I'm anticipating sleeve surgery in about 2 months and working towards being prepared for a proper diet. Because I spend much of my time on the move I'm trying to figure out ways to eat high protein meals in restaurants. I know that Chili's uses fresh ingredients and will cook a hamburger without a bun if you ask, etc. Any other thoughts on places to get quality, low-carb foods on the fly?

in & out burger will do a low carb burger - no bun wrapped in lettuce. wendy's chili, I travel for work and am having the same troublle. I end up going to the grocery store and bringing stuff back to my hotel room

I think most any restaurant /fast food place has a choice you can pick from or modify to fit your needs. I have been to chinese, mexican, burger joints, italian and have always been able to fing a low carb/high protein option to eat. Good luck!

For quick and easy try Chipoltle bowls (ask for no rice and double meat) or Taco Bell Fresco chicken soft taco (dont eat the tortilla)

I eat out a lot and have found that ethnic or specialty resturants are the better way to go- sashimi or Tepanyaki at Japaneese, Kebabs or shwarma at Indian/Mediteranian (hummus can do in a pinch too- kinda high in carbs tho), fajitas and tacos al fresco for Mexican, beef & broccoli (light sauce) for chineese and lots of seafood at resturants everywhere. Itallian was the tough one for me- lots of noodles and everything was breaded- but I ended up getting a seafood carpaccio thing and mostly ate the seafood... although a side of meatballs and sauce would have been acceptable too.

I always carry the nectar Samples with me when I am on the go- that way I can just buy a bottle of Water or milk and have instant Protein. I also carry the Babybells (no refrigeration required), Protein Bars (for occational use), beef jerkey and natural Peanut Butter singles.

in & out burger will do a low carb burger - no bun wrapped in lettuce. wendy's chili, I travel for work and am having the same troublle. I end up going to the grocery store and bringing stuff back to my hotel room

Good call, I had forgotten about that. I imagine that it will take a while to get back to the point that an animal style burger, even without a bun, would be doable but it would be something to look forward to. I'd forgotten all about Wendy's chili but that sounds reasonable.

I think most any restaurant /fast food place has a choice you can pick from or modify to fit your needs. I have been to chinese, mexican, burger joints, italian and have always been able to fing a low carb/high Protein option to eat. Good luck!

Thanks. I've found that Mexican foods can be pretty decent for low-carb. I'm not talking about tacos with deep fried shells, more like chile verde. One of my biggest challenges is that I love spicy foods. Italian and Mexican dishes especially. There are some good, authentic BBQ places round that deal in meat and sauce. I would imagine that this could be a good low-carb meal if the sauce was limited.

For quick and easy try Chipoltle bowls (ask for no rice and double meat) or Taco Bell Fresco chicken soft taco (dont eat the tortilla)

I eat out a lot and have found that ethnic or specialty resturants are the better way to go- sashimi or Tepanyaki at Japaneese, Kebabs or shwarma at Indian/Mediteranian (hummus can do in a pinch too- kinda high in carbs tho), fajitas and tacos al fresco for Mexican, beef & broccoli (light sauce) for chineese and lots of seafood at resturants everywhere. Itallian was the tough one for me- lots of noodles and everything was breaded- but I ended up getting a seafood carpaccio thing and mostly ate the seafood... although a side of meatballs and sauce would have been acceptable too.

I always carry the nectar Samples with me when I am on the go- that way I can just buy a bottle of Water or milk and have instant Protein. I also carry the Babybells (no refrigeration required), protein bars (for occational use), beef jerkey and natural Peanut Butter singles.

Another good call on Chipotle's. Likewise the beef and broccoli. I love that dish and I would imagine that sans rice it's pretty healthy.

Carbs have always been my downfall do I'm planning to be pretty aggressive in avoiding them. I did a low-carb regimen for a year with no lasting losses.

I hadn't thought about Jerky but that makes sense too.

http://www.chipotle....calculator.aspx

A great idea is to sign up for http://myfitnesspal.com - Their database is pretty good with nutrition, be careful though because there are a lot of people that insert their own calories and sometimes fudge a bit on it, but if it comes directly from the restaurant it should be okay.

If you need to start a diet in advance, like I had to be on a program for six months and I had to turn in food, Water, exercise logs in once a month, myfitnesspal is the easiest way to keep track. Just remember not to follow their recommendation for carbs & Protein because it's much different than they expect for WLS. My doctor recommended to keep carbs under 70 gm carbs a day and protein 80 grams.

If you know you go out to eat a lot, take an hour out of a day and looking up your favorite restaurants and favorite palces to eat online in advance and write some notes about what would be the best to order at each place. Eventually you will know automatically which is best for you.

Remember that take out food has higher sodium count which can help you retain water so you may not lose as fast, but if you can learn now to keep track of things, it will help you in the long run.

Good Luck!

On the go snacks: nuts, beef jerky, pork skins. All high protein and low/no carb

Another thing at mexican I LOVE is ceviche...super low fat , high protein...minus the tostada shell.

A lot of people have already mentioned some of my go-to selections, but I also travel a lot for work and eat on the road.

Fast food:

McDonalds (breakfast) - egg mcmuffin, I eat open-faced removing half the muffin (lunch/dinner) - grilled chicken snack wrap, I only eat a small amount of the tortilla

Wendy's chili

Subway - I get a subway club with lots of veggie toppings, again I eat open-faced removing the top half of the bread.

Taco Bell - I like the fresco chicken taco but I like to add either cheese or sour cream (they use reduced-fat sour cream) - I typically just eat the insides with little to none of the tortilla. If I'm craving crunch, I get a chicken or beef hard taco and break the taco shell in half, I eat like a tostada.

Qdoba - kids naked chicken or steak burrito with no rice - meat & pinto Beans with salsa verde, pico, shredded cheese and a bit of sour cream. Their recipe builder is great!

Italian - most places allow you to buy a side of meatballs, that's usually good with a small salad (not the best choice but in a pinch, it works). If there's a chicken piccata or other dish that sounds good, I will sometimes do that without the side of Pasta (or I'll just have a few bites of the pasta and focus on the protein). If you've got bread issues tell them to skip even bringing it to the table, so you can avoid the temptation. I find a small sampling of the bread or breadstick is enough to satisfy my craving and doesn't fill me up to the point that I can't get my Protein in.

Chinese - I avoid anything deep-fried and breaded, and of course I avoid rice. Usually moo goo gai pan or garlic chicken can be a good option, I also like to eat the insides of potstickers/dumplings. Mmm, and hot & sour Soup is great too.

Mexican - I either skip the chips/salsa altogether, or if I'm with other people I count out a small serving ahead of time and set aside so I know my limits. I almost always do fajitas with no tortillas and no rice; I make a little fajita salad on my plate, focusing on primarily the protein and load it up with salsa/pico.

I love spicy food too - Buffalo Wild Wings has naked tenders that are basically strips of grilled chicken on a stick - dipped in wing sauce - YUM!

On the go and you've packed your own food:

Pouch tuna. You can add travel/condiment packs of mayo, relish, etc., or eat plain. My favorite is pepperoni chips (from my band days, it will be another week before I can eat them with the sleeve). I buy Hormel turkey pepperoni. Line a paper plate with paper towels, then the pepperonis. Microwave until the fat renders out (they will get really crunchy like a chip). Blot any surface grease and let cool. They are excellent with cottage cheese, or garden vegetable cream cheese. Or plain - but they have a very concentrated flavor that is nice to cut a bit. Again, can't do it quite yet with the sleeve, but in my band days I used to buy sweet & hot turkey Jerky (I don't eat red meat) from a local store that makes their own jerky. Sooo good. I see it in the stores now, but only beef. If nothing else, as others have mentioned, there are always Protein bars.

On the go at restaurants:

Chili's fajita quesadilla minus the tortilla (since OP mentioned Chili's). Chipotle bol, no rice is one of my favorites. Subway will put sandwich contents on a plate, and since Ii'm not getting the bread they often give me double meat (without me asking for it). I like their tuna and the fake seafood one. Any burger place will lettuce wrap a burger instead of putting it on a bun (every place I can think of, anyway). Fish is always a good choice, though not always great for on the go. Non-fried meat dishes at places like Panda Express (e.g. the pepper chicken) - I also like their hot & sour soup which is fairly heavy on egg & tofu.

HTH

Some great suggestions. Thanks!

This search on Google can help: tofu recipes ("low fat" OR "low calorie" OR healthful)

Also, you can puree tofu in the blender along with some splenda or equal + Water or milk + fruit or Protein powder - even green leafy vegetables, such as spinach!. Puree it on the highest speed (I have a VitaMix). Add a few ice cubes and puree them as well. You have a smoothee. You essentially turntofu into a liquid. This pureeing technique works with firm, medium, soft and silken textures of tofu. I do find that different brands of tofu have different flavors. My own personal favorite brand is Mori Nu. You can order cases of Mori Nu online. But other people might find other brands to be better. Tofu always has helped me lose weight in the past. I hope that this information is helpful.