The first few weeks I had been learning to eat with my new sleeve in the comfort of my home/work environment where everything is within my control.

But…traveling is different.

The first morning in the hotel I looked over the continental Breakfast table and noticed it was nothing but a carb fest. Muffins, bagels, and granola bars. Usually this hotel chain has eggs so I was bummed. I grabbed a mini muffin. Mistake! Soon after eating I felt nauseated and hot, and just extremely uncomfortable for about a half hour. From that day forward I skipped the hotel breakfast and picked up a muscle milk which I discovered were available at the business office I was visiting all week.

Also on this trip I learned what full is for the first time. It is NOT comfortable and I definitely do not want to go there again. I was eating an appropriate item (chicken) but due to the company & conversation I wasn’t paying attention and simply ate too fast. I got that tightness in my chest and felt like I was going to burst. YUCK! and the oddest thing is I noticed the saliva was building up in my mouth, almost like it had no where to go b/c my stomach was too full. I actually had to discreetly spit some of the saliva into a napkin. It took about an hour for me to begin feeling normal.

Eating in restaurants all week wasn’t as bad as I feared. I was with other folks and decisions about where to eat were spontaneous & I didn’t get a chance to view the menu online. But I think I did okay - opted for chicken or fish items and would focus on that, and if there was room would nibble on some veggies.

I was ecstatic to learn that I no longer crave and desire sweets and other carbs. I ate a small oatmeal cookie one afternoon in the meeting. It went down fine but it was only….okay. It’s not that my taste buds have changed because it tasted normal…it just isn’t as satisfying or something. Just a waste of calories really. This is something I was really hoping to gain from surgery. In my pre-sleeve life I would have had one cookie, then continued to think about the Cookies on the table and get another, etc. No more.

Back home now. Glad to be back in my environment where I can be aware of exactly what I am eating. But the trip really gave me some good challenges & helped me learn more about eating with the sleeve which I’ll be doing forever!

I'm travelling for business next week and this was very informative. I'm pretty nervous how I'm going to manage my eating while on the road... especially with a bunch of co-workers that don't know I've had this surgery!

I got that tightness in my chest and felt like I was going to burst. YUCK! and the oddest thing is I noticed the saliva was building up in my mouth, almost like it had no where to go b/c my stomach was too full. I actually had to discreetly spit some of the saliva into a napkin. It took about an hour for me to begin feeling normal.

In the lap-band world we call this "sliming." It's your body's way of trying to clear an obstruction (via lubrication) and prep for potentially having to bring something up (via protective coating). Or at least that is what I have always been told! I don't know how it is with the sleeve, but with lap-band when you have to yak something back up, that thick, ropey saliva is what comes up -- perhaps with a few bits of food in it.

Back home now. Glad to be back in my environment where I can be aware of exactly what I am eating. But the trip really gave me some good challenges & helped me learn more about eating with the sleeve which I’ll be doing forever!

I don't know if this trip was spontaneous, but you might find it helpful to bring your own foods. At least for meals by yourself. I used to travel extensively, and would always bring Protein drinks (the pre-made kind that come like drink boxes) or Protein powder and my Magic Bullet if I had a car or was near a store. I would also always bring pepperoni chips (microwave turkey pepperoni until it's crunchy), and good quality Protein Bars. I would often bring albacore tuna pouches, and bring or get condiment packs of mayo -- instant tuna salad on the go. You can also buy little cans of tuna salad with cracker packs but I think it's gross.

ALso a little tip -- still don't know how it is with the sleeve, but with the lap-band if something got stuck you either brought it up or waited for it to go down. Either way it usually took some time and was pretty uncomfortable. I learned quickly not to eat within 3 - 4 hours of a flight. I actually missed a flight once because I had to run to the bathroom and yak something up. And I once had to ask our car service driver to pull over so I could yak on the side of the interstate on the way to the airport. SIgh.

Flying also makes me tighter. A LOT tighter. So I avoid in-flight foods, and plan for Soup or just a drink at the first meal after landing. Not sure if you guys are as effected by pressure/temp/humidity/etc changes as we are.