My family usually goes out to eat over the weekend or on Friday nights. I am only 4 weeks out, so I haven't really had to do this yet but unless I plan on bringing home a ton of leftovers, I was thinking I would order off the kids menu. anyone else do this? Are the restaurants usually ok with that? Do you tell them that you just had surgery and can't eat a lot? I know soup would also be a good option, but kids menu usually has grilled chicken.....

I sometimes order from the kid's menu or the senior menu. Denny's has an awesome grilled tilapia on their senior menu! Sonny's BBQ has a rib dinner on the kid's menu which has 3 ribs and a side of veggies which is almost the perfect size for me. I sometimes order ala carte, also. I'll order a chicken breast prepared as I like it (grilled, but not cooked to death) and a veggie and ask the wait person to charge me for the items separately. It is usually cheaper than the meals on the menu.

I have a card from my surgeon that explains I can't eat much, which helps. Sometimes I also order a regular meal and a box, then just divide up the food as soon as it comes to the table. I can usually get three meals out of a regular dinner at a restaurant.

I've also just ordered soup and salad a couple of times. That works especially well at places like Ruby Tuesdays where you make your own salad from the salad bar. I'll put a small amount of salad greens on the plate, then add eggs, cheese, sunflower seeds, edamame and some diced ham to the salad. It's high Protein and it doesn't take a lot to fill me up.

I am still mad at Red Lobster where I was charged over $6 for mashed potatoes! I was still in the mushy stage and took my son there for a birthday dinner. There was a $3 fee because I ordered the mashed without ordering a meal!

Good luck with eating out. There are tons of ways to make it friendly to our new diets!

Some restaurants have healthy options on the kids menu but far too often they have lots of fried and fattening foods only. If there's an entree that I know I will enjoy the leftovers from, I'll just order a full meal and plan on eating it a couple more times . . . or I will do a side house salad and have them add some grilled chicken to it.

Our family went to Red Lobster last week and my daughter order steak and shrimp. I ate the shrimp and a few bites of salad. I order off the kids meal at some places. They don't seem to mind.

I have been ordering off the kids menu now and on one place charges me the adult fee. They don't question, and when it has happened, I share with them the new market for bariatric people. I don't want alot of leftovers because I'm not doing myself any favors by bringing it home. I usually don't eat many leftovers and give the rest to my son or husband and I'm not doing them any favors either. Or I feel quilty when I throw it away.

I agree that the kids menus usually don't have a ton of great options. I know this mainly because I have a 2 yr old, and she usually gets to either have chicken tenders, mac and cheese, or like a grilled cheese sandwich. Most places are the same way but others are better I'm sure. So since I have my daughter I order a adult menu item and share it with her. Soup is an awesome choice, but I have personally found that soup tastes like crap ever since surgery. That's totally a me thing I am sure.

I order everything special and I just pick pick pick. I actually love my sleeve because I can take a bite of my BF's food, a bite of mine, and a bite of my daughters and then I'm full, how awesome is that! lol.

I figure it's a trial and error thing but in time you will figure what works the best for you. Good Luck.

Some surgeons/bariatric centers will give you a little signed card that basically says you've had stomach surgery which limits the amount of food you can eat, so please allow you to order from children's or seniors' menus. My surgeon gave me one clipped to my nutrition guidelines booklet without asking.

I'm only 2.5 weeks out so I haven't had a chance to try it yet.

I agree that children's menus are dangerous territory. I have a 2 and a 5 year old; the 5 year won't eat anything but mac & cheese and the 2 year old will only eat salad . The options on children's menus are usually very high in fat and carbs, which is less dangerous for energetic children (if not necessarily "good") but not at all good for us.

Some restaurants don't allow adults to order from the kid's menu. Try ordering an appetizer as your meal. They are smaller portions & not kiddie food. I know I'm a newbie, but I had a lap band in 2002, so I do have experience! My revision surgery is scheduled for Wednesday!

Thanks for all your responses! I guess I was thinking about portion size, but you are right about the not as healthy options on the kids menu. I know I'll figure it all out!

I just ate at Cracker Barrel and their kids menu is "for kids of all ages" - I was wanting to share that info here and this thread gives me the perfect chance to do so. I was excited that I didn't have to ask about whether I could eat off the kids menu. Normally I just order from the regular menu and bring the extras home. I like leftovers

HuHot is one of my favorite places to eat AND if you do it right it can be healthy. That being said I'd you go for dinner I don't want to pay $13 for a cup of food and not have leftovers. I asked the manager of the one in The town I live in if with the card from my surgeon could I order from the child's menu. His answer was no and no leftovers can be taken home. I was told I had the option of getting Togo which is 2 bowls of food cooked and put in a Togo container but cannot be eaten there. I don't mind the togo option but I think my days of dining there are done.

Most places are fine with it when you explain why. I have a card from my hospital stating I had bariatric surgery and cannot eat adult portions. I had one place that set me off. I explained the situation beforehand and showed them my card. It was a buffet and I had planned on just getting a to go box and having them weigh it but they said they would charge me the kid price so I ate normally. They charged me $11 and I literally ate 2 small bites of chicken and a couple of noodles. They even saw how little I ate. Ohhh I was pissed and will not go back there now.

Anyways, generally I either just order a side dish or eat a few bites off my husbands or kids plates. Even with the kids portions I never even come close to eating all of it.

I usually just eat off my husbands plate. I've noticed that even the kids portions are huge and much to much for my tiny stomach. So it's understood between me and the hubby hat I'll have what he's having which isn't very much. And we often even have left overs after we have both eaten.

Some restaurants will let you order from the kids menu. Other times, I eat a small portion of whatever my husband ordered. The portions are always WAY too big even for him. Or you can order a high protein appetizer , which works fine, and I STILL end up bringing somew of it home. So bring your leftovers home. If you don't eat it, someone else will.

I do lots of different things when I go out to eat. Sometimes I order off the kids menu, but at most places it tends to be the same stuff (mac and cheese, burger, chicken tenders, pizza) and I tend to not want that type of meal when I go out to eat. Sometimes I order soup or an appetizer which tends to be the best option for me. Many times I will end up ordering my own entree but it's such a waste for me because I can only eat a few bites and end up taking most of it home.

My doctor gave me a surgery card. It states that I had a gastric surgery and can only consume a maximum of 4 ounces per meal and that they request I be allowed to order from the kids menu or the senior's menu. I have used it and only had one problem one time. I attempted to use it Hometown Buffet, and the manager told me that corporate will not allow them to accept the surgery cards and that I had to pay full price, so I told him that I just chose not to eat. The thing that kills me is that there, it only saves 50 cents! I sat and watched my family eat, and then came home and fed myself.