Cruising after VSG

We were booked on a cruise quite some time before I finally got a surgery date. My question is, has anyone cruised 8 weeks out? I know people rave about the food, but that is not what the cruise is about for me. It is about celebrating my husbands and my 40th birthdays, doing something neither of us have done before and seeing sights we have never seen before. I plan to pack my protein. But surely I can find sugar free items on board? Any tips or advice would be great. TY!

You should be able to get everything you need on board - other than shake mix.  There are always plenty of protein options.  Of course they have diabetic options as well.   Eggs at breakfast, and plenty of chicken or other poultry or ham for lunch, and at dinner, they almost always have some kind of seafood on the menu.  The only thing I would take would be the protein shakes.

I have lots of cruise experience but not post sleeve.  The first post is accurate, but you're going to have to make LOTS of correct choices so be ready for that.

My first piece of advice is plan for an active day, get out and see as much sights as you can either by self exploration of the ports or one of the paid excursions.  Do not stay ship bound if you can avoid it.  The majority of the temptations will be on the ship.

Second, eat breakfast in the main restaurant and not at the buffet.  At the restaurant you can be more selective on the food choices and go slower.  Either way there will be lots of stuff you should stay away from so choose wisely.

Third, do not confuse eating healthy with eating for a VSG at 8 weeks out.  There are lots of healthy choices which aren't necessarily correct for you at the early phase.  For example, fruit can be a healthy choice, but it's loaded with carbs and doesn't contain enough protein to meet your daily goals.  You must have a plan for getting the protein each day.

Four, avoid grazing and avoid all the tasty options available throughout the day.  Ice cream, cookies, pizza, pasta, etc.  It wil all be readily available for most of the day.  You're going to have to find a simple path that focuses on lean protein first.  This may be harder than you think.  Variation in the lunch and diner menu from day to day may make t hard to pick a path and just stick to it.

Five, bread will be every where, don't even think of touching it.  Not even a single bite.  Your sleeve is way too new and still healing to even attempt bread.

Six, plan to spend generously on bottled water.  Drink constantly, all the time, from when you awake until you sleep.  Excepting of course the half hour before and after meals.

Seven, eat only fish at lunch and dinner.  Also, eat only 3 ounces.  Again tougher than you think because they will bring too much and most meals are setup as multi-course meals, most of which you'll have to ignore.  They will also prepare it is a savory fashion. Savory means calories you don't want. This leads to eight.....

Eight, on day one, at your first table meal, tell the waiter exactly what you want for dinner each night and how you'd like it cooked.  They will accommodate you.  They will bend over backwards, and then some, to make sure you get exactly what you request.  You don't even need to care of it's on the menu or not.  My advice is to request salmon cooked plain.  Whatever happens, it may be rough the first night because they're getting used to you.  But each night they'll get better.  Do not hesitate here.  They are expecting to do this for you as part of their service (just be polite).  At the end of the week make sure you tip well and rate them five stars (both are how they make a living).

I'm sure I'm forgetting a zillion things, but as I began with, be prepared to makes lots of correct choices in the face of extreme temptation.  However, remember you have a ace in the hole aka the sleeve.  If you manage your day well, you can avoid temptations as a result of actual hunger.  The head hunger is your battle to fight.

PS: Sorry, but forget the alcohol.  It's a total waste of your time.  Consider it a sacrifice in the battle to return you to the you that you should be.

Thank you so much! I am now looking forward to my first cruise. I know I will battle temptation, but I got this!

Not sure about your cruise line, but we always pack our own water.  We just tape it up and place a luggage tag on it.  We have never had an issue with it.

I just hate paying the price on the ship, but if you have to, it is worth the price for the benefits of the water.

As stated in the above post, do not be afraid to ask for anything.  They always have bent over backwards to accomodate any of our request.

Have a great time.

I have cruised pre and post banded.  This will be my first post sleeve but it will be easier than with the band.  I did just the op as the above poster.  I preferred the buffet and picked several things I thought would be OK and would find one or two that would work.  In the MDR, if I ordered something that didn't go down, I had just wasted a lot of time and would have to go try to find something on the buffet.

At dinner, I would always order a couple soups and entras.  I know they did care for my big orders and waste but, it was faster and easier on them than to order, find out the food didn't work and reorder.

I would take some pre-measured protein shake mix too.  I had big jars of Nectar so pre-measuredsome in snack sized baggies and my shaker bottle.  I could grab a milk, mix and go on early port days.  Take the stairs instead of the elevators and keep walking.

Have a great time.  I am heading off for 19 days of cruising the first of December.