OK, I now have another question. Has anyone on here ever gone on a cruise with the band? I am an avid cruiser and my first cruise post band is coming up in november. I am not sure what I will do at dinner. Usually dinner can take anywhere from 1-2 hours depending on table size and your wait staff. I am a bread lover so I would usually of course start with the bread, then move on to appetizer and sometimes a salad, then the main course and last of all the dessert...Yummmm....LOL. So now with the band I have to figure out how to do this. I know I will def skip the bread. I was thinking that maybe I can sit down and order with everyone else, maybe tell the waiter to bring my appetizer (if I have one) at the same time as the meal, and then while waiting for the food to come out maybe get up and take a walk down the promenade or something so I am not just sitting there watching everyone else eat.... and never hurts to get a little extra exercise. Do you think people would think I am strange or rude if I do this? I am at a loss, I am hoping someone has some good ideas for me. Please help

One of the guys in my support group is on a cruise at the moment - his second since being banded. Apparently the first time he actually lost weight. He said it was great - at Breakfast for example he would decide what he wanted e.g a fresh cooked egg on toast and order that , ignoring the huge buffet.

I think one way of looking at it is that there is lots of great food but you don't have to try everything in one go.Order what you fancy the one day and then try something different the second.

Hope you have a wonderful time.

Please keep me posted I am also set to go on a cruise during the week of Thanksgiving with my family. I have heard about all the food and I am very scared. But I am sure I will stay on course of my goal or at least I will pray really hard. Have fun.

Crystal:thumbup:

surgery date 03-30-09

Weight date of surgery/ 218

Current weight/ 175

Goal weights / 140

OK, I now have another question. Has anyone on here ever gone on a cruise with the band? I am an avid cruiser and my first cruise post band is coming up in november. I am not sure what I will do at dinner. Usually dinner can take anywhere from 1-2 hours depending on table size and your wait staff. I am a bread lover so I would usually of course start with the bread, then move on to appetizer and sometimes a salad, then the main course and last of all the dessert...Yummmm....LOL. So now with the band I have to figure out how to do this. I know I will def skip the bread. I was thinking that maybe I can sit down and order with everyone else, maybe tell the waiter to bring my appetizer (if I have one) at the same time as the meal, and then while waiting for the food to come out maybe get up and take a walk down the promenade or something so I am not just sitting there watching everyone else eat.... and never hurts to get a little extra exercise. Do you think people would think I am strange or rude if I do this? I am at a loss, I am hoping someone has some good ideas for me. Please help

I was banded on March 2 and cruised the last week of April. I had never cruised before and didn't know what to expect, but it was easier than I imagined. We tried to go to restaurants where I could order off the menu to be sure I could get lean Protein in. We went to a lunch buffet one time. I also would ask for the starch to be replaced with a green veg at mealtimes. I had a bite or two off my hubby's plate if I couldn't resist something.

One thing to remember is that you will have restriction by then. I only had a little. Just stick with your regular routine--protein first, the green veg and then carb if necessary. Just because the food is there, doesn't mean you won't be able to watch people eat. If you are satisfied, it shouldn't matter. I do think it would be a little strange to have someone leave the table when the meal is served...

OK, I now have another question. Has anyone on here ever gone on a cruise with the band? I am an avid cruiser and my first cruise post band is coming up in november. I am not sure what I will do at dinner. Usually dinner can take anywhere from 1-2 hours depending on table size and your wait staff. I am a bread lover so I would usually of course start with the bread, then move on to appetizer and sometimes a salad, then the main course and last of all the dessert...Yummmm....LOL. So now with the band I have to figure out how to do this. I know I will def skip the bread. I was thinking that maybe I can sit down and order with everyone else, maybe tell the waiter to bring my appetizer (if I have one) at the same time as the meal, and then while waiting for the food to come out maybe get up and take a walk down the promenade or something so I am not just sitting there watching everyone else eat.... and never hurts to get a little extra exercise. Do you think people would think I am strange or rude if I do this? I am at a loss, I am hoping someone has some good ideas for me. Please help :frown:

You lucky thing, a cruise!

Focus on the ships activities and at dinner time focus on getting to know everyone and having a good time. I went on a cruise pre-band and I know I would have a better time now because my focus would be on fun instead of food.

I cruised 2 1/2 weeks post surgery and had no problem. While it's true that dinner can take a long time, I focused on people-talk and interaction with my group rather than on the food I was not eating. The waiters soon learned to quit asking if I wanted bread. I ordered appetizers and main meals but ate slowly and ate only a few bites. Every night the head waiter would "choose" a dessert for me, usually the cheese plate or the fruit plate. I ate one or two bites and pushed it away. It was not hard to do--I set my mind that I was cruising to be with my friends and family, not to eat. I also did not choose the buffet at the times when I was hungriest. For example, each morning, I went to the omelet station and got an egg white omelet with veggies, cheese, and some choice of meat. What I didn't eat, my DH did.

You can do it!

thanks for the replies. I am not worried so much about what to eat but about the time frame. Since we are not supposed to eat for more than 30 min, cruise dinners usually last 1-2 hours. That would mean a lot of time just sitting there and looking at all the yummy tempting food...LOL. I guess I will just have to wing it at first until I figure out the time thing.

Newdicarlo - how did you do with the time factor? Any tips for me there?

Xandria, I am going the week before Thanksgiving so unfortunately I will not be back and posted before you go, but have fun on your cruise too :frown: