We traveled for 5 months with no car overseas, and shopped/cooked/ate less. Big meal at noon and snacks for dinner. Now back stateside with a car, and have continued these habits. I must say, that before retirement, I followed a very similar lifestyle. Had an amazing and inexpensive cafeteria at work, so enjoyed not cooking much, then snacking at night. I’ve also found, that every now and then, fasting is a viable option to jumpstart your way into healthier eating habits.
I have just been diagnosed gluten intolerant. We are back in the US and I’m finding food easy in the big supermarkets and organic shops. However, we are heading for Ecuador, Galapagos and Costa Rica for the next three months. This might be interesting, a diet of rice? I’ll let you know how I get on.
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> glutton intolerant
@MissChef Yes! I had to read that twice, think it over, made a few quips in my head, and decided to let it go - glad to see there’s others too 
I don’t mean it as disrespectful, it’s just a typo, but it’s so fun! And I’m totally going to steal that line, maybe even use it over Thanksgiving, with my hollow-legged nephews! Unchecked, they could demolish the entire spread by themselves!
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I can very much relate to your struggle with this. I tend to prefer when HOs have no biscuits, cakes or chocolate in the cupboards. It’s strange because I never used to have much of a sweet tooth but seeing tempting food in the kitchen can often completely de-rail me and get me back into some quite bad habits. I confess to really lacking will power where confectionary is concerned! I always replace anything I’ve taken but I’d just prefer not to see them as I’m one of these people who can never just eat one and then put the packet back in the cupboard! I did use to pay quite a bit for an online fitness class subscription, where on more than one occasion, the pets would join in with me, which was hilarious! I’ve found it’s never quite the same or as effective for me though as being in a proper class. I’m still working it out in terms of finding the right regime I can follow that keeps me as fit and healthy as I can be regardless of where I am. I always make sure I take my cod liver oil supplements on the road with me, wherever I go though! That’s one thing I am pretty consistent with. Will be interesting to read other people’s comments and insights on such an important topic.
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I was thinking how helpful “out of sight, out of mind” is, at least for me. Make things a little harder to get to, and that also helps.
One idea: Everyone has lots of plastic bags from the grocery store, right? When you arrive for a sit, put distractions in opaque plastic bags. For example, I might cover a cookie bin with a plastic bag. Or put a box of crackers in a plastic bag, then put it back on the shelf. Or take pics so I know how to restore things at the end. I could even tie the bag at the top, which would really deter me mentally. At the end of the sit, just put everything back the way it was. And put the plastic bags back in the bag holder, duh.
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You know I was going to answer you, but what the ****. If my difficulty in spelling makes you smile who am I to comment. Enjoy your day.
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I once had a very sweet pet parent who, as they were heading out the door for their trip, gave me a beautiful box of chocolates. I quickly devoured a few of those luscious morsels, then decided to hide the box so I could pace myself. Out of sight, out of mind, and all.
Well, wouldn’t you know later when I wanted a piece of that wonderful chocolate I couldn’t find the box! I looked everywhere to no avail. The dog hadn’t found them either. It was more like the universe decided I didn’t need to carry those extra calories around my middle and it “poof!” made the box disappear. I never did find those missing goodies.
When the pet parents returned a few weeks later I told them that I’d hid and lost the remaining chocolates, and they might find them in some odd place. Sure enough they did…about an hour after getting home.
It turns out that the wife had been gifted the chocolates just prior to my arrival and was doing everything she could to resist eating them. Her deciding to give them to me was the way she was able to stick to her diet.
The universe got the last laugh, though, when her husband found the chocolates and presented them to her…again! 
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If you’re into fitness or workouts, one thing that has helped me is having a group fitness membership that can be used at multiple studios around the USA and even Europe, etc. Orangetheory is an example of this, and there are others. Especially if you tend to housesit in the same general areas, it might be worth your while. I feel “guilty” like I wasted money if I don’t finish my 8 class pack in a month because the classes don’t roll over.
ClassPass has also been amazing for trying different group fitness classes in new areas- spin/cycle, barre, yoga, kickboxing, etc.
Lastly, while I struggle with a LOT of the same issues the OP mentioned, and if I’m trying to save money, YouTube Yoga is FREE and SO helpful (shoutout Yoga with Adrienne or Yoga with Kassandra). You don’t need to be an expert or a yogi at all, and you can do 10 minutes of yoga practically anywhere by streaming on your phone or laptop and using a towel or mat. This works for so many types of QUICK YouTube workouts. I find between doing a quick 10-30 minute yoga session, and getting some steps in, I crave less of the “bad” filler foods and just feel overall better mentally and physically. When I’m in a rut and don’t feel like doing it, I tell myself “I could be scrolling on my phone for the next 10 minutes or I could be spending 10 minutes really doing something for ME” and that works every single time.
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