What are your tips for eating out? Do you have a protein shake before going out to a restaurant ? Do you ask for a to go box before you start eating your meal? Your favorite meals and your favorite restaurants?

Please share your tips for eating out

Early on, I just ate soups. Real early on, I would ask that they puree it, which they did no problem. After moving from soups, I just take bites off of my wife's plate. If I am alone, it is a side salad or soup, but yes, no matter what, I'm getting a to-go container.

I always ask for a container when I order my meal. I usually share with my hubby or just order a meal of my own and then take the leftovers to work for lunch or bfast. I always box up the majority of my meal immediately so that it is no longer on my plate. This way I don't have to look at it and the server doesn't really know how much I have eaten.

I love Red Lobster and Outback - seafood and prime rib - YUM!

Hope I have helped

Shell

Awesome Thanks Pdxman and thanks ShellBear,very helpful tips

I order from the senior menu, or order an appetizer, or share a meal with a friend. If I order a regular meal off the menu, I take most of it home.

I find myself ordering chicken salad a lot , because it's really easy for me to eat.

Early on it was super difficult for me to eat out ...now I just order what I want sometimes sleevie lets me eat more and sometimes not so then I just take home the left overs and have them for lunch the next day or 2

I wait until the server brings the food and then I say, "That looks like more than I can eat. When you have a chance will you bring me a take out container?" I order anything I want, eat until I'm comfortable and take the rest home. The leftovers usually last for at least 2 more meals. I'm really careful not to overeat. I've done that twice and felt miserable for about 30 minutes after.

The wifey and I sometimes split a meal AND end up taking some home! We've gotten 2 or 3 meals EACH off of ONE entree at times. That's how large portions are becoming.

I go back and forth between ordering a meal and having the wait person bring me a box with the meal, or just ordering soup.

I discovered something I love at bob evans the other day, bean soup! It tastes just like my mom used to make and they served it with a side of pumpkin bread. Two bites of the bread, most of the Beans, a little broth and I was pleasantly full. Bonus, I didnt' have to make beans at home later.

I also love bbq chicken and ribs. I can usually eat 2-3 small ribs, or a leg/thigh of smoked chicken. I'm just starting to add veggies back in, so I order salad at the bbq place. I make mine very light on the lettuce, and heavy on eggs, broccoli, beets and such.

At first, I just ordered soup and didn't eat much at all. Now, sometimes I order a cup of soup and can finish the whole thing (barely). Sometimes I order an appetizer like shrimp remoulade or scallops or spinach dip, all of which my sleeve loves and all of which are mostly going home for leftovers! I can't eat much Protein from animal sources at one time, so I eat what I can and then take the rest home.

The last two days, I've eaten out for lunch. Yesterday, ordered a cup of soup (ate half of it) and an appetizer portion of shrimp remoulade for my entree (ate 3 small shrimp and some of the lettuce); because our meal took a while to eat, I was able to have a couple of bites of my husband's bread pudding and a few sips of coffee for dessert. PERFECT meal, and I don't think anyone realized I wasn't eating much. :-)

Today, lunch with the girls. Started with hambone gumbo (which was served with a deviled egg half). I was able to enjoy the gumbo, EGG AND ALL!! That's the first egg I've been able to comfortably eat since surgery--as recently as yesterday, I was posting how I loved eggs but couldn't eat them any more. So if something doesn't sit well on your sleeve at first and it's a good protein food that you'd like to incorporate in your diet, keep trying--I'm thrilled that the egg worked, since I love them and they're great protein. Anyway, after I ate the soup, I was too full to eat the "entree" part of my meal--shrimp and grits--so I had the server box it all up and I brought it home. Again, because our meal took a while, the dessert (sweet potato tart) was fine--I just ate some of the filling, skipped the crust and the whipped cream, and enjoyed it thoroughly! I also had a glass of wine with lunch today.

I have to say, I'm feeling more and more happy with my decision to be sleeved. I have, for the last couple of days, eaten exactly as I think "normal" people eat--and it was easy, delicious, and comfortable. If you're early out from sleeving, hang in there--your sleeve will mature, and you'll be able to enjoy your food, but your sleeve will keep you from over-indulging.

I'm disappointed if I can't get at least two (if not three or four) meals out of a restaurant meal. The main change from pre-op times is that i give more consideration to how well something keeps and reheats - I haven't had a restaurant entree salad since surgery since they just don't keep well and are too big by themselves (but I sure make use of leftover steak or chicken in the salads I make at home!) Sometimes I'll order a larger size steak if offered (and if it makes sense $$wise) if I need more in my leftover stash,

Rootman that is a great idea about sharing with your spouse,trust me,I am a bit nervous about eating out because here in TX portions are HUGE,when they said "everything is bigger in TX" they were right lol

Thanks a bunch everybody,these are some great ideas to eat out

I love to get a side salad with grilled chicken on it . . . at this point I can usually eat most of the chicken (they usually put about 3-4 oz on most salads, by my estimation) and then I pick at some of the other veggies and lettuce. Sometimes I'll get a cup of Soup with it (I really like restaurants that have a soup/half salad combo at lunchtime) - if I do that I can usually take half the soup and half the salad home. Just remember to order your dressing on the side!

If I'm bored with soup/salad, I sometimes get a burger without a bun, or chicken salad/tuna salad without bread.

Italian restaurants are always a challenge because I LOVE pasta! Yesterday I went to an italian restaurant (not by choice, was entertaining for work) - they had a Pasta dish that sounded way to good to pass up, it was a pasta dish with grilled chicken, veggies and a spicy balsamic cream sauce. I picked out all the chicken and veggies, had a few bites of the pasta, and took the rest of the pasta/sauce home to my husband. He's REALLY enjoying my new sleeve too . . . .he gets lots of leftovers!!

I order an appetizer sometimes. Other times hubby and I will both order the petite meal. His won't fill him up, but he eats half of mine too and we're both satisfies. Texas Roadhouse has a 6oz sirloin meal for $7.99 from 4-6pm. It's so tender you could cut it with a fork. We both order that and I get a salad and veggie as my sides. I usually only eat 1/4 of the salad and a couple bites of veggie and about half the steak, he eats the rest. We leave there having a delicious filling steak dinner with all the fixings for under $20. Tough to beat.

Also, we have 5 children. My 10yo daughter doesn't always want what's on the children's menu, but is petite and can't eat an adult portion, but she likes the healthier adult food. We'll often get a chicken or shrimp meal and share it.

Another restaurant we go to has a lot of add ons - add on 1/2lb crab, add on 4oz of shrimp or scallops to any meal for $4-$5 etc. My hubby will often get a meal and then get an add on for me and I'll get a cup soup. I usually can't finish, but end up with a delicious meal of soup and seafood for under $8. Tough to beat.

I find eating out easy, really, and that's while staying true to my diet. I do suggest remembering to get the dressings on the side, so you can take leftover salad home.