How soon after surgery did you eat out? Not just soup, but a "normal" meal. Obviously, in a small, appropriate portion.

A month after, I was already in regular foods, chose lean meats and was only able to eat 2oz

A couple of months if I remember correctly when I was a couple of weeks into solid foods. I waited to make sure I was tolerating food more easily. Went for Chinese with my mum & her neighbours. I had braised chicken & cashews without the cashews & of course no rice. Everything was soft & easy to chew & swallow. Had leftovers for days & days lol! Actually had my first case of the foamies with the leftovers - a slice of carrot did it & it was soft & mushy too.

We're planning on going to Bonefish. I have my eye on the salmon with s little bit of the mango salsa, mashed potatoes and veggies. My husband and I will share this. I'll probably eat mostly the salmon and some of the veg.

During soft food phase (3 weeks) I had egg drop soup from a Chinese restaurant and it tasted lovely. At regular food phase (5 weeks) I ordered from same place, Beef and Broccoli. Was great first time. Second time the broccoli didn't go well. No rice of course.

not sure what u would classify as a "normal" meal...cuz i dont think i had what would be characterized as a "normal" (small-portioned) meal until after maintenance, for reals.

but if ur asking when i first ate something not liquidy nor mushy...it was probably around 1-2 months and if i remember correctly, it was a fried shrimp.

I think the first time I actually ate something resembling food was about a month out; I had some scrambled eggs and grits, was able to eat just a few bites of each. You may find it easier at first to order individual side items as opposed to a full meal (I'm 22 months out and still can't even finish the sandwich from a kids meal let alone the apples or whatever that come with it...and no, I don't eat fast food regularly before anyone jumps all over me.)

Purees with protein are hard to pull off in a restaurant, unfortunately. Most people who are not bariatric patients are not big fans of textureless bowls of meat slop. It will get easier, though, when you move on to soft foods and no restrictions.

25 minutes ago, pintsizedmallrat said:

I think the first time I actually ate something resembling food was about a month out; I had some scrambled eggs and grits, was able to eat just a few bites of each. You may find it easier at first to order individual side items as opposed to a full meal (I'm 22 months out and still can't even finish the sandwich from a kids meal let alone the apples or whatever that come with it...and no, I don't eat fast food regularly before anyone jumps all over me.)

Purees with Protein are hard to pull off in a restaurant, unfortunately. Most people who are not bariatric patients are not big fans of textureless bowls of meat slop. It will get easier, though, when you move on to soft foods and no restrictions.

We are definitely sharing the meal.

2 hours ago, LindsayT said:

We are definitely sharing the meal.

That's usually what my husband and I do too, but sometimes there isn't anything on his plate I can really eat. Side items tend to be closer to a proper size for us. (If you can find somewhere that does "small plates", they're great!)

18 minutes ago, pintsizedmallrat said:

That's usually what my husband and I do too, but sometimes there isn't anything on his plate I can really eat. Side items tend to be closer to a proper size for us. (If you can find somewhere that does "small plates", they're great!)

He is so great. He told me to order what I could eat and that'd be fine with him. When I'm eat more normally for my new stomach, we'll get our own dinners...maybe.

17 hours ago, LindsayT said:

How soon after surgery did you eat out? Not just Soup, but a "normal" meal. Obviously, in a small, appropriate portion.

You might be surprised by how little you can eat when you dine out. I don't think I was able to eat more than a few chopped up grilled shrimp or chicken for the first 2 or 3 months. I started eating small portions of Sweetgreen salads at about 4 months post-op. Even now, at 15 months post-op, I can't really eat a full meal. Charcuterie and appetizers are my go-to when I eat out because I can eat in bits and pieces.

I started eating out about 2 months after surgery. I ordered a starter for my main then but I couldn't finish it. Now - 18 months on - I can have a starter for my starter and a starter for my main and pretty much finish them, depending on their size and the time available!

Dinner went well. I had about a tablespoon, maybe a bit more, of salmon and about a tablesoon of mashed potatoes. My intention was to have the broccoli instead, but it wasn't soft enough. I should have requested them to cook it longer; I will know for next time. Hubs let me choose what meal I wanted, and he ate the rest. It was so nice to go out.
The funny bit was that the people sitting next to us kept staring. I think they were worried, lol. How do you navigate people who don't know why we eat like we do; especially in the early months.

1 hour ago, LindsayT said:

The funny bit was that the people sitting next to us kept staring. I think they were worried, lol. How do you navigate people who don't know why we eat like we do; especially in the early months.

Glad your first dinner out went well. ? First of many. As for the nosy people sitting next to you, just ignore them. It’s none of their business. You don’t have to explain your eating habits if you don’t want too. I was asked recently if I’d ever eaten at a specific restaurant by someone who worked there. I told them I had always wanted to but because they did a degustation menu it was too much food for me. They just nodded & told me they did also offer an a La carte so I could choose to eat just what I was most comfortable with. No fuss. No strange looks. Just acceptance from him. I think we can be more sensitive about our new eating habits at first & what others may think or say. In time you won’t notice the other people & won’t care either.

Glad your first dinner out went well. [emoji322] First of many. As for the nosy people sitting next to you, just ignore them. It’s none of their business. You don’t have to explain your eating habits if you don’t want too. I was asked recently if I’d ever eaten at a specific restaurant by someone who worked there. I told them I had always wanted to but because they did a degustation menu it was too much food for me. They just nodded & told me they did also offer an a La carte so I could choose to eat just what I was most comfortable with. No fuss. No strange looks. Just acceptance from him. I think we can be more sensitive about our new eating habits at first & what others may think or say. In time you won’t notice the other people & won’t care either.

Thanks!

On 6/1/2023 at 9:40 PM, LindsayT said:

How do you navigate people who don't know why we eat like we do; especially in the early months.

You ignore them. If I worried about what every server and other restaurant patron thought of what or how I ate, I would have starved to death by now. People love to judge, and some people like to get jealous if they feel like someone else has more willpower than them.

I will occasionally explain vaguely if a server asks if I didn't like something ("I had surgery on my stomach a while ago; It's delicious I'm just not able to eat much these days, but I'd love a box."), but some looky-loo from another table? I owe them nothing, and in fact it's a far bigger social transgression to stare at someone than it is to dare to eat less. They're the ones who are being rude.