When you go out to dinner with people who do not know about your band do you find it hard? Does eating such a little amount of food makes people wonder if you have developed an eating disorder?

If its only a once in a while thing and you don't want them to know, order something small and band friendly, like soft food.... they probably won't notice (just remember to chew lolol and pretend to sip your water).

Just eat slowly. Try to make your meal last as long as theirs does. Plus, you can always fall back on having a stomach ache or having had a big lunch/breakfast, etc.

I ususally order soup and salad and that goes down just fine with no questions.

Yeah, I agree...and usually they are too "busy" with their own meal to notice!

Just order an appetizer, and talk about how out of control portion sizes have become...

For me, I've told everyone, so I'm an open book...but if I'm at a function with people I don't know, that's what I do. You just look like you're a light eater. Cool!

You know what? People will probably not even notice how little you eat. Just push your food around and chat away. All the above ideas are great, too.

I went out to lunch this week with friends(I'm pre-op and now on liquids - but I wanted to practice) and I ordered a small salad and a one crabcake appetizer. No one fainted or showed even the slightest interest in what I was doing! Imagine that.

Not at all. I order something reasonably band friendly - I can eat almost anything but I wouldnt eat a steak in public, just in case - and I eat however much of it it takes to make me satisfied. Nobody cares what you're eating or is even likely to notice.

When you go out to dinner with people who do not know about your band do you find it hard? Does eating such a little amount of food makes people wonder if you have developed an eating disorder?

If only I ate a small amount of food.

But seriously, I'm single and eat most dinners out (I don't really 'Cook for One').

For me, I found that only when I eat too quickly do I get really burpy hiccups. But if I drink (I dunno about everyone else, but I love a drink before dinner) normally and eat an appetizer for my entree, nobody really notices or cares.

I often order something that the whole table might enjoy for an appetizer and I share it.

I still eat, I'm just eating less. :hungry: I order band-friendly foods and just simply skip the bread basket. (Truthfully, I have little bread craving when I'm well-restricted. It doesn't even tempt me.)

When I stopped making a big deal out of it, it generally stopped being a big deal to anyone else.

Bon Appetit !