Enjoying food after WLS

I see a lot of posts from newbies asking, "will I ever enjoy food again?" It's absolutely possible, but different from pre-op life. I'd like to share an example from 4 years post-op.

Last night, my husband and I went to a fancy steak restaurant to celebrate our anniversary. I scoped out the menu in advance, and had zero worries about eating. I had:

• Half a glass of red wine, and drank it before the food came (I literally have 1 or 2 drinks per year, this was one of them)
• None of the bread brought to the table
• French onion soup as an appetizer, having all of the broth and onions and only a nibble of the cheese on top
• Petite lamb chops from the "small plates" menu. I ate two lamb chops and didn't touch the third.
• I had two small bites of my husband's carrot cake, and that was a perfect dessert.

I enjoyed the food very much. I didn't feel awkward about having small portions, and nobody at the restaurant noticed or even cared. It was a lovely dinner!

So yes, you can absolutely enjoy food after surgery. I think I probably enjoyed this more than a dinner out post-op, because I didn't feel guilty about eating an entire chocolate molten cake or worry that the entire restaurant was staring at me as I worked on a larger steak.

So true Julie. You can enjoy it again.

I can eat everything.

One thing that comes to mind is Kim saying just because you can doesn't mean you should.

That sounds like a lovely evening, and Happy Anniversary!

My favorite dinners out usually involve prime rib.

I love prime rib! Sadly, this restaurant only does it on Sunday, so none for me :'(

I would have done the same - except possibly eaten the cheese!!

I was thinking the same - LOL

Happy anniversary! That all sounds delicious, glad you had a good time

That sounds a lot like what we did for our anniversary. High-quality and not too much.

I think a lot of people confuse having a lot of food with enjoying food. How can you enjoy it if you can't stuff your face? But yes, one can still enjoy food after surgery, just not mass quantities.

Happy anniversary!

Jen

"...People confuse having a lot of food with enjoying food..." Hope you don't mind me quoting you...haha.

I think you've hit the nail on the head, Jen. I think A LOT of people do this. I know I was certainly guilty of it before surgery.

I did NOT share dessert. If someone reached for my gigantic skillet chocolate chip cookie Sundae- they'd get the Audrey Glare and a fork in the hand for their trouble.

Happy anniversary, Julie! I'm glad you had a nice dinner with your hubby.

I have had so many people tell me they could never have weight loss surgery because they love to eat. I try to explain that they can still enjoy eating after WLS, but some people are determined not to have surgery. To each his own.