Jump to content
×
Are you looking for the BariatricPal Store? Go now!

Family likes to eat out



Recommended Posts

I have a family who loves eating out. Was this a hard transition for anyone? Is it weird when everyone else is eating and you are sitting there? Does the waiter look at goi funny? I want to still enjoy the family time. Is there something you all started with your family in place of dinners?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Just order something you can have that you would enjoy and save half for a take home box. Then pick at what is left on your plate and engage in conversation.

My first restaurant food was chili. When I went to a Mexican restaurant I ordered a chicken fajita, ate some of the insides and took the rest home for another day.

This might be easier than you think.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

My husband is a huge fan of eating out. Since we don't have kids at home it is easier to select where to go that fits with my more limited options. Granted, I am 8 months out now so I am not as strick as I was at first. Here are some of the things I have found work for me.

(I am located in Texas so some of these options may be regional....)

1. Wendy's small chili (I can finish about 2/3 of it now, but less when we first started getting them)

2. Chick-fil-A grilled nuggets or salad options

3. Mexican - chicken tortilla Soup (hold the tortillas/chips). Hubby orders fajitas and I just eat the chicken and peppers without anything else.

4. Chinese - Egg Drop Soup. Beef broccoli or Pepper Beef. Tip: Order hot green tea to start. You can sip this until the entre comes out. keeps you busy and gets fluids in!

5. Jimmy John's sandwiches: get the unwich version and finish what you can

6. BBQ place - Get the chicken or turkey option and skip the sides. Don't be afraid to walk in someplace and just order the meat.

7. Italian - (this is a hard one for me) I usually just stick to a soup or side salad. sometimes they have just shrimp appetizers or I have ordered the mozzarella sticks and just pulled off the breading part and eaten the cheese.

8. Wings places (Buffalo Wild Wings or similar). Order the grilled wings or just live a little and get the regular wings. I can only eat 3-4 so make sure you order the snack size...

9. Steak places - Hubby orders 8 oz. filet and I get 2-3 oz of it and a side of green Beans.

10. pizza - again a hard one. I just eat the toppings off of the pizza and leave the crust.

I am sure there are other things I am forgetting but those cover our usual eat out spots.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

4. Chinese - Egg Drop Soup. Beef broccoli or Pepper Beef. Tip: Order hot green tea to start. You can sip this until the entre comes out. keeps you busy and gets fluids in!

This would be a problem since I can't drink before I eat. One of the first times I went out to dinner I ordered a Water and went to town on it thinking I was getting ahead for the day. food came out and I was like rut ro. My pouch was full of Water. Live and learn... :)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Just order sides. A side of Beans and rice at Mexican restaurant. We go to the same restaurant all the time. I also will order a single tamale.

Egg drop Soup is great at Chinese restaurants. Even a side of fried rice would be okay. Rice is carbs but if you just eat it every now and then you will be fine.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Last night we went to a burger 0lace and I got a turkey burger with a side of broccoli. No bun. The waitress never batted an eye and I didn't feel any different. I really wanted my man's onion rings but I got over that quickly.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

When I go out with my family or roommate I'm not allowed to order anymore. Because they say I only eat three bites so I should just take it off their plate. And save my money. It's a hard concept to grasp mentally. Going to a restaurant and not ordering. But it makes sense. These people are aware of my surgery and are always accommodating me. I do pitch in with the tips at the end.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Like everyone else has said, once you are on solid foods, it's pretty easy to find SOMETHING you can eat just about anywhere. Ask for a to-go box at the beginning and put the extra in there before you even start eating. That helped me a lot when I was still having trouble with my eyes being bigger than my stomach and eating too much before the "full" feeling kicked in. I don't have to do that anymore at 16+ months out, but at like 4 months out, it was pretty helpful.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

No not my family but like the wait staff wondering why I dont eat that much. I just dont want questions. No one really knows im having surgery except family.

One thing I figured out really soon after being sleeved and worrying about wait staff or people we are with noticing how little we eat is this:

Nobody notices or even cares.

We are so self absorbed when we are newly sleeved (rightly so), we don't realize that that the rest of the world doesn't revolve around our dietary habits ;)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I usually order a Water with lemon because people just don't get it that you don't want a drink. I may take a couple of tiny sips of it.

I've had waitstaff ask me if there was something wrong with my food. I just tell them it was great, can I have the rest of it to go please.

I go to meetings at restaurants on a regular basis and I usually order a steak and with the leftovers I can have 3 more meals out of it.

At Denny's recently I ordered off the senior menu (no one asked my age). It was a plate with one egg, two sausage links, toast (gave to my mom), and a bowl of fruit (ate a couple of grapes and gave the rest to my kid).

At Marie Callendars I usually order the hot artichoke/spinach dip appetizer, and ask for celery sticks instead of chips. At least half goes home with me in a to-go box.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Eating out......it is a weird experience.

It wouldn't be so bad if we could eat and drink simultaneously with our sleeves. I'd finish my dinner and sip coffee or tea afterwards as they continued to eat.

Take today for instance....went out for lunch with my wife. I ordered a split lobster tail, broiled fish and a skewer of grilled shrimp with steamed broccoli & zucchini sides. She ordered a shrimp plate.....some heavily breaded, some extremely spicy (bang-bang style) and a skewer of the grilled version with a side of linguini and some type of Tomato based sauce.

She had the salad bar while we waited on our meal. The stuff that was on her salad was a meal unto itself.

20 mins of small talk while she ate the salad.

food arrives and I eat 2/3 the lobster tail and share the rest.....3 of the grilled shrimp and a couple bites of fish while she eats her various shrimp styles with the linguini.

I took an excruciating long time to eat but I was done, done and done while she kept at it.....then went back to her salad.

Seemed like it took forever.

What really prolonged the deal was the fact that she had just, this morning, been to the doctor for follow up on bloodwork taken for suspicious gal bladder issues, reflux, heartburn and etc. I'm fairly certain he told her to avoid soft drinks, fried food, spicy food and acidic food. So....her meal included all of the above and had the predictable results. Post meal coughing and discomfort that I saw coming from a mile away.

I've got to find a way to enjoy going out for meals.....but right now it's not so much fun. I think I'll let her go out with her girlfriends for such meals and we'll just have our outings together at Starbucks and the like. I'll get a killer cup of java or two and she can have all the treat-eats she cares to order......or when can go somewhere that I can order a skinny margarita and relax while everyone else satisfies their carnivorous habits. We have eaten out and sat at the restaurant's bars and done just that and it was much more pleasant for me.....football or basketball on the bar televisions.....other folks around to interact with, etc. Wing joints with a bartender that will mix 'em like I request are my favorite spots so far.

I've got to relax and be more patient. I'm not there yet.

I'd rather grill up a feast at the house and let folks eat while I prep, cook and clean up. I don't feel like camping out at a seat at the table.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Trending Products

  • Trending Topics

  • Recent Status Updates

    • Prdgrdma

      So I guess after gastric bypass surgery, I cant eat flock chips because they are fried???  They sell them on here so I thought I could have them. So high in protein and no carbs.  They don't bother me at all.  Help. 
      · 1 reply
      1. NickelChip

        It's possible for a very high fat meal to cause dumping in some (30% or so) gastric bypass patients, although it's more likely to be triggered by high sugar, or by the high fat/high sugar combo (think ice cream, donuts). Dietitians will tell you to never do anything that isn't 100% healthy ever again. Realistically, you should aim for a good balance of protein, carbs, and fat each day. Should you eat fried foods every day? No. Is it possible they will make you sick? Maybe. Is it okay to eat some to see what happens and have them for a treat every now and again? Yes.

    • NovelTee

      I'm not at all hungry on this liquid pre-op diet, but I miss the sensation of chewing. It's been about two weeks––surgery is in two days––and I can't imagine how I'll feel a couple of weeks post-op. Tonight, I randomly stumbled upon a mukbang channel on YouTube, and it was strangely soothing... is it just me, or is this a thing? 
      · 1 reply
      1. NickelChip

        I actually watched cooking shows during my pre-op, like Great British Baking Show. It was a little bizarre, but didn't make me hungry. I think it was also soothing in a way.

    • Clueless_girl

      How do you figure out what your ideal weight should be? I've had a figure in my head for years, but after 3 mths of recovery I'm already almost there. So maybe my goal should be lower?
      · 3 replies
      1. NickelChip

        Well, there is actually a formula for "Ideal Body Weight" and you can use a calculator to figure it out for you. This one also does an adjusted weight for a person who starts out overweight or obese. https://www.mdcalc.com/calc/68/ideal-body-weight-adjusted-body-weight

        I would use that as a starting point, and then just see how you feel as you lose. How you look and feel is more important than a number.

      2. Clueless_girl

        I did find different calculators but I couldn't find any that accounted for body frame. But you're right, it is just a number. It was just disheartening to see that although I lost 60% of my excess weight, it's still not in the "normal/healthy" range..

      3. NickelChip

        I think it's important to remember that the weight charts and BMI ranges were developed a very long time ago and only intended to be applied to people who have never been overweight or obese. Those numbers aren't for us. When you are larger, especially for a long time, your body develops extra bone to support the weight. Your organs get a little bigger to handle the extra mass. Your entire infrastructure increases so you can support and function with the extra weight. That doesn't all go away just because you burn off the excess fat. If you still had a pair of jeans from your skinniest point in life and then lost weight to get to the exact number on the scale you were when those jeans fit you, chances are they would be a little baggy now because you would actually be thinner than you were, even though the scale and the BMI chart disagree. When in doubt, listen to the jeans, not the scale!

    • Aunty Mamo

      Tomorrow marks two weeks since surgery day and while I'm feeling remarkably well and going about just about every normal activity, I did wind up with a surface abscess on on of my incision sights and was put on an antibiotic that made me so impacted that it took me more than two hours to eliminate yesterday and scared the hell out of me. Now there's Miralax in all my beverages that aren't Smooth Move tea. I cannot experience that again. I shouldn't have to take Ativan to go to the lady's. I really looking forward to my body getting with the program again. 
      I'm in day three of the "puree" stage of eating and despite the strange textures, all of the savory flavors seem decadent. 
      I timed this surgery so that I'd be recovering during my spring break. That was a good plan. Today is a state holiday and the final day of break. I feel really strong to return to school tomorrow. 
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      Now that I'm in maintenance mode, I'm getting a into a routine for my meals. Every day, I start out with 8-16 ounces of water, and then a proffee, which I have come to look forward to even the night before. My proffees are simply a black coffee with a protein powder added. There are three products that I cycle through: Premier Vanilla, Orgain Vanilla, and Dymatize Vanilla.
      For second breakfast on workdays, I will have a low-fat yogurt with two tablespoons of PBFit and two teaspoons of no sugar added dried cherries. I will have ingested 35-45 grams of protein at this point between the two breakfasts, with 250-285 calories, and about 20 carbs.
      For second breakfast on non-workdays, I will prepare two servings of plain, instant oatmeal with a tablespoon of an olive oil-based spread. This means I will have had 34 grams of protein, 365 calories, and 38 carbs. Non-workdays are when I am being very active with training sessions, so I allow myself more carbohydrate fuel.
      Snacks on any day are always mixed nuts, even when I am travelling. I will have 0.2 cups of a blend that I make myself. It consists of dry roasted peanuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pistachios, and Brazil nuts. This is 5 grams of protein, 163 calories, and 7 carbs.
      Breakfast and snacks have been the easiest to nail down. Lunch and dinner have more variables, and I prepare enough for leftovers. I concentrate on protein first, and then add vegetables. Typically tempeh, tofu, or Field Roast products with roasted or sautéed vegetables. Today, I will be eating leftovers from last night. Two ounces of tempeh with four ounces of roasted vegetables that consist of red and yellow sweet peppers, sweet potatoes, small purple potatoes, zucchini, and carrots. I will add a tablespoon of olive oil-based spread, break up 3 walnuts to sprinkle of top, and garnish with two tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese. This particular meal will be 19 grams of protein, 377 calories, and 28 grams of carbs. Bear in mind that I do eat more carbs when I am not working, and I focus on ingesting healthy carbs instead of breads/crackers/chips/crisps.
      It's a helluva journey and I'm thankful to be on it!
       
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
  • Recent Topics

  • Hot Products

  • Sign Up For
    Our Newsletter

    Follow us for the latest news
    and special product offers!
  • Together, we have lost...
      lbs

    PatchAid Vitamin Patches

    ×