restaurant advice needed! please help!!

So I have a date on Thursday - it's a first date and I really like this guy. I'm nervous about eating at a restaurant with him. I'm pretty nervous about eating at a restaurant with anybody actually. I've also got a two big work meals out in restaurants in the coming weeks. I know I have to concentrate on chewing and taking small bites and all that makes it hard to maek conversation and I'm so scared I'm gonna hurl into my napkin or something. My latest fill has REALLY kicked in and I can't eat much right now and some days I do better than others as far as what I can and can't eat. How do y'all handle this? I'm starting to freak out1 thanks!

Hello, Ok, I must ask how tight are you to where you are embarrassed to eat in front of folks.....you must be mighty tight.... That said, I have been extremely tight as well, even when I was too tight I could have eaten in front of folks with no problem but very carefully. Hopefully your date will take you to a nice restuarant with plenty of choices and not Burger King..., if it is not a junk food place there should be many healthy band friendly foods that you can eat without spoiling your dates appetite..LOL... Try, soup and salad...most too tight bandsters eat salads well...take teeny pea size bites and chew well before swallowing and put the fork down like a prissy skinny woman..hehehe...who you aspire to be... Take Care and good luck with your date... N.

I know what you mean about being nervous about eating in front of people.  I was too at first-esp when my restriction level kicked in. On top of that, when I'm nervous, my band gets even tighter.  On a date or at a work function I'd order something easy-soup, or other mushie (shepperd's pie, chili etc)  that  way you can go slow, take small bites, but not have to worry about PBing/Sliming.  Another thing, since they're mushies/soups you'll be able to eat more so won't have to explain why you took 2 bites of your chicken, and then nothing more. Not eating on a date could send the wrong signals.  And I really wouldn't want to tell my date that I have a band until 3 or 4 dates in. Remember above all to take small bites, and to go slow.  Whatever you order, savor every bite, and have fun!

Thank you both so much! My band just seems to be really sensitive right now. I had my second fill over a month ago, but it's REALLY tight right now. I had a hard time with quiche the other day but I ate a dinner roll at Thanksgiving with no problem. Weird! I have a hard time eating with people because I don't pay enough attention to what I'm doing, you know? I talk and listen and laugh and then I don't get things chewed up enough. We're going to a mexican restaurant and I went and looked at their menu on line today. I  have never planned for a date so much in my whole life! Anyway, the only thing I saw on the menu that I felt confident with was tortilla soup. And since I made some this past weekend and ate it with no problem, I think that would be ok as long as I don't eat too fast. First dates are awkward enough without me having to bolt to the bathroom, you know? I'm sure I'll get the gurgles cause I seem to get them whenever I'm around other people! Thanks again!

Tortilla soup is a good choice.  Also what works for me a lot is Tamales-most are soft and served with a sauce of some sort.  I can usaully eat tamales well, but have a hard time with enchiladas, tacos and burritos-whether there's a sauce or not. Just remember to go slow.

First don't freak out that will just make the band tighter.  Not something you want right now.  Your best bet like others have said soup and salad.  I don't know if you like fish, but maybe a white fish with a newburg or somekind of sauce on it to make it "slide" down easier.  Does drinking something warm help you at all to open a bit?  You could order a tea or something warm to help you along.  Your not to tight were your not eating enough or relying on soft foods are you?  I can't think of anything else right now. Jenn

I say drink the margeritta - to h*** with food!   LOL

I know exactly how you feel.  I am really tight right now and have to really think before I eat or drink anything.  I made the mistake of eating a few bites of food before a funeral today and my stomach was so loud in the church, I just went to the bathroom until it all went down.  I also worry about something getting stuck too.  Tonight is the office holiday party and everyone orders a meal off of a limited menu and sits at a big table together.  I will order the most mushie thing offered and try and move it around the plate so nobody notices I am not eating.   So the soup is a good plan.  I also noticed that tortilla chips and salsa go down ok if you chew it until it is almost lquid.   Good luck, Jen V.

If eating is that difficult and worrisome, that makes me suspect you're too tight. It shouldn't be this much of a big deal to eat in public/with others... So, the way I'd personally handle it is to get a tweak out so that I could eat sensibly and comfortably and feel normal (thin-person normal, not pre-op ab-normal) around food. Nancy

I would get a nice crock of French Onion Soup.....