LaoDaCamino
New Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Camino Frances planned 2022
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Best advice anyone can give is what you have said. Speak to someone who knows what they are talking about and have worked with patients who have had Bariatric surgery. I also do not think the person should walk without speaking to her physician also. It never hurts to err on the side of caution. Walking this distance, no matter how much you prepare can be a shock to the system for many first time walkers. I was walking 15+ miles a day before I went on my first camino and was still aching and sore and exhausted for about the first 10 days or so.Hello, LaoDaCamino,
You should have access to a dietician if the hospital where you had your surgery has a bariatric program. If not, your surgeon should be able to refer you to one that they work with. A registered dietician who has specialized in bariatric patients should be able to guide you. Many, many years ago I was a part of a new bariatric program at a hospital I worked at and the dietician was critical to our patients success.
Buen Camino
Hello, LaoDaCamino,
You should have access to a dietician if the hospital where you had your surgery has a bariatric program. If not, your surgeon should be able to refer you to one that they work with. A registered dietician who has specialized in bariatric patients should be able to guide you. Many, many years ago I was a part of a new bariatric program at a hospital I worked at and the dietician was critical to our patients success.
Buen Camino
Sausages and jerky are also high in sodium which can result in water retention. Might I recommend nuts and trail mix also. And include fruit's with portioned amounts of bread.Yes I do eat meat! Sausage or jerky kind of things are probably a good fit. I try and avoid "fake food" like granola bars as much as possible and eat real food. As far as I'm concerned protein bars are basically a snickers bar.
Thanks this was really helpful. I would probably do something really similar.When I'm walking I much prefer to snack rather than eat one or two large meals... so I have a light breakfast and drink... after and hour or two I might stop for a piece of tortilla and another drink. For lunch maybe just a couple of tapas size bites or a small picnic. In the afternoon my hiking staple of a few nuts and dried fruit or a banana... and so on.
Spain is tapas heaven which will be perfect for you. On the Camino Frances there are generally lots of opportunity to pause for a small meal or snack and if you carry a few staples then you will manage without a problem.
Good luck... congratulations on all your achievements so far... and buen camino
Yes one thing I was considering was bringing a collapsing tupperware container and some cutlery so I can take some food away. I'm planning on ordering al a carte when possible because it looks the pilgrim menu is just a lot more food than I can ever handle. Otherwise I need to find some hungry friends who would appreciate my extra food.Just chiming in here to say kudos on all your hard work!! and yes, the Camino Francès is the perfect option for you. There are almost no stretches where you can't pop into a bar or tienda and grab a quick snack, and if you are sending your big bag ahead, you can easily stock up your day pack with everything you need. Half a slice of tortilla or half a bocadillo, with the other half stashed for the next snack time, is going to suit you just fine, alongside trail mix, bananas, and whatever else you're already accustomed to. Like someone else said, tapas is a dream for your needs. The only thing is it can sometimes be oily (fried potatoes, olives swimming in oil, etc., which I have heard can be problematic, gut-wise, so you might have to be choosy about which things you order. But the good thing is that you can usually see what you're going to get, so you can figure out what works best for you pretty quickly.
I also wonder whether it might be a good idea to have a couple of small containers to split up and take away pilgrim menus etc? Given that you are doing bag transport, you can spare the weight and you can nibble away all evening from your pilgrim meal. Again, fried and oily foods can be common, though, so you might find that you are better off ordering from a main menu (with roast meats and soups etc.) rather than the sometimes greasy pilgrim menu. I'll never forget, though, the pilgrim meal I had at Samos - three chicken breasts!!! Haha. Wished I had a container for that one.
I have a friend who is about to get bariatric surgery and she is nervous about all the dietary restrictions and so on - please report back and let us all know about how it goes for you, if you feel inclined. I'd love to be able to point her to your success and let her know that a camino is doable for her, too!
Buen camino!
Hi. When I walked the Camino I took many 1 serving size peanut butter packets. I would go into a store or bakery and buy a baguette and cheese. I would break the baguette into 4-6 pieces and make little sandwiches of either cheese or PB (I brought a plastic knife from home or you can get them along the way). Add an apple, banana, or orange easily found on the Camino and I was set.Hello all!
I'm considering walking my first Camino this year, walking the French way in June. In November 2021 I had weight loss surgery and afterwards lost over 60 kilos. I have about 30 more to lose and still going!
I'm not at all worried about whether I can physically do the Camino as I can go my own pace and I'm in good physical shape. However, my food needs are quite different from the average pilgrim. I can only eat small amounts (an amount about the size of my hand) at one time. Therefore it's impossible to do something like eat a fulfilling breakfast and have it sustain me a few hours. To walk all day I would need to have lots of snacks of small meals. I'm also a little worried about being able to get enough caloric intake to walk multiple hours. I just came back from a snowboarding trip and was having trouble with dizziness in the afternoons and had to take periodic breaks for some food or electrolytes.
I think this will be doable but I'm hoping to find someone who can give me more information. My current plan is to try to always have some calorie dense, healthy snacks with me like nuts, cheese, fruit. I'm also going to use a bag transport service and part of my bag will be full of some nutrient dense food and energy supplements for if I really need it or can't find food at that location (I know albergues serve meals but I would need to eat food all evening to eat more than a couple hundred calories at a meal. I east extremely slowly).
Anyone able to offer any insights? Any sections of the camino I should watch out for that don't have food stores easily available? Appreciate any advice!
Sporks are great... and very cheap and light to carry... perfect for camino picnicsYes one thing I was considering was bringing a collapsing tupperware container and some cutlery so I can take some food away. I'm planning on ordering al a carte when possible because it looks the pilgrim menu is just a lot more food than I can ever handle. Otherwise I need to find some hungry friends who would appreciate my extra food.
Also, at least for me, I don't have any dietary restrictions other than being unable to handle ice cream or heavy cream. For some people this isn't the case but really I can eat whatever I want and feel fine. I just have to avoid junk/carbs because if I fill up on that there is no room for anything else.
I’ve seen some good advice so will most just add to previous advice. It would be best to avoid the hottest months for many reasons. One reason is that some people leave before or just after the sun can med up to try to finish by about 1 pm, Breakfadt is not really served before 7 so I always bought food (pastry was my fav) before supper the day before. I carried 1 plastic container with me and I was glad. At lunch, I usually couldn’t eat my food, so 1/2 went in the plastic container.Hello all!
I'm considering walking my first Camino this year, walking the French way in June. In November 2021 I had weight loss surgery and afterwards lost over 60 kilos. I have about 30 more to lose and still going!
I'm not at all worried about whether I can physically do the Camino as I can go my own pace and I'm in good physical shape. However, my food needs are quite different from the average pilgrim. I can only eat small amounts (an amount about the size of my hand) at one time. Therefore it's impossible to do something like eat a fulfilling breakfast and have it sustain me a few hours. To walk all day I would need to have lots of snacks of small meals. I'm also a little worried about being able to get enough caloric intake to walk multiple hours. I just came back from a snowboarding trip and was having trouble with dizziness in the afternoons and had to take periodic breaks for some food or electrolytes.
I think this will be doable but I'm hoping to find someone who can give me more information. My current plan is to try to always have some calorie dense, healthy snacks with me like nuts, cheese, fruit. I'm also going to use a bag transport service and part of my bag will be full of some nutrient dense food and energy supplements for if I really need it or can't find food at that location (I know albergues serve meals but I would need to eat food all evening to eat more than a couple hundred calories at a meal. I east extremely slowly).
Anyone able to offer any insights? Any sections of the camino I should watch out for that don't have food stores easily available? Appreciate any advice!
Hello lovely one!!! I am also a bariatric, my surgery was in November 2019. I am planning to walk the Camino next August and was just wondering about your experience? I haven’t found anyone in our situation to be able to shed light on this. I have no issue physically, just no idea how we go with food. Much love to you on both journeys xxHello all!
I'm considering walking my first Camino this year, walking the French way in June. In November 2021 I had weight loss surgery and afterwards lost over 60 kilos. I have about 30 more to lose and still going!
I'm not at all worried about whether I can physically do the Camino as I can go my own pace and I'm in good physical shape. However, my food needs are quite different from the average pilgrim. I can only eat small amounts (an amount about the size of my hand) at one time. Therefore it's impossible to do something like eat a fulfilling breakfast and have it sustain me a few hours. To walk all day I would need to have lots of snacks of small meals. I'm also a little worried about being able to get enough caloric intake to walk multiple hours. I just came back from a snowboarding trip and was having trouble with dizziness in the afternoons and had to take periodic breaks for some food or electrolytes.
I think this will be doable but I'm hoping to find someone who can give me more information. My current plan is to try to always have some calorie dense, healthy snacks with me like nuts, cheese, fruit. I'm also going to use a bag transport service and part of my bag will be full of some nutrient dense food and energy supplements for if I really need it or can't find food at that location (I know albergues serve meals but I would need to eat food all evening to eat more than a couple hundred calories at a meal. I east extremely slowly).
Anyone able to offer any insights? Any sections of the camino I should watch out for that don't have food stores easily available? Appreciate any advice!
The "right" protein bars can definitely be good in supporting your bariatric diet - my dietician helped me find some quality protein bars. That said - I couldn't find ANY quality protein bars in Spain! lolYes I do eat meat! Sausage or jerky kind of things are probably a good fit. I try and avoid "fake food" like granola bars as much as possible and eat real food. As far as I'm concerned protein bars are basically a snickers bar.
Really - you shouldn't have to bury your food waste - bring an extra ziplock baggie for any trash and dispose of any waste in the next town. Super easy. Even on the primitivo where towns were much further apart.I would also carry tp and whatever you need to bury your wastes, as you're not likely to find enough baños along the way...definitely walk the Frances, and experiment beforehand with how your body processes high fat/protein snacks.
Buen Camino!
After bariatric surgery the worst thing you can do is eat one or 2 large meals per day. We should be eating tiny meals every 3 hours or so (depending on our nutritionist recommendations).When I'm walking I much prefer to snack rather than eat one or two large meals... so I have a light breakfast and drink... after and hour or two I might stop for a piece of tortilla and another drink. For lunch maybe just a couple of tapas size bites or a small picnic. In the afternoon my hiking staple of a few nuts and dried fruit or a banana... and so on.
Spain is tapas heaven which will be perfect for you. On the Camino Frances there are generally lots of opportunity to pause for a small meal or snack and if you carry a few staples then you will manage without a problem.
Good luck... congratulations on all your achievements so far... and buen camino
This is good advice - but sadly not enough for a post op bariatric surgery patient who is planning to do any long distance hike. I talked to my nutritionist and a couple others before my first Camino - and their advice is always great for what and how to eat in normal circumstances - but not with regards to doing a long distance hike. For example - mine recommend I bring "protein shots". Um - I am going on a 5 week hike across Spain and am carrying everything I need on my back for 5 weeks. I can't bring 5 weeks of heavy/liquid protein shots and I couldn't find anything similar on either of my Caminos. I found the advice given would have been good for a regular camping trip - just not a long distance hiking trip that last a week or many weeks.Hello, LaoDaCamino,
You should have access to a dietician if the hospital where you had your surgery has a bariatric program. If not, your surgeon should be able to refer you to one that they work with. A registered dietician who has specialized in bariatric patients should be able to guide you. Many, many years ago I was a part of a new bariatric program at a hospital I worked at and the dietician was critical to our patients success.
Buen Camino
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