Bariatric Surgery and Eating in the Wrold!

[scschulla]

Hello all!!

I have done some searching and have not easily come across a thread for those of use who have had weight loss surgery! Since this is a complete life style change, it can be scary going on vacation without a plan on how to eat! I was hoping to create an easy place for those of us who have under gone this surgery to find ideas of where to eat and ask questions!

Personally, I under went RNY surgery on 10/22/18. I hit my 60 pound forever gone mark today!!!!!! This will be my first trip to the World after surgery! I have been doing loads of research looking into options so I don't feel overwhelmed when it comes time to eat will having a magical time! I wanted to know what places I can easily grab a snack, lunch options, or even a treat that works for me!

I know all of us can handle different food items and each have our own struggles. This can be an easy place to look into different options for us and ask alllll the questions we need to!

This is such a big community, I figured there has to be a good amount of us going through the same thing while on vacation!

I hope everyone is having a great journey into this new life we choose for ourselves!

(I will post what restaurants I have on my list and what food items I can do for myself as well)

 

[a1tinkfans]

CONGRATULATIONS to you! What a wonderful way to celebrate ... and enjoy ur new “healthy” visit!

 

[scschulla]

I want to point out, for this trip, we are not doing any sit down meals! I am planning for all quick service, which makes this even harder! However WDW has really stepped up their game to make healthier options. So those of you who are doing sit down, please add in your options!!

* I will be eating breakfast at our condo before we head to the park as well. So I also have not looked into that! Please share your finds!

** Also you might notice I personally do not list any salads. My stomach does NOT tolerate lettuce after surgery, so that adds some more planning on my part

*** Also, I will list kids menu! Since quick service places allow adults to eat off the kids menu ( I have for years and have never had any issue, even when asking)

Magic Kingdom!

Casey’s Corner

- Any hot dog (without bun) but with cheese sauce! And apple slices

Columbia Harbor House

- Chicken Pot Pie (with only a few bites of the crust)

- Grilled Salmon

- New England Clam Chowder

- Vegetarian Chili

Cosmic Rays

- Pulled Pork Sandwich (without bun) I simply love pulled pork!

- Any of the burgers

- Grilled Chicken Club

Liberty Square Market

- Hot dog

- Turkey Leg

- Any of the fruit / veggies

- Mini Babybel Snack Cheese

- Pickles

- Yogurt

The Launching Pad

- Hot dog

- BBQ Pulled Pork

Peco Bills (TOPPINGS BAR!!!!!!!!!!!)

- Fajita Platter

- Beef/ Chicken Nachos ( I am allowed some chips in my diet plan)

- Burger

- Jerk Chicken Lettuce Wraps

- Tacos

- KIDS MENU – hamburger, beef nachos

Pinocchio Village Hause

- Any of the flatbreads includes KIDS MENU ( I am allowed thin crust pizza on my diet plan as well)

- Tomato Basil Soup

Tortuga Tavern

- Short Ribs

- Hot Dog

- Turkey Leg

TREATS!! Now I know in WDW, we are all going to have a treat or two. I sat down with my dietician and asked some questions about this. For me, we came up with a few options! Any chocolate covered fruit (if dark chocolate is available, that would be better), a simple rice crispy treat without all the extra toppings, (dark) chocolate covered pretzel rods. With those options I feel like I can have a treat without making myself sick!

 

[scschulla]

I want to point out, for this trip, we are not doing any sit down meals! I am planning for all quick service, which makes this even harder! However WDW has really stepped up their game to make healthier options. So those of you who are doing sit down, please add in your options!!

* I will be eating breakfast at our condo before we head to the park as well. So I also have not looked into that! Please share your finds!

** Also you might notice I personally do not list any salads. My stomach does NOT tolerate lettuce after surgery, so that adds some more planning on my part

*** Also, I will list kids menu! Since quick service places allow adults to eat off the kids menu ( I have for years and have never had any issue, even when asking)

Animal Kingdom

Dino Diner

- Any Hot Dog

Flame Tree BBQ

- Ribs

- Chicken

- Pulled Pork

- KIDS MENU – baked chicken drumstick, hot dog

Harambe Fruit Market

- Any of the tfruit

- Mini Babybel Cheese

- Yogurt

- Trail Mix

- Pickle

Harambe Market

- Chicken Gyro

- Rib or Chicken Bowl

- Roasted Veggie Bowl

- KIDS MENU – BBQ Ribs

Restaurantosaurus

- Any Burger

- Grilled Chicken BLT Sandwich

Satu’li Canten

- Any combination of bowl that works for you

The Smiling Crocodile

- Turkey BLT

- Pimento- Cheese BLT

Yak & Yeti Local Food Café

- Teriyaki Beef Bowl

- American Kobe Cheeseburger

- Asian Chicken Wrap

- Veggie Tikka Masala

- Rib Tips

- Hot Dog


TREATS!! Now I know in WDW, we are all going to have a treat or two. I sat down with my dietician and asked some questions about this. For me, we came up with a few options! Any chocolate covered fruit (if dark chocolate is available, that would be better), a simple rice crispy treat without all the extra toppings, (dark) chocolate covered pretzel rods. With those options I feel like I can have a treat without making myself sick!

 

[JennyDrake]

Let me begin by saying that I know this isn't exactly what you are asking but.....

I have numerous trips with my BFF who lost 120#+ on a physician directed diet of eating 5x/day with maximum calories of 300 per gnosh. She has done great at WDW. We often split adult CS meals (I munch on the carbs). If you are there during a special event when there are the food kiosks at Epcot, then its even easier! Like you, we didn't do any TS.

We have consistently used Columbia Harbor House, food court at our value resort, Yakatori House in Epcot (or whatever it is called), Sunshine Seasons (Ahi Tuna Salad), Tangerine Cafe, Flame Tree BBQ. Hollywood Studios continues to have "meh" at best offerings....

 

[fredsgal]

Congrats on your weight loss. I have had RNY in 2008 and have lost and maintained a 170 lbs loss!! (size 26 to size 6-8). I have written numerous times about my experiences with eating at WDW post RNY. I also have become a pescaterian post surgery (don't know why... fish just seemed to "go down better") Some points:
Avoid the buffets. Poor value for our limited food capacity...
Childrens meals are available to you for the asking. I also ask to speak with the chef and discuss my need for high protein and low carb. All of the chefs at TS restaurants have been helpful with suggestions.
Surprised that you mentioned fruit and sandwiches; I still avoid both breads and fruit .
I will occasionally treat myself to a sugar free dessert.... but only occasionally.
Chips?? Wow... again I am careful to avoid these ; not low carb and they tend to fill you up when protein would be a better choice.
Be careful about sauces... some of them are laced with sugars. Having "dumped" once just from using teriyaki sauce, I would try to never let that happen again.
Appetizers instead of main dishes are are usually wonderful!! I look for hummus and veggies : great vegetarian high protein meal.
I can usually find food at any TS menu (less successful at QS places)
Obviously the advice of your dietician is paramount; hope that these few suggestions are helpful.

 

[scschulla]

I want to point out, for this trip, we are not doing any sit down meals! I am planning for all quick service, which makes this even harder! However WDW has really stepped up their game to make healthier options. So those of you who are doing sit down, please add in your options!!

* I will be eating breakfast at our condo before we head to the park as well. So I also have not looked into that! Please share your finds!

** Also you might notice I personally do not list any salads. My stomach does NOT tolerate lettuce after surgery, so that adds some more planning on my part

*** Also, I will list kids menu! Since quick service places allow adults to eat off the kids menu ( I have for years and have never had any issue, even when asking)

Hollywood Studios

ABC Commissary

- No sugar added Strawberry Parfait

- BBQ Rib Platter

- Any Burger

- Shrimp, Fish, Chicken Platter (great option to share)

- Chicken Club

Backlot Express

- Any Burger

- California Chicken Club

- Cuban Sandwich

BaseLine Tap House

- California Cheese and Charcuterie Plate

- Spiced Almonds

Dockside Diner

- Any Hotdog

- BBQ Pulled Pork

Fairfax Fare

- Fajita Combo Platter

- Mojo Pulled Pork

- Any Rice Bowl

- Hot Dog

Rosie’s

- Any Burger

Woody’s Lunch Box

- BBQ Brisket Melt

- Smoked Turkey Sandwich

- Tomato Basil Soup

- Veggie Macaroni Salad

- Mini Babybel Cheese

TREATS!! Now I know in WDW, we are all going to have a treat or two. I sat down with my dietician and asked some questions about this. For me, we came up with a few options! Any chocolate covered fruit (if dark chocolate is available, that would be better), a simple rice crispy treat without all the extra toppings, (dark) chocolate covered pretzel rods. With those options I feel like I can have a treat without making myself sick!

 

[scschulla]

Congrats on your weight loss. I have had RNY in 2008 and have lost and maintained a 170 lbs loss!! (size 26 to size 6-8). I have written numerous times about my experiences with eating at WDW post RNY. I also have become a pescaterian post surgery (don't know why... fish just seemed to "go down better") Some points:
Avoid the buffets. Poor value for our limited food capacity...
Childrens meals are available to you for the asking. I also ask to speak with the chef and discuss my need for high protein and low carb. All of the chefs at TS restaurants have been helpful with suggestions.
Surprised that you mentioned fruit and sandwiches; I still avoid both breads and fruit .
I will occasionally treat myself to a sugar free dessert.... but only occasionally.
Chips?? Wow... again I am careful to avoid these ; not low carb and they tend to fill you up when protein would be a better choice.
Be careful about sauces... some of them are laced with sugars. Having "dumped" once just from using teriyaki sauce, I would try to never let that happen again.
Appetizers instead of main dishes are are usually wonderful!! I look for hummus and veggies : great vegetarian high protein meal.
I can usually find food at any TS menu (less successful at QS places)
Obviously the advice of your dietician is paramount; hope that these few suggestions are helpful.

Isn't it interesting how every surgeon has a different diet to follow! I am to have a starch and veggie or fruit with every meal! So far that has been working great for me! Of course high protein! I actually do not have carb restriction with my plan! Just have to not over do it and make sure they are "good" carbs! Thats why I figured a threat would be so helpful for all of us! this way we can call find something that mixes well with our individual plans!

 

[Lisa F]

I had sleeve surgery in July 2017 and went to WDW in February of 2018, so about 7 months out. I have a dining report below about how I did but it was mostly TS and I lost steam on my cruise.

Honestly I found it pretty easy and just ate whatever I wanted. I have found that I crave protein/veggies a lot more than other stuff so most of the time "what I wanted" was stuff I would typically eat, but I also ate whatever treats I wanted... and when I say I ate whatever treats I wanted, it was usually a few bites of something. I pretty much just threw financial decisions to the wind and decided that for one week I'd order what I want and eat what I want but never ever just eat it because it was there. I will say the first bite of anything is always the best bite and I traveled with my son so I was able to have just a couple of bites of some of his stuff without wasting a whole treat. But Disney portions are so big even when we shared we threw a lot of food out.

I did do a lot of TS and even did buffets... for buffets I just basically felt like I used to eat until I was satisfied before at that price and I still will... Disney buffets are not really a good value for ANYONE so just less so for me. I don't know anyone who can eat $40 worth of breakfast food but I'll spend it to have the character experience with my kiddo.

That doesn't apply to you though. What I found most surprising is how hungry I was all day due to the increased activity. I ate 6-7 times a day (by then I was only eating about 3-4 times a day at home) because we were walking all day long, and I lost 3 lbs while I was on vacation (including being on a cruise), ate whatever I wanted and had a few adult beverages along the way.

A lot of people can't tolerate lettuce after surgery, I think that is pretty common.

Surprised that you mentioned fruit and sandwiches; I still avoid both breads and fruit .

I order sandwiches out a TON at home because I find the price to be lower than a regular entree and the portion of filling to be just right for me. I skip the fries, chips and bread (I will have cole slaw if it comes with it but I have learned it never makes sense to upgrade to the side salad because I will leave most of it - the lettuce and tomato that comes on most sandwiches is enough) but just eat the fillings. For example at flame tree, the "meat platters" are $15.49 and up but you can get a sandwich and pitch the bread for $10.99. So sandwiches are often a great value for me. If I order a sandwich at a TS I have them leave it off (I do that a lot at home and order off the $7-10 sandwich menu) but at CS it might be too messy so I just pitch the bread. I will note that d-luxe burger at Disney Springs has the option on mobile ordering of "no bun" for their burgers and we are going to eat there on our next trip so I will definitely be doing that.

I eat fruit and yogurt as well as I feel a lot better not eating TOO low carb. I eat at most 1 serving of fruit a day and I make my own yogurt at home - I don't eat the kind with additives, but if you can get plain yogurt at WDW you can add your own stuff to it. The sweetened yogurt has way too much added sugar for but I am not opposed to a handful of berries or half a banana in my yogurt.

I do not eat super low carb, just lowish carb (I eat fruits and veggies but no bread/pasta/rice/beans/grains except for corn on occasion), but agree some of that stuff on that list is not a great choice. New England Clam chowder has both potatoes and flour in it for thickener... I live in the land of chowder and it's a very occasional treat at a place that does not thicken their chowder and I can pick out the potatoes. I also try to go easy on the BBQ and Teriyaki type stuff, tons of added sugar to it. Sometimes I make a choice to have it (my son is begging me to go to Ohana so I will have some sweet sauces there) but it's not a "go-to" for protein for me. I do treat myself but I try to make sure I am not wasting carbs on hidden stuff. My nutritionist has been encouraging me to eat even more carbs than I do for variety including things like sweet potatoes, quinoa etc but I really don't miss them in my diet and would rather eat cauliflower rice than quinoa any day of the week.

I have lost another 30 lbs since my last trip so looking forward to my next one in less than 2 weeks. Best part is not hating the pictures.

 

[scschulla]

I had sleeve surgery in July 2017 and went to WDW in February of 2018, so about 7 months out. I have a dining report below about how I did but it was mostly TS and I lost steam on my cruise.

Honestly I found it pretty easy and just ate whatever I wanted. I have found that I crave protein/veggies a lot more than other stuff so most of the time "what I wanted" was stuff I would typically eat, but I also ate whatever treats I wanted... and when I say I ate whatever treats I wanted, it was usually a few bites of something. I pretty much just threw financial decisions to the wind and decided that for one week I'd order what I want and eat what I want but never ever just eat it because it was there. I will say the first bite of anything is always the best bite and I traveled with my son so I was able to have just a couple of bites of some of his stuff without wasting a whole treat. But Disney portions are so big even when we shared we threw a lot of food out.

I did do a lot of TS and even did buffets... for buffets I just basically felt like I used to eat until I was satisfied before at that price and I still will... Disney buffets are not really a good value for ANYONE so just less so for me. I don't know anyone who can eat $40 worth of breakfast food but I'll spend it to have the character experience with my kiddo.

That doesn't apply to you though. What I found most surprising is how hungry I was all day due to the increased activity. I ate 6-7 times a day (by then I was only eating about 3-4 times a day at home) because we were walking all day long, and I lost 3 lbs while I was on vacation (including being on a cruise), ate whatever I wanted and had a few adult beverages along the way.

A lot of people can't tolerate lettuce after surgery, I think that is pretty common.



I order sandwiches out a TON at home because I find the price to be lower than a regular entree and the portion of filling to be just right for me. I skip the fries, chips and bread (I will have cole slaw if it comes with it but I have learned it never makes sense to upgrade to the side salad because I will leave most of it - the lettuce and tomato that comes on most sandwiches is enough) but just eat the fillings. For example at flame tree, the "meat platters" are $15.49 and up but you can get a sandwich and pitch the bread for $10.99. So sandwiches are often a great value for me. If I order a sandwich at a TS I have them leave it off (I do that a lot at home and order off the $7-10 sandwich menu) but at CS it might be too messy so I just pitch the bread. I will note that d-luxe burger at Disney Springs has the option on mobile ordering of "no bun" for their burgers and we are going to eat there on our next trip so I will definitely be doing that.

I eat fruit and yogurt as well as I feel a lot better not eating TOO low carb. I eat at most 1 serving of fruit a day and I make my own yogurt at home - I don't eat the kind with additives, but if you can get plain yogurt at WDW you can add your own stuff to it. The sweetened yogurt has way too much added sugar for but I am not opposed to a handful of berries or half a banana in my yogurt.

I do not eat super low carb, just lowish carb (I eat fruits and veggies but no bread/pasta/rice/beans/grains except for corn on occasion), but agree some of that stuff on that list is not a great choice. New England Clam chowder has both potatoes and flour in it for thickener... I live in the land of chowder and it's a very occasional treat at a place that does not thicken their chowder and I can pick out the potatoes. I also try to go easy on the BBQ and Teriyaki type stuff, tons of added sugar to it. Sometimes I make a choice to have it (my son is begging me to go to Ohana so I will have some sweet sauces there) but it's not a "go-to" for protein for me. I do treat myself but I try to make sure I am not wasting carbs on hidden stuff. My nutritionist has been encouraging me to eat even more carbs than I do for variety including things like sweet potatoes, quinoa etc but I really don't miss them in my diet and would rather eat cauliflower rice than quinoa any day of the week.

I have lost another 30 lbs since my last trip so looking forward to my next one in less than 2 weeks. Best part is not hating the pictures.

This is the first trip we are traveling with 6 of us, so we rented a condo off property. I made sure I had a kitchen so i can do breakfast and meals there if possible! We are only spending 3 days in WDW this trip. At this point I only eat 2 meals and 2 snacks a day. Thats all I can handle. I was kind of planning on being extra hungry since that is how a normal trip went before surgery ha! I am planning on sharing a lot of meals with my hubby, parents, or sister so that helps with meal cost. However, I am not super concerned with meal costs and having to waste food. They give you enough food to feed 3 people ha! so I normally waste at Disney anyway. However, on my diet plan, I can have potatoes daily. Which I normally do. I also do not even like chowder ha! It is actually on the list i made because family members like it, but I could actually have some if I did like it! Thats what is so crazy, there is no right or wrong on this journey. Its just what works for you! I also do not usually have the sauce type of stuff but I wanted it on my personal list in case I wanted something different one day. I normally stick to veggies and a plain protein. I do not crave sugar stuff what so ever, even fruit I have to really, really want something different.

We leave in 16 days! I am beyond excited to bring my new body on vacation and hopefully not get so exhausted as easy! Congrats on your journey as well!!!!!! its so amazing! I also agree, I am so excited to be able to take pictures and not have to delete them because I look like a whale!