Fine Dining Post-Op

Hello again, all.  First let me thank you for all the great information you provide.  I check this forum daily and read all the posts and comments from where I left off the day before.  What a wealth of useful insights I've gained!  

 

So.. due to some food intolerances I don't eat out very often.  A few times a year, however, my family likes to go to a super fancy restaurant.  Last year, for example, I got to go to Alinea in Chicago.  The first question my family asked when I announced that I had decided to get WLS was, "Will you still be able to do a tasting menu?!"  

I asked my NUT this and her response was basically, "you can eat whatever you want, but there might be consequences and you might not want to.  What you do most of the time is what matters, you're allowed to have fun every so often!"  

Do any of you have experience with fine dining post-op?  How has it gone?  Do you think you'd be able to enjoy a tasting menu (lots of small dishes), especially if you were with other people who could finish your plates?  I'm sort of thinking that I could maybe have a small bite of each dish, especially since the meal is spread out over a few hours.  

I pretty much only ate out before WLS and it ran the gambit from fast food to fine dining.  I rarely eat out now and the cir****tances are very limited.

As for a tasting menu, I doubt the quantity I eat would make the effort worthwhile.  At 3-4 ounces, how many bites are we really talking here?  No reason you can't go and enjoy the company though.  Still, you have to have a plan, your plan is protein focused, and a tasting menu might seem cool and awesome but might not fit the equation.  Especially during the loss phase.  You could probably handle the spreading out for one night, and any slips would be limited if you keep it to just that.  I wouldn't make it a habit though.

Lastly, I agree with your NUT, it's what I say to people all the time: "I can pretty much eat whatever I want, but I'm not going to."

Thank you for the reply! Sadly we had a trip to NYC planned for Easter to see out of country family that is visiting before I decided to pursue surgery so I've got to figure out how to make it work. I'm hoping that we'll be able to get reservations for a fish place, since that seems like it would be easiest a few months post-op. And then I'd just focus on the protein parts of the dishes.

It definitely won't be a habit though... too expensive! :D

In September, I went to a wedding at an upscale resort.  The dinner was lots of small dishes.  I decided ahead of time which I would eat and which I would skip, and which I would sample.   I was 4 months out at the time,  I just passed my plate after finishing as much as I wanted, and everyone was happy to fini**** off for me. 

I decided to wait on the wine until the last course.  They started with champagne and then served a different wine for each course.  My last course was beef with a dry red wine, and that worked great for me.  I only can drink a half of a glass before intoxication strikes! 

I was very pleased that I stuck to my diet pretty well, and I was very comfortable sharing any extra food.  I think you'll find it quite manageable.

best wishes,

Carol

Great, thanks!  That sounds like a great experience :D  

Perhaps thankfully, I don't drink alcohol, so at least I won't need to worry about missing that after surgery ;)

Absolutely!  You should plan for it, of course, and make wise choices, but really, really, good food is worth it.  And by good food, I tend to mean locally grown, organic, fresh ingredients.  This summer my brother and I did a 7-course meal with wine pairings from New Zealand.  I got to taste everything, and my brother finished both the wine and food courses for me.  

I might get shot down here, but I would encourage people to try tasting menus.  If you've spent a lifetime eating fast food, crap, and processed sugar, it can be a revelation, and leave you wanting more of the good stuff.  You might want to pass up the dessert, but some of the courses are awe-inspiring!  

You speak my language, friend!  

What you did with your brother sounds like what I was thinking.  I'll do 1/4 of the tasting menu, and my family will be more than happy to finish off the other 3/4 with -no- problem at all.  Hehe.  

My opinion...... which may not be popular or what people want to hear.......

I'm thinking your pre-op ????

#1- Lose the weight first....... period..... don't let anyone or anything get in your way......

You will find people here that say "I had this surgery so I could eat anything, just in smaller amounts"......... this can work for a very few, but it's more of a maintenance approach/mentality. By the time you have lost the weight your far more educated and you pretty much know what's up....... 

Another one or two..... "I don't want to deprive myself" or "Anything in moderation"........ How did that approach work for us while we were getting so fat we needed WLS ??????

All amateur thinking....... in my opinion.....

Now all that said.......

Starting from well into maintenance...... I have had many fine dining experiences both for pleasure and business in several different countries without any issues because  I know better now on what I'm eating and very aware on amounts.......

You really "broke the code" the people I eat with...... doesn't matter if they are new acquaints or not..... love eating with me..... because it's more food for them ! The first thing I do is portion on my plate ....... so it looks really separated and sanitary....... I eat my portion than offer the rest to others..... perfect !

Eating over a few hours is called "Grazing" ...... kind of the opposite of the optimum approach. 

If your serious..... you can lose serious weight..... if your not so serious...... maybe not so stellar results....... It really is all you !!!

Lose the weight first...... than find your tolerances in maintenance.....

Does that mean you put your social life on pause while your in WL mode...... maybe..... many people that are successful at this have done just that....

I will tell you the "VERY BEST" thing about fine dining after WL........... Wearing GREAT CLOTHES THAT FITS !!!!!!....... Looking good, feeling good........ and enjoying the social experience.....that alone tastes better than the food......

frisco

Thanks for your reply.  

You are talking to the Queen of tasting menus and fine dinning.  Here is the reality of the situation as I see it.  Early out, you can eat about 1/4 cup.  Is the price of a tasting menu worth it?  No, it is not.  You have a few months (six months to a year) where your entire focus really should be on weight loss.  I would go with my family and taste some of their meats.  That would have been it for me early out.  Now, when I am in maintenance, we go out all the time.  I love fine food and am a real foodie.  I still do not order the tasting menu as it would be way too much food for me.  I do order a small plate or appetizer that is healthy like sashimi and take bites from my husband's plate for every other course.  I love to go out and we do it all the time.  Good luck to you.