I will be 4 weeks post op tomorrow. Just starting a regular diet. Next Tuesday, my parents and I are going to be heading out of town for a few days. My dad is having a total hip replacement Wednesday, and will be in the hospital for a couple days after that. I'm a little nervous about going out of town and staying in a hotel, not being close to home with the "safe to eat" food and drink. I'm really nervous about going to different restaurants. My parents don't have a lot of money, and neither do I. We are all three on disability. We don't have enough money to go to restaurants that would have really healthy options all the time.

I'm hoping that the room we get will have a fridge and microwave. If there is a fridge, I can easily make some chicken salad or something like that to have. I'm also nervous about eating at the hospital. Hopefully they have some good choices... Wish me luck! If anyone has any suggestions, I would love to hear them! Thanks!

Anywhere u go to eat should have salad options available, i would take some meal replacement shakes with you as they are easily transported, give u the nutrition u need and will act as a fall back for u if u cant find any decent food to eat.

Take some sugar free sweet/candy with you too to stop any hunger pangs in between meals, and your water intake is very important to keepo that up too..

I understand your nervousness. I am over 2 years out and still experience anxiety over being out of town. You don't have to go to expensive restaurants to get a healthy meal. As said, salads (with some protien like chicken or steak) is a great option. Stick with a lean meat and veggies. I try and avoid ethnic restaurants like chinese, since there is so many fat and carbs in there dishes, although some have diet plates that are chicken/fish with some steamed veggies. I have a hard time with Italian restaurants. Be sure to advocate for yourself and hopefully your family will be supportive of your new lifestyle. Protien shakes are a great idea, protien bars are an option too. You can carry them in your purse for if your stuck and a place that doesn't have anything you want/can eat. Good luck and hope your dad recovers quickly.