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!

I have no problems with eating out. I just came back from a week long vacation in California. For dinner I ate Mexican food and I ate lots of sushi. I stayed at a hotel that provided a fridge in the room and I bought Greek yogurt and ready to drink protein shakes for my breakfast and lunch. On my plane I had protein bars in my purse and I ate nuts. I drank lots of water and iced green tea from Starbucks. It was a fun vacation where food was not the biggest part of my fun. I enjoyed visiting my son, meeting and getting to know his girl, walking on beaches and beach trails, and seeing the sights. My life has been very different since food has been lower on my list of priorities. And I lost two pounds. :-)

My reply to the question about eating out is: I go with friends or family. I have discussed beforehand that I do not eat much so I prefer to share a meal with someone (so I am a cheap date!) Usually there is someone willing to share part of their meal with me and always comment on how little I take from their meal. I pick Protein first then veggies. If there is fruit, I will try to get one or two bites as my "dessert".

The only place I avoid is the "all you can eat buffet" since I eat less than a 2 yr old and refuse to pay full price for such small amount of food.

I will eat at a restaurant with no problem. Almost every establishment has several choices of Protein. I choose one that isn't coated and fried, and most times you can get a salad to go with it.

My family and I use to go out all the time, now maybe 2xs a month. But, when we do, just about every restaurant has a lighter fare menu. I choose something, eat a small portion, then take it home to have later. I don't stress out about it. Sure I would like to have what everyone else is having, but I'm losing weight and feeling good. I can't put a hold on my life just because I had surgery. I just need to make sure I make the best choice possible!

I enjoy eating out. It's liberating to not be a slave to cravings or pictures of unhealthy options on the menu.

I do try to peruse the menu, online, beforehand, if possible.

There is always a grilled chicken, fish or steak option at most restaurants and I pair that with a salad (either just vinegar or dressing on the side and no croutons) or steamed veggies

If Breakfast, I'll order egg beaters, with low carb veggies, cooked in no oil or butter, no toast or potatoes. Turkey sausage or bacon is available at alot of places. Canadian bacon or ham is also a great choice.

Ruby Tuesday, is one of my favorite places, they have MANY healthy options. The hickory bourbon salmon is to die for!!

Always ask that food be prepared with NO ADDED fat/butter or oil.

If ordering Chinese, you can remove 100's of calories by asking that dishes be prepared with no oil, but still keep the sauce, or sauce on the side.

I ask that they don't bring a bread basket

I'm 3 years post op my 2nd surgery, I have a sleeve now and we go out to eat at least twice a week. I just order something that I know I can heat up for lunch the next day that will taste good, or I will share an entree with my 12 year old son. If we go to a steak place we get a bigger steak and he gets the sides he likes I get a few bites of those and a chunk of the steak. We make it work. My husband says I'm a cheap date, one drink that he gets to finish and half a meal, cannot get better than that!

I just eat very slow and enjoy the conversation!

I'm currently enjoying bouncing around 130#s and have been since 13 months post op of my sleeve.

Before my surgery, I LOVED to eat out, it was such a special treat......the menu, the service, the food, the drinks! But, things have changed now. I don't go out as much because frankly, the service and the food just isn't as appealing to me as it used to be. And, when I do go out to eat, it's usually with my friend (who lost 1/2 his stomach/intestines from a motorcycle accident) and I share a meal and still bring home half of it. I try to stay away from the bread (sorry to say not entirely because I'm trying to be good), but because I won't be able to each my 1/3 of the meal that we share.

Also, I notice sometimes (most likely the grill oil) when I order breakfast out (ham & egg on toasted whole wheat), it occassionally, and quick quickly, runs right through me. So, that's become problematic....but saves money and keeps me healthier I believe by buying supplies and cooking for myself.

Bottom Line: Eating out just doesn't appeal to me as it used too; I can no longer eat with gusto - which is a good thing!

I have no problems eating out. I just order Protein & take home the leftovers.

Pretty much any restaurant you go to will have a healthy menu, and if it doesn't I simply ask for a box ahead of time and put half of it to go. Out of sight, out of mind Nothing wrong with treating yourself! You just have to know how much you can handle so you don't feel bad afterward.

I don't care about other people too. People who know I have the band or not know that I take a long time to chew. It's my thing. I told them it helped me lose weight, and everyone believes me

Edited May 2, 201412 yr by Veronica.N

I always check menu before going out to eat that way I can just order and be normal with everyone else.

I usually order an appy, and take some of it home. Works good for me as my wife usually just orders a app as well that way I can have more then one food. I almost always get a meat appy like wings or ribs etc. I haven't found a food that I can't eat. I find there are foods that fill me up quick such as breads and rice, which gives me problems getting the desired amount of Protein. I use the the rule at home or eating out, protein first ( sometimes it steak sometimes it fish), after that I eat whatever else got cooked till I feel full which is very little.

If we follow some low cal crazy shitty diet, what was the point in all this. Make good choices most of the time, enjoy exercising, but most of all treat yourself and be thankful you can no longer eat a full pizza:)

I don't go out very often. Actually, since surgery 5 months ago, restaurants have not been much of an attraction at all. I don't think I am over the "well, if you're at a restaurant, eat the most fattening thing on the menu" mentality that I had before. It's stilllll too soon. Everything interesting is cooked in rich sauces or else it just seems boring...or too tempting and it's better not to be tempted. So that's why I stay away, if I have a choice. If I'm invited, I go, however, knowing that most times, I can take the leftovers home in a doggie bag.

Like others I picked "Other" because I enjoy eating out and have since shortly after surgery. At first, I ordered appetizers of soft seafood. Easy to share with the table and I could eat a few bites. Crab cocktails were another early fav. During weight loss, I stuck to really healthy choices, but I do splurge now and then at goal.

Now, I order what I feel like. I do prefer healthier choices, but will occasionally enjoy a few fries, garlic bread, or a loaded potato. I don't like fried foods such as fried fish or catfish anymore. Too greasy and they bother my tummy. I also love places that have teeny tiny Desserts. PF Changs has some little desserts served in shot glasses. Perfect if I have any room left.

Sometimes hubby and I split, sometimes I order off the appetizer side, and if I want something on the main dish side hubby doesn't want to share, I take some home or just leave it there if am traveling with a fridge (but I usually make sure my room has a fridge!).

I eat out at least once per week.

Lynda

I still love going out to eat! I just pick my meal differently...I used to order Pasta dishes and now I choose chicken or beef with vegetables. And I have enough to take home for one or two more meals! Lorri Opitz

I go out, and typically order from the menu. I choose grilled or broiled meats when I can, and always order and eat some form of Protein. If it is higher than fat than it should be or breaded, then it is. I do not stress over it, partly because I know that I am going to eat the protein, and likely very little else. I also do not feel that I must give up doing something that I enjoy because I can't eat some huge portion. I usually wind up taking 1/2 to 3/4 of the meal home, if I've ordered a regular dinner. Sometimes I order from the kid's menu, something like a dinner-size Greek salad, or even just an appetizer to cut down on the portion size.