Holiday "Cheer"

It is suddenly so blatantly obvious just how focused special holidays like Christmas seem to be on the whole "food" = celebration thing.  It is only the second week of December and this week I already have TWO holiday celebrations to attend - One at Boston Pizza and the other at The Mandarin - Yikes. 

Curious question if I may.....

After WLS do  you skim the menu's at such places to try and find something you can eat or do you eat before going and just chit chat the whole time?

I skim the menu and plan ahead. It's still nice to eat out & socialize.

This Friday is our Holiday Party at work and I've planned out my eating for that night & I'm planning on taking my food home too - they're serving beef tenderloin & chicken on the same plate. That's A LOT of food post surgery.

I personally don't have an issue ordering off the menu; I can usually find something that's not too bad.
I often split something with someone or else end up with a big doggie bag. One restaurant dinner often ends up being about 4 meals so it's not big waste of money. 

I tend to order the soup.  Right now 5 weeks out it's the only thing I can tolerate.  I have phoned a resturant on the day of going out and asked what the soup of the day was...otherwise I just end up eating the broth.  I also like french onion soup without the bread.  Good luck.  Diane

I have not had the surgery so I can't really answer this, but I know I have been thinking ahead to this situation many times and thinking that I would probably eat there but stick with either chicken or fish.

I have 2 lunches to go to, luckily they are really nice places and so I should be able to order okay. I'm thinking of chicken or fish as another poster suggested. Probably fish because I don't eat it a lot at home. Cooking fish has just never been my thing so I often order when going out. I had thanksgiving dinner with my in laws and sat on the couch and held my new nephews and chatted with the kids when they were done supper (way before the adults!), I don't know how I'd feel doing that at a restaurant when it is a special meal like a Xmas lunch or dinner. I think I'll just order appropriately, eat slowly, chew a million times, put my fork down a lot and stop when I start feeling full, in other words act no differently than what I do now at meals! It's hard but it's the choice that I made to have a better quality of life for myself. I think back to my last lunch with my boss and co-workers. I knew surgery was coming up, I was still in my farewell to food mode, man did I ever eat! There were these super buttery and garlicy breads with dipping sauce. They were so good at the time. but I don't miss them. I hope a lot of others feel the same way about all this holiday food that we are bombarded with. I don't miss it, okay to be really, really honest, yes I miss it, but again really a teensy, tiny bit. It's not like I'm being eaten up because I can't have Pot of Gold chocolates anymore. I feel like I definitely had my fair share.

I check the menu on-line (if it's available) and decide in advance.  I don't let myself browse the menu once I get there if I've already decided what to have, so that I don't change my mind.  I was at a little pub with colleagues recently and pre-browsed; decided on a meatballs in marina sauce appetizer that was pure protein and just the right amount of food (and only $6)!

Hi there

I love to get out and socialize so I go and enjoy. I order what I want off the menu, most places have healthy choices. I usually ask for a container right away and pack half to take home right away so I am not tempted to graze after I have had enough.
Sometimes I order off the appetizer menu and that works well.
Sharing is good too. LOL that is something I would never have even thought of before surgery LOL

Enjoy, tis the season :)

I can usually find something I can eat on the menu.  I've never gone to a restaurant just for social time.  I will usually  have soup or a salad with chicken breast or sometimes a burger with no bun or steak or something like that.  I can eat more of it now than I did a year ago, but I still can't eat close to a full meal.  Sometimes I wrap it and take it with me...other times I just leave it, which seems like a waste of money, but I enjoyed myself and don't feel the need to take home every ounce of food with me.  And lots of times it just goes in the garbage at home anyway.