Hi all

I will be having band to sleeve revision around November this year but have also been planning a 1-2 year overseas holiday, leaving in March next year. It'll be roughly 4 months post op when I leave. (Going to Japan, India, Sri Lanka & Nepal in the first few months then settling in Mexico).

I'm worried that going travelling will interfere with what I see as the most important first few months of my weight loss 'journey'. My concerns are:

* that I will have trouble finding the right foods to fuel my body.

* that I won't be able to exercise or tone my body the way I would if I stayed at home

* that other travellers will notice how little I eat and comment/judge.

I would be so grateful for any advice you could give me. Am I worrying about nothing? Or should I postpone my holiday?

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With respect to item no. 1, you are traveling to areas that tend to eat carb-heavy cuisines (rice and noodles in Japan, rice, lentils, beans in south Asia, rice, corn and beans in Mexico). So, I think you'll have to be committed to avoiding those foods to a great extent and working at getting lots of meat and green veggies. You can get those things anywhere, but you may have to look harder and work harder to get what you need. Are you willing to do that? If so, go for it! You do not need a bunch of frankenfood protein powders and protein bars and special artificially flavored popsicles and cashew milk and whatever. You just need meat and green veggies and to not fall into the easy trap of eating the big scoop of rice that may start appearing whenever you eat out.

As far as exercise goes, people in India and Japan and Mexico probably get more exercise than your typical "first worlder"(assuming you are American, Western European, etc, your profile doesn't say). Commit to doing a lot of walking. Figure out how people where you are get exercise and do it. If it doesn't happen, that's not ideal, but exercise really has a minimal impact on weight loss. You can tone up when you get done with your travels (exercise is not going to have an impact on whether or not you end up with loose skin, so if you are worrying about that, put it aside).

People notice what we eat a lot less than we think they do. People will be paying attention to their own food, not yours. Certainly don't let potential judgments from other people stop you from doing what you've wanted to do for a long time. Anyone who is rude enough to make a comment on someone else's eating habits is just a jerk, and you can't let jerks control your life.

Thanks Bufflehead. I really appreciate your reply.

You hit the nail on the head. I do want to exercise so that I have less loose skin and I think that is my biggest concern. I know that a lot of people say it can't be done but I have read so many articles and even my surgeon said it helps to reduce loose skin. Who knows? It can't hurt right?

I'm definitely committed to finding the right foods. I've lived in Mexico before so I think the hardest thing will be fighting the urge to eat all those amazing tortillas. (I'm Australian).

Thanks again for your response. You've put my mind at ease.

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Hi @@Nikkinee - wow! What an amazing couple of years you have planned. I am not a WLS vet, I'm just a month post-op but I'm a world traveler myself and having been to most of those locales I can tell you I can't wait to go back post-op and *really* experience them properly. I missed out on so much by being too sluggish and overweight.

I've also spent a significant amount of time in various Mexican regions- don't worry about Mexico! Yeah, tortillas abound but the fruits and vegetables are SO SO fresh and they prepare world class Proteins. You'll never miss out on spectacular flavor. I was just in DF a couple of weeks ago and some street vendors told me it's trendy for chilangos to order taco fillings to go with a fork- no tortilla! So that's what I did and it was DELICIOUS.

Keep us posted on your travels! You'll do great.