Or does your social life change to not include food related activities? Sorry if this sounds like a dumb question. We eat out a lot with friends. Just curious????

I still eat out, Usually at least once a week with friends or family. I can find something to eat on just about every menu ( i usually look at the kids menu but at most places everything on the kids menu if fried or pasta). I always come home with a lot of leftovers. Only thing i miss is going out for drinks, but my surgeon recommends no alcohol for 1 year.

Yes you can eat almost anything. But I choose not to in honesty. I eat so little and it takes me away from my goals (One more lb till 100 lbs lost, woop woop!). I generally stay away from fried foods now and olive oil though (fat content makes me ill). But have loved to go to Cracker Barrel (for catfish plate that I split with my hubby) and KFC (a leg and a wing or two legs and a bite of both sides is more than enough for me). I don't drink alcohol anymore, but I haven't been much of a drinker in the last few years.

If you have a "love affair" with food, it is a hard adjustment.... I won't lie. I am a total "foodie." But what's more important to you?

You will THINK more about food after a sleeve because you have less area to fill. So going out will be a planning event (planning what you will eat).

Best of luck!

You might be able to, it would depend on what stage your in...liquid, soft foods, etc. And where you're eating out at. You would have to stay away from fried food (although some folks actually have said they can tolerate fried foods...I'm not one of them ). Just use caution. Your body (your sleeve) will tell if you can take it... or not. Try not eat things high in fat & sodium. Hope this helps you.

I eat out 5-7 times a week and most of it is socially.... I never have an issue.

I make good choices and if needed, get creative.

Example: if i am out where i dont want people to know i have had the sleeve i get creative. I usually order a appitizer (i dont eat at the chain resturants so no.... Im not ordering cheese sticks or potato skins) and mention i want it brought out as my meal. Mmost people dont notice. I also make a joke about not knowing what to order, so i am ordering something small so i can order/try another dish.... No one ever remembers i was going to order for round #2.

At about 2 weeks out I went out for brunch with my family and had a poached egg and cheese grits. I ate really slowly, so even though it was so much less than what everyone else was having, it was fine. I took home the grits and snacked on them over a couple of days. I'm a month out now, so am looking forward to going out for seafood now - broiled and baked healthy fish dishes should work for the soft stage. You might want to check out menus online beforehand, and bring a protein shake in a thermos to restaurants that might not have options for you, but I would be inclined to avoid places that don't have 1 or 2 things you could eat.

I have eaten out a couple times. I stick to soups because I'm still in soft foods, but it works well.

Sure, I eat out all the time and usually Balt to find something suitable. It has to be high protein, low fat, low carb and pretty tasty looking. Usually I can never finish so take left overs home for a meal or two in the next couple days. Never order off the children's menu. The options are usually pretty unhealthy, but there may be some exceptions out there. I usually go to the same rest aunts I did before, but am fairly picky about what I order. It is worth it to spend some social times with family or friends.

I eat out pretty regularly because I have been traveling. I check out the menu beforehand online to see if the restaurant will work for me. And at home I eat out much less frequently because I live in a small town with fewer options. I do like to prepare my own food because then I feel confident that my calorie count is accurate.

I eat out a few times as a week as I travel regularly for work. It is usually very easy to find something. I am specific with wait staff and have gotten used to asking for my left overs to go.

Soup is my go to if nothing else looks doable.

You betcha! I ate out 2x this week. Soup one day, salmon another.

MY problem was....and yes people, it's silly....I got bored. I had nothing to do with my hands!! One place had buckets of peanuts so when no one was looking i threw peanuts in a bucket and missed half the time. Yeah, I'm a 51 yr old kid. We all had a good laugh, even the waitstaff, when I got 'caught'.

Enjoy life!!

Yes you can. The only thing I have noticed is I surprise myself all the time by what I end up ordering.

I knew I was going out to eat lunch with my DIL but I didn't think it out - she wanted to check out the new Zaxby's chicken place in town and so sure, I figured I could order a grilled chicken salad. Well... the serving size was HUGE ! An entire family size salad bowl full of goodness and I could only eat a tiny bit of it. I was really conflicted because I couldn't take it with me - we were going clothes shopping and the food would have been dangerous let alone ruined after sitting in a hot car for hours. It almost hurt physically to throw all that food out.

So, it was a good lesson: yes, I still have food issues; don't EVER feel bad about not ordering something and just snacking off your dinner partner's plate (with their permission, of course); bring a cooler if you think you may have leftovers !

I have eaten out 3x since my surgery 2.5 weeks ago. I had grilled tilapia the 1st time, grilled shrimp the 2nd, and today my husband ordered a full rack of ribs and I shared with him. I was only able to eat meat from one section of the ribs and had a couple small bites of sweet potato and 1 tiny onion peel. It is amazing how quickly I get full now, but I am able to eat out. I just usually make sure we are going somewhere that will have something grilled or broiled which most places do. It's a nice little treat to get out and I always get so excited after we leave bc I know I would have normally eaten an entire meal. Plus, I have eaten over at a friends house for a party and no one noticed that I ate less than normal. We had chili and I just made a bowl like I normally would and ate and talked and not a single person looked at me weird or asked and my friends are very outspoken so had anyone noticed they would have definitely said something.

Good luck! You will be fine and things gradually get better with time.

I still eat out occasionally but it is usually a waiste, I take 3/4 of the meal home with me and eat it over a couple of days depending on where I am eating out at, if it is a restaurant this is what happens. I can't do the Micky Dee's (Mcdonalds) or any of the fast food anymore that food doesn't appeal to me anymore.

You can absolutely eat out. I live on the road and have been eating out all over the world. I am writing this from Mallorca Spain. I had Tapas last night, and salt encrusted sea bass the night before. Part of the secret is to eat at better restaurants. The standard American chain restaurants are some of the toughest. Try the little trendier places. Small plates and Tapas-style eating is the rage all over the world. It makes WLS easy. Focus on small, interesting, and flavorful dishes. The sleeve gives you a reason to be more adventurous at the table. You don't have to limit yourself to chicken breast and salmon.

Try Sashimi and Yakatori, satay, a whole Thai fried snapper, grilled octopus, Iberico ham, scallops in XO sauce, dim sum, duck breast, braised lamb shank, etc.... You don't eat and drink as much now so you can afford to eat better.

The sleeve diesn't make you sacrifice much. It just gives you a kick in the pants and forces you to try new things. Once you do that, you realize that the stuff you ate before was pretty pitiful.

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