Its early so I may not be as eloquently written as usual, please excuse the following, and how long it is. This is from last nights, first nights eating out with a group:

I've been pre-op dieting for a week exactly now. Its been relatively easy as it's Atkins and I happen to love meat and vegetables (Its just easier to open chips and beer so now I'm here..)

Originally we were going to go to the Keg, perfect, I knew ahead of time and went online and planned my meal out. Wild card, we show up at The Keg and its practically overflowing so we have to now go to a different restaurant nearby. Crap, okay time to use what I've learned and know and find something I can have, "I got this" I think to myself confidently. Our waitress comes around and I order the house salad with a grilled chicken breast AND grilled shrimp skewers as well, no sauces. Success.

Okay so here's my conundrum, I'm with 6 people who don't know about my surgery, they are my fiances family and (potentially?) judgmental. Immediately after I order, The first words out of his mother mouth to him are "Oh so I start my diet next week, blah blah (Its this weird diet where literally you eat like an exact food plan repeatedly week after week, one day actually contains 2 hot dog weiners for lunch)..okay back on topic. I flag her, and put her in the mental "Dont Tell" file. I eat, happily satisfied with my food. Later were discussing some topic unrelated to food entirely, I happen to be the one who has just finished saying something and I hear from the other end of the table "well then you wouldn't have to go on a diet", not a passing comment, but actually snarky! I use every ounce of my remaining energy not to sass his ass speechless. Luckily hes just their friend and not actually a future relative. His wife however, I notice orders a huge meal, eats 7 small bites, then scrapes the sauce off her chicken, and boxes that up along with only the remaining steamed vegetables. Leaving over half the meal to be thrown away. Her husband however goes immediately on my "NEVER tell" list.

Question (FINALLY) What are others experiences with eating out when people don't know. Is it better to order what you actually want and can have,and finish it, or order a full sized meal, play with it hoping nobody notices you only ate 1-2 items, then take home the remaining food. If you've done both of those, when have you noticed people ask/comment less on what you've ordered?

Please, I actually would really appreciate some input on this whole eating out thing..Oder small and eat it all? Fake it with a full meal and toss it when you get around the corner?

I'm all about the secret! I decided not to tell anyone just because I didn't want what or how much I eat to be a topic of conversation. It feels damn good to be normal. The people who pay attention to what I eat are people who want to lose weight or people that want to judge. I'm not interested in being someone's example or target. If I'm asked how I'm doing it I'm as honest as I can be. Low carb, water, exercise and I take my vitamins. I rarely go out to eat and when I do I just order what I want and a go box. If it raises eyebrows I just say I read it in a magazine that planning on having leftovers is a great way to eat less. That is absolutely true, I did read that somewhere. I get my meal and pack up half before I start...ha! Any snarky comments would be easily ignored. Early on I got a bit of snark but now that I have lost so much it makes more sense to them. Just roll with it. Eventually, you will feel like you eat more normally and most people generally don't care what or how you eat when your skinny. Not so when I was a big girl.

So I have chosen not to share my (future) WLS surgery with many people either. Just my support people. Simply because it's not their business. And as far as the food, order what you want, and take the rest to go. That way you can eat on it for several meals. If anyone is rude enough to point out that you didn't eat much, you simply tell them that you are until your body said it wasn't hungry anymore, but that you will definitely be able to enjoy the leftovers tomorrow for lunch.