Travel and food

Ummmm...how long before we can ditch the carrying our food with us? I am really starting to worry that this is going to be my firever destiny after surgery and I can't have that. I travel a lot and while I can make choices and bring some protein bars and shake mixes, I must be able to consume food that is available locally. Otherwise this just can't work for me. I go for two, three weeks at a time sometimes. Not possible to bring all of my food with me!

Another concern is that 12 weeks after surgery I am going on one such two week trip. I can only bring 15 kgs of luggage so I am counting on being able to eat locally. Otherwise I have to schedule the surgery for after this trip. Advice? Experiences?

 I personally never bring  the shakes and NEVER eat the " bars " .   You can get perfecty good  fat free  high protein sources at any grocery store or deli (  or airport store )  .  I have  NEVER literally  NEVER missed a meal .  

The funny thing is  I think we're so food -obsessed we're  totally freaked out at the idea of being hungry ... but in America there  is literally prepared food EVERYWHERE you look ...

the expense IS another issue .  I'm lucky  because my work  caters most of our meals  and  I have transportation so stopping in at a grocery store to supplement  the catered meals is easy .   When i land  in vegas or LA  I go to the nearest walmart , buy  a foam cooler for 2.57 , fil it with free hotel ice cubes and free breakfast buffet items ..like fruit , yogurt and also fatfree cheese slices and cold cuts and mustard from the grocery store .  Then when i get hungry I can have roll ups ... or a yogurt .. or fruit .. a healthy snack . 

I never gain weight on my trips  ( I make the rest of my party watch my luggage and I walk miles with my i phone and  earbuds while i m waiting for my flights too  )  . 

You CAN make it work for U  !!  Don't forget to be a tourist  in the exciting places Ur work takes U to for free...      not only is it great EXERCISE its unforgettable  life enriching EXPERIENCE 

I  went on a long  x country  drive  a few weeks after my surgery  and LOVED the experience .  That said , I also  tried to work  2-3 weeks after surgery ...  didn't work so well .  

But  I'm  P...Y  when it comes to pain and I have a very demanding and highly competitive job with lots of backstabbing ...    big fun  when U  have all  Ur faculties ... not so much  when U don't ....

I didn't take any shakes on that drive  at all  and I lost weight and  was very healthy  .... 

but ifI had a do over .... 

I probably would  try to take a mini blender   with me  and make  a 2 scoop thick shake  a day  in the room .. take it downstairs to the breakfast  buffet  and pour my coffee on to ofthat .   Its such a delicious and easy high protein creamer ! 

The Great thing about the shakes is  they really  help ya keep  your HAIR  and NAILS healthy  as you lose  .. and help grow it back  really fast ...  

Good this is reassuring even tho I travel in the States rarely... More like Africa and Asia, once to Mexico for almost a month....and lots in Europe. I can live on yogurt if necessary! I also have one of those fun but highly charged, competitive and sometimes backstabbing or banana peeling jobs!

 Four months post op I went to the south of France for two weeks. It was very easy to find protein and veggies to eat. Restaurants were not difficult. I just had to be willing to eat what I needed and dump the rest.  Appetizers are the best way to go.  Last summer in Spain I ate mostly from the farmers markets where they had a lot of meat, cheese, veggies and fruit.

Its easy to stay on track.....if we want to! 

I live in France, on the border with Switzerland. I am not worried about getting the right stuff here... Although I am shipping in from the US vitamins, Isopure and Chrystal light! I am supposed to have the VSG on 11 or 12 January and I am going on a safari the first two weeks of April. Its going to be a lot of game drives and picnic foods provided. I am going to let them know my dietary needs but the concern is that it is still within the first 3 mnths so I will probably not be able to eat absolutely everything yet.

I have issues with my protein labs *no matter how much I eat* so - that being said, for some of us - although it is not in the glossy VSG brochure, we have protein issues, so we *must* drink a certain amount of protein a day.  For me, minimum 3 a day, or my labs plummet.  I know some folks who need to consume less.

But, to combat that, I just have a 10 pound bag of protein shake mix that I bring with on vacations/traveling, and as long as I get my shakes in, consumption of dense protein goes towards my feeling satiated more than going towards protein minimums. (also, I do not always lug 10 pounds of shake with me, just saying that I tote a few pounds in that bag, so there are not multiple random baggies full of powder in my luggage :}  And having it in the bag makes it easier to squeeze in places than a hard sided tub.  You can probably get smaller bags, but I just have the 10 pound bag from when I got it once, so I keep it for travel.)

*edit to add I also bring a shaker cup.  I do not make the shakes a big deal while traveling, just add a few ounces of water and slam them, but at home I tend to make warm protein drinks during the winter and cold during the summers, but its purely *medicinal* and they do not need 6 or 8 ounces or to be properly blended (with ice or in a blender) for absorption.

But hopefully that will not be your story!  :}  But please do keep up with your labs, because it shows up more and more lately.

Good luck!

 early  out .... ready made protein shakes in a HUGE cup  were my  survival tool in   hours long meetings  ( which are often catered with donuts ,  sandwiches etc )  early out I was afraid  of the  sandwich fillings cuz  dry  cold cuts would often  end  stuck with me on  my back on the floor  gasping  for breath ....  NOT  a good look in a business meeting lol 

vanilla Chai tea  from Bolton farms (  in refrigerated  produce / vegan section usually of  higher end  supermarkets )  tasted good just post op and stayed down  well  ( its not thick either so easy to swallow and sip ) 

starbux I  hear even  has a protein  coffee now ...  I usedto like their  protein  fresh fruitsmoothies  thosewere VERY good  tasting .  

(((( )))))) Good luck  !!!!  

I travel extensively for work.  I have a lot of dietary restrictions, and generally fare OK.  I am still primarily on soft food, and have lactose intolerance, so I cannot eat local cheese, yogurt, etc.

So I eat lots of fish and eggs.  Most places have really good fish.

I went on a 3 week business trip 8 weeks after surgery, and my only issue was that I was at a manufacturing facility, so I could only eat 3 meals, not the typical 5.  Since then I've been on 3 additional business trips for a week, and I have two more coming up before the end of the year.

Good luck on your travels.

It sounds like you're a world traveler.  Don't be concerned about deli type of sandwiches, as you can always just open them up and eat the meat/cheese/etc. 

With the VSG you don't have the issues of dumping, etc that those of us with RNY do.  Its all about portion control and eating the right things.  Unfortunately it will take awhile to figure out what will and won't sit well or work for you. Its hard at this point of the journey to try and figure those things out.

I get the resealable bags of protein from GNC that I take when I travel for work.  That works good.  I like coffee so I mix 2 scoops with some water into a slurry, then put my coffee on top.  Of course you MUST take a 20oz travel mug with you!  I learned the hard way when I traveled to Italy a YEAR after surgery and didn't take a shaker cup with me - BOY was I astounded at the size of their coffee cups - LOL.. Live and learn.

That's what this journey is about - stick with us and ask all the questions you want and we will do the best to help!