When I first started the LEAP program, I was kind of "quiet" about it. No "Facebook Official" announcement, even. I just wanted to concentrate on my mission (and to be honest, didn't want to announce something lest I should fail).
So, when time came for me to take my first trip, I packed up some food to take along with me. It was a work trip, and I was part of a committee that involved...taste testing (the irony was not lost on me, trust me). I had to check the FAA website to make sure pouches of tuna was allowed. They were. There wasn't actually a paragraph on tuna...but I figured it out. Anyway, the guy who sat next to me wasn't too happy but I stayed on plan.
On the way to the hotel, I asked the driver to stop at a local grocery store so I could get some of my LEAP friendly foods - some fruit & oatmeal. It was all very quiet until I walked into the hotel and the lady in charge of planning the meeting came up to me and cooed "Oh, you didn't tell me you had special needs! You should have let me know!" Apparently, my colleague who was sharing the car ride from the airport had let them know we would be arriving a little later, and shared what I was buying and why. Out of the goodness of his heart, I'm sure, but I was mortified when all eyes turned on me.
Special needs?
OMG, I wanted to die. I murmured something like "It's nothing special really" and brought my oatmeal, 2 oranges and 3 apples to my room, feeling kind of like a criminal. I didn't want to do drama and call attention to my...um...special needs. Now everyone would act like I had the plague or something.
Later that night at dinner I had to ask for a hamburger, plain, no seasonings...and trying to do that quietly in front of 10 people around one big table is tough. So a conversation started about LEAP and everyone seemed pretty fascinated by it. My lady-planner friend pressed me for details on what exactly I could eat and then hooked me up with the girl who was planning our meals, who passed my concerns to the chef, who prepared special meals for me over the next few days. Which totally helped me not starve stay on program. When it came time to taste test, I skipped over the items that I was reactive to and sampled the fresh fruit - no one really even noticed what I was eating.
The most important lesson from that trip is that by communicating what I needed (albeit by force) I got what I needed. What a novel thought! You mean, if I ask for what I want I get it? Neat!
I tested the waters once again when I went to Myrtle Beach for my first 1/2 marathon. I had a few speed bumps until I found my voice -the one that said "I am paying for this I should have it how I want it" voice. (and by the way those exact words were on the inside...the outside came out sounding much more polite!) If you are ever there, go to the Landshark Bar & Grill on the ocean - this is the 1st time a chef came out and took my order and then came back to see how everything was. I was so impressed.
My trip to Disney really drove that home. They totally catered to my "special needs" and didn't make me feel like a nuisance because of it. I am one of those people that doesn't want to "put people out" - ya know, make them do something special just for me. Because I am a people pleaser and that isn't too much of a people pleasing thing to do. But I learned that if I am going to be successful on LEAP I have to say what I can and cannot have so I get what I can have. And my trip was wildly successful and I didn't feel like a nuisance - I felt important. The "valued customer" kind of important. And that was empowering. I found my voice!
More and more places are realizing that Guests have special dietary needs and they are catering to those needs in the hopes of having happy customers. But you have to let them know. And you have to be committed enough to the program to not let eating out be a stressful thing. I have learned to communicate my needs better so that I can enjoy a meal away from home. Here are a few LEAP rules on eating out or going on vacation:
** Specify right away that you have special dietary needs. I have even called ahead and asked if certain things were prepared a certain way (is your meat marinated or injected? Is it possible to get my steak without butter? Those kind of questions). The really good restaurants will have the chef come to the table and discuss your meal. If they don't, ASK for the chef to come out! Too may things have gotten lost in translation by the time the server leaves the table to relay the message. Cut out the middle man!
**If you are shy, get un-shy. You need to find your voice - the one that says "I am important not only because I am a paying customer, but because I am taking care of myself and deserve to eat out too!" You many need to repeat this on the way to the restaurant several times - fake it til you feel it!
** You may have to use the "A" word for the establishments that do not understand what food sensitivities are. I have used it and do not think of it as lying. I think of it as a way to drive home that I cannot have certain things. "I'm allergic to pepper, can you please make sure that is not used in my meal?" Semantics, people. Semantics. Go ahead and whip out the A word when you feel it's necessary. No need to split hairs, you just want to make sure your meal is done right and oh yeah, you are paying for it, remember? Get what you want! You're not breaking any law!
**Have something with you just in case! This is a must! See my "food for thought" post for ideas! I brought a baked potato (the kind that is pre-wrapped and ready to nuke) with me and had them microwave it at the restaurant to eat with my plain chicken breast. This is no joke. I also brought my own "dessert" - an orange does the trick. You will not get in trouble for eating an orange at the table even if you didn't buy it there. Think about it - what the heck could they do to you anyway? I learned that I can't be embarrassed by taking care of myself. It actually sparked some fun conversations about LEAP.
** Think of what you might need to "go with" what they have. For me, I was concerned about breakfast (reactive to eggs, so I stuck to oatmeal on the trip) Most places serve plain oatmeal. But most places might not have the toppings you need for your cereal. I carried around a container of coconut sugar, and some "Plum-azings" to top off my oatmeal. Don't mind those stares - they're just jealous you thought ahead (: and who knows, a spontaneous episode of "Let's Make a Deal" might break out and your purse will be, like, SO totally prepared for those oddball questions of what's in your purse. That's the game I play in my head so I don't seem weird to myself. Go with what works for you!
**Savor the moment of eating out and eating healthy! I was thrilled when I realized "normal" life didn't stop for me just because I am on LEAP. I can do the things I did before; I just do them a little differently now.
** Make sure your dining companions know that you will be ordering a little differently - and that might make the food take a little longer to come out. Make sure they know not to try and entice you to eat something off plan (if they are good friends they will not do that). I like to joke with the server that I am going to be a "little bit of drama" and then I ask for the chef. It's OK - they want a good tip and will make sure you are happy.
**MOST IMPORTANT! Do not let the menu scare you. I was starting to get scared at the Landshark in Myrtle Beach until the chef let me know he could make me something...um...special. A plain, unseasoned burger with a side of sliced pineapple and avocado was not on the menu, but it's what I got. 9.9 times out of 10 they have food "back there" that can be put together to meet your needs - you just have to communicate a little to make it happen.
Communication is the key to any good relationship, right? So use it in the relationship with YOU. Make sure you are finding your voice when you need to get what you need to stay on program! I don't think twice about it now. I just matter-of-factly tell them what I can have and they make it for me. It's a beautiful thing. Don't be afraid to speak up!
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