I am having my surgery June 30. I found out today that I will have to travel for work July 26. I am a little concerned about how/what I will eat. I goggled the hotel and there isn't a wal-mart close by (I won't have a car), and I am a little concerned with how heavy packing a weeks worth of powder food will make my suitcase. Luckily there will be a fridge in my hotel room.

I am also worried about lifting my suitcase...do you think that would be an issue? It has rollers so I would only have to lift it up to the check in counter and off the baggage claim.

To make matters worse there are a couple of other people from my office going. I have only told a few people at work about the surgery.

Any ideas?!?!?!?!

I travel occaisionally for work (about every 2-3 months) so I can give you some tips that work for me. A month out you shouldn't have any issues lifting your suitcase (unless it is extremely heavy) so I don't think you need to worry about that.

Breakfast: When I travel I always pack my shaker bottle and ziploc snack bags with individual servings of Protein Powder so I can have it for Breakfast in case there is nothing band-friendly available. A lot of hotels offer continental breakfast and scrambled eggs also work for me.

lunch and Dinner: You should be on solids by then so just order carefully, eat slowly and don't worry about anyone saying anything - if they do you can just say "I'm not hungry" or "I'm watching what I eat". Grilled seafood is always a good option or if you are worried about the selections Soup always works. The last time I was out of town, the people I was with took me to a Mexican restaurant so I ordered grilled shrimp tacos and just ate the shrimp and veggies from the tacos and a few bites of refried Beans. Salads also work well for me...I concentrate on eating the Protein first and most salads served in restaurants are so huge anyway that people don't really notice how much you are (or are not) eating.

Also, don't forget to take your workout gear and get a quick workout in the hotel gym if you have time.

Don't worry, you will do fine...

Vicki offered great advice. You will be fine. I rarely travel, but was sent away for business 2 weeks after surgery. I had just been on mushy foods one day when I flew several states away. I was very nervous about being so newly banded and so far away from home, but it was fine. I found food selection to be more than adequate, but I did take several protein shakes just in case and ended up bringing back most.

Your suitcase should be fine and if you're unable to lift it, there are lots of people at airports and hotels that will gladly help you with it. For all they know, you have a bad back and need someone to lift for you

You say a couple weeks of Protein powder...a 2 lb canister should get you through without a problem and that won't add too much bulk to the suitcase. Take a shaker or 2 along and you'll be ready anytime.

Depending on where you go to eat, you should be able to find something with other people around that you can eat. If they have breakfast foods, get some eggs. Excuse yourself to the restroom if you need to talk with management about a special cooked meal. My dr gave me a little card to carry in my wallet explaining that I can only eat a certain amount of food and should be allowed to order a smaller amount or from a kids menu.

Since it is for work, you can decline to go out to eat and say you'd like to go for a walk, hit the gym or see if there are some fun shops around! Try to do more active things there and hopefully others will join.

I am having my surgery June 30. I found out today that I will have to travel for work July 26. I am a little concerned about how/what I will eat. I goggled the hotel and there isn't a wal-mart close by (I won't have a car), and I am a little concerned with how heavy packing a weeks worth of powder food will make my suitcase. Luckily there will be a fridge in my hotel room.

I am also worried about lifting my suitcase...do you think that would be an issue? It has rollers so I would only have to lift it up to the check in counter and off the baggage claim.

To make matters worse there are a couple of other people from my office going. I have only told a few people at work about the surgery.

Any ideas?!?!?!?!

I fly all the time and no one knows I am banded. You should be fine eating normal foods and since you won't probably have a fill by then, most food won't get stuck. You might even be in bandster hell then, meaning you'll be hungry and want to eat more then you should.

The people above posted great tips like Protein powder, but there are also Protein Bars you can pack and I am sure there would be places close by the hotel to get fruits or something to keep with you.

As for the band and flying, like I said since you probably won't get a fill by then, you should have no problems eating on the plane though take it easy

Have fun