Hi Tania,
I have to eat out and travel alot for work. Cooking my own food when I'm away is generally not an option, so I have had to work around that on the program. So, for me there is no issue of COhen's being antisocial!
But it certainly slows my weight loss down. Particularly when I'm travelling.
My strategy, most of the time, is to eat simply for breakfast - either egg with mushrooms or yoghurt with fruit.
I always take a packet of Vitaweat with me when I'm travelling, even overseas. They travel well and don't get smashed up, like Saladas do (learned that one the hard way!)
Lunch and dinner I generally choose a fairly plain option, like chicken or steak with salad. If you order vegetables, you are likely to get carrots and peas, so I generally stick with salad. But I also figure wrong vegetables are better than a plate of fries!
I try to inform people ahead of time so that they can plan a meal for me. I don't worry so much about the weights of the food.
For asian food, a stirfry will often be OK. I try to stick to plain types, like prawn and veges, rather than satays or creamy dishes.
Having said that on my recent trip to Beijing, it was impossible to get anything like this, and I just did the best I could, and lost the weight on my return.
I don't drink any alcohol, because that will just stack the weight on. I stick to water and sparkling water. I don't like soft drinks.
Try to substitute fruit for dessert.
You need a plan, because otherwise the food options will become overwhelming and you will end up choosing all the wrong options. So, think about a strategy for the whole trip as well as for each meal.
Flying will add 1-2 kgs in fluid retention, but if you do put on weight while you are gone, you will probably lose it fairly quickly on your return. ALthough once you've tasted all those yummy things, it makes it more difficult to get back on track and stick to it.
Good luck!
HL