Help, eating out ...

[maddy]

I was sleeved a little over 60 days ago and have had a heck of a time adjusting to the small size of my new portions. How does everyone else deal with the waiters/waitresses who concern themselves with whether or not I "liked the food" and/or acquaintances who don't know about my surgery who worry that I'm "ill"? I don't really feel like I should tell the waiter/waitress and/or acquaintance, but how else do you explain the situation? And has anyone figured out how to order off of the children's menu without being under 12 or over 60?

PS It is not lost to me that this is a totally awesome!!!!! issue to have to deal with ...

[Bilby]

Congratulations on your progress ... i can't wait to have that problem

[pieganjane]

I got a wallet card from my Dr and Hospital saying I have had gastric surgery, have limited stomach size, and would appreciate the establishment allowing me to order a half portion or from the childrens menu. You can't force a restaurant to do this but many of them oblige.

[MyLifeIsBrilliant]

Honestly, I hate eating out now. If you can't find a small or half portion at a decent price, aim for the entree that you like and can be heat up and eaten later on. The entrees that are healthier for you usually wind up being the ones that still taste okay later. The fried foods, which we should probably avoid anyway, taste awful when microwaved and I get mad that I paid that much money for a few bites. Not to mention the heartburn.

As far as waitresses and your company go commenting on your lack of food consumption, just make up some lame excuse if you don't want to tell them the truth. In my experience, they usually are only slightly curious and are satisfied with any bs answer.

[mpishko]

Just tell the wait staff that the food was delicious but you're full and need a to-go box. Then again, who cares what they think. This is all about us taking charge and beginning in control.

[dbarnes7]

I just let my wife order what ever she wants and then I ask for an extra plate and I eat off of her plate.

[Busybee]

I order a soup because it is hard to tell how much I have eaten. I also order from the appetizer menu and ask for a to go box when my order comes to the table. I immediately place the portion I want to take home in the to go box and slowly eat my "meal". This past weekend I ordered a cup of seafood gumbo, no rice and an appetizer of shrimp remoulade. When my meal came I asked for a to go box and put 4 of the shrimp along with the lettuce and tomato in the to go box and had just two shrimp along with about half of my gumbo. I was full and had shrimp for lunch the next day. Also a salad such as chicken caeser or grilled shrimp salad is great to order then you can pack half up to go and eat the rest.

[sarah abrams]

I now have my son order a meal for himself and just grab a few bites out of his.

[Its_Me]

When my boyfriend and I were in Las Vegas, we just shared our meals, which worked out fine. when I am with friends, I order either from the appetizer menu, depending on what it is, or soup and basically eat half of it and ask for a to go container. I've had funny looks that I can't finish a cup of soup, but whatever. So far no one has asked about it.

[blessedahf]

I always eat off my husbands plate or split a meal with my daughter. And I will fight to no end at a buffet if they don't let me weigh my food. I even go as far as saying, "want me to show you my scars?" lol but I'm crazy like that. They usually cave once I start stripping haha

[farmington]

The kids menu is usually worthless, most of it is fried or very fatty. I order whatever I find that is compliant to our diet. I eat as much as I like, then get a box to take home the rest. Nobody has ever said a word, even the times I have only eaten a small amount. It comes home with me. It goes into the refrigerator and I have told everybody in the house that take home boxes are fair game to everyone. Needless to say, very,very little ever gets wasted. Eating out is as much a social thing as it is a feeding thing. You can't give up the social part of your life just because there might be a little food there. Might as well crawl under a rock. We're going through this so we can live a long, happy life. If you cut out a big part of it because of food, is still a happy life??

[momoftwoboys]

My husband and I share a meal, I take my small amount off of the plate and give him the rest. Not only is it cheaper, but he is losing weight now as well! I also have a card from my surgeon that says I had surgery and could I please be allowed to order off the senior or childs menu. I havent used it yet...

[Texas Girl]

I definitely plan on asking for the card, but I will say I have a friend who had WLS this past June and she usually just tells them she has had gastric surgery and they are generally very willing to accommodate her (and she doesn't have a card or anything). Most of them are also really encouraging and congratulate her, etc.

Seeing the reactions she's received has made me far more willing to open up when the time comes for me.

[Joelle]

I order something grilled and healthy. Then my husband finishes it.

[niamh]

I order something I like, usually an entree, but if I like the look of a main, I just order it and accept I'll either take leftovers home or not have much of it. When I'm with friends, I eat very slowly, take lots of time between bites and chew things up a lot. I cut things into very small bites. I put my knife and fork down while I'm chatting for a few minutes at a time. That way I find I am eating for the same amount of time as others at my table, and people generally don't notice how much I've had.

If there's still a lot left on the plate when I'm finished, and if I am not taking left-overs, I bunch up my napkin (if it's a paper napkin) and put it on the plate in a way that covers a lot of the food so people are generally none the wiser, and the waiters don't ask when they come to pick up the plate cause they can't see. I'll tell you what else I notice - often other people don't finish their food either, and they tend to be normal weight. I think people are just being polite/curious when they ask if you liked it, or there was something wrong. Just saying "it was lovely, but I'd eaten earlier so I'm quite full" works every time for me.

I have been at a ball with a three course meal, a wedding with a three course meal, two work Christmas functions with three course meals and a handful of other occasions at restaurants. It's all been good.