TRAVEL woes

arh0317

No Hilton, my pouch can't have your ooey gooey warm chocolate chip cookie when I check in. Got any tuna? :-/

First time really traveling since surgery 4 weeks ago. This is kinda difficult!

Mangopickle

I am a huge fan of Drury Inn. Premium beds, soft eggs and oatmeal for breakfast, popcorn all day and soup and salad every night. Plus a super gym and indoor pool. Also free beer, wine and cocktails every night. JD Power winner every year for customer satisfaction

garber6th

I didn't travel until I was 8 weeks out from surgery, and it was a bit challenging. I went to NY for my brother's wedding. The main thing that helped me was planning. I had my sister pick up a few cans of Pure Protein for me, I brought some protein bars and powder, and I let my niece who I was staying with know what kind of food I would need her to have for me. Every restaurant we went to had a protein option that worked for me. The hardest part was making sure I ate. I wasn't hungry and I was busy and it was easy to forget to eat!

juliebccs

Travelling was a part of my sleeve process as I had it done in India. We did a little trip up North of India to my Uncle's war grave before heading to Mumbai. It was hard flying on liquid pre op diet but I was advised I could take very fluid kedgiree if need be. I packed lots of diet shake packs and lived mainly on those. It was difficult handing over my flight meals to my husband and smelling the aromas around me but I was on a mission towards surgery. Post op was easier. Juice and water were easy to buy, then onto powder soups from the supermarket. Kettle in each hotel room. As our trip was ending I was just moving into soft foods. Very exciting of course. I had watched my husband devour the breakfast buffet for days and I ordered a small serve of scrambled egg. We had to laugh when it came out surrounded by chips. More for hubby. Anyway a few spoonfuls and I was done of course but the poor waiter was convinced the food must have been bad. My first experience at sharing my surgery story a little as I convinced him the eggs were wonderful I just could only eat a tiny bit due to stomach surgery. He was much relieved. Travelling was definitely a challenge for sure.

ankinray

I think it's all in the planning. We went on vacay to Colorado a couple of weeks ago (I was 7 or 8 weeks out at the time). I took 100 cal packs of almonds as well as packets of protein for breakfast. Once there, bought lots of water, extra pre-made shakes and yogurt-didn't care if I left unused items-just wanted it there if I needed it. The airport even had yogurt and single cheese sticks. That said, I still wasted alot of money in restaurants with the food I didn't eat-still learning that part, but lost 3.5 lbs that week so I was happy (lots of hiking for exercise).

MyOwnSunshine

I take Premier Protein Shakes and protein bars with me when I travel, even 3 years out. I can always find something that works for me, but I like to make sure my bases are covered when it comes to getting my protein in.

I find that I need to set limits for myself before leaving home. Is this a "fun vacation" where I'm going to let my guard down and indulge? (Unless you're more than 6 months out or at goal, I hope not.) Or is this a part of daily life, like traveling for business that will occur on a regular basis?

If it's a fun vacation that happens rarely, I'd eat the cookie, and many other things. LOL

If it's a business trip or regularly scheduled travel, I'd stick to ordering a healthy meal with protein and veggies, yogurt and fruit, etc.

Most restaurants will simplify their entrees for you -- no sauce, substitute steamed veggies for fries, etc. Pack your own familiar snacks from home. There you go!

bikrchk

I'm 11 months out, in my goal range, (a bit below, actually) and have my first "real" vacay since surgery planned soon. Girls trip to New Orleans! It's gonna be awesome! Quest bars travel well as does the chocolate whey I dump in my coffee in the morning. Beyond getting my protein and vitamins, I'm not that worried about it. I intend to make the best choices I can while thoroughly enjoying myself! For the first time ever, I'm not aftaid that I'll eat myself sick while on vacay!

pawoodhull

All my vacations since surgery have been to visit our Air Force kid and his family, so it was easy. They made sure I had what I needed at their house, when eating out I always took my leftovers home for lunch the next day and the actual travel was either flying where I could have yogurt and/or cheese between flights in the airport or we drove, where I had my protein drinks, wraps, shaved ham, etc. in a cooler.

However, we are going to the Grand Canyon within the next few weeks and again, taking a cooler, but since it's a 2 day drive, one way, this time it's going to be harder. Depending on where we stay the night, I may not be able to get my "blue ice" refrozen or ice to keep my cold stuff cold. So I'm not taking enough wraps for day 2 on the way out in case I can't keep them cold. I haven't figured out how I'm eating on the way back either. But I am taking my quest bars and my protein powder because if all else fails I can pick up single serving milk at a gas station and make a shake or eat a quest bar while the husband grabs a burger or Subway.

And this is part of why I love my sleeve! I can be satisfied with a protein shake or a quest bar. And if I really need something substantial, I can go to a grovery store and grab a yogurt or eat at Subway or really anything other than a fast food burger joint. Anywhere I can get good lean protein works. It's really not hard, it just takes a little planning and flexibility.