Restaurants

[HealthyLifeStyle 351]

1 minute ago, lostmykeysinspace said:

I've been obsessed with salads lately which isn't something I thought I'd ever say lol! My current favorite is spinach with a few strawberries, sliced almonds, some feta cheese, and some shredded chicken I slow cooked earlier in the week. The add some lite raspberry vinaigrette, and it's a delicious meal! But I realized I bought way more spinach than I'm able to eat so now I'm experimenting with green smoothies (which are a great way to sneak in some Protein powder!).

Yummy salad idea. I can't tolerate regular salad stuff. Lettuce and sliced veggies are really hard for me to digest. I can however tolerate spinach, strawberries, almonds and feta. Not sure about the chicken as I have had a very hard time with meat also. Thanks for the idea. I am def going to try that.

[lostmykeysinspace 15]

Yummy salad idea. I can't tolerate regular salad stuff. Lettuce and sliced veggies are really hard for me to digest. I can however tolerate spinach, strawberries, almonds and feta. Not sure about the chicken as I have had a very hard time with meat also. Thanks for the idea. I am def going to try that.

I can handle moist meat. Slow cooked chicken that I eat cold is fine. I can't reheat most meats though. Too tough and dry. Other than that, I can tolerate most things except high fat stuff. I tried a bit of chicken skin and dumped so hard on it. But I haven't had any issues with any raw veggies. Salads have been my go to, they go down so smooth!

[GreenTealael 24,967]

On 5/30/2021 at 9:11 AM, HealthyLifeStyle said:

Hello all. I am 9 months out and still have not gone to a restaurant. Mainly because of Covid. Now that it seems to be getting better, I am still very leery about it. I am so afraid of not being able to find something I am able to eat. I know that most places try to accommodate people with special diets, allergies, etc. but I have never done it before, and a little embarrassed also. I am looking for some advice on what other people do when they go out. How do you discreetly order without saying, No butter, no salt, none of this or that without feeling weird about it? I don't want them to think that I am being "too picky" or a pain in the but. Better yet, I am afraid that my order would still have the stuff I can't eat on it and I would not be eating healthy and the way I am used to.

Restaurants are usually more than willing to accommodate substitutions and understand that people have complex diets. I have seen vegetarian, diabetic/keto friendly, gluten free, etc menu categories.

I have also looked up menus prior to going places. When ordering I either ask for everything on the side or without everything I don’t want.

My BF says that I do *appear* high maintenance at restaurants. But I have always been that way because I am Kosher, sometimes I was a strict vegetarian/vegan and have a shellfish allergy too so cross contamination is dangerous for me. WLS was just one more layer.

If all else fails I order salad or ice Water, tea or dessert 🤣

Edited May 31, 2021 by GreenTealael

[Starwarsandcupcakes 1,931]

I’ve only been to a sit-down restaurant a few times in the past 18 months so I just order whatever I want. It’s a special treat so I don’t do it often. I then eat until restriction which depending on the item can be a few bites or a whole cup of Soup or salad. I almost always bring home leftovers that may or may not get eaten.
I still order from fast food places but I usually get a kids meal now with the fruit option instead of fries as they don’t sit well.

[HealthyLifeStyle 351]

1 hour ago, GreenTealael said:

Restaurants are usually more than willing to accommodate substitutions and understand that people have complex diets. I have seen vegetarian, diabetic/keto friendly, gluten free, etc menu categories.

I have also looked up menus prior to going places. When ordering I either ask for everything on the side or without everything I don’t want.

My BF says that I do *appear* high maintenance at restaurants. But I have always been that way because I am kosher, sometimes I was a strict vegetarian/vegan and have a shellfish allergy too so cross contamination is dangerous for me. WLS was just one more layer.

If all else fails I order salad or ice Water, tea or dessert 🤣

I am afraid/embarrassed to appear high maintenance. I don't want to embarrass my husband either.

[HealthyLifeStyle 351]

49 minutes ago, Starwarsandcupcakes said:

I’ve only been to a sit-down restaurant a few times in the past 18 months so I just order whatever I want. It’s a special treat so I don’t do it often. I then eat until restriction which depending on the item can be a few bites or a whole cup of Soup or salad. I almost always bring home leftovers that may or may not get eaten.
I still order from fast food places but I usually get a kids meal now with the fruit option instead of fries as they don’t sit well.

My mind tells me that I want to "try" eating some fries. But my body tells me not to do it. LOL

[Struglinghrd 1]

These are all great suggestions. I make sure I always order a child's portion or ask for a saucer and bring the rest home

[GreenTealael 24,967]

57 minutes ago, HealthyLifeStyle said:

I am afraid/embarrassed to appear high maintenance. I don't want to embarrass my husband either.

The best bet is to research the menu ahead of time and order the most appropriate meal in line with your plan

[HealthyLifeStyle 351]

51 minutes ago, Struglinghrd said:

These are all great suggestions. I make sure I always order a child's portion or ask for a saucer and bring the rest home

Some places don't let you order the child portion.

[vjc 18]

Sister, what's wrong with being high maintenance? You want what you want and that's okay. Besides, as good as you look, how can you embarass your husband? You're strong and beautiful. Own it!

[blackcatsandbaddecisions 845]

We go out to restaurants, I’ve never really had a problem. I often get Soup, salad, or an appetizer. I don’t usually ask for modifications to the items outside of dressing on the side. I know I’ll never finish it, I usually get a question from the waiter but if you assure them it was great but you’re stuffed they generally don’t care.

I would avoid kids menu. Fried, high fat, and bland. I hate feeding it to my picky kids and I’m not wasting calories on that. I’ll order my full size dinner or appetizer and eat what I want. You can also put your napkin on top of your plate when you’re done so it’s not obvious how much you didn’t eat.

[2Bsmaller18 436]

Here are some of my tips.

I have ordered a sandwich and just ate the Protein and not the bread. So far I can eat any Salad Dressing so salad is an option. I don't eat Pasta and the serving size of a pasta dish at a restaurant is huge. Sometimes you can find an appetizer that is a smaller portion like chicken wings and just order that as a meal. If you go with older children you can order an adult meal and order a kids meal for them and then switch plates when the food comes. You can also get a Soup and salad combo so you eat the soup first then you still have room for the salad and can eat it slowly since it doesn't matter (other food gets cold and unappetizing).

You can also ask for a to go box when your meal arrives and immediately put half in the to go box so you are not tempted to over eat or sit there with a full plate of food when others at the table have clean plates.

Sharing a meal is great since you can just nibble and eat some of the veggies and protein and the other person can eat the rest.

[Mary w. 0]

Good evening, so I did not do the surgery but I did join a weight loss done right program in my area on January 5 and as of today I have lost 68 pounds, (only 32 more to go) the program is very strict, but very easy and the food is quite good!!

When it comes to eating out which we do, I am very committed and I basically tell the server immediately, I am sorry to be a pain but I am on a very strict diet so can you please relay to the kitchen staff that my food can have no seasoning, no butter, no oil, everything needs to be completely plain. Also I ask as many questions as needed, such as actual ounces, sauces etc.

I actually use a brown bread that I purchase from bariatric pal, and I bring one or two slices with me, I either bring my own seasoning or I just use their salt and pepper. When it comes to Salad Dressing again I bring my own or I order just plain white vinegar.

I usually order a 6 ounce steak or the 8 ounce salmon, again no butter, no seasoning, no oil. I get a double order of plain steamed broccoli and a side salad with only lettuce, Tomato and cucumber. I will sometimes bring my own cucumber and hearts of palm.

lol just carry a larger than usual purse, honestly no one cares and you should be very proud of yourself for loosing the weight and especially proud of adhering to the food restrictions because that shows your strength.

I am not embarrassed or ashamed of ordering specifically as I know I am a healthier , happier and skinnier me. LOL

i wish you the best of luck, you’ve got this!!!!

[GummyBearQueen 115]

On 06/03/2021 at 21:52, Mary w. said:

Good evening, so I did not do the surgery but I did join a weight loss done right program in my area on January 5 and as of today I have lost 68 pounds, (only 32 more to go) the program is very strict, but very easy and the food is quite good!!



When it comes to eating out which we do, I am very committed and I basically tell the server immediately, I am sorry to be a pain but I am on a very strict diet so can you please relay to the kitchen staff that my food can have no seasoning, no butter, no oil, everything needs to be completely plain. Also I ask as many questions as needed, such as actual ounces, sauces etc.

I actually use a brown bread that I purchase from bariatric pal, and I bring one or two slices with me, I either bring my own seasoning or I just use their salt and pepper. When it comes to Salad Dressing again I bring my own or I order just plain white vinegar.

I usually order a 6 ounce steak or the 8 ounce salmon, again no butter, no seasoning, no oil. I get a double order of plain steamed broccoli and a side salad with only lettuce, Tomato and cucumber. I will sometimes bring my own cucumber and hearts of palm.

lol just carry a larger than usual purse, honestly no one cares and you should be very proud of yourself for loosing the weight and especially proud of adhering to the food restrictions because that shows your strength.

I am not embarrassed or ashamed of ordering specifically as I know I am a healthier , happier and skinnier me. LOL

i wish you the best of luck, you’ve got this!!!!

Salt aside, why no seasoning?

[BayougirlMrsS 3,933]

On 5/30/2021 at 8:11 AM, HealthyLifeStyle said:

Hello all. I am 9 months out and still have not gone to a restaurant. Mainly because of Covid. Now that it seems to be getting better, I am still very leery about it. I am so afraid of not being able to find something I am able to eat. I know that most places try to accommodate people with special diets, allergies, etc. but I have never done it before, and a little embarrassed also. I am looking for some advice on what other people do when they go out. How do you discreetly order without saying, No butter, no salt, none of this or that without feeling weird about it? I don't want them to think that I am being "too picky" or a pain in the but. Better yet, I am afraid that my order would still have the stuff I can't eat on it and I would not be eating healthy and the way I am used to.

since i've been on this roll-a-coster of life with WLS.... I learned to be a better menu reader. So if i'm headed to a new restaurant, I go on line and pull up their menu and read every item and what's in it. I make my choices ahead of time. I always have a back up item in case they are out of what i want.
Tell the waitress ahead of time to NOT bring you any Water to the table......... At all for you.
Tell her that when she brings out the meal, bring a go box right away. Two reasons, 1, you want to portion out what you WILL be eating onto the plate and boxing up the rest. This will prevent you from feeling the need to over eat. Then place the box on the other end of the table or give to your partner. 2, this will stop people from asking............ Is that all you are going to eat..... and it will stop the waitress asking if your food was ok.... or if there was something wrong with it.