Wow, I feel like I'm constantly asking questions on a daily basis, but everyone is so helpful I feel like no matter what I ask, someone out there can help (so thank you all!:tongue_smilie:)

I just found out that I need to go on a business trip during the first week of December. The good news is that I'll be on my regular solid diet at that time. The bad news is it will be my first week on this lifetime diet and I will be adjusting to exactly what that is after being on liquids, purees and soft up until then.

Does anyone have suggestions as to what I should plan on bringing for the flight and what I should get for those oh-so stuffy business dinners that I will surely get roped into with clients? I'm not so worried about them knowing that I have the band, but I'm very worried about eating something that I shouldn't be (although I guess if I'm that unsure, I should just order Soup LOL)!

Thanks for any advice!!!

I tend to go for a vegetarian frittata - and request a side of aioli or dressing just in case you need moisture - the soft pumpkin/potato/vege filling is great tasting and very edible, but you still must GO SLOW and CHEW WELL!!!! no matter how soft - soft can block as much as hard. or a goats cheese tart. Caesar salad is good too.

The beauty of these types of foods - they are usually Entrees, so smaller portions, and if the selection is good - order two entrees (you dont have to eat them entirely), noone will be any the wiser and it is actually far more interesting as entrees are much more exotic than mains usually.

Just follow the band rules........protein 1st, veggies, 2nd, fruit if you still have room. Otherwise, you can pretty much have anything as long as you only eat 1 cup or less depending on your fill level. Just eat very slowly, take small bites and wait between bites to chew very, very well.

Some people complain of being tight on the plane my doc advises not to eat on the plane cuz the food is rubbery but I didn't have that issue as biz class the food is better (I too just did a biz trip).

On the plane I ordered salmon and it was doused in gravy and it was fine - stay away from the bread you are too new out of ur surgery to chance that.

Bring Protein shakes with you. I put them in small baggies and brought a shaking cup. I also brought Mcann's sugar free oatmeal in packets. Both those came in very handy!!

Dining out go w/ the fish options. I had an amazing Chilean Sea bass that was out of this world. I picked at fries (3).

Also another of the doc's at NYU says to have a glass of wine before eating (usual rules apply on liquids)... it relaxes the esophagus... I exercised this option both on the plane and when dining out. I can't remember what I had on the second night... oh it was prosciutto and cheese appetizer thats it (on my own at the hotel).

This will be a challenge because you wont have figured out what you can and cant eat yet.

personally, I'd stay FAR away from steaks and bread in any form. I was still quite tight and swollen with a lot of restriction at your stage.

any sort of food that is gravy covered should be OK - indian and italian will be easy, Pasta MIGHT be a good bet for you now - I find risotto is my standard "safe" meal - undesireable carbs of course, but when you rmain focus is to eat in public and enjoy the experience without event, then I think that's a fair trade. Salads should be OK too - caesar or chargrilled vegie salads. Fritattas sound like a good plan.

Basic eggs or cereals for Breakfast and take the soup option for lunch if you can.

Hey girl! You know I had business meetings on Monday and had to travel 3 hrs to get to them. On the way we stopped at Ruby Tuesdays. I got the soup and then went to the salad bar and got soft food - like cottage cheese, some soft ham, potatoe salad, etc. I just moved it around my plate and ate very slowly. It did well for me :biggrin:

The business dinner thing can be tricky because I really don't want to spend my dinner explaining my band to strangers. Anyway, one of my favorite safe meals is any kind of crab cake. I've been known to just order an appetizer and no one questions anything. Just steer clear of the bread. One time (early on), I went to a dinner and ate a half a roll with olive oil because I was starving and when my entree came, I only got down 3 bites. That one is hard to explain without going into great detail.

Cindy

One more thing...When I travel, I always bring along cheerios in a ziplock bag. I can always eat them dry and if my stomach is upset for any reason, they calm it down.

Fish and Seafood entrees are great cause they are usually lighter and easier to chew so you wont have to sit there forever with food in your mouth chewing, esp when conversation is called for. I have done well with crab cakes (order appetizer version or on a salad) I find that mouth fulls of lettuce and salad things take a while to chew, but I can also eat more of it, so it's not so obvious that I'm not eating much.

My problem pre-fill #1 has been I fill up FAST but then get hungry soon so I'm wanting to eat more frequently, though the firmer the foods the longer I can stay full. If I were to try and just have soup I think I'd feel starving too soon.

For an easy snack on the plane, think abour bringing a little cooler lunchbag and maybe some hummus and reduced fat crackers... it's got Protein and it's satisfying.