My Low Carb Travel Diary + Why I’ll NEVER Fly Frontier Again…

If you’ve been following along on Facebook or Instagram, then you already know that my Vegas trip has been a serious challenge. 😯 LOL…

I flew in on Saturday, so I’ll share my travel day food diary and the healthy low carb choices I made along the way.

I also have a few traveling tips for you, that hopefully will help you avoid some of the annoyances I had to deal with. 😛

First, I don’t know what I was thinking – flying into Vegas so late on a Saturday night. My flight arrived at 11:30pm, which put me around midnight getting my bags and finding a shuttle.

Vegas is NUTS at midnight on weekends! OMG, lol. Seriously… There were thieves running into the baggage claim area, stealing luggage right off the carousels. I am NOT kidding. Fortunately my luggage was not targeted – but the place was total madness and there were distraught travelers everywhere.

Tip: If you travel to Vegas, plan to arrive early in the day. Vegas is quiet and calm in the mornings. 🙂

I’m here for work by the way – an industry conference which kicked off the next morning. Unfortunately the shuttle took ages to get through traffic on a Saturday night in Vegas, so it was close to 2am before I could get checked into my hotel.

Why I’ll NEVER Fly Frontier Airlines Again!

I almost always fly Southwest Airlines. Their website is easy to use, you can usually find good deals, and two bags fly free – so there’s no extra charge for your luggage.

Plus the Southwest flight crew always seems genuinely happy to have you on their plane. 🙂

I booked this Vegas trip through Priceline though, which is my second favorite option.

It put me on Frontier flights. Normally I would just arrive early at the airport and check in, but I’m SO glad I didn’t! I decided to check in online 24 hours before my flight – which is when I discovered how much they charge for baggage fees! 😯 Outrageous lol.

It’s cheaper if you check in and prepay for your luggage online. It costs way more at the airport. AND they charge for carry-on luggage! Who’s EVER heard of such a thing?! lol… Geez. I paid $110 for my luggage both ways (1 bag checked, 1 carry-on), and that was the cheapest option (since I prepaid online).

Tip: Always check in online before you fly!

They also charged for every little thing ON the flight. Coffee was $1.99, they charged for tea and soda as well. Then they did a sales pitch for their new credit card during both flights – twice. And they were not long flights. 😛 The seats were incredibly uncomfortable too, they were thin and hard.

I travel A LOT and I don’t think I’ve ever written off an airline so fast, lol. Do yourself a favor: Fly Southwest Airines. 🙂 Or just don’t fly Frontier…

Here’s a photo of me about to board my first flight. Those size 12 jeans are falling off of me at this point, lol. I left home at 151.8 pounds, and a very comfortable size 10:

Now, on to the good stuff – what I ate along the way!

Saturday’s Low Carb Travel Meals

I had a hard time sleeping the night before my trip. You may recall from my previous diary that I hadn’t been feeling well. I woke up at 3am Saturday morning feeling seriously ill – shaky, a cold sweat, feeling like I was going to black out. A panic attack? I don’t know. My life is pretty calm, lol. It was totally out of the blue, really. I’ve just been feeling “off” lately – edgy, like a gut feeling I can’t put my finger on. Anyway…

I got up and had an Atkins Bar, just to put something on my stomach, and tried to rest some more. Speaking of, don’t forget to enter to win FREE Atkins Products! 🙂

Once my day got rolling, I was on the go. I stopped at McDonald’s and got sausage and eggs. I ordered it “A Sausage Egg McMuffin with double round egg and double sausage” – it’s cheaper than ordering two, and I just ditch the muffin.

I only ended up eating one sausage and one egg. My stomach was still a little jittery, and I felt full enough.

I finished packing then ate my leftovers from the dinner I didn’t finish the night before – grilled chicken (with mozzarella & mushrooms) with roasted broccoli:

I had dinner at the Nashville Airport at a Mexican place called La Hacienda. I ordered a Taco Salad without the taco – and just ate the lettuce, meat, cheese & sour cream.

I skipped the pico de gallo & guacamole. Why? My stomach still felt a little iffy and I didn’t want to chance the onions in both. 🙂

During my layover in Denver I felt a little hungry, so I wandered around a bit to stretch my legs and look for a snack. I walked by Einstein’s Brothers Bagels and my knees buckled at the site of all the carbs! 😛 lol. Then I noticed they had fresh salads! YAY 🙂

I grabbed the Chicken & Strawberry take-out salad.

I ate some of the lettuce, but basically just made finger food of the grilled chicken and sliced almonds and strawberries -lol. The dressing was probably a strawberry vinagarette so I just left that alone.

I arrived really late, but finally got checked in and settled in – and slept all of 3 1/2 hours, lol. UGH! I really have to get my sleep straightened out. 😛

My travel day totaled at:
22 net carbs (25 total carbs)
64% fat and 31% protein

Not bad!

My first day in Vegas was a serious challenge. Stay tuned for my next post to find out how I dealt with that, what it cost me – and what I’ve learned about eating low carb in Vegas, in case you ever find yourself… in my heels. 😉

Best,
Lynn Terry,
aka @LowCarbTraveler