Fear of eating out and dumping

[Thecloude1 342]

I have this horrible fear of eating out and dumping in public places. Does anyone else have this fear? I am 4.5 weeks post op and have not experienced dumping syndrome yet. I hate having this fear! Will I get past this? I don't want to live in fear of going places for the rest of my life . What do you do when you travel? My son lives a 10 hr drive away from us and we usually make this trip 4 times a year. Then while visiting him it always involves site seeing, eating out and always on the go....As of right now I feel like I'm not going to enjoy this anymore . One of the reasons for having this surgery is so I can enjoy physical activities while visiting him. Thanks for any input

[linda71730 8]

If I understand correctly only about 15% actually have dumping. I understand your fear but don't let it dictate your life. Follow your diet plan when your visit and you will avoid most issues. Most places offer something that in moderation you can eat. Enjoy your visits with your son!!

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[dhrguru 1,238]

Early on I felt this fear. Id read so many stories of people dumping On things as simple as ketchup, it made me a bit fearful. I still ate out, just stuck with foods I knew were safe for me. I tried questionable things at home and added them to my diet when I went out when I knew it was ok for me to eat.

[Threetimesacharm 1,400]

I am 6.5 months out and have not had any dumping at all. I am travelling next week and I also am nervous about what I will find to eat. I eat low carb, I don't add fat to my food and really have maybe eaten out twice since my surgery. I am trying to pre-plan restaurants that I can go too and am bringing along some Protein bars/snacks and plan on going to a grocery store to by little things like yogurt/cottage cheese/tuna/hard boiled eggs/peanut butter for breakfasts and lunch.< /p>

[Thecloude1 342]

Good luck Threetimesacharm! I'm hoping it will be easier to find something at most restaurants once I can eat raw veggies. I laugh at my Nutritionist...she says see if they will let you order off the kids menu. Have you looked at the foods on the kids menu? Not exactly bariatric friendly! [emoji12]

[Djmohr 6,965]

@@Thecloude1

Don't let this fear rule you. You will learn quickly if you are going to dump and what causes it. Most people never experience dumping, it is a small percentage of people who do.

When you go on your trip, bring along some things you might need. I always travel with ready made Protein shakes, good quality Protein Bars, cheese sticks, jerkey, nuts or seeds in prepackaged portions.

When eating out early on I stuck to things like cottage cheese, fish, chicken and stay away from sugary or fatty foods that might cause dumping. Yogurt.

Keep one thing in mind, when you order yogurt in a restaurant it is usually full fat, full sugar. I have had yogurt make me uncomfortable for a while. Occasionally the higher end brunch places with have lovely plain yogurt with berries.

the only time I ever get sick is if I eat too much of something that could cause a person to dump. So what I mean by that is if I were to have a treat like ice cream, I know that if I eat more than 3 or 4 spoonfuls I am going to be very uncomfortable for a while. I won't get sick but I get a very heavy feeling. I also get this from things like rice, bread, Pasta.....so I simply stay away.

I can however have a piece of toasted bread without getting that same feeling.

Now keep in mind I am 18 months out and at goal so I am allowed to eat some of these things in moderation. In the first 12 months I stayed completely away.

I hope this helps. Have a great time on your trip.

[Thecloude1 342]

Djmohr , Thank you for the advice. I'm glad to know that not everyone dumps. I was under the impression that you will dumb if you eat these certain foods. I plan on staying away from those foods for awhile [emoji3] Don't want to lose my "window" of losing!

[Pedro Valle-Inclan 275]

TheCloud1, yeah I thought the same thing! Silly us!

I'm a month and 10 days post-op and I'm not even sure if what I experienced was dumping, but only once I think I ate too fast (I've never eaten the wrong stuff) or maybe even a little too much, but I think mainly too quickly, and anyway, I felt like a stomach ache and that I had to evacuate bowels, so I ended just sitting there feeling pretty horrible and even light-headed... it lasted maybe 15 minutes, don't want to experience it again.

[dnpatrick9 18]

The great news is with certain websites and apps you can find out what meals consist of and their daily values which can help you decide if a meal out will fit the perimeters. Or if you worry and it is a restaurant that does on the go, you could order and try at home that way if dumping does occur you would at least be at home to deal with it. My wife is worried as well but always tries to try new things at home to help lessen the fear.

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[sunshine1531 30]

@@dnpatrick9 great tips! Do you know what those apps are that you had mentioned??

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[Learningtolive 109]

If I know where I'm going to eat I google the nutritional menu to find what I can have. If not, I pick something at the restaurant I know I can tolerate (such as grilled chicken). My husband loves when I go out to eat cause he's guaranteed leftovers of food virtually untouched. I can't eat leftovers, for some reason they irritate my pouch.

[LisaMergs 2,854]

I My husband loves when I go out to eat cause he's guaranteed leftovers of food virtually untouched. I can't eat leftovers, for some reason they irritate my pouch.

Sounds like my oldest son! He will just glance over at me and my plate and I find myself shoveling my food into his plate. Been that way since he was 7 or 8 and I didn't have a weight issue. Now- at 18 he is 6'4" and a whopping 160 pounds. Where he puts this food I haven't a clue!!!

[miiasan 370]

All good suggestions from others. I am 5 months out and have only dumped a couple of times - The first was eating cottage cheese a couple weeks out from surgery. I ate at a hospital cafeteria and I suppose it was 4%. I have since found out that I don't tolerate fats too well, so that is really something I watch out for. The second time I dumped was probably sugar related. My sugar fell really low and I grabbed a banana - was sick and throwing up for several hours. Haven't had a banana since lol

I always have Protein bars with me when I travel and cut up cheese. When I go out to eat, I first go online and check out the menu to see if they have anything I can eat. Sometimes the appetizer menu has a few things, but if I order from the regular menu I ask to substitute stuff out like veggies instead of potatoes, etc. Most restaurants will work with you. I always take a LOT home; sometimes enough for a lunch for my hubby.

I am careful not to order things that might be fatty because one or two bites can make me feel pretty uncomfortable for a couple of hours. I am also careful to eat slowly enough that I know when I am about full - then I stop. I have found that there is almost an art to playing with my food so others don't feel uncomfortable with me not eating much. I have also learned to let them bring the darn water; I just don't drink any of it. Hope this helps...

[TLW 163]

I am almost a year out and still have this fear, especially when having to eat out.

The first rule of thumb is to always know where a bathroom is. I have actually learned this as a result of my colitis not my Roux en Y.

The second things is to always choose what is the least dangerous food (Proteins and veggies), not what you are craving. Remember we have to change our relationship with food and understand we eat for survival not for indulgence.

Third, if you are going to "dump" know it will take pace within 30 minutes of eating. I always make sure that there is a restroom around during that time period, even if it means I have to walk around a department store.

Finally, I ALWAYS try to keep a spare pair of undergarments in my purse or car. Thank god I have not had to use them, but they are there if needed. I keep them in a baggie in a inside compartment.