Worried about travel

[MNMike]

Hi everyone. I am 5 weeks post op with RNY bypass. Have had a few issues with nausea causing me to not always eat much and miss my protein intake some days but for the most part I am fighting through it each day. I lost 20 pounds pre-surgery and 31 since my surgery so feeling super great about that.
My issue is that I have to start traveling for work again starting in 2 weeks. I wish I could delay traveling a little longer but that won’t be possible. Knowing I will be faced with hotel and restaurants for 4 days at a time I am really scared about how and what to eat. My nutritionist says it is too early to eat salads and refers me to the food guides but I was hoping to get some real world experienced advise from the great folks on this site.
Thanks in advance for any ideas and guidance.

 

[JudyNY]

Hi MNMike, welcome to the group! Do you like tuna? I love these little cans of tuna that can go anywhere and comes with its own fork. It's a small can so perfect for bariatric patients. These are dressed with olive oil and herbs. If you prefer tuna with mayo, they make single serve pouches (minus the fork) which I relied on in my early stages post surgery.

Congrats on your weight loss thus far! I would also take ready made protein shakes. You can buy hard boiled eggs already boiled and peeled. Most hotel rooms have a microwave so perhaps you can get some healthier frozen entree. I relied on Stoufers entrees in the beginning because I had some complications early on and had to get back on my feet with some rehab so the convenience for me was helpful before I would start cooking again. I would get entree's like meatloaf, salisbury steak, chicken, fish and only eat half (if that) and saved the rest for another meal.

If you are stuck needing to go to a restaurant, perhaps soup would be a good option. Or sometimes something healthy off the appetizer menu (like a crab cake) might work. As long as it's nothing deep fried.

Good luck as you get back into traveling!

 

[dianeseattle]

Judy! Your post is such a perfect little guide, i want to snip it, laminate it and carry it in my purse!

When I'm hungry or mealtime is approaching, if I don't have a high awareness of what I should eat, hunger might drive my choices. But having a list on hand is the perfect defense against an eating disorder offense

Thanks again!

 

[missyinacage]

Yikes. That IS less than ideal. I am assuming that you will be flying, which makes taking food with you difficult. If you can get a room with a small kitchenette, or even a small fridge and microwave, you can hit the local grocery store. You could pick up rotisserie chicken, which would give you a few meals (think burrito bowls, chicken salad, chicken & rice etc) And it is super easy to make an omelet or scrambled eggs in a microwave.
If you are really more looking what to eat in a restaurant ideas, I tend to stick to BBQ joints. They are mostly meat with tiny sides. Mexican is pretty good since meat and beans have a lot of protein. But really, you can eat anywhere. You just have to order sensibly. However, I have yet to hit a restaurant that has a good portion size. You're going to be able to make at least 2 and sometimes 4 meals out of one order.

 

[MNMike]

Thanks everyone. These are some very good suggestions. I am hoping to utilize the microwave in the room in the evenings and keep to the scrambled eggs from the morning meal service. I will be with a group of people so restaurant choice will probably be out of my hand but soups and meat appetizers should be a good choice for me. Thanks again for your time to respond.

 

[Tokash]

This isn't easy even when far out from surgery. I am currently on a road trip to Mt. Rushmore with my kiddos. I ate the hotel breakfast today- scrabled egg, half a thing of Greek light yogurt and one mini muffin. Lunch i had half my spouses sandwich from Jimmy johns and dinner is now a salad that I ordered when I got my family pizza. I haven't had my protein coffee as I had regular coffee today instead. With 5 hours of straight driving I managed to keep the snacking to- 1 peice of licorice. 1 hard boiled egg and a handful of nuts over the whole day. Several more days to go before returning home Monday. Hopefully it doesn't go to bad!