First cruise after weight-loss surgery

Have any on you cruised after having weight loss surgery? I had the gastric sleeve and am looking at going on a cruise during the Fall of 2015.

On my previous cruises, I ate a lot! Now, I eat very little but I still enjoy good food just in much smaller quantities,

Any helpful hints? I plan on trying to stay as low carb/high protein as possible.

I haven't had any weight loss surgery but I would suggest you stick to what you are doing now, eating small portions. Maybe just have soup starters and if you can fit it in have a small bit of the entree.

Also maybe take some salad or fruit back to your room fridge to eat during the day?

I hope you enjoy your cruise, but as another poster mentioned, be careful.

This will be a test of Your illness, and you should plan your day and your meal times accordingly.

Eat fruit instead of snacks, and dont order from the menu when you are hungry as you will eat way too much and become very fat again.

I feel your pain, be strong and I hope it will work out ok for you dear.

Think of yourself and not about food.

Cruising is easy with weight loss surgery. In fact, all you have to do is let your server know that you don't eat large portions and to please bring you small or half portions. Low carb and high protein will be easy to find onboard. You will be tempted as usual with lots of other things that you shouldn't eat. But finding the food you need to eat and in the portions you need with be easy. Don't worry. You will be fine and think how great you will look in your smaller sizes. Good luck, my friend.

let your server know that you don't eat large portions and to please bring you small or half portions. Low carb and high protein will be easy to find onboard. ............................................You will be fine and think how great you will look in your smaller sizes. Good luck, my friend.

Very true words.

But although being a big girl is fine, being a new smaller girl will be a wonderful experience for you.

be strong, and be good, and enjoy the cruise.

Have any on you cruised after having weight loss surgery? I had the gastric sleeve and am looking at going on a cruise during the Fall of 2015.

On my previous cruises, I ate a lot! Now, I eat very little but I still enjoy good food just in much smaller quantities,

Any helpful hints? I plan on trying to stay as low carb/high protein as possible.

Hi Mel,

Since all GPS's are different I won't begin to suggest what you "should" or "shouldn't" eat. You already know. For example for me sugar is not an issue but pasta can be, not always, but sometimes. Alcohol is also not an issue but a soda can wreck havoc! For me cruising is not a problem, as a matter of fact, it is probably the easiest way of eating. There are so many food items available at each meal I can always find something good and tasty. For me it's all about the protein so for breakfast my choices are many: bacon, eggs, cheese, sausage, hash, omelets, cold cuts and my favorite smoked salmon. Lunch can be cold cuts, cheese, meat, fish etc. MDR the same. Multiple items I can choose from. Vegetables and salads have only minimal nutrition value for me so I tend to only sample and leave the rest on the plate. That is not to say I won't order a salad because I do but I don't fill up on it I just eat a few bites and leave the rest. I love that I have so many foods to choose from.

Some things that work well for me is to have multiple little meals. If I eat breakfast at 9AM it would not be unusual to find me having another small meal, say a hamburger without the bun or a couple of strips of bacon from the buffet if it is still open and so on during the rest of the day.

Another thing I do is to take a few pieces of cheese on a plate from the buffet at breakfast and bring it back to the cabin so I can have a protein snack later on.

I do not bring protein shakes with me. Never really used them. I do sometimes bring a few protein bars with me if we are going to be off the ship for an extended period of time on a tour. I do bring all my vitamins. That's it.

Nothing else. The ship food meets all my needs.

Lastly, I have never felt the need nor encountered any situation where I thought it was necessary to explain my food choices or eating habits to anyone, including our servers in the MDR. I eat what I eat and only as much as I choose and than I put my utensils down. If asked why I didn't finish my meal I reply that I am full. Simple as that. No further explanations or conversation need. It's not as if we have a life threatening medical condition or a food allergy which requires that the food be prepared in a specific manner. It's simply a life style change. We just have a new personal way of eating..... or not. It's ten years plus since my surgery and over 25 cruises, including 6 TA's and this has been my experience. I hope your experience will be as great as mine. Enjoy your cruise.

Luvs2beachit said it well. I was very concerned after having my surgery, having had it in March, 2012 and cruised Oct 2012. When food was still on my plate, I would tell the server I was finished, I was asked if something was wrong. I simply said no, I am finished. Make good choices and savor every bite, as you are doing now. Enjoy your cruise.

I cruised about 7 months after my sleeve, and I found for the most part, I was alright and I was not missing out on anything.

Except... in the main dining room. That was the only place that I had any issues. Waiter made issues each night with the fact that I couldn't eat all of my food (I explained to him that it was not the food - the food was delicious, I just can't eat much), one of the cooks ended up coming over and asking why I wasn't eating. I thought that was 100% overkill.

Did a cruise the year after on a different line, and no mention of not eating my food at all.. Last August went on a long cruise and had the same waiters for most of it, they were okay always fussing over me and if I wanted something else, but never made issue about the fact I wasn't eating.. On the last night when we said goodbye & gave them hugs they said to my husband "make sure she eats more" but other than that, no issue whatsoever on a cruise.

I'm probably the wrong person to receive advice from because I don't think my journey has been a typical one.

I was sleeved back in December 2012 with a starting BMI of 38. I reached goal in 6 to 7 months and have maintained my body weight within a five-pound range over the last year and a half. That is the first time since I was 28-years-old that I can claim that. I personally do not concern myself with proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. I just try to eat sensibly.

Wife and I went on a one-week holiday cruise last month and I gained 2 pounds, not from food but from alcohol consumption. That sudden weight gain from all the extra sugar came off in about 3 days after we returned.

Don't worry about carbs and fats. You are on vacation: have a good time. When you return from your cruise, go back on your program and do what you need to do to lose whatever extra weight you gain.