I attended my surgeon's two week post op nutrition class and came away with a big sense of relief. The attitude at my surgeon's clinic is ....go forth, live your life, make wise choices, and on the rare occasion when you do indulge, enjoy it. I was thrilled to hear that I will be able to tolerate and enjoy most foods.

So my questions:

What are some of your go-to restaurant choices? What chains have you found to be reliable options for good, satisfying meals that are delicious, low calorie, and high in Protein?

Are there restaurants that simply don't work for us? What have been your experiences?

Thanks so much for your input!

I find I can eat at any restaurant. I plan the rest of my meals around going out so I don't get that far of track. Most places have grilled chicken or a Soup option. I actually just got home from dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse. My husband wanted a steak. I ordered a Cobb salad with the dressing on the side and only ate about a third of it. The rest is for my husband's lunch tomorrow.

Good luck in your journey!

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I ate out almost always. Every restaurant has a nutritional menu, you just have to ask for it. Plan on taking 2/3 of it home and tell them how to cook it the way you want it! Even when I was on mushies I asked them to put my food in a blender. It's all good.

Order what you normally eat, just small bites and chew chew chew.

Panera is my favorite. They have a high protein, low calorie "hidden" menu (its on their web site) and have also done well at Applebees, Chili's and Longhorn. They all have low calorie options. For a drive-thru type place, I usually choose Wendy's for a salad or chili. The one thing I can no longer have, which I absolutely love, is sushi.

I'm a seafood eater so when I go to Longhorn which happens to be one of my favs I order and share with my mom their Salmon. I also love Red Lobster. Fast food, I choose Wendy's chili or Chick-fil-A child's menu nuggets with applesauce. Haven't mastered steak yet, can't bear the thought of chewing it to pieces, just the thought of a piece of "meat" in my mouth for that long grosses me out. But I do have to admit I'm craving a good steak just can't step up and do it. at Cracker Barrel I order soup or their grilled chicken tenders off their children's menu. The thing I miss the most is a good sub sandwich from Subway, now I'd like to sink my teeth in a low fat turkey sub with veggies but can't handle the bread anymore. I do however eat the meat/cheese and veggies without the bread at home. O'Charley's I of course order Tilapia or Salmon. J. Alexander's I order Salmon, sorry I am just a seafood eater.

Oh wow! I'm very happy to read all of your replies. I'm worried about meat eating after the band. I really don't want something to get stuck! Haha!

How long did it take for you to get used to chewing and chewing me chewing and chewing? I am worried, too, about remembering to take small bites and chew the heck out of it! I guess the first time I'm in pain because of it I'll remember!

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I agree that you can go anywhere and find healthy choices. If you're really wanting something healthy, even Mc D's has sometthing (totally not my fav place). I go to Red Robin about 3x a month. Most of the time I order the avo-cobbo salad, but occasionally will enjoy a buger with garlic fries (I can eat about 5 fries and about 1/3 of my burger). I luv taking home leftovers. I aslo luv Quiznos broccoli cheddar soup. A few months ago I stole their recipe and made it in my crock pot. Many compliments from our poker buddies! I enjoy eating out and would be really bummed if my band prevented that.

Good luck and have fun finding out what you still enjoy...

Marci

fish is always a good option when eating out. make it simple...grilled and avoid sauces...they can be loaded with calories. steamed veggies...even a 1/4 of a baked potato is good. the only type of items to avoid are carb heavy. meaning...stay away from Pasta dishes...cream sauces, fried foods, etc.

I live in NYC so I don't do chain restaurants but you can usually find calorie counts for the chains. since I can't do that, I eat what I know is relatively healthy and stay away from what I know can be a problem. soup is high in sodium, salad dressings are high in calories. again...presume you will bring home at least 2/3rds of your meal and you should be good.

I eat out once or twice a week usually and I am still losing steadily as I pay very close attention to what I'm eating in a restaurant. I'm sure you know what are better choices than others. if you follow that thinking, eating out will not sabotage you.

My fave is longhorn steakhouse's Parmesan crusted chicken! Ugh it's heaven! 1/2 of a chicken breast is 345 calories, 34.5 protein, and 6.5 carbs. Fills me up and I have left overs for another meal.

Hi there. I'm not going to list restaurants but I wanted to share a tip. If you go online before dining out, you can find just about any restaurant has a nutritional menu so you can predetermine what to eat. Most restaurants will not have this menu on hand at the actual restaurant so look it up on your phone. I love this idea because what may 'seem' healthy on a menu may actually be the most unhealthy (you'll be very surprised). This way you feel confident that you are not splurging. After reading a nutr. menu it really deters you from free choosing because the high cal/fat etc is just that repulsive It also allows you to eat a wider variety if you are in the mood for something 'typical'. I will say Panera is a great go-to for lunch. They post their calories openly which makes ordering a cinch.

like the others, i also eat out (sometimes)

there are better choice options to be made

baked/grilled vs fried

fresh salad vs creamed sides

fresh fruit vs cake

i feel to just eat and enjoy yourself and not stress/overthink it...let the band do its job on the (controlling the quantity/amount part) while we just eat/choose better food options.

Was traveling for about 1 and half weeks and ate out almost every day. Had small breakfast and usually took some in to go box. Lunch ate a few ounces and took the rest for snack and dinner. Then went to grocery store for soft cheeses and water for snack foods. One meal could usually last for 2 more after I got back to motel.

I'm a seafood eater so when I go to Longhorn which happens to be one of my favs I order and share with my mom their Salmon. I also love Red Lobster. Fast food' date=' I choose Wendy's chili or Chick-fil-A child's menu nuggets with applesauce. Haven't mastered steak yet, can't bear the thought of chewing it to pieces, just the thought of a piece of "meat" in my mouth for that long grosses me out. But I do have to admit I'm craving a good steak just can't step up and do it. at Cracker Barrel I order Soup or their grilled chicken tenders off their children's menu. The thing I miss the most is a good sub sandwich from Subway, now I'd like to sink my teeth in a low fat turkey sub with veggies but can't handle the bread anymore. I do however eat the meat/cheese and veggies without the bread at home. O'Charley's I of course order Tilapia or Salmon. J. Alexander's I order Salmon, sorry I am just a seafood eater.[/quote']

I do Subway now. I just get a multigrain bread or the honey oat and ask them to pull the dough out of the middle. Then when they toast it, it is actually crunchy! I love it!

I also like the petite filet at Outback (cooked medium rare). It is 6 oz so I still have half for later! It is actually very tender.