I just returned home from an awesome week visiting Sandi. I realized that it has become second nature for me to know how to travel, specifically how to fly cross-country with my lap band. Since I am a frequent traveler, planning for a trip has become pretty much automatic for me. But I realized that it’s anything but automatic for many people so I wanted to share my tips. It seems that since the airlines stopped offering “free” food, airports feel a lot like endless food courts. There really usually are a lot of good choices if you look hard, but I’ve learned that the best thing for me is to bring along the foods I want for the flight.
my stash: banana, lowfat cheese, ziplocs with grapes, walnuts, tomatoes, turkey breast and protein powder
When I happen to be staying at a hotel, I have been known to stop at a supermarket en route to the airport – between the deli and produce section I can always put together a meal that I can enjoy. I also ALWAYS travel with an ample supply of protein powder. This week I was staying at Sandi’s, so it was easy, and in less than 5 minutes I packed up my stash of Ziploc bags with: protein powder, grapes, turkey breast, grape tomatoes, and walnuts. I also brought a banana.
As we arrived at LAX, I noticed one of the billboards for lap band surgery. Those billboards conjure up a lot of emotions for me and there are so many of them in Southern California.
Lap Band Billboards in LA
I was expecting a hassle at security with the new body scans and pat down procedure, but I saw none of that. I breezed through security and arrived at my gate with over 1 ½ hours to spare. The food options at the terminal were pretty awful for me anyway, so I was glad I brought my own supply. I bought a large bottle of water that I used to mix my protein drink in while waiting for the flight. I was glad to be flying Virgin America; they have a great direct route from LAX to Boston. They offer unlimited water, which is great and I always try to get an aisle seat because I drink so much water LOL! I also know their in-flight menu and they have a fresh veggie plate that I really enjoy, so I also planned to order that. I knew to order it fairly early in the flight because it was a full flight and they often run out. I also had plenty of plan b foods just in case, so that I would not find myself HUNGRY and ordering chips or the extra large cookie and finding excuses like I was hungry, and there was nothing else available and well I bet you know the rest.
The flight was packed, lots of families traveling for the holidays. I don’t remember the last time I saw so many newborn infants on a flight. I was seated next to a bright, energetic high school senior. What a nice girl. My first thought when I met her was she was one of those girls who I had longed to be in high school – naturally lean and athletic looking. So I was surprised that when I took my protein powder out and started to mix it, she asked me what it was. She said it smelled good, like chocolate milk, and asked me if I liked it. She said she spends a lot of time in her car and eats on the go and thought she’d buy some to try. She wanted to know if it was satisfying. I said yes, and that I usually follow it with some veggies or fruit. And for some reason, for a change, I didn’t find a need to explain that I had lap band surgery and this was part of how I work my tool. I was just a woman who travels a lot with tips on how to eat healthy when traveling. I thought that was pretty cool!
It was an easy and relaxing flight. I watched TV, listened to music, had interesting conversation. I enjoyed my meal and drank lots of water. I was really excited about the trip. I love being able to spend time with Sandi and I am so energized to be fulfilling my passion of paying it forward, and having the opportunity to do it with my lap band mentor. We accomplished so much. Our book “Is Lap Band Surgery for Me?” is officially at the printer and should be shipping by mid December. We also put together our first teleseminar series – The Lessons of Successful Lap Band Patients. And personally, I proved to myself one more time that it’s easy to travel and use my lap band tool as long as I do a little bit of planning!
If you don’t fly that often and are planning to fly, here are my tips to work your lap band tool during the trip:
protein powder mixes easily in my water bottle
- Bring protein powder in Ziploc bags (I double bag my protein powder because it can get pretty messy if the bag breaks)
- Bring lunch meat of leftovers of lean protein such as turkey breast, roast beef, chicken strips, cooked shrimp – whatever you like, again in Ziplocs
- Fill a few more Ziploc bags with easy to eat fruits such as grapes, berries, baby carrots, radishes, grape tomatoes, edamame
- A handful of nuts make a great treat and are very satisfying, yes more ziplocs
- Bring along some paper plates, napkins, and plastic utensils. The airlines don’t always supply them
- Splurge on a big bottle of water in the terminal, after you get through security or bring and empty refillable bottle and fill it when you get through security
- Check out the on-board menu before you fly. It’s also a good idea to find out if the airline takes cash or credit cards only on board
- Decide how you want to celebrate when you get to your destination since you’ll be able to pat yourself on the back for having a plan and making good choices during the flight!
Safe travels! Let me know if you have any other tips to share by leaving a comment of posting on our forums.
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