How do you feel about eating out after weight loss surgery?

[Alex Brecher 10,484]

Your entire way of eating needs to change after weight loss surgery. Your diet is high-protein, low-calorie, and carefully measured. There may be a lot of foods that you can no longer eat, such as bread, pizza, and French fries. Following your weight loss surgery diet can be hard enough at home, and eating out can be even tougher. How do you feel about eating out after weight loss surgery? If you haven’t had surgery yet, how do you approach restaurants?

• I won’t go near a restaurant under any circumstances because I can’t or won’t stick to my diet.
• It depends on the restaurant. I check the menu to see if there is some sort of lean Protein that I can order.
• I don’t like to go, but I will if everyone else goes. I just do my best to pick out the parts I can eat and to eat only a few bites.
• I will go, but I bring my own food while everyone else orders from the menu.
• I go and try not to worry about it. As long as I don’t get sick afterward, it can’t be that bad for me.
• Other (tell us below!).

Mark your answer and explain it below in the conversation. You can also tell us if your attitude towards restaurants has changed since getting weight loss surgery!

[MandaMom23 684]

I eat out a lot. For the most part, I go, and try not to worry about it. BUT, I almost always know what I'll be ordering before I even enter the restaurant. I like to go online and check for the healthiest options at whatever restaurant I'll be eating at.

With that being said, there have been times we've ended up somewhere, and I have no clue ahead of time what they have or what to order. I get very overwhelmed trying to make the best choice when I'm in this situation. It's something I'm working on, and hopefully, eventually, I will overcome this.

[sblissp 16]

I feel that it's a waste of money, most of the time, but if we choose a restaurant that will have descent options for me and doggie bags, then I don't worry about it.

[BigGirlPanties 957]

I don't stress it...most restaurants have SOMETHING I can eat.., even if it's a grilled chicken salad... very popular item in most places...

I have rarely found a place that I could not order from the menu...tho some waiters look at me a bit crazy when I order "No bread" for a sandwich etc

Life is to be enjoyed...and going out to eat is part of that... I always have lunch the next day too

[Alex Brecher 10,484]

We received a response to our poll from one of our Twitter followers:

@@BariatricPal makes me nervous. I almost always have a "stuck" episode. I don't know why. Seems like anxiety tightens my band.#weirdhuh ?

Do you have Twitter ? Can we get some members to respond to her please ?

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

I picked other because you did not really have a "positive" choice to vote for. i never get sick, I can always find something and I am very comfortable eating at restaurants - I enjoy the social aspects and the ambiance. If I am with my sons, i usually take a small portion off their plates. If I am out with friends, or a date or something, I eat off the appetizer menu. Shrimp skewer, for example, is the perfect bariatric meal.

I am 28 months post op, I didn't really go to restaurants too much during the weight loss phase.

I never feel like anybody looks at me weird or any of that. I think that since I am now "small" people accept it, when I was obese, i probably got more "looks" but again I didn't do alot of restaurant meals during the loss phase.

[☠carolinagirl☠ 18,721]

i was scared at first

I mean I had WLS...but once the (diet thinking got outta my mind)

and I understood that fact that 3500 is a pound ate/drank (be it lettuce or hamburgers)

I realized eating food is eating food.....I now make the best choices I can

(mindful to take small bites and stop at 20 min regardless) and ...let the band/plication say when and move on....

no need to overthink

eating is not bad

nor is any food bad

there are options/choices (some better than others)

anyhow, rambling again sorry......but that my answer

and I am eating out tonight and will enjoy every moment and a glass of wine ♥

[gmanbat 5,889]

I go to restaurants more for the companionship than for the food. I pick what's best from the menu, split it with my wife if she is there, and take the rest home. In the holiday season our fridge gets stuffed with left overs and take home boxes.

[BeeLee37 109]

I will go anywhere my family goes with the exception of a buffet. It does not mean I have to eat or eat what they eat. When I started this process I never intended to be afraid of being around food or to be overly strict. I started getting heavy when I was 26 years old (after 2nd child, tubes tied and gall bladder removal within 6 months) so I knew how to eat before that point and stay at a size range of 3-6. I want to be like that again and being afraid of going out to eat or worrying about every little thing will never get me there. I am one month out, maybe my mind set will change later but at this point I don't plan on it.

Added- It was after the birth and 2 separate surgeries that I noticed I did not recognize a full feeling anymore. I do not know why that happened. Only got worse over the next 12 years and was ten times worse after my hysterectomy in 2011. I wanted to add this info because this surgery has brought me back to how I was before all of that and I am not trying to advocate eating "off plan" to anyone else. I just know how I was before and how I feel now in regards to eating and eating outside of my home.

Edited April 24, 2014 by BeeLee37

[labwalker 1,177]

Once you re-learn HOW to eat, and learn what you should NOT eat, restaurants are fine. Almost all restaurants have foods that are low carb and high Protein, but you have to pick and choose carefully. I eat at the local family restaurant once a week or so... their portions are HUGE--but I take home 70% of the meal and freeze it. When they have the stuffed pepper special, I measure out one cup portions and end up with several easy to reheat meals. Fortunately, I can tolerate rice so it works for me. Their large chicken salads are good for two meals.

[Danni-doinit4me 140]

I chose "other", I don't have a fear of going out to eat. I really don't have a desire. We have gone out on a few occasions and all was good, able to choose from the menu, ate very little and took the rest home. Since I am not hungry most of the time, nothing sounds good, so I just prefer to eat at home at this point. I am just about 6 months out, it may change.

[JustWatchMe 7,117]

I agree with the poster who said you need a positive choice in the selections. I love going out. Today is my first day of solid foods post-op and I went out all during my liquids phase. I can tell you who has the best Soups in town. LOL. You can always find something. Most casual restaurants wil serve Breakfast all day, so in a pinch, get eggs. My "normal" friends eat breakfast out a lot for dinner. I'm going out tonight, in fact, with my normie friend. We do every week before our exercise class. It behooves us to not overeat because we'll be exercising right afterwards. I also look online if it's a restaurant I've never been to before, but I've done that for years. Restaurants are a big part of my life, and that won't change. But there is more selection than ever, so I don't feel it's a problem. The only caveat to that would be during my liquids phase, a family member wanted to go to Red Lobster. I didn't want to go, only because that's a place I really used to overindulge on fried food and biscuits, and I wasn't sure I'd be able to have a normal Soup. Plus, that family member doesn't know about my surgery and I didn't want to draw attention having only soup. Lucky for me, the outing got cancelled anyway. Dodged a bullet there. So I guess it depends on who's your dining companion. For me, it's almost always the five people who know about my surgery, so I'm cool. For other outings it might get tricky, but I've found that most people don't really give a flying fig what you're eating. They're focusing on themselves.

[skinnygirlwithin 693]

I pick “OTHER”

My first time eating out – I was really nervous – but nothing happen to me, I didn’t get sick – no one looked at me like I was crazy… so I got over it. Lol

I am 4 ½ months out, and for the most part I have avoided going out to eat – I have only been out a handful of times … I have found that I do not enjoy going out to “eat” as I did before surgery – I go more for the conversation & not the food… If I go out to eat – I try to get something that is high Protein low fat… like shrimp cocktail or an appetizer but I also don’t beat myself up if I get something crazy because I am only going to eat about 2 oz of it anyway, and more than likely my husband will eat the rest… if he doesnt eat it, i will have it for leftovers for days on end... HAHA...

[memebear 44]

We go out to eat a lot. I really don't worry. I can find always find something even if I have to remove the bread from a sandwich. appetizers are almost always a source of food. I usually find fish or something that is full of Protein, Soups, and salads are almost a great selection. I haven't lost a great deal of weight but I have lost inches. Pants are from a 22 to an 18. Total weight loss from the begging visit is 25 lb. but only 5 of that is since my surgery. Inches are since my surgery. I can wear a much smaller blouse maybe even a regular large size (haven't tried but sales people think I can). I can't wait to get out of the "big and beautiful" sizes. Am really glad I am a banded.

[TheCurvyJones 721]

I don't worry about it. I can always find something to eat, or something I can modify-- take the bun off of a burger, bread off of sandwich, grab a salad, add chicken or shrimp, dressing on the side.