Hey everybody! On the 17th of December my family and I are flying to Malaysia and Thailand for a 35day holiday...

On EVERY SINGLE one of my trips before this, I have gained in excess of 5-8 kgs (which is nearly 18 pounds!!!) because it is very hard to eat low carb in these countries.

My whole family thinks I am crazy, but I am taking 10 packets of shirataki noodles with me to give to hawker stalls to substitute for their high carb rice noodles. I guess I will have to just pass up the rice (which I dont mind coz I dont like rice) and various asian breads (naan, roti canai etc...This will be slightly harder).

I just hope I can survive 35 days without gaining more than 5 pounds (2.2 kgs)...BUT the problem is the plane trip there.

So my questions are:

Do airlines allow you to take your own meals on the flight? And would any Asian forumers know how to survive a holiday in Malaysia/Thailand without gorging yourself on noodles/rice?

Wish you the best!! Could you stick to meat and veggies?

^My family critisises me enough as it is eating low carb at home in Australia. My parents would absolutely KILL me if I dont eat the local food after they have paid so much for the ticket.

So this is why I am reduced to looking for low carb alternatives that I can have at restaurants and hawker stalls in Asia.

But my major question was whether airlines let you take your own food onboard the plane...If they dont, how do you other low carbs who have been on a flight survive?!

Slightly freaking out haha..

TWL!

Ok, well, I guess you are going to have to decide whether your health or the opinions of your family are more important. I highly doubt they would kill you if you dont' eat all the high carb stuff They might be a bit upset, but I am assuming you are going to be together as a family, and see the country - not only for eating?

I flew from UK to US recently and ordered a diabetic meal, i got (on both trips) a decent sized chicken breast with some green beans, potato and on one way cous cous, i just ate the chicken and veggies and left the rest, i also left everything else on my tray and took some nuts and a couple of packets of seeds (sunflower/pumpkin/sesame) with me, that with the water kept me very happy and i got off the plane feeling pretty darn good, best ever after a longhaul flight for me, hope this helps and have a great trip

daisy

^That puts my mind at ease knowing that most airlines should cater for diabetics . I am flying Austrian airlines...First thing tommorow I am calling them to request a diabetic meal.

Thanks alot for that idea !!

TWL

Carry on rules have recently changed. I would check the website of whatever carrier you are flying to see what is allowed. I know you can't take your own bottled water/drinks on anymore. I am not sure about food.

Also, be prepared that any food you DO take with you may be confiscated at customs. I went to Mexico in February and took a package of beef jerky for the flight. It was confiscated at customs in Mexico. They don't allow US beef products in to the country, apparently because of the Mad Cow scare. I would check to see what foreign food products are/aren't allowed in the areas you are travelling to.

As a frequent flier, my airline intake of food has been severely limited. If you do take your noodles, they will have to be stowed in checked luggage. Small, dry snacks for consumption in the cabin must be placed in a clear plastic bag, placed in a separate scanning bin, and scanned just like your carry-on items. You may not take beverages at all or snacks over 4 ounces, I believe.

I recently had a bag of almonds confiscated at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta because my plastic bag had writing on it. Ridiculous.

How about a little portion control? Refusing to eat the local fare, or expecting street vendors to cook items you bring, sounds like a sure way to distract and detract from everyone's holiday. Eat more veggies and meat than naan and noodles, and have a fabulous time! Sounds like a dream trip.

That's a good idea. When all else fails, I just say I'm diabetic and need a special diet. That usually stops the questions as to why I'm eating like I am and the put downs that go with it.

I always take food on planes. It should be allowed.

I agree. YOU are more important - too important to eat that cr*p.

Low carb in Thailand is easy. Almost every food place has meat and veggies, just say no rice. The cooking was best in Vietnam, then Cambodia, but Thailand was OK. Only place I have been in that part of the world where veggies were hard to get was the Philippines, finally went to the big malls and had salads.

I can go for a good 24 hours without eating if I have to so when I went up to Thailand in June I didn't eat until the stopover in Singapore. I was able to get some low carb fare there.

And like RobLL, I too found it easy to do low carb in Thailand. I just asked for no noodles in soups and didn't eat the rice when it came with dishes I ordered. There are lots of delicious meat, fish and vegetable dishes to choose from.

I did come back about 3 pounds up, but that was because of the martinis, not the food.

Yep, just eat protein and veggies and eschew the rice and noodle.

Or if you really want to sample the ethnic cuisine, keep your protein up, but eat moderate carbs (like 100-150 a day), low fat, lots of veggies, lower calories, and you will gain about a couple lbs of water but you won't gain real fat. The higher carbs may even quicken your metabolism so that you will lose easier once you're back lowcarbing. Just another perspective!