I am planning a long road trip with a non-dieting friend over a four-day weekend next month. We'll be staying at a cheap motel with donuts and pastries for "breakfast" and stopping at convenience stores for driving Snacks and soft drinks. I want to be a fun traveling companion, not a Debbie Downer about food. So I'm planning to prepare by buying Quest bars to pack with me, bringing my Protein shakes, and keeping acceptable snack foods and drinks in a cooler.

I am just worrying that either I'll let the goodies she's eating bother me or that I'll bother her by not joining in. I'm usually pretty ok with other people eating foods that I can't have, but this will not be just one afternoon. This is four whole days. Other than bringing foods that I can eat and enjoy, what should I do to keep my head in a good place so that I don't get irritated and say something snarky?

Sounds like you are well-prepared, and your fear may turn out to just be fear, and not reality. That said, I would keep a Water bottle at all times -- and perhaps take a bite of her Snacks,, if I wanted to do that. Five potato chops are not going to derail you, and may take away the irritability factor, if you do begin to experience that.

I went to Disneyland when I was short term post-op, and had the same fear. Turned out to be for naught. I wasted some $ since I ate so little of what I bought, but with the surgery, there just wasn't that "pull" towards the junk and I was able to be happy and still eat right.

Enjoy your trip!

We went to Disney World when I was 6 weeks post op and it was fine...snacked on string cheese (think that's what they're called...mozzarella sticks of cheese), yogurt, bananas, etc. May want to bring a small cooler and throw in some ready to drink Protein shakes...they have ice machines at cheap motels too.

Good luck and have fun on your trip!

There are grocery stores about anywhere there is town (well, except for a resort I went in Wisconsin on a business training week - the nearest grocery was like twenty miles away). Use your Google head to locate grocery stores along the path you are traveling.

Last year (pre-op) I took a three day trip with my daughter. She is a vegetarian. If we stopped at McDonalds, we both got salads and I had chicken with mine. Yes, I had a few of her fries and did not feel bad about. We got Thai takeout, and she got her usual noodley something and I got a dish that was mostly veggies. We ate a small family restaurant and she got a Portobello mushroom salad, and I got a grilled Portobello sandwich. We took Snacks in a cooler: cheese, fruits, coconut Water, plain water, etc.

We also packed dry snacks like Protein bars, Peanut Butter crackers, and nuts.

Your best advantage will be to plan ahead, so that you can have some control. You might be able to eat similar to what she eats with modification to suit your post-op concerns.

Also, if you can anticipate what places you might be stopping, plan your eating around what they offer, supplemented with the O K goodies you bring. And if you have a couple of fries, who cares. Relax and enjoy your trip!

it's good training to be exposed to such stresses

re: "Other than bringing foods that I can eat and enjoy, what should I do to keep my head in a good place so that I don't get irritated and say something snarky?"

the odds are you will be taking as much snarkiness as you will be handing out.

People really get more involved in their OWN eating, and learning how to manage your own independent needs is reasonable.

"Socializing" as an art form separate from being excuse to overeat, is something Bandsters have to learn how to accommodate anyway.

Be prepared with your OWN survival goods and all will be well. Learn to adapt to what's available as well. The Soup choices at various delis are a resource at a certain phase in my own postOp strategy.

Special prep request to waitresses are usually handled well too, if you take them aside and quietly say something on the order of "I've recently had stomach surgery and must follow a certain process for a while". They always cooperate.

Cheers on your journey.

Thanks to all for your great advice. I am probably anticipating a problem that may not materialize. I am not shy about asking for special orders in restaurants, and I'll be bringing along some things I really enjoy. With everyone's reassurance, I can go back to looking forward to my trip.

Even at convenience stores you can pick up acceptable road Snacks and drinks to help you feel "normal" and not a Debbie downer.... Beef Jerky, mixed nuts, Peanut Butter, milk, Sobe/Vitamin Water zero, coffee, etc. Some even have fresh fruit in the cooler or near the counter. I've found Muscle Milk in quite a few gas stations. check out the snack bar section for one you haven't tried before that doesn't have too much sugar. If you end up at a fast food restaurant, you can always get a burger or grilled chicken and not eat the bun. Arby's roast beef minus the bun is my favorite fast food option.

Don't worry too much about what you can and can't eat...just enjoy being with your friend and have fun!

Love the grilled chicken salads at McD's. Eat the chicken off the top, get a low calorie dressing to use as a dip, then eat as much veggies as you have room for.

At gas stations, beef jerkey, string cheese, and sugar free drinks are my friends.

At the cheap Breakfast buffet, they may have instant oatmeal packets, yogurt, and fruit. Plus nonfat milk if you're not lactose intolerant (I am).

I bring along RTD Protein drinks too.

Have fun, play some silly car games like license plate counting, sing along to dorky songs, and have a great time.

Before you eat crap, think about if you really want it. Sometimes I picture the food in a store, lots of it, then all the stores in my town, my state, US, the world. Then I remember there is plenty of it for later. I can't possibly eat it all and I don't have to eat it now. Weird I know, but it works for me.

Lynda