Purée Foods On the Go

[NYCNomad 64]

I’m 2 week’s post op and headed to Vegas next week for a work conference. One of my biggest fears is being stuck out somewhere with no food options.

My doc sent us home from the hospital straight to purée but I really didn’t start eating anything beyond shakes and pudding until this Thursday. For the most part it’s gone well, although salmon and quinoa yesterday were a little too much. I feel fine physically and am comfortable traveling.

Any suggestions for easy go-to’s when traveling, attending conferences, work dinners? Also how do you avoid people noticing how little you eat?

Here are a couple products I bought off Amazon that I hope will help.

Sleeved 3/12/18, HW 270, SW 253, CW 242, GW 160, 5’9”

[frust8 963]

Congratulations on your Weight slowly and steadily diminishing. I'm curious to see everyone's suggestions for your trip. Have a ball in Vegas, what stays there and what you share with us, that's your choice.[emoji14][emoji626][emoji14]

Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

[aNYCdb 310]

I haven't had to travel much since surgery, but I like ready made tuna/chicken salad packages that don't need to be refrigerated (that said that sweet potato apple thing you posted looks good). As for how to get away without eating, I would order something small and then say that you are doing Paleo (or some other type of diet) and that you already ate your specialized meal. That little lie will kill two birds as it will explain why you aren't eating so much and also explain the weight loss.

[FluffyChix 17,415]

56 minutes ago, NYCNomad said:

I’m 2 week’s post op and headed to Vegas next week for a work conference. One of my biggest fears is being stuck out somewhere with no food options.

My doc sent us home from the hospital straight to purée but I really didn’t start eating anything beyond shakes and pudding until this Thursday. For the most part it’s gone well, although salmon and quinoa yesterday were a little too much. I feel fine physically and am comfortable traveling.

Any suggestions for easy go-to’s when traveling, attending conferences, work dinners? Also how do you avoid people noticing how little you eat?

Here are a couple products I bought off Amazon that I hope will help.

Sleeved 3/12/18, HW 270, SW 253, CW 242, GW 160, 5’9”

So I am confused. Your title says on-the-go purees. And only the second one is a puree. But in the body of your post you discuss progressing to real foods. Quinoa is not part of that progression to soft solids.

No way would I at 2weeks post-op put any kind of nut or seed in my pouch and that means (no nuts, no chia, no quinoa, no strawberries or fruit/berries with peels, no hemp hearts, nada, zilch).

Your hotel in vegas will at least have a Breakfast bar (continental) where you can get boiled eggs, yogurts, etc. You can brink applesauce (unsweetened in the tube), and other veg if you must...but at dinners, just cut your food by each bite and make that bite really small. Engage in conversations. Move the stuff around on your plate. And eat your fill of the following fork soft foods:

fish

chicken

MAYBE shrimp (I did fine on shrimp but YMMV)

crab

eggs

eggs

yogurt

cottage cheese

soft veggies (which most banquet food is soft veg anyway)

soft skinless fruit (think fruit salad canned consistency)

And that's it. You will likely only be eating 1 to 1 1/2oz Protein + 1oz veg at the most if you are anything like my progression (and I have had a super easy progression)

Hope that helps.

But you want nothing that could possibly hang up in the seams of your new anatomy. And seeds and nuts, nut butters, tomatoes with seeds will absolutely do that!

[jess9395 5,449]

@fluffychix hit it.

Chia seeds still give me issues. Quinoa? That’s definitely not a purée unless you put it in the blender.

For my stages purée literally meant purée too, so no fork soft fish or chicken (isn’t banquet chicken more rubbery anyhow?) but I can see getting away with the soft flakey fish.

Why not just stick to Protein Shakes for on the go? That’s what I did for months, even when on solids. They are super easy and portable.

[FluffyChix 17,415]

3 minutes ago, jess9395 said:

@fluffychix hit it.

Chia seeds still give me issues. Quinoa? That’s definitely not a purée unless you put it in the blender.

For my stages purée literally meant purée too, so no fork soft fish or chicken (isn’t banquet chicken more rubbery anyhow?) but I can see getting away with the soft flakey fish.

Why not just stick to Protein Shakes for on the go? That’s what I did for months, even when on solids. They are super easy and portable.

Doh! But of course!! An elegant, portable, and simple solution!!

Edited March 25, 2018 by FluffyChix

[NYCNomad 64]

@fluffychix hit it.

Chia seeds still give me issues. Quinoa? That’s definitely not a purée unless you put it in the blender.

My doc was more progressive than most and had us eat either tuna or cottage cheese before we even left the hospital. We are on puree to soft foods for 6 wks starting day one. Nut butters (not actual nuts) are approved as well as the mama chia pouches that were recommended by the doc. I’ve had no problems so far. The quinoa was a stretch. I figured they are super tiny so I tried it. Not sure if it was the quinoa or the salmon but I felt super bloated for the next 8 hours.

Everyone’s journey is different and people can tolerate different foods at different times. I’m looking for helpful guidance for food when traveling and not judgement on what I’m eating when and if it is technically purée or not. I listed the the types of food I am eating in hopes I can get recommendations for similar food.

Fluffy - I appreciate the list. That was helpful.


Sleeved 3/12/18, HW 270, SW 253, CW 242, GW 160, 5’9”

[sillykitty 10,775]

4 hours ago, NYCNomad said:

Any suggestions for easy go-to’s when traveling, attending conferences, work dinners? Also how do you avoid people noticing how little you eat?

I travel for work and my first trip was 3 weeks post op. I brought foods with me, but didn't end up using them at all. I brought instant mashed potatoes (w Protein Powder to add), shelf stable hummus & oatmeal in a cup. The only thing I used that I brought were Protein Drinks and bars, to get my Protein in. That week all the meals were family style or buffet. I ate everything except raw and/or fibrous veggies. I focused on Proteins. But at family style dining, you don't know what's coming next, so I ate some less healthy dishes than I would have if I had known what was coming in later courses.

People will notice, no getting around that. Buffets are the easiest. Fill your plate up with a slightly smaller than normal amount, move food around, no looks or comments. Family style is hard because it becomes obvious you keep passing the plate on, and you don't finish the items you take. Plated is hard as well because portions are so large, you can't really make a dent, or push food around effectively. The larger the group, the more conversation and less people notice. One on one or even a dinner with 4 or so, definitely gets noticed.

I've just told people my stomach has been bothering me lately, and I haven't had much of an appetite. That seemed to stop any questions.

[jess9395 5,449]

My doc was more progressive than most and had us eat either tuna or cottage cheese before we even left the hospital. We are on puree to soft foods for 6 wks starting day one. Nut butters (not actual nuts) are approved as well as the mama chia pouches that were recommended by the doc. I’ve had no problems so far. The quinoa was a stretch. I figured they are super tiny so I tried it. Not sure if it was the quinoa or the salmon but I felt super bloated for the next 8 hours.

Everyone’s journey is different and people can tolerate different foods at different times. I’m looking for helpful guidance for food when traveling and not judgement on what I’m eating when and if it is technically purée or not. I listed the the types of food I am eating in hopes I can get recommendations for similar food.

Fluffy - I appreciate the list. That was helpful.

Sleeved 3/12/18, HW 270, SW 253, CW 242, GW 160, 5’9”

Cool then. You just said purée. Yup everyone’s up plan and journeys are different! I was just going by what you said

No judgement implied. Just a clarification of what was a purée.

[sideeye 1,440]

I've been packing the 2oz containers of hummus, applesauce in a squeeze pack, foil packets of tuna, string cheese, laughing cow cheese, and also tiny mason jars of sous vide coddled eggs. I also always have a shake in my bag. And if all else fails me, I go into Hale & Hearty and pretend I want to taste the lentil Soup (around 2 oz sample cup), then just buy a water.My meals on the go are not fancy at all (except for the coddled egg) but I'm kind of enjoying the food-strictly-as-fuel thing.

For the other stressors of work events: I went to a work buffet the other night and when everyone was getting their first plate I just took myself off to the bathroom, then when I returned grabbed a napkin and a vegetable dumpling in a pair of chopsticks. I nibbled at the veg a bit while talking to people, then binned the 2/3rds remaining of the dumpling. They all assumed I'd already finished a plate, no one noticed a damn thing.

I've also been using the Starbucks mobile app to preorder a short steamed milk with one pump of sugar-free vanilla Syrup whenever we go out for coffee. If we go somewhere else, I just order a peppermint tea. And if we go out for drinks, I already have a reputation for drinking gin and tonics, so I just get Water with lime and no one knows.

[MyLife2.0 3]

Thank you so much. I head back to work in a week and have thinking about these kinds of situations, since I travel and entertain clients.