Okay, so my hubby has a super active social life thanks to this club he belongs to. I avoided going to a few events since my surgery (pig roast/pinic, conecert/BBQ etc.) Well Sunday I am going to a big Irish Festival at a racetrack. There will be plenty of BBQ and drinks. I have no restriction but I have been pretty good with the diet (except I had a little more than just mushies-but nothing bad). I am thinking of having 2 beers and some BBQ food. I know there will come a day were I will get stuck or need a PB -but those days are nowhere in sight for a while. Would it be really sucky of me to enjoy the day with a beer and BBQ...yeah I know I can enjoy people's company and the festivities, blah, blah, blah...but really! Any thoughts? Did anyone else indulge a little more than they should have? Oh how I wish I had some restriction!!

Are you allowed carbonation? If not, stay away from the beer. I miss beer so much, but my doctor says no carbonated beverages and after sneaking a sip and feeling uncomfortabley gassy, I understand why.

Why not go but plan to on band friendly stuff if possible? Baked Beans can be pretty darn mushy and though they probably have sugar, they'll be easy on your stomach. Stuff like that.

If you have no restriction then you should be able to choose to eat what you want. Obviously you should be making healthy choices. There is no point in going and deciding that you can eat anything just because you are not restricted yet because by doing that you are setting yourself up for failure.

You should choose foods that are not full of empty calories. Have some Protein - maybe lean chicken or a small piece of steak etc. Have some vegetables e.g. a salad . NB when I say salad I mean something with lots of fresh raw veggies in and no protein. Not a mixture of Proteins and creamy sauces with a token sprinkling of lettuce. Something like Beans is also good. A small portion of carb if you want.

I would avoid the beer and have a glass of wine or something like that and sip it slowly.

You need to get into the healthy eating habit now, you already have your band, you do not need to wait for some point in the future when you think you may have restriction. Planning on cheating is not good. Planning on adapting and enjoying a situation by making positive healthy food choices is good.

Skip the beer. Have a glass of wine or a vodka and cranberry or orange juice. Go ahead and eat but be careful. Your body is still healing from surgery.

Will one day of "cheating" lead you down a bad road? Will a beer trigger you to eat other foods you shouldn't? If so... don't do it.

Honestly, you're way too new to the band to be "cheating", in my opinion.

From NJGirl32: I am thinking of having 2 beers and some BBQ food. I know there will come a day were I will get stuck or need a PB -but those days are nowhere in sight for a while. Would it be really sucky of me to enjoy the day with a beer and BBQ...yeah I know I can enjoy people's company and the festivities, blah, blah, blah...but really! Any thoughts?"

Why do the thoughts of others have any impact on your decision? You must know what's best for you, and what you can live with.......... Why did you have the band?

I don't know about the beer part of it, it's so foamy (i love beer btw). i had literally a sip of pepsi a couple of weeks ago and could not stop burping. everyone is different, so you might be ok with it though. i would go slowly and see how you feel.

as for bbq, i totally know what you mean. i am going on vacation in july and will be having bbq and stuff like that. i know for myself i did NOT get this band to restrict myself from every good thing in life. i got it to help with portion control issues (which is working like a charm so far). if you feel that you can eat bbq in moderation and not gorge, then i say go for it.

we all have to do what is right for us of course, but i know you will make the right decision for you.

If you're anything like most people, you're going to get on the scale the next morning and regret it.

Cheating this early really isn't a good sign.

Thanks everyone! I never thought about the beer thing-you are probably right I should definitely stay away from it at this early stage! I was thinking of a piece of BBQ chicken and a salad or maybe a burger without the roll? I have been pretty good so far and I absoultely don't plan on pigging out. I am even playing around with the idea of having a shake before I go so I am not that hungry.

[Why do the thoughts of others have any impact on your decision? You must know what's best for you, and what you can live with.......... Why did you have the band?

Wel this is a support forum so I do appreciate suggestions of felow Bandsters who have deal with similiar situations and I actually got afew good ideas of what to eat and to skip the beer. I am still in the learbibg stage so of course I want input. I had the Band to help with portion control and I have been making realy good choices thus far (considering I have no fills). I didn't get the band to never be able to eat real food in real situations. I don't always know what's best for me-it's a learning process.

How many days post op are you? Are you on solids yet? If you are allowed mushies you could try pulled pork or chicken since that would be the right consistancy. I would not feel bad about pulled chicken but I would about beer. One my doctor says no carbination, two it's empty calories. Personally I would rather have 150 cal. or dessert than alcohol.

I'm not going to talk about what to eat or the beer because you already have gotten some good advice...I know that you were worried before surgery about these types of social functions so why don't you look at it as a good opportunity to see that you can still attend these functions, eat well and enjoy yourself. Just plan your day accordingly and make the best choices you can but keep in mind that even though you haven't had a fill you CAN still get stuck if you take too big of a bite and don't chew well enough so don't throw all of the rules out the window.

Have fun!

vickyd has said it best. Practice your chewing, look at the foods that you have a choice to choose from and practice with smaller portions and balancing your meal out. Take it slow, remember we will never be full again as we once knew it to be (stomach stretched and that bloated feeling). With the socializing that you are going to be faced with, you knew that you have to start sometime so why not now as long as you stick to the types of food consistency that you are supposed to be on this will prove to be a good starting point for you. Afterwards, instead of beating yourself up (should you make a mistake in choices) but rather think back to what type of different choices you could have made and learn from the experience.

I think that your thoughts of having a shake before you go so that you are not hungry when you get there is a great idea. Much like not going grocery shopping while you are hungry.