Eating out the first time after surgery

[tinab59 5]

Can anyone tell me how you handled this?

I am going out to eat Sunday after church for first time, I'm a little nervous about it.

[Navigating the Wilderness 824]

My suggestion would be to eat before hand and politely decline any food there. This is critical in the first few months so you don't reintroduce food that may trigger bad eating behaviors. Enjoy the people instead of the food!

[blizair09 3,250]

7 minutes ago, Navigating the Wilderness said:

My suggestion would be to eat before hand and politely decline any food there. This is critical in the first few months so you don't reintroduce food that may trigger bad eating behaviors. Enjoy the people instead of the food!

I agree. I'm over 9 months post-op and I still do this a lot.

[Berry78 4,259]

How far out will you be? I went out for the first time at a regular restaurant 8 days post op. I ordered a hot tea and a glass of milk. Got some strange looks from the waitress, but I just explained I was on a liquid diet. Was fine after that.

[leiaD 62]

Can anyone tell me how you handled this?
I am going out to eat Sunday after church for first time, I'm a little nervous about it.

I say enjoy yourself. If you know where you will be going, look up the menu beforehand to see what bariatric friendly options they may have. Call with any questions. Ask for a to go box in the beginning so you can separate your portion. Eat slow and enjoy the conversation! I'm only 3 weeks post op, but I've been out with my sister.

[tinab59 5]

It will be 3 weeks. I've been doing great with my puréed foods this week.

[smg 471]

1 hour ago, tinab59 said:

It will be 3 weeks. I've been doing great with my puréed foods this week.

This is a tough one, because at only 3 weeks, there's not much experience with solid foods yet, so unless the restaurant has something you've already tried and know won't bother you, it could be challenging. My suggestions would be to make sure to research the menu and see if there is anything that you KNOW will (1) be gentle to your new sleeve, (2) give you the nutrients you need most right now (protein) and (3) actually be on your eating plan.

The surgery is meant to kickstart your new eating habits so try to choose something that won't derail those plans. It's hard enough to get enough Water in at 3 weeks so beware of the excess sodium restaurants (even "healthy ones") put on their food....you'll probably want to ask them to leave it unsalted and then you can control it by adding it yourself.

Also you'll probably want to choose something that saves well because you will undoubtedly have leftovers

Best of luck!

[travelergirl 142]

Look for Soups (call ahead to find out what they will have) and bring some Protein Powder you can discreetly add in. Milk is my go to when I'm out running errands etc...
I went to one restaurant around 2 weeks and just had Water as I was still liquids at that point. I got to be with my family and stayed with my plan.

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[LetGoJo 27]

I went out last night on day 8 . I had a mango lassi ( yogurt drink ) and two spoons of lentil Dhall which was too spicy. We left quite promptly as I was a little over whelmed by the heat and the food - but I was so glad to be out and sociable. I also developed back and hip pain. Staying at home I would not have known how weak I was

[FamilyGuyNJ 123]

During the pureed stage I went to Panera bread and had Turkey Chilli. I ate real slow and chewed very well. Once I could have fish, I ordered Shrimp Tacos at Chilli's. I basically picked out the Shrimp and avocado from the taco and at that only.

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[Berry78 4,259]

Trust me, don't bring Protein powder to add to the Soup. A single meal without protein isn't gonna kill ya. Potato soup, french onion soup.. something along those lines will work well. Even ordering a sweet potato can work, just take tiny bites and keep it in your mouth until it's nice and smooth/runny.

Do try and avoid anything like chicken noodle soup. It's soft, but those noodles... (maybe it's just me, but I can't handle noodles even now, and I'm 3.5 months out). Even the broth has noodle juice in it.. so doesn't work for me. YMMV

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

Yeah you don't need to bring your own Protein powder.

Order Soup and a salad. Don't touch the salad, just push it around, no one will notice.

Eat the soup, just the liquids, you should be able to have most of it. Have your protein before and after.

Honestly it isn't worth going out at 3 weeks but I am assuming this is some social event you can't decline.

Eating out is something you have to learn. I have a lot of tricks to make it seem like I am eating but not really eating.

[tinab59 5]

Thanks so much for all the input!

[caddygirl 208]

Stay away from all potatoes! They are starchy and can clog your sleeve ! I'm speaking from experience [emoji3]

[bigjoe1234 48]

Stay away from all potatoes! They are starchy and can clog your sleeve ! I'm speaking from experience [emoji3]

Thanks I will never eat potatoes again