ncturtle

I was traveling for business early in the week since I flew I did not have a cooler option. I was able to stop at a convenience store and get a light yogurt and P3 by Lunchables.
I love the grilled nuggets at Chik-fil-A. The kid's meal is a perfect size. I get either fresh fruit or no sugar added cinnamon applesauce as the side and a diet lemonade.
Wendy's has a grilled chicken sandwich but I skip the roll and don't get a side. You can get Wendy's chili. Wendy's has a few salads with grilled chicken or with the chili.
It looks like McD's has some grilled chicken sandwiches or grilled chicken on salad.
Boston Market has some good options.
Arby's has a lot of sandwiches. On the kid's menu they have a turkey cheese sandwich and GoGo squeeze applesauce for a side. They have a roast turkey salad.
I have no problem just eating the meat/cheese, lettuce, Tomato off of a sandwich and dumping the rest. Same with a burger.
In your case I would pack a cooler. Even if the rest of the family wants McD's you know you have something you like and won't lead you into temptation. But regular bread and basic hamburger rolls have never been my downfall so it is easy for me to not eat it. If bread and rolls is a weak spot for you you may want to go with the grilled nuggets, Boston Market chicken (hold the cornbread) or salads. I have never asked but the restaurant may be willing to put the guts of the sandwich in a box and hold the bread/roll and thus avoid the temptation.

No regrets. I always say "Being banded is an inconvenience for 5% of my day, but being obese was an inconvenience 100 % of my day ". I' ll take the 5% any day of the week. No regrets !!

Most have regrets very soon after surgery. You're dealing with some pain (honestly not too much), you miss food, your tummy feels funny, you're tired, it's a damn full time job the first few weeks just to get your fluids and protien in....I could go on.
Fast forward a couple months. You are starting to feel normal, you can ALMOST eat everything again, and you've lost weight! And more than likely you have been taken off your meds for diabetes and high blood pressure. Score!
Fast forward a year or 2. You have lost so much weight that people don't recognize you! You actually exercise, and you love it! ( Well, maybe) You've had to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe, and you look and feel better than you have in years! Except for some much needed restriction that helps you to not overeat, especially in situations where you're tempted, you feel completely normal. And you LOOK normal. You're finally not the fattest person in the room. You FINALLY feel in control.
What's there to regret??

As I go into my 4th year of the sleeve I have recognized an evolution of my sleeve. Year One is weird, surreal, tiring, I didn't like food much, wondered if I would ever be able to drink coffee and wine again, as well as rice, Pasta, bread, etc. But it was also SO exciting....like WOOHOO!!!!!! Look at me!!!!! I'm losing so much weight. And the compliments were fast and furious. So it was these two ends of a continuum; one not so great the other thrilling! Shopping and sex was so much fun again! It was a true honeymoon!
Year 2 was also great and although I was at the top end of my goal, I thought for sure I would drop 5-10 more lbs that year because I was moving so much more! I had a whole new wardrobe and I never felt deprived or that I was on a diet. But I never lost any more weight.
Year 3 has been humbling. Still at the top end of my goal but nothing is coming off. In all fairness I won't say I am struggling to stay here, I eat what I want including wine and Cookies almost every day, but I am still around the 1000-1200 calorie mark each day. And when I have tried to cut back and lose, the scale is not budging.
I am writing my blog again and coming back here daily for inspiration and support.
And, I feel fat at 139 lbs!!! So what's up with that???? How are the rest of you veterans doing?

Oh! At costco or Sam's, I get a hot dog for $1. I add lots of relish, skip the bun and it's delicious.
If I am near a grocery, I have no problem asking for a source or two of shaved lunch meat and good cheese. Costs less than $2, and I can eat it on the go.

I practically live in my car. I work for myself and when my kids leave at 6:30 in the morning, I'm out of the house, too. I'm often not home until 7 or 8 at night, so my days are long.
I carry Snacks but as summer approaches, it's harder to do so I'm always trying to find options that are tasty and inexpensive. I also don't like having leftovers because my cooler will only keep things so long in 90 degree heat.
I have found that restaurants will work with you if you are polite and simply ask for what you want.
Noodles has a small side salad (garden or caesar) and will allow you to do an add on meat. They don't advertise it but it's the perfect size for $4.
Qdoba had a kids' bowl and will double the Beans and leave out the rice. Add meat, cheese, sour cream and lettuce and it's perfect. $5
Which Wich "skinnies" your sandwich by pulling out all the soft part of the bread, or you can have your sandwich in a lettuce wrap. Either way, I can only eat half, but for $7, it can't be beat.
Panda Express sells their Entrees in a teeny box for $3.50. It does not come with rice, which is fine for me. A bigger portion is the kids' meal for $5. I get the veggies and an entree, not the lo mein or rice.
Jason's Deli will allow y the get a kids' salad for $4.50. It's one trip to the salad bar and a drink (to go for me) and it's very fresh.
I order kids' meals all the time. I don't ask if I can, I don't apologize or explain, I just order it. It works.

Other than shrinking the liver the purpose for the pre-op diet has always made me scratch my head.
You are getting weight loss surgery because you find it difficult to impossible to lose the fat, many times proven with a multitude of diets.
So we will put you on a pre-op diet to see if you have what it takes to lose weight after the surgery.
To me it is like saying, "You have to cut down that Sequoia tree.....with a butter knife...to show you have the determination to do it. If you make enough of a dent on it we will give you the chain saw."

I don't think there is a single person who had this procedure who was completely free of being nervous about it. I was moderately terrified about the procedure and for the entire 2 weeks afterward I was convinced I had absolutely ruined my life. It is completely normal to be nervous. If you think about it, there is is a thing called negativity bias where we inherently tend to place more emphasis on bad things than good. As a result, a lot of people post on this site when they are upset, nervous, or sick as opposed to when everything is going well, just because you don't need as much support when life is grand. As a result, reading through all of these posts gives you a skewed perspective on life after the sleeve.
Being nervous is normal, you said you're in good health, you're young, and you're doing this to prevent problems in the future. There's this phrase...having courage isn't the absence of fear but the ability to do what needs to be done in the presence of fear. You're doing what needs to be done, so keep going. You're going to be just fine.

I have posted this before, but it really illustrates this point....

I am so glad you acknowledge God to be your source of help through this. Your relationship to Him is your strength. He has been mine through cancer, surgery, and many a conflict.
I will tell you something now that I seldom talk about. I am so not proud of this. I left my wife for a 5 year period many years ago. It wasn't over her weight, the young woman I had during this period was heavier than her. I left her because I wanted to be bad, I was mad at God because I thought He was not backing me up in the battles that I was having pastoring churches. I blamed God for letting unruly church people rip me up and wanted to get back at Him.
My dear wife was devastated but kept her faith. All during this time my heart ached. I could never find complete happiness, never get drunk enough, wild enough, never eat my way out of feeling bad for my wife and daughter. I drew up divorce papers with a lawyer and gave them to her. She signed them but I never turned them in. I loved my girlfriend but not enough to overpower my conscience. When my daughter became pregnant it was my wake up call. I left my girlfriend and asked God to forgive me. He was right there with open arms. I am in tears right now thinking about it.
My wife took me back very soon after she realized that I was sincere. We rebuilt our lives and our marriage became stronger than it was before. My daughter had a beautiful girl who has been a great joy to me and everyone she meets, a special girl who loves God and has a heavy calling on her life. My wife and I went through WLS together and are enjoying our new slimness in Florida, serving God with my daughter and her daughters.
Kentucky Girl, I've shared this with you to encourage you to not lose hope. I put my wife through hell. Her heart broke a hundred times while I tried to harden mine. God never let loose of the vision He had for our marriage. She never lost her faith and down deep I never lost mine as hard as I tried to.
Please don't let your circumstance keep you from eating and taking care of yourself. Take care of the body God has given you and nourish the new body He has in store for you. Take care of yourself as a service to Him, let Him bless you. Remember, He loves you more than your husband ever did or ever could.
My wife and I will take you to prayer every day. Stay in the Word, my dear sister. You'll get through this dark time.
Gary Batchelder

Just bought this yesterday. Sorry don't have a picture of the nutritional info, but it was 200 calories for 5 oz and 24 gram Protein. Very good, too.