EATING OUT???

How is eating out after gastric bypass? All those who will let me know. Thanks Cindy

The first couple of months, the only eating out I did was the occasional Wendy's chili OR Taco Bell's pintos N cheese (refried beans with red sauce and cheese on top). Many places have soup of some sort too. At 2 mos postop, I took a trip to Chicago for a conference. I had bacon and eggs each morning for breakfast from the hotel's buffet. The conference had a luncheon one day where a wonderful chicken breast with a tomato cream sauce was served. That was tender and tasty. I had chili at one of the hotel restaurants one night... You manage! I tried a Chinese place with hubby at a bit shy of 3 mos post op and did fine till I tried a bit of rice... No details please! LOL But, now at 7 1/2 mos post op, I can find something to eat at just about any place hubby or my daughter want to eat at. Wendy's is still easy due to the chili. Sometimes I eat part of a burger with only one part of the bun. The Chinese place I have broccoli and beef, some wonton soup, and maybe a bit of fruit. At Ryan's (a steakhouse/buffet chain), I have steak, a few green beans, and some salad. Chicken places are good too as I just peel off the skin and eat the breast meat and maybe a bit of mashed potatoes and gravy or some coleslaw. At better restaurants, you can often find something appealing and in a smaller quantity by ordering an appetizer. And, if you are out with someone else who doesn't eat a whole lot, you can order a regular meal that appeals to both of you and ask for a second plate to split off on to... As you get farther out (say 4 months or longer postop), things get easier. You can eat a wider variety of foods. As the things you can eat expands, you will find that you can find something you can tolerate just about anywhere! I would also comment that as we are not supposed to drink while eating, you save a bit on drinks as I just order a water to sip on till the food arrives and to have available if you got choked on something or whatever. Most of the time I never touch the water. But I feel better having it there! If we are someplace that we're getting food to-go, I will often get an unsweet iced tea that I can drink AFTER I wait my 30 mins after eating... HTH, Lea 410/275/175

Hi Cindy, You have to follow your surgeon's guidelines as to when you can eat certain foods. After you have been released to eat regular foods, it really isn't that hard to find things at restaurants that are suitable to eat. I've been eating out at least 2 or 3 times a week since Dr. Sonnanstine released me to regular foods. So far, I've always found something that is suitable to my dietary needs, although I never hesitate to ask for things to be prepared to my specifications. I always ask for substitutions of vegetables for french fries, etc. And then I tell them that I need the vegetables fresh steamed.....that because of having gastric bypass, I can't have any butter or oil or I'll become ill. I've never had anyone tell me no. And usually, once I tell them I've had gastric bypass, they bend over backward to make the meal suitable to me. I was given a card stating that I had stomach surgery and that I should be allowed to order off the children's menu, order smaller portions, etc. I've heard that a lot of restaurants do honor these cards, but I've never used mine. It's a personal choice. I don't like most choices offered on the children's menu. I would like to use it to order off the senior's menu....but I haven't been anywhere that offers a senior menu! Someday I'm going to hit Bob Evans just to use my card on the senior menu! So I just order a full size meal and get a to-go box. I can typically eat on a meal two or three more times so that saves me from cooking 2 or 3 times that week! Leftovers can make great lunches. Hope this helps, Chris

I never use my card either Chris. In fact, I don't even know where mine is! I started eating out when I was finally released to solid foods. When we did go out in the beginning, my hubby (also a bariatric patient) and I would order veggies and the meat. We always ordered our food a specific way and would stress, "No bread!!" As you know, some restaurants love to throw the bread in your face! We always share a meal and almost always come home with left-overs! We still don't do bread or any starches and order our food with just the veggies and meat. Sometimes when a particular entree' has rice or mashed potato's served, we'll ask for a double serving of the steamed veggies. I've taken the left overs home and mix the meat and veggies in an egg scramble, so we can make one entree' into 2 meals for us. Although when we've had a particularly stressed day where our eating hasn't been up to par, we've been known to order our separate meals and waste a lot of food. This usually happens if we skip a meal and become super-uber-hungry. (and yes, we can feel hunger after not eating for 7-10 hours) Anyways, we've found (by doing some research on the net) a web-site that gives you the low-down on restaurant eating. If interested, click on this link: http://www.dietfacts.com We've learned there are some restaurants and certain genres that are better to eat than others. For instance, we can eat Mexican without really hurting ourselves, as well as going out for seafood. I hope that helps you-- Dee

Not really a problem once you are post op enough to have regular food. I usually eat a little off my hubby's plate or share a plate with Kat. We went to Applebee's the other night and ordered their steak and shrimp dinner. It came with steamed broc and garlic mashed pots. Two of my children (9 & !0) and I ate it with leftovers! I usually end up taking food home if I order for myself. Seems a waste of money.