.

Total Macros (Estimated):

• Calories: ~185.
• Protein: ~24g.
• Fat: ~1–2g.

Instructions:

1. Place tuna over romaine.
2. Add chickpeas and cucumbers.
3. Drizzle Uchucuta and Japanese BBQ.
4. Eat as a bowl or wrap.

4. Peanut Butter Bowl

Prep Time:

 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt.
• 2 tbsp PB powder.
• 1 medium banana.
• Splenda + stevia (to taste).
• Drizzle honey (1 tsp).

Total Macros (Estimated):

• Calories: ~285.
• Protein: ~27–28g.
• Fat: ~2–3g.

Instructions:

1. Add Greek yogurt to a bowl.
2. Mix PB powder with water and pour on.
3. Add sliced banana.
4. Sweeten with Splenda/stevia.
5. Drizzle honey.

5. Creamy Garbanzo

Prep Time:

 7 minutes

Ingredients:

• ½ cup low-fat cottage cheese.
• Splash almond milk.
• 1 tbsp low-fat parmesan.
• ½ cup garbanzo beans.
• ¼ cup diced tomato.
• ¼ cup mushrooms.

Total Macros (Estimated):

• Calories: ~230.
• Protein: ~20–21g.
• Fat: ~5–6g.

Instructions:

1. Mix cottage cheese, almond milk, and parmesan until creamy.
2. Warm garbanzos, tomatoes, and mushrooms.
3. Spoon over the creamy base.
4. Stir or eat layered.

6. Refreshing Toast

Prep Time:

 3 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 slice keto/low-cal bread.
• 1 slice extra-lean ham (or 2 if you prefer).
• Sliced cucumber.
• Salt.

Total Macros (Estimated):

• Calories: ~70–80.
• Protein: ~7–8g.
• Fat: ~1–2g.

Instructions:

1. Toast bread.
2. Add cucumber slices.
3. Top with ham.
4. Lightly salt and enjoy.

7. Cauliflower “Risotto”

Prep Time:

 8 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup riced cauliflower
• ½ cup low-fat cottage cheese
• 1 egg
• Splash almond milk or water
• Salt

Total Macros (Estimated):

• Calories: ~180
• Protein: ~20–21g
• Fat: ~6g

Instructions:

1. Cook riced cauliflower until soft.
2. Stir in cottage cheese and almond milk for creaminess.
3. Cook egg separately and place on top.
4. Season with salt and mix.