Hi,

I travel a lot on business and eating with business colleagues is also important. So I eat in restaurants a lot. Sometimes 3-4 times a week. I'm just about to have a band and this is the only major thing I'm worried about.

I'd really appreciate some advice on what I could eat and how much if I go to a

1. Indian restaurant

2. Chinese restaurant

3. In Spain - it's all just meat, meat, meat!

Also how can you eat in a restaurant without business colleagues noticing that I'm not eating all my food? Also how to you know how much to eat when you're in a restaurant?

Sorry for all the questions I hope someone can help

Ordering soup is always good. Portions that you can handle will be smaller, so ordering an appetizer instead of an entree will be enough. Good luck!

Personally, I eat out often also. I can still eat anything I want just MUCH less of it. I thought in the beginning (about 3 yrs ago) that whoever I was with would notice how little I was eating, but no one ever said anything about it (cept my sister who still finds it hard to believe that I can eat about 5 bites of a sandwich). I started dating about a year after surgery (I was down about 60 lbs by then) and not one guy ever asked me why I wasn't eating very much. I think we think that whatever we're doing is so important to everyone else, when it really isn't! LOL. I don't think anyone will even notice if you eat very little of your meal.

Now, what you should eat at a restaurant? I'm not a big fan of Indian food, but I would think anything on the menu would be fine as long as you eat it very slowly and ALWAYS take home a box. Every single time I go out to eat, it's like 2-4 meals. I still eat bread, Pasta, rice, and sweets. Just very little of them. Some people can't tolerate these things. You have to experiment yourself to see how you tolerate certain things. Proceed slowly. Your band is now the boss and will tell you if what you're eating is wrong for you and how much you should eat.

Good luck!

Marci

I have been wondering this as well..... I also go to many business lunch/dinners and really don't feel like sharing info....and/or mashing up my food! Lol

Once you are healed you should be able to eat most foods. As mentioned above most people don't really care what YOU are eating. Chinese is easy many US places have "diet" plates steamed chicken and veggies. Indian look for tomato based chicken vs yogurt sauces. Though they do have Tandoori baked chicken. I would not do Soup. If you are the host your client may feel like they should only buy soup.

Most places will let you order from kids menus. Places like Chinese make sure steamed items and avoid salty sauces. Also make sure no MSG.

Thanks everyone for their advice?

What's MSG and how can you avoid that in a Chinese?

After you're healed from surgery and off the post op diet, you can eat pretty much anything you want just in moderation. I would suggest measuring your meals at home so you can get a better feel for the proper portion size when at a restaurant. Then when at the restaurant, eyeball approximately 1 cup of whatever you're eating and push the rest aside. Eat your cup and be done.

I also find ordering the lunch portion or a half portion whenever possible very helpful. A lot of places don't advertise you can do this, but if you ask, 90% will regardless of the time of day.

I actually eat out a lot. I found the Lose It app for my phone really helpful because it has a lot of restaurants in the food database. It really helps me to make good food decisions when eating away from home. I simply look up what I'm considering on my phone, check out it's calories, and make my decision accordingly.

As far as your co-workers, I wouldn't worry. If someone asks why you're not eating a serving food suitable for 3 people, simply say "I'm full" or "I've had enough". I highly doubt anyone is going to care or interrogate you beyond that, you know?

Best wishes to you as you start your journey!

My husband travels a lot and it's hard bc you can't really wrap it up and bring it back to the hotel. I mean maybe you could, but your next meal will probably be out with co workers as well and there's not always space to store it. I think for that reason you need to get into the mindset it is ok to waste food, you don't need a clean plate and a child is not going to starve because you didn't finish your food.

For me, I had to get out of my head it was a waste of money. (otherwise my husband and kids would gain weight b/c at first I wasn't hungry to finish the own but I didn't want to waste it so I pushed it on my family dining with me, when they had their own meals- luckily they had no problem saying no to my food and it didn't phase them if my left overs got wasted). Then I accepted it is ok not to finish food when a restaurant serves so much. (If in a situation I can wrap it up and take it off that's a different story).

If the group orders an appetizer and you take one piece and just eat a bite of it, they won't really notice and might be happy more for them. Order a healthy dinner and eat a small amount. If anyone says anything (which they prob won't) it's ok to say you are watching what you eat, you want to be healthy for your next physical. (no need to mention lapband unless you want to. I just tell people I'm trying to lose weight if they comment)

My drs office is offereing a class where the surgeon and nut, go out to a restaurant with lapband patients and show us how to eat wisely in a restaurant. After I go, I might have more tips for you.

I travel all the time for work and business dinners are a staple. I eat all cuisines...none are off limits. In terms of how much I can eat....my band doesn't restrict quantity...and I haven't done a test to see how much I CAN eat. I stick as close as I can to 1 cup then I'm done. I typically order a soup and another small Protein based appetizer. I eat what I need, then enjoy the company and talk business.

Indian...I tend to stay away from rice and naan...personal choice. Chinese food...just the rice I avoid.