Eating Out/ Food after RNY

We do eat out about 1 time a week. Normally on the weekends. Places that I find that I like are: Wendy's for Chii, Taco bell for crunchy taco but I dont eat the shell, Arbys for a jr roast beef no bun, Olive garden has some good meals, Lone star for rib eye steak, chilis for fajitas. You really do learn what foods work for you, but for me I can pretty much find something to eat anywhere.

I started eating almonds at about 3 months post op. I still do the dark chocolate roasted ones as a snack most days. Also I do cheese sticks, yogurt, PB with apple slices, Kind bars love the dark chocolate pb one. Hard boiled eggs.

Right now I am loving:

meatloaf http://pinterest.com/pin/70791025365259092/

Taco meat mixed with taco sauce and beans.http://pinterest.com/pin/70791025364438064/

Shrimp. http://pinterest.com/pin/70791025364140090/

Sweat and sour chicken. Without the rice. http://pinterest.com/pin/70791025365434039/   Heck I cook chicken this way, all the time. Made it last night with parm cheese and garlic.

Avocados with cottage cheese http://pinterest.com/pin/70791025365803203/

and banana or strawberry "icecream" http://pinterest.com/pin/70791025365015301/

http://pinterest.com/pin/70791025365016046/

I still go out to eat occasionally and just make the best choice I can wherever we go. Sometimes my husband and I will share a meal and other times I order my own meal and take leftovers home. If I am ordering my own,I ask the server to bring a box when she brings my food and I immediately put the extra food in the box. That way I can't overeat if I get busy talking. I make sure I take lots of time to chew and pause between bites. I select food items that are plain like steak,grilled fish or shrimp. I still love to eat out and my husband jokes that I am a cheap date now! My favorite snacks are nuts but I had to wait a while to be cleared for them. They are a good source of protein and good fats but portion control is important. I also often eat Greek yogurt. Fruits with peanut butter is another favorite. I stay away from many of the sweets like protein bars because candy was a problem for me before surgery and I don't want to go there again!

I go out to eat a few times a week. I have learned to get the meat grilled, no bread on my plate (no bun, no toast) no potatoes (any kind, even sweet potato), no rice, absolutely NO pasta (this is a trigger food), no starchy veggies. Every establishment has been very acomodating to my special orders. I am also learning how much of the food I can handle. When I go out with my grandchildren we split the adult order (they love this as they can order from the adult menu) I have really bonded with several of them through this. They think it's cool. I usually look at the menu online before going and figure out the stats so I wont be blindsided. We just have to be dedicated to our new lifestyle and know some foods are always off-limits. Trigger foods. I have been slowly learning my weaknesses, strengths and dedication to my NEW food lifestyle (for forever). We have a year to learn ourselves and change our foodstyles. Use it wisely.

I have eaten out too much in the past month since we were moving across the country. If there is a PF Changs near you I highly recommend their chicken lettuce wraps. I crave them. I found a great copycat recipe on pinterest. Anywhere with steak. Starbucks has good breakfast sandwhiches, I take the bread off of the ham egg and cheese artisan and eat that. For snacks I eat String Cheese, Pistachios, Greek yogurt with protein granola, or Laughing Cow swiss cheese and a couple of wheat thins.

I posted some recipes that I have switched up since surgery about a week ago but Ill put them in here

Chicken Salad

Boil chicken and shred, mix enough greek yogurt to make it almost moist, then add some mayo. Chop up some onion and add that, as much as you like, and add some soy sauce and salt and pepper. Let it chill before you taste it to see if you need to add anything else

Black Bean Dip

1 can black beans, 1 can corn, 1 red pepper, 1 bell pepper, 1/2 red onion, fresh cilantro, chop everything up and mix together, cover with a generous amount of cumin and tons of fresh lime juice. I eat mine with lime tortilla chips but you can use whatever

Chicken Artichoke Salad

Boil a whole chicken and let cool, pull off skin and then get all your meat in another bowl shredded, add some fresh onion, cherry tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and some sliced olives, for dressing mix olive oil, red wine vinegar, some sugar, season salt and crushed dried basil. this is delish and i eat it for lunch all the time. My mom used to make this as a pasta salad so I just omitted the pasta.

I do not eat out much. I hate it now. I feel like it's such a chore to make good choices. I'm still a newbie and I may get over it with time, but I would prefer to eat at home so I can measure everything and know what is in my food. 

I am ten months out so eating pretty normal food at this point.

Mind set going in:  Eat something really tasty, eat it very mindfully and enjoy every bite, stop eating when I begin to feel full (this takes practice), enjoy the experience.  Sometimes it is hard to stop eating when I am nearing fullness because it tastes so good, at this point the restriction doesn't always stop me.  But I just tell myself to bring it home and I can eat it later because I will be hungry again in a few hours.  Sometimes I go to places that I went to alot pre op that serve things that I really love but aren't really in my plan, sometimes, if my head is in a really healthy place I will order it and eat a tiny amount.  For example, recently I went out a diner from my childhood with a big group of people.  they have these killer donuts, so I ordered one, cut it into eight pieces and passed it around the table.  Everyone had a tiny bite including me and i savored every second of it.  Then i ate a really yummy ham and cheese omelette.  Lots of people can't do that because one tiny bite leads to a million big bites.  I think it is really important to figure out and be honest about what you can and can't do when it comes to food.  I can't have cake in the house.  But I can have a tiny bite of cake at a party and do really well with that.  I have found life after rny to be very pleasant in terms of enjoying food, i wasn't anticipating that, so it has been a pleasant surprise.  I hope it goes as well for you!

Favorite things to eat out:

Chef salad with blue cheese (YUM!)

burgers with salad and maybe a few bits of sweet potatoe fries

chinese food, i just skip the rice

INDIAN FOOD!!!!!  Yum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Again, I just mostly skip the rice and bread though I will have a few bites (not a big trigger for me)

mexican food is awesome, fajitas!

Fast food:  salads at wendy's, bean burrito at Taco bell, subway sandwiches (I get the flatbread and pull off the top of the bread, not so much because I shouldn't eat it but more because too much bread just makes my tummy feel too full), salads or bean soup at panera

Favorite snacks: dry roasted edamame (yummy and 14 grams of protein in 1/4 cup), cheese with thin wasa cracker, milk with sugar free chocolate syrup, protein bars (I like cliff builder bars, they are a little too high in carbs for some people but they work well for me), shrimp ****tail (good for a meal too), nuts, deviled eggs (yum now I want one), sugar free hot cocoa with added non fat powdered milk (for extra protein and it makes it really rich), homemade sugar free ice cream

Favorite meals at home:  BBQ chicken (light on the sauce) with lots of fresh veggies, salad, grilled fennel, green bean salad, taco salad, meatloaf, tomatoes just got ripe around here so I have been eating BLTs with low carb high protein pitas, cottage cheese waffles with raspberry sauce

I eat out several times a week.

My go-to choices are:

Mexican: Fajitas. I eat the meat and onions and refried beans.  Occasionally I will have an edge of a tortilla.  No chips. 

Red Lobster: CRAB LEGS!! These are the best.  Soft, easy to chew, takes a long time to eat them.

Outback - Grilled shrimp on the Barbie or Filet... my hubby and I will get the Porterhouse to go and share it.

PF Chang's: Kung Pao Scallops or shrimp or lettuce wraps.

Red Bowl: Sushi!!!

There are plenty of choices as long as you don't mind not eating like you used to. I can't do hamburger places and I don't really like fast food salads and such - Sandwiches are not my favorite because I don't like to pick my food apart.

I don't eat fried foods any more.  Well, I have had a french fry here and there.  

I did not enjoy eating out until about 4 months out. You really have to know your limits and your triggers.