I am only 10 days post-op from a Gastric

Bypass. So on a full liquid diet now.

Yesterday I went out to get my eye checked I brought with me my Protein shake to last for two meals and my Water.

I ended up out longer than I thought and shake got warm and gross and I didn't want it.

So at first got upset then thought ok I can run to grocery store and get a yogurt. While at giant Eagle I saw they had homemade chicken noodle Soup and decided to skip yogurt and buy just the broth from the soup. I was double proud of myself for sticking to my plan and also having the courage to stand there and ladle out just the broth and proudly walk to counter and buy it.

I was wondering if you leave home and forget food what or where do you turn to find food?

You did GREAT!

I usually can find a salad with meat or get a sandwich with meat. Or some sort of chicken bites. Sometimes I pay for that though. LOL but at least its nice for a taste.

There are lots of great options out there. I was more than happy to ladle out broth when I needed to. Panera and other restaurants will be glad to do it, too. Most customers want the opposite, so they will happily give you a cup of broth. Squeezable apple sauces are good, single serve hummus cups (sans the crackers) or cream cheese with a spoon are fabulous. My NUT also recommended KFC's mashed potatoes and gravy on puree because they have no lumps.

I love my Wawa (gas station and convenience store) for Jerky, string cheese, fruit cups, hard boiled eggs, almonds, yogurt tubes...

Don't forget the deli at your grocery, too! They are happy (well, maybe not, but I don't care) to slice one or two cuts of deli meat or cheese. I often have them cut me a bit of roast beef and horseradish cheddar, grab a few olives off the olive bar, and have a great lunch for under $2. The salad bar always has chicken salad, seafood salad, and Pasta salads with Protein mixed in. (I am not above picking out the protein and leaving the pasta!) The seafood counter always has cooked/peeled shrimp, so I will buy 3-4 of those at times (less than $2!) and add them to my seafood salad. Lots of options. You just have to ASK for them.

I keep almonds in the glove compartment.....

I keep almonds in the glove compartment.....

My car is like a mini food truck. I have almonds, jerky, Water bottles, and little Lance peanut packs (1oz - 8 pack from the dollar store) in there at all times. I also carry a cooler with an ice pack in it most days because I work out of my car and I always have leftovers if I eat out, or so I can take along my cheese and drinks.

Wendy's chili is my ALWAYS go to food. and Chik fil a now has grilled chicken nuggets. but for your stage.

Yogurt is always your best bet.

Just be careful on Yogurt. It can be sugar or calorie laden. The other is that should you get dairy issues after surgery (I could drink a cow dry before {sigh}) you might want to get smaller containers or split them up.

I'm a little ways out from you, but every convenience store carries beef jerky and water. That'll be mine.

Since you are so early out, I assume you aren't on solids yet, Muscle Milk is easily available at convenience stores, Walgreens, grocery stores and even a lot of gas stations.

Convenience store or gas station: Greek yogurt cup, string cheese, lunch meat. I buy the smallest pack of lunch meat I can find and just eat what I want of it. I used to like jerky in the early months, but I never eat it now.

Fast food: Early out, cheapest thing with grilled chicken. Tossed everything but the chicken and ate that. Now, I usually get a salad or small grilled chicken sandwich.

Restaurant: Early out, soup, crab or shrimp cocktail, Protein dense appetizers, such as chicken skewers or scallops. Now, whatever I feel like!

Lynda

My car is like a mini food truck. I have almonds, jerky, water bottles, and little Lance peanut packs (1oz - 8 pack from the dollar store) in there at all times. I also carry a cooler with an ice pack in it most days because I work out of my car and I always have leftovers if I eat out, or so I can take along my cheese and drinks.

Be careful about leaving plastic water bottles with water in them in the heat in the car. I watched a show where Cheryl Crow was quiet outspoken about believing that contributed to her cancer. Don't know all the facts but better to be safe than sorry

My car is like a mini food truck. I have almonds, jerky, Water bottles, and little Lance peanut packs (1oz - 8 pack from the dollar store) in there at all times. I also carry a cooler with an ice pack in it most days because I work out of my car and I always have leftovers if I eat out, or so I can take along my cheese and drinks.

Be careful about leaving plastic water bottles with water in them in the heat in the car. I watched a show where Cheryl Crow was quiet outspoken about believing that contributed to her cancer. Don't know all the facts but better to be safe than sorry

I use glass bottles.

Much of mine are the same as the responses above, but here's what I do

If I'm at the gas station my options are

A protein bar, pure Protein or low sugar detour bar.

Cottage cheese cup

Lunchables with turkey and cheese- 250C with the crackers

Special K Cracker chicps (I sub these out for the crackers that come in the lunchable)- 110 cal for the ENTIRE Bag

couple of sticks of cheese and either cup of grapes, apple or orange

If I have time to run by the grocery store

make a salad from the salad bar

go to the deli and buy 4oz of deli meat and a slice of cheese and roll it up in the car and eat

If I'm in a super pinch I wiil:

wendys and get a 4 pc spicy chicken nugget and a side casear salad (eat half of the salad) total 295 cal or a value chili

Taco bell-Two crunchy tacos- 340 cal

Grilled chicken salad from Steak and shake with the dressing and salsa on the side (pick out all of the chix first)

Responding to the Cheryl Crow plastics comment: Due to the concerns for ingesting BHPs, I recently switched 90% of my kitchen plastics for glass. The other 10% is stored out of sight / out of mind in basement storage.

My go-to favorites when I need to be out and about: power bars, Protein Cookies, or protein chips (quite a variety at Bariatric Choice)

Boiled eggs, string or cubed cheese, little 4 oz. cans of tuna or chicken salad (they are pop top and come with a tiny spoon and 6 crackers from Aldi), Dole single serving sugar free Jello

Wendy's chili

Thanks everyone this was very helpful for me.

In the early on stages I would carry my protein shake and water with me every where I go. I even do now that and I am 5.5 week post op. If I had to get something outside I would still get the shakes or I would get a soup. I am not there yet to have anything solid...just soft foods and mushy things. Also when I work in the weekends, I take my yogurt, protein shakes with me. Oh you can also get cottage cheese too. Good luck!