I am so frustrated with eating such small amounts of food. I love eating out with my family. But I find myself getting frustrated because I can hardly eat anything. I sit there looking at the food and wanting to eat more, even though I'm completely full. It is so frustrating for me. Please don't get me wrong, I love my sleeve and my new body and am totally happy I had the surgery. I hate cooking for myself because I eat so little, I get overly concerned with how much my hubby is eating. So frustrating, I know he has to make his own decisions about portion size. ARGGGGGGH!

I know some of this is head hunger, but struggle with getting through it! ARGGGGGGGH!

I was at Denny's yesterday and what I love is that I drench the pancakes in syrup and butter and eat like 3 bites. I ate eggs first of course! I used to be like you at first, but now I am shifting into this whole...THANK GOD I CAN'T PIG OUT ANYMORE! It makes me feel so empowered even though I am not really controlling the quantity anymore - my tummy is. HOW MANY TIMES did I eat and eat and eat and thought to myself...WHY AM I DOING THIS? WHY CAN'T I STOP EATING? And then crying because I was fat and couldn't control my portions. I JUST ATE AND ATE AND ATE and then ATE MORE LATER. I love being full off of a small portion of food. IT BRINGS TEARS TO MY EYES that I NO LONGER AM A SLAVE TO FOOD. I DO NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO OVER EAT. It is nothing short of a miracle.

I'm where you are I believe. It's a minor irritant when I am eating good food and I have to stop, but once I am full, I have no trouble stopping. I just try to eat really slow so I don't have to sit there.

The times where I have been sick with restaurant food is when I eat too much or too fast OR the food is too rich. I ate some Spanish sheeps milk blue cheese last night that kind of sent old sleevie into overdrive. That was some rich and STRONG stuff!

Yes, the fact that I can eat delicious food and I just do not have the ability to overeat anymore makes me want to cheer.

I havent eaten out too much since surgery, but on a recent business trip had alot of restuarant meals. You know what struck me is that the food just didn't taste very good. I was disappointed in every single meal. I think my taste buds are not on track yet - food will smell good to me but then just taste not so great. Restaurant food seems to be more of an issue like that.

Someone posted a few months ago that the first time they felt restriction, they closed their eyes, sat back, smiled and thought to themselves "This is the feeling I have wanted all my life." I have never forgotten this and it has helped me TREMENDOUSLY!!!!!! Hope it helps you.

You know what surprises me when eating out? That I don't know what to do with my hands! lol Since I no longer hold a fork and knife constantly (because we eat slow and finish before everyone else), I am fully conscious of my arms and hands and have to actually THINK where I am going to put them! LOL Weird right?

Someone posted a few months ago that the first time they felt restriction' date=' they closed their eyes, sat back, smiled and thought to themselves "This is the feeling I have wanted all my life." I have never forgotten this and it has helped me TREMENDOUSLY!!!!!! Hope it helps you.

You know what surprises me when eating out? That I don't know what to do with my hands! lol Since I no longer hold a fork and knife constantly (because we eat slow and finish before everyone else), I am fully conscious of my arms and hands and have to actually THINK where I am going to put them! LOL Weird right?[/quote']

My husband has found out where I put my hands...ON HIM. We went out the other night; I ate three bites and was finished. Then I was able to pay attention to him, petting him (rubbing his arm or holding his hand) and enjoying the conversation. He said, " I don't know what in the world has gotten into you, but I like it!" Of course, it's not all good. I miss tasting nice stuff as much as the next person. It is a lot to adjust to. What I am finding that bothers me the most now is just how much my husband eats. I absolutely thought I was going to lose my meal watching him eat his. I told him twice that he was eating too much. He just laughed at me and said, "I'm not eating any more than I ever have; your perspective has just changed." To me that plate looked like Mt. Everest! And it might as well have been. Someone could have put a gun to my head and said eat and I would have said shoot. It would have been no less painful to choose the food than the bullet. I am utterly amazed at how much people really do eat. It absolutely makes me dizzy and lightheaded watching them.

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I am now eating less than my will-o-the-wisp 7 yr old granddaughter! Amazing. Although I have not gone out to eat since The Sleeve, every night at my house is a lesson in not overeating. I used to "clean up" the kid's leftovers (i.e. eat them rather than throw food out) but now I can't and yes, it bothers me! Because it's "wasteful" but that's silly and illogical. If I was that concerned about wasting food, I wouldn't put so much on their plates that they couldn't finish it. And the amount of food my husband eats is disgusting! And yes, I still want to be able to eat that much too but I can't (thank God!). Heck, no wonder I was never able to lose weight!

As for going out to eat, I think my buffet days are done and I will be ordering appetizers :-)

longer-life: Me too, I find myself checking for messages and reading my emails. I really like to keep busy.

After contemplating here after reading all these fine posts. I have made a final decision in eating out. I am going to just eat off of my hubby's plate bc he doesn't need all that food. I have looked at appetizer's and everything I seen was fried and high fat. Or I can just order a soup. It's really hard to come to terms with all this, but here it is, right in front of me. Thank you guys!

Sometime the appetizers will be healthy. If it's a chain place then yes, you will have a choice of spinach and artichoke dip, buffalo wings, chicken tenders, sliders, jalapeno poppers and fried cheese.

Children's menus are chicken fingers, hamburger, hot dog. macaroni and cheese and spaghetti.

Sometimes it's better to order senior meals if they have them or order ala carte.

It depends on my mood. If I want something different than the family I will order my own. Sometimes I eat off their plates and sometimes a combination of the two. They are so pleased to see me doing so well that sharing food doesn't bother them. Actually it never has, but they are actually giving me little tidbits without me asking and saying things like: "This is good Protein. Here, have some of this ..."

After contemplating here after reading all these fine posts. I have made a final decision in eating out. I am going to just eat off of my hubby's plate bc he doesn't need all that food. I have looked at appetizer's and everything I seen was fried and high fat. Or I can just order a soup. It's really hard to come to terms with all this, but here it is, right in front of me. Thank you guys!

Don't see it that way. Spin it! Convince your husband to order something yummy AND order the soup, so you eat "two courses". Also look at menus online and pick restaurants that have appetizers that sound yummy and are still good for you or the ones that don't have the "same old" Soups. Also, if an appetizer looks real good, order it and eat a bit of it for a few meals in a row! (Knowing that I can do that, puts me at ease, by the way.) It's not all black or white, there is a gray area too.

I hope everyone knows that as you get farther out, you will be able to eat more.

I still don't go to buffets because it would be a complete waste of money, but I go out to eat all the time. Of course I can't eat as much as anyone I am with, but I feel like I eat a

nice portion for myself. The days of only a few bites are long gone. I still bring half of my meal home, but I can eat way more at almost 3 years out than I could at only one year out.

I am so not looking forward to this feeling. I was thinking the same thing yesterday . Will I ever enjoy food again? Is there anyhthing wrong with me enjoying food? I finally know what head hunger is and it's no joke.

It's ok to feel frustrated!! I get like this too every time I'm sitting down to a good meal and wish I could eat more. Then I look over and watch my Hubby or someone else eat and eat and eat... then I think, darn if I did that I'd be back up to 300 Lbs in no time.

Then I suddenly relax, smile and move on.

It's ok to feel frustrated!! I get like this too every time I'm sitting down to a good meal and wish I could eat more. Then I look over and watch my Hubby or someone else eat and eat and eat... then I think, darn if I did that I'd be back up to 300 Lbs in no time.

Then I suddenly relax, smile and move on.

hi all - it is so hard dealing w/others who actuallly have the "nerve" to eat alot. in front of me when/if we go out. Some people are average weight, others are so thin - these 2 groups can eat and eat with out gaining an ounce.

Then there are people like my DH who are over weight and enjoy eating.. I will be trying to convince DH to get sleeve later after me. But i know it will be his decision, and if he finally does get the sleeve, but really doesn't want to do it - he won't be successful. But yeah i still can't help but to love him :tongue2: Then there are people like me who will eat and eat, look at a plate and gain 20 lbs. not fair.

Two weeks before WLS i had my food funeral, i just ate alot and alot - which was really wasn't hard for me to do nothing new, but i even ate more than usual.

I was amazed at how much weight i put on in that short time period - it was so easy, in other words, yes - i "smile" when looking around sometimes as people overeat, cuz i know if i did the same (eat alot) i would just continue to gain and gain and gain.

So yes all, i do miss the excess food while i see others eating, but i also feel relieved when i tell myself - no you don't want to ever look heavy again.- so don't even think about that piece of apple pie. try to over eat like that. basically i know i know , i will have to eat properly on my journey only fotat of continue work to do, but its only for the rest of my life. boy is it hard - and yeah - my WLS was only 12/15/11 - so i have alot in front of me on my PLATE.

man it takes me so long to say what i think everyone else knows and said, but you knowi sometimes i write it out, i convince/ and tell myself - i do really mean and understand what i say.- do you?

man oh man -I just re-read above, if anyone took a nap while reading this - i understand..

ps sorry my fonts keep changing. trying to work on that.

kathy