Travel

[Lowes 8]

I will have the sleeve surgery Aug 15,

And we have a trip planned for Sept 28 that will be 6 weeks after surgery has any one traveled 6 weeks after surgery ? How did it work for you ? How did you eat out at restaurants ? Kids meals?

[LeaninLanc 83]

Congrats on your surgery. I'm not sure if you're traveling by air or land. My experience is that you might want to plan to take a small cooler or use a hotel mini fridge to stock up on the items you are eating at six weeks. I found I had only a few go-to foods at that point and even if we went out to eat I just ate a few bites off my husband's plate. Eating at six weeks (and even now at 5 months) is more a task to be managed than an experience. Best wishes!

[Lowes 8]

Thanks, we are traveling by vehicle, I will take what I can in a cooler and will definitely drink Water.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

You should be find for travel and for eating in restaurants. I chose not to eat in restaurants at 6 weeks but you can do it if you want.

If you are traveling in the US, I would get Protein Shakes and keep them handy. You can offset your calories eating out by using Protein shakes.

[Joann454 1,329]

I was a bit low energy still at six weeks. Doesn't mean you will be though. food should t be too hard. Be organized with your Vitamins and Water and be sure to get the Protein in and rest of needed. I traveled at eight weeks and was perfectly fine! It was perfect timing for me as I regained my energy then.

[hmills653 365]

I went to Florida at 6 weeks. We rented a whole house so we could cook. I felt good. We went out to eat and used take out containers. We went on jet skis and you the beach. I felt great. Take your Vitamins with you and enjoy.

[Morgan Sorto 21]

I feel as though traveling at 6 weeks would be manageable. You may be pretty tired and I would be even more aware of your eating/vitamin/water schedule because traveling would make it easier to forget. I would have on hand Protein Bars, meat/jerky sticks and other high Protein shelf stable foods that you can keep on you at all times. As for eating out, I eat out quite regularly and I find the best thing to do is to order a portable scale off of Amazon. I keep it in my purse and I got one with a lid so it will stay clean. I can only eat 2 oz and still remain comfortable, the scale has been perfect so I don't overeat. I stay away from the kids menu because the options are usually fried or a lot of carbs. I always share with my husband.

[Lannie 135]

I'm six week post-op and have taken weekend trips. At six weeks, I don't have restrictions on types of food - I can eat out without any issues - just have to pick the restaurants. Diners and steak houses are easy - italian is hard but I can find a Protein option.

You will be fine. Enjoy your trip.

[Maggie1955 158]

I actually had this question too. I don't have a surgery date yet, but I am hoping for the beginning of October. The problem is that we have already paid for a Florida vacation over Thanksgiving. We are traveling by car, but depending on when I am sleeved will only be about 5 weeks out from surgery. Do you all think that would be possible? If not, I will have to put surgery off until December. [emoji53]

[Lowes 8]

As I have been reading all comments looks like all will go smoothly with traveling. Good luck on your surgery.

[Morgan Sorto 21]

11 hours ago, Maggie1955 said:

I actually had this question too. I don't have a surgery date yet, but I am hoping for the beginning of October. The problem is that we have already paid for a Florida vacation over Thanksgiving. We are traveling by car, but depending on when I am sleeved will only be about 5 weeks out from surgery. Do you all think that would be possible? If not, I will have to put surgery off until December.

For car trips, I would have a lot of Protein options that are shelf stable, like Jerky and Pork rinds (some people don't like them but they're low carb, and high protein and you can find brands with little fat), and nuts. I would also bring some dried fruit in case you experience blood sugar problems. Also, a cooler packed with pre-made food for whatever stage you are going to be at will help. I would plan extra for your meals on the road so you won't be stuck with bad options.

[Lowes 8]

14 minutes ago, Morgan Sorto said:

For car trips, I would have a lot of Protein options that are shelf stable, like Jerky and Pork rinds (some people don't like them but they're low carb, and high Protein and you can find brands with little fat), and nuts. I would also bring some dried fruit in case you experience blood sugar problems. Also, a cooler packed with pre-made food for whatever stage you are going to be at will help. I would plan extra for your meals on the road so you won't be stuck with bad options.

So as I read comments seems like it all about protein, are the premade Protein Shakes lactose free? And what other protein options are out there? I am allergic to nuts, and all preservatives in foods.

[Morgan Sorto 21]

2 hours ago, Lowes said:

So as I read comments seems like it all about Protein, are the premade Protein Shakes lactose free? And what other protein options are out there? I am allergic to nuts, and all preservatives in foods.

Yes, if you get a protein powder/drink made of whey protein isolate it doesn't have lactose. I use Isopure as my Protein Powder. I know Boost high protein is a pre-made lactose-free drink and there are a lot of powders that are lactose-free, including vegan options that add a lot of extra Vitamins and minerals that are good if you can stand the taste. I would suggest the Go Macro bars and other like it for shelf stable protein, they have a sunflower butter and chocolate chip bar that has a very short ingredient list and contains no nuts. I would also suggest sunflower butter and other seeds such as pumpkin seeds and flax seeds.

[Lowes 8]

1 minute ago, Morgan Sorto said:

Yes, if you get a Protein powder/drink made of whey protein isolate it doesn't have lactose. I use Isopure as my Protein Powder. I know Boost high protein is a pre-made lactose-free drink and there are a lot of powders that are lactose-free, including vegan options that add a lot of extra Vitamins and minerals that are good if you can stand the taste. I would suggest the Go Macro bars and other like it for shelf stable protein, they have a sunflower butter and chocolate chip bar that has a very short ingredient list and contains no nuts. I would also suggest sunflower butter and other seeds such as pumpkin seeds and flax seeds.

Thanks I will look for the bars. I use sunflower butter haven't tried flax seeds.

[Sullie06 1,047]

21 hours ago, Lowes said:

So as I read comments seems like it all about Protein, are the premade Protein Shakes lactose free? And what other protein options are out there? I am allergic to nuts, and all preservatives in foods.

They also make protein waters and even protein tea now, check GNC if you have one locally, they have lots of protein options that are not specifically shakes. I wasn't able to tolerate shakes until recently after surgery.

As for travel like everyone else said you should be fine. We drove from NY to Florida when I was 12 weeks post op and I did just fine, even lost 5 pounds that week. Just make healthy choices and focus on fluids and protein. I know for me I usually don't drink a lot when traveling to limit stops but it's different post surgery so make sure you are drinking.

As for restaurants, I didn't start going out until I was back on a regular diet, which was at 10 weeks for me. Many restaurants have lighter fair menus which I find are better than the kids menu. Also I ask for half orders if possible and substitute things like fries for fresh veggies. Broccoli seems to be a pretty common choice for restaurants when I want to sub fries. Also be prepared to bring food home so pick something you don't mind eating for multiple meals.